ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore today visited Cambridge to reaffirm the importance and impact the
ENOUGH Act will have on rural communities across Maryland, including those on the Eastern Shore. More than 70 community members and local elected officials, including Cambridge Mayor Stephen Rideout; Dorchester County Council President Lenny Pfeffer; University of Maryland Eastern Shore President Dr. Heidi Anderson; Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost; and The Boys & Girls Club at Leonards Lane Manager Gabriel Butler joined the governor for the event, hosted at the Delmarva Community Services Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Intergenerational Center at Chesapeake Grove in Cambridge.
“We owe it to our people to disrupt the patterns that drive pain, hardship, and tragedy; and we owe it to our state to unlock the promise of our children and communities – that’s what the ENOUGH Act is all about,”
said Gov. Moore. “Together, we will help transform distressed communities into places with top schools, good jobs, safe neighborhoods, quality housing, and economic momentum; and that includes communities like Cambridge.”
The ENOUGH Act uses place-based interventions in communities with disproportionately high numbers of children living in poverty—rural, suburban and urban. Communities that show an ability to assess existing pathways to success, coordinate across sectors, and address challenges strategically and in a holistic manner can apply for competitive grant funding of up to $10 million per year. The program will be run through the Governor’s Office of Children.
“I see this legislation as the cornerstone of the kind of change that I have hoped to see since moving to Maryland almost 14 years ago,”
said Cambridge Mayor Stephen Rideout. “Thank you to Governor Moore for his leadership and vision – and for placing this first cornerstone for what will change Maryland for a better future for everyone.”
“At the Maryland State Education Association, we’re proud to stand in support of the ENOUGH Act and the Moore-Miller Administration’s continued focus on eradicating child poverty. In Dorchester County, nearly 90 percent of students receive free and reduced meals, a historical indicator of a child living in poverty – the third-highest level of any jurisdiction in the state. As educators, we know that poverty, particularly concentrated poverty, brings all types of challenges, traumas, and obstacles to success in the classroom,”
said Maryland State Education Association President Cheryl Bost. “We’re excited to see the Governor scale up the support needed around the state to address the cycle of generational poverty that burdens children, families, and communities.”
Governor Moore hosted a roundtable discussion to share and learn more about how the ENOUGH Act can uplift the region and unlock the promise of children and communities on the Shore. Students and community organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs at Leonards Lane, Moving Dorchester Forward, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation, Harvesting Hope Youth and Family Wellness, and MidShore Meals til Monday participated in the discussion.
“Within a three-mile radius of the Boys & Girls Club, 52 percent of residents live at or below Dorchester County’s median household income. Like many small towns, the challenges faced in Dorchester County, and specifically Cambridge, are generational and impact our youth — but through the state’s investment, we continue to see progress for our youth and their families,”
said Boys & Girls Club at Leonards Lane Manager Gabriel Butler. “We are eager to collaborate with the Moore-Miller Administration in the months to come.”
“At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, we applaud Governor Moore’s ENOUGH initiative because we see and believe in its mission,”
said President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Dr. Heidi Anderson. “We stand ready to contribute to the effort and support the idea of improving our neighborhoods, our communities, and paving the road to a better future for our children.”
The ENOUGH Act is part of the Moore-Miller Administration’s
2024 legislative package, which includes 16 bills that advance the governor’s priorities to make Maryland safer, make Maryland more affordable, make Maryland more competitive, and make Maryland the state that serves. The ENOUGH Act is a major step toward strengthening Maryland’s economy and a core plank in the administration’s commitment to building a state that leaves no one behind.