St Mary's County Commission for Women hosts an annual banquet and recognizes women and young ladies from around the county who dedicate their time to volunteering. This year's theme was "Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & NonViolence". Rosa Hance, an active Sierra Club volunteer was one of the nominees for Woman of the Year. Rosa received citations from Senator Chris Van Hollen, Delegate Brian Crosby, the Commissioners of St Mary's County and Governor Hogan in recognition of her hard work and nomination.
Pictured above: Liz Ward, Rosa Hance & Bonnie Kelnberger Sierra Club Southern Maryland Group volunteers
Below is the text of the nomination letter submitted by Liz Ward on Rosa's behalf.
I met Rosa at a playdate at Elm’s Beach. Invited by a mutual friend, I didn’t know at the time that it was Rosa who had coordinated the event. A handful of moms and a dozen babies and toddlers spent the afternoon looking for shells, building sandcastles, splashing in the river, enjoying the spring sunshine and newfound friends. But what I soon learned was that this seemingly casual get-together was part of a bigger plan and agenda. It was only one session of what Rosa dubbed Sierra Club Weekly Wanders. She had planned an entire season of similar playdates at parks all around St. Mary’s County to gauge the need for strategically placed native shade trees. These trees would grow and benefit parents and children on summer days, improve air quality, and create habitats for local wildlife. Rosa had a vision and a plan and she was having a good time along the way! I knew this was a woman I wanted to not only befriend, but who I should observe and emulate.
Rosa is a native New Yorker, from Long Island. She went to the University of Maryland to study Spanish and Art History. It was there she met her husband, Ben, who was originally from Southern Maryland. Eventually, the couple found their way to St. Mary’s, settling down in Great Mills and having two children, Luke, 4, and Emmie, 1. Rosa says she likes the quiet community feel of Southern Maryland and while it’s quite different demographically and much less populated than her hometown, she feels that it shares a commonality with Long Island, in the care and pride both places have for their land and waterways.
After the elections in 2016, Rosa vowed to become more involved in her community. She was passionate about the environment and found membership in the Sierra Club to have the appeal of making an impact from a non-partisan platform. She was surprised to find, however, that the Southern Maryland Group lacked any representation on their executive committee from St. Mary’s County. Upon joining, Rosa first created a social media presence for the group and began composing a monthly member update for not only St Mary’s County, but Calvert and Charles, as well. She organized a petition drive and canvassed local businesses with volunteers. She wrote several letters to the editor of the local newspaper, The Enterprise. She spoke out at public forums and delivered written testimonials, a petition, and a business coalition letter opposing fracking to the legislature in Annapolis on behalf of St Mary’s county residents. Later that year, Rosa testified at the EPA and the MDE for stricter effluent limitation guidelines regarding coal ash being deposited into the Potomac and Patuxent rivers. As a result, in 2018 the Maryland Department of the Environment finalized the permits for the Morgantown and Chalk Point coal plants to include the limitations for which the Sierra Club had petitioned.
Rosa has made her involvement in the Sierra Club a family affair. Ben and his brother, Cody, became members as well. Ben is currently the membership chair for the SOMD Group and the Maryland chapter. Cody is SOMD chapter delegate representing SOMD in College Park at the statewide headquarters. Rosa is the volunteer engagement coordinator for SOMD and Maryland chapter and sits on the Annual Planning and Budget Committee for the Maryland Chapter. When she first became a member, Rosa had toddler Luke and was pregnant with Emmie. Now, it is most common to see her leading a group of volunteers with Emmie firmly attached to her hip or in a baby carrier, but that doesn’t slow Rosa down a bit! She can juggle the responsibilities of mother and leader without missing a beat. By keeping the kids close and making the Sierra Club events family friendly, Rosa is encouraging future environmentalists and the next generation of engaged citizens.
In fact, Rosa has become such a charismatic leader at the SOMD chapter, in 2018 she was elected to chair of the Southern Maryland Sierra Club executive committee. Her new position required her to conducts webinars for both the local and statewide chapters on a regular basis. She coordinated county-wide electioneering efforts for the mid-term elections, supplying Sierra Club endorsed ballots to voters so at the polling places so that they may be informed of which candidates would support positive environmental legislation. She organized a public forum at the Pax River Naval Air Museum attended by 80 members of the community and several political candidates to discuss improvements to public transportation and bicycle access in St Marys and throughout SOMD. She then met with the St Mary’s County commissioners to discuss the input received at the forum. Just this week, SOMD Sierra Club and St Mary’s NAACP have partnered to write a Proclamation of Transportation Equity Day on February 4, 2019. And what became of the data she was gathering at the Weekly Wanders? On Columbus Day weekend, Rosa, her family, and 60+ volunteers planted 13 full grown trees at 4 sites; Chaptico, Chancellor’s Run, Carver Heights Community and Lancaster Park. The trees were obtained from the Department of Natural Resources Tree-mendous program which saved the Sierra Club money and the remaining balance was funded by a forestry grant issued by the Sierra Club Maryland chapter. The successful project, months in the making, garnered support from the St Mary’s Forest Service, Master Gardeners, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Audubon Society all thanks to Rosa’s fervent efforts.
Already in 2019, Rosa has earned another title for herself! She was voted in as vice chair of the Sierra Club Maryland chapter. I predict she will continue to do great things with her increased responsibility and influence. We are fortunate to have such an eager and determined representative advocating for St. Mary’s at the state level, but I know her heart and vision is big enough to devote to all of Maryland’s best interests.
Even at home Rosa continues her service to the environment by composting and recycling, and wisely investing in carbon efficient products like cloth diapers, compact cars, and solar panels. Her concern for the environment is genuine and she is leading by example for her children, her family, and her community. Rosa supports other women by delivering meals to new mothers and introducing families new to the community to one another, fostering a sense of community to a particularly isolated demographic.
Rosa is a leader who does not need to yell to be heard. She is patient and attentive to Luke and Emmie, her friends, and even people she has only just met. She is approachable and friendly and the more people I meet in the community, the more I realize how far her influence reaches. She is a woman who envisions a better world and takes action. She is a woman who lifts up those around her. She is a woman, wife, mother, activist, leader, and I am lucky to call her, friend.