Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.
The Charles County Board of Commissioners convened on October 6, 2026, at 4:00 AM UTC (local morning) for a meeting that was limited to proclamations only, as a quorum was not present. No regular business or votes were conducted. The meeting concluded with a recess until approximately 3:00 PM that afternoon.
The following proclamations were read and presented to representatives of various community organizations. Each proclamation was accepted by speakers who expressed support for the respective causes.
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (Proclamation 2026-73): Recognized October 2026 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marking the 35th anniversary of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. A representative from Sisters at Heart spoke, noting 30 and 15 years of survivorship among those present, and emphasized raising funds to help women and men in the county who lack sufficient funds for care.
World Mental Health Day (Proclamation 2026-83): Recognized October 10, 2026 as World Mental Health Day. Jean Vuana Evans, executive director and co-founder of Psych Fit Behavioral Health, expressed support for spreading awareness, stating mental health impacts every aspect of life. Caprice James, chair of the Charles County Commission for Women, spoke in support of making mental health a priority and destigmatizing seeking support. Jessica Palo from the local behavioral health authority stated that "nobody should have to struggle in silence."
Child Health Month (Proclamation 2026-75): Proclaimed October 2026 as Child Health Month. Dr. Robert Evans III of Psych Fit Behavioral Health expressed support for partnering with the community to support children and families. A representative from the Charles County Department of Health highlighted programs such as Babies Born Healthy, lead screening, and Building Healthy Families. Dr. Gallosa from Make It Possible LSC expressed support for children's mental health, especially for families with children on the autism spectrum.
International Day of the Girl (Proclamation 2026-84): Recognized International Day of the Girl with the theme "End child marriage and invest in girls' rights." Caprice James announced that the Charles County Commission for Women has requested to expand its name to include girls, becoming the Commission for Women and Girls. She also announced that a delegation of eight girls from the community will attend the United Nations Girls Speak Out event in New York on the upcoming Friday. Sineva Lewis, one of the delegates, expressed support for speaking up for young women who may not feel heard. Lisa Ambers, founder of Beyond the Classroom, spoke about mentoring over 200 girls in grades 3–5 across Charles County.
National Bullying Prevention Month (Proclamation 2026-76): Recognized October as National Bullying Prevention Month. Oxa Sadiq from Beyond the Classroom thanked the commissioners and expressed support for spreading kindness and providing resources.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month (Proclamation 2026-71): Recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month with the theme "With Survivors Always." The proclamation noted that one in four women and one in seven men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner.
White Cane Awareness Day (Proclamation 2026-78): Proclaimed October 15, 2026 as White Cane Awareness Day. Debbie Brown, president of a local chapter and first vice president of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland, expressed appreciation for the recognition and emphasized that blind citizens have work, business, and taxes to pay.
Economic Development Week in Maryland (Proclamation 2026-81): Proclaimed the week of September 28–October 2, 2026 as Economic Development Week. A representative from the Economic Development Department expressed support for the board's prioritization of economic development and promoted the annual fall meeting on November 10 at the College of Southern Maryland.
National Women's Small Business Month (Proclamation): Recognized October 2026 as National Women's Small Business Month. Carol Bush, owner of Shanghali Events, spoke in support of women entrepreneurs. Caprice James introduced several women business owners: Betty Mugara (Caribou Sante), April Simington (Greenlight Driving Academy), Aisha Rosenborough (The Here Center), and Melanie Oates (Melvin Tech), each expressing support for their businesses and community contributions.
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (Proclamation 2026-72): Recognized October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month with the theme "Don't Make It Easy for Them."
Fire Prevention Week (Proclamation 2026-77): Proclaimed October 4–10, 2026 as Fire Prevention Week with the theme "Charge into Fire Safety, Safe Charging is a Superpower." The proclamation noted that working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death by half in home fires.
First Responder Appreciation Day (Proclamation 2026-79): Proclaimed October 28, 2026 as First Responder Appreciation Day. A video was shown of a first responder operation (Sage Point evacuation). Commissioner expressed gratitude to first responders. Individual recognitions included: Sergeant Glenn Plater (La Plata Police Department), PFC Becca Cheney (La Plata Police Department), Sergeant Thomas Davis (MSP), Trooper First Class Ashley Sabcock (MSP), Trooper Reginald Wood (MSP), PO2 Bryce During (Charles County Sheriff's Department), Thomas Nash (Charles County Sheriff's Department), Thomas Lester Flint (Charles County Fire and EMS), and Mark Kaufman (Charles County Fire and EMS). The commissioner stated, "I saw this body camera... I want the public to see what you do every day."
Charles County Government presents the Board of Commissioners. Good morning, everyone, Commissioners. Um, today we're gonna we do not have a quorum this morning, so we're gonna start with just our proclamations. So, Commissioners, we have on the proclamations for um 2026. If you would like to go to the front and we'll have the guests come in. Yeah, we do all that. Uh good. I didn't get a chance to start. Good morning, welcome to the uh October 6th meeting of the board Charles County Board of Commissioners. We'll start the meeting off with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty. I apologize, Commissioners. It's no problem. Can we go ahead and do a roll call just to be official? Um we we don't do a roll call. We don't do a rope off, we don't have a quorum. Okay. You don't normally do a roll call. Correct. All right, and the first proclamation, commissioners, if you would like to go to the front. Um we're gonna have the groups for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Hi, how are you doing? All right, we can get started. Proclamation 2026, 73, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, whereas October 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Cancer Early Detection Program, which helps women with low incomes who do not have adequate insurance gain access to timely breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic, and treatment and services. And whereas World Health Organization has adopted the theme, every story is unique, every journey matters, which focuses on recognizing the individual experiences of those affected by breast cancer, promoting equitable access to care and foster fostering solidarity worldwide, and whereas Charles County recognizes the importance of empowering residents with the knowledge and resources to reduce their risk, support loved ones, and strength strengthen community health. Now, hereby Charles County Commissioner Commissioners of Ch of Maryland. Okay. Do hereby proclaim October 2026 as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Charles County and encourage all residents to participate in activities that promote awareness on our service survivors and stand in solidarity with those battling the disease. Anyone want to speak? Thank you. Sure. Okay. Hi, thank you very much. Um behalf of Sisters at Heart, I'd like to say standing before you, and I have to ask Carol how many years of survivorship. Thirty and fifteen. And then we have three, twenty, twenty-one. So the story that you just mentioned and the journey that we're on, we are here to celebrate our life with you all in the county. And if you can see we have an infomercial. Um raising funds for us to help these women and men in our county who do not have sufficient funds, like we said, as well as awareness for Charles County for those afflicted with breast cancer. So again, I say thank you to the commissioners. Thank you. Thank you.