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Home » About PATH

Who We Are

PATH is a diverse mix of institutions in Howard County. From churches, synagogues, and mosques to non-profits, we move to the neighborhoods and streets of Howard County to learn what people are most concerned about in their community. From there, we organize to be effective agents of change in Howard and throughout Maryland. Whether working separately in Howard County to assure better living standard through such programs as READY (Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth), or working with our sister organizations, AIM and BUILD, to assure passage and implementation of the Maryland Dream Act , or winning $1 Billion for school construction in Baltimore, PATH is there working with and for people.

PATH knows it takes persistent and consistent action to win, and we know that action starts with individual relationships. By meeting individually with our members and with others in the community, we learn the most pressing issues for them and their families. In small group meetings, we begin to build consensus about what needs to be done to help our community thrive. By consistently turning out hundreds of people at our actions and by persistently pressing our causes before our elected officials, we earn our victories. Nonetheless, our results are best measured by the people they benefit.

PATH Executive Committee and Strategy Team:

Congratulations to PATH's Newly Elected Strategy Team!
On February 23, PATH elected the following leaders to the PATH Executive Committee and Strategy Team:

Executive Committee:

Guy Moody, St. John United Methodist/Presbyterian, Co-Chair

Rev. Robert Turner, St John Baptist, Co-Chair

Patty Glasgow, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, Secretary

Al Holm, St. John United Methodist/Presbyterian, Treasurer

Strategy Team Members:

Rev. Paige Getty, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia, Co-chair-elect (term will begin September 2015)

Yaw Adu, St. John Baptist Church

Father Gerry Bowen, St. John Roman Catholic

Dennis Caulker, Bethany UMC and READY Program

Franora Gray, St. John Baptist Church

Shehlla Khan, Maryum Islamic Center

Amy Lamke, 9/2011, St. John Roman Catholic

Sharon Shaw, Howard County Education Association and employee at Oakland Mills High School

PATH Profiles

Aziz Iscandari

Despite good summer jobs in high school and countless job applications since, for three years Aziz Iscandari could not find any work to help pay for school. “I grew up in the Howard County schools, which was great academic preparation,” says Aziz, “but since then I’ve moved from private to community college to a state school. It’s been very hard to figure out how to pay for college, and my family cannot afford the tuition, room and board.”

Aziz, a PATH leader through his congregation, worked with a dedicated team for two years to secure funding for and create our READY environmental jobs program, Aziz’s hard work created tangible results, landing him a job as a READY Crew Leader. “Every penny I earn is going towards my education." If we measured Aziz’s summer’s work solely on helping him reach his dream of earning his college degree, it would be a success, but it has meant much more to him in a variety of ways. When asked how he has grown as a leader, Aziz replied, “Learning how to deal with difficult situations and growing with a new program will help me prepare for the future.”

Thanks to READY’s continuing education component, Aziz enthusiastically says, “I have learned so much about our watershed and how the things we do affect its delicate systems. I’ve gotten valuable information that I can share with others. I hope this will help us save the environment in the long-term.”

Shehlla Kahn

Mother of three and engineer, Shehlla Khan, has been a top PATH leader on our environmental jobs campaign. Shehlla and many of the other women at her mosque wanted a female-only swimming time, to exercise and help their children learn to swim. As it turned out, this issue resonated with many other women, for a variety of reasons and regardless of religious background. PATH took the issue to the Columbia Association (CA), who agreed a women’s swimming time, 2 days a week, would be a valuable service to the community. After a newspaper article on the campaign, hate groups flooded the paper and CA with calls and letters.

On a cold, rainy night just 2 days before Thanksgiving, more than 50 PATH leaders stood behind Shehlla as she eloquently told the CA board what the women’s swim time meant to her, her children, and many other women. An emotional board voted unanimously to continue the swim time for women and children. That night, Shehlla said, “There is a lot of anti-Muslim sentiment these days. People are being divided along religious lines. That makes what PATH has accomplished here even more important. It is rare to see a whole group, of all different backgrounds, stand together like this to make the community better and to help part of the group succeed.”

Trish Vogel

Living in Howard County was difficult for Trish Vogel, who loved her work, but found it hard to make ends meet and to take proper care of herself. “For ten years I lived without healthcare because I couldn’t afford it with my job, working with infants in a daycare. Even when I had chest pains several times a day, I couldn’t afford a doctor, and would sleep with a Bible in my hands because I was so scared. Fortunately my congregation is involved with PATH, which is how I found out that I qualified for a special program that provides healthcare for people like me.

When PATH started its door-to-door campaign to talk to 4000 people face-to-face and sign 395 people up for healthcare, I spent eleven Saturday mornings talking to as many people as I could. It changed how I think about myself to act in the community, be a leader, and help others get the peace of mind that healthcare provides, rather than just receive services.” After playing a major role in our door-knocking campaign, Trish has gone on to be a strong and vital leader in all that PATH does.

When asked what being a PATH leader means to her, Trish said simply, “It makes me feel like I have a purpose—that I’m really living for God and not just going through the motions.”

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