Fort Ritchie Community Center recently received a Community Development Award from the Rural Maryland Council (RMC).
Executive Director Buck Browning earned the Outstanding Rural Community Development Award “for his exceptional leadership in improving the quality of life in Cascade, Maryland.”
“We hold the Rural Maryland Council in such high regard that being acknowledged by that organization was tremendous” said Browning, director for more than 11 years. “My name is on it, but it’s really for the organization. There are so many people involved here – staff and volunteers. I don’t look at it as my award but a group award,” he added.
The award was one of eight presented during the Rural Impact Awards Ceremony at the RMC annual meeting in Annapolis, Maryland. It was noted that under Browning’s guidance, “the Center has become a vital community hub, offering programs that support health, wellness, and recreation, including youth camps, kids’ clubs, and a full-service fitness center, all reflecting his vision to make it the best community center in America.”
Browning of Williamsport, Maryland, said he learned about the community center while working at the Boys and Girls Club of Washington County, which had a unit at Cascade Elementary School. “The community center opened 16 years ago during the same period that the boys and girls club operated,” according to Browning. “I enjoyed this community while I was overseeing the boys and girls club. It’s one of the things that drew me to the position … definitely.”
Browning said the community center’s board of directors went through a strategic planning process. “I think it speaks to the commitment that the community center has to local residents. There are a lot of good people involved here.
“We have some new things coming up, in response to the community,” Browning added. “We’re starting a program for home-schooled students in January, a social recreation twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month.
“We have some open houses coming up and you can experience the fitness classes for free on Jan. 4. That’s the first one. Also on Jan. 4, we are starting a five-week Sports Saturday – the first five weeks focuses on soccer, primarily for elementary and middle school students.”
