Insights and News

Courtroom Advocate and Community Champion

For three decades, attorney Shelly Brown has stood beside young people at their most vulnerable moments—in courtrooms where a single decision can alter the trajectory of an entire life. It’s work that requires equal parts legal expertise and fierce compassion, and it’s shaped everything about how she shows up in the world. Which is exactly why she found her place as a Board Member with Columbia Community Care.
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Shelly Brown stands behind a table with CCC information.

Rooting and Growth: How Circles Help Women Bloom

“The winter is a time when we feel like everything is dead, but plants and trees are actually rooting and taking in nutrients to prepare for growth,” she explains. The circle focused on this through conversation and meditation, with participants crafting small bundles of cedar branches. “In a lot of indigenous cultures, cedar represents protection and resilience because when everything else is dying, it stays green and strong,” Roxana says. “That’s a way to become inspired.”
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Roxana of Gardyn-Doula smiles whille look at a tree, with text overlay reading: "The winter is a time when we feel like everything is dead, but plants and trees are actually rooting and taking in nutrients to prepare for growth. In a lot of indigenous cultures, cedar represents protection and resilience because when everything else is dying, it stays green and strong. That's a way to become inspired."

“Our Young People Are Not Broken. The Systems Are.” — CCC’s Role in Howard County’s YES Council Report

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Group of young people and members of the Howard County YES Council.

From Peace Corps Volunteer to Community Champion

Stephanie Lightfoot is a community builder who sees possibility where others see problems. That spirit drives her work as a board member for Columbia Community Care (CCC), where she’s been supporting Executive Director Erika Strauss Chavarria since the organization’s inception.
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Stephanie Lightfoot stands with other CCC leadership and board members.

‘An Eye Opener’: Hidden Hunger in Howard County

Realtor Shazia Rajan didn’t expect to find food insecurity in affluent Howard County, Maryland. After volunteering with Columbia Community Care, she discovered hidden hunger affects families in one of the state’s wealthiest communities—and joined the nonprofit’s board to help.
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Shazia Rajan

Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Launches Impactful ‘Pocket Pantry’ Partnership

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a group poses with a banner announcing the launh of the pocket pantry initiative in howard county maryland

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Columbia Community Care is celebrating it's 6 year anniversary!