WICOMICO COUNTY EXECUTIVE RECEIVES SPECIAL FRIEND OF MAC AWARD

December 17, 2012 – Today, Peggy Bradford, Executive Director of the Maintaining Active Citizens agency, or MAC, Inc., presented Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt with the ‘Special Friend of MAC’ award during their Board meeting. This award is given to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to area senior programs. This year, the selection committee chose Executive Rick Pollitt.

“As an aspiring senior citizen, I am especially honored and humbled at being chosen a friend of MAC. Many of our older neighbors, having devoted their entire lives to family and community, should be able to approach these special years with confidence and well-being. Those of us who have been the recipients of their efforts over the years now owe it to them to help secure the necessities and comforts they have earned. We are blessed on the Lower Shore to have a strong, vibrant senior community and I am determined to do my part to support them,” said County Executive Pollitt.

“Truly, Mr. Pollitt is a special friend of MAC and we are proud to add his name to our award plaque to be proudly displayed in our offices,” said Peggy Bradford, Executive Director of MAC, Inc.

With over 25 years of service to the community’s elderly, Executive Pollitt has made a significant impact on aging services. Early in his career in the 1980’s, Pollitt served on the Somerset County Commission on Aging and as an officer on the MAC Board of Directors, shepherding these organizations during their early growth. While employed as the Town Manager for the City of Fruitland, Pollitt stepped in when the Meals on Wheels van was stolen. He provided MAC with a surplus vehicle from Fruitland so there would be no interruption in meal delivery.

During his campaign for the newly created position of Wicomico County Executive, Pollitt cited 5 goals of his “Building Bridges – Building Community” initiative. One of those goals was to insure that Wicomico County had a senior center facility to replace the outdated and dilapidated 85-year old facility at Pine Bluff. True to his word, upon election Executive Pollitt began working with MAC to identify and obtain funding for this project. Through his efforts, County general fund appropriations and Community Development Block Grant money totaling $900,000 was appropriated for the new Salisbury-Wicomico Senior Services facility.

Wicomico County Executive Rick Pollitt has continued to provide funding in each year’s annual Operating Budget for the Meals on Wheels program and has publicly proclaimed that he would shield the Meals on Wheels program from funding reductions because of the critical nature of the program.