Life Journeys Writing and Mentoring

Dear Generous Givers and Lovers of the Literary Arts,

     This quarter, LJWC is proud and grateful to have successfully completed itsTraveling Exhibitions for a statewide event titled SPARK! Places of Innovation, sponsored by Maryland Humanities and its Museum on Main Street (MoMs) project, and the Smithsonian Institute! It ran through May 17 to June 29, 2025, reached approximately 1200 people, and according to both Maryland Humanities and the Smithsonian Institute, LJWC made history by being the first organization to incorporate a medical center in its program! Yes, we conducted a Life Journeys Writing and Mentoring Workshop at the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center to support its medical staff, which spurred talks to conduct these workshops on a regular basis, inviting the community to join. At the medical center, LJWG created a film short, now on YouTube, highlighting the importance of immigrant medical professionals to the center and to our communities at large. We created a second film short, highlighting and giving voice to some of the indispensable and dedicated workers of Charles County’s Department of Public Works.

     Both of these film shorts, which we plan to expand, are titled The Spark of our Charles County [MD] Unsung Heroes of First Responders. Please take a look and like them on YouTube.

     Our literary arts outreach included Photo Booth fun, participating in festivals and conducting our Writing and Mentoring Workshop five-part series with senior citizens where we discovered some incredibly talented writers, and we’re now mentoring and motivating them to keep moving forward to authorship and community and therapeutic awareness. Through our Publishing Project, we are currently helping three writers achieve authorship with professionalism, originality and integrity. We conducted workshops for grieving widows and read books to boys and girls in Title I elementary schools. We participated in a back-to-school, school supply drive and conducted a Black History Essay Contest for high schoolers, giving out monetary prizes.

     LJWC continued empowering and mentoring at-risk women, and applauded and supported graduates of two programs, flourishing in the Charles County Drug and Family Specialty Courts, designed to address an array of life challenges, such as substance abuse, homelessness, financial instability, threat of incarceration, mental health therapy needs, and more.

      I sincerely thank you for all your tax-deductible donations and thank you to those few dedicated givers making recurring donations. Your generous gifts enable us to feed the passions of those who love and need to engage in the Literary Arts.

     Kindly, I hope you will spread the good word about the wealth of writing, how we’re working hard to make a difference, and that even a modest monthly gift can fuel our impact on the world.

     All in all, we are very grateful!  

Thank you, 

Yvonne J. Medley, LJWC Founder/Executive Director

Links:

• Inspiring, Informing & Empowering via the Literary Arts

Dear Generous Givers and Lovers of the Literary Arts,

     During this quarter, LJWC has been busy creating its Traveling Exhibitions for a statewide event titled SPARK! Places of Innovation, sponsored by Maryland Humanities and its Museum on Main Street (MoMs) project, and the Smithsonian Institute!

     Not only were we elated about being one out of only six Maryland sites chosen, but we were also elated to be designated as the state’s kickoff event. It’s happening May 17 through June 29, 2025!!!

     With such an opportunity at hand, we are doing what we do! Throughout our Charles County communities, we’re highlighting our Unsung First Responders—professionals in healthcare and in Public Works, who go unseen and often unthanked as they solve our emergencies (everything from bloodwork testing and evaluating to correcting unsafe drinking water to snow removal, and more). And these highlights, which will be shown via two film shorts, will also celebrate the importance of our strong immigrant populations. We’re also conducting a series of Life Journeys Writing and Mentoring Workshops for our senior citizens, our healthcare staff, patients, and anyone who would like to explore the wealth of writing to improve mental health and gain access to creative self-expression and voice. We’re even going to share a little photo booth fun, free to the public, at the Waldorf Senior and Recreational Center (6/13) and the Charles County ArtsFest (6/14). And we will share how wonderful it is to show appreciation to our unsung heroes.

     This quarter, LJWC not only continued empowering and mentoring at-risk women, but it also applauded and supported graduates of two programs, such as the one program flourishing in the Charles County Drug and Family Specialty Courts, designed to address an array of life challenges, such as substance abuse, homelessness, financial instability, threat of incarceration, mental health therapy needs, and more.

     We conducted our writing workshops, with a nationwide audience, for those suffering the grief of losing a spouse. And we went into Title 1 schools to read to enthusiastic young girls and boys!

        The impact of all our programming and general support of writers is its ability to operate intentionally to create spaces that make people feel safe, heard, seen, and creative.

     As we have all entered into trying times, I sincerely thank you for all your tax-deductible donations, and thank you to those few dedicated givers making recurring donations. Your generous gifts enable us to feed the passions of those who love and need to engage in the Literary Arts.

     Kindly, I hope you will spread the good word about the wealth of writing, how we’re working hard to make a difference, and that even a modest monthly gift can fuel our impact on the world.

     All in all, we are very grateful! 

Thank you,

Yvonne J. Medley, LJWC Founder/Executive Director

Links:

• LJWC's SPARK Project trailer, highlighting our Unsung Heroes