It may be summer, but Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake on Wednesday announced an effort to pay 200 to 400 city youths to shovel snow for elderly and disabled residents.
The mayor said the program needs to be publicized now because young people employed by the city's summer jobs program are visiting neighborhoods to sign up elderly and disabled people for the service. And Rawlings-Blake said youths should begin applying for the jobs.
Asked about her steady stream of announcements in recent days, the mayor said she wants to speak out daily about the programs her administration is creating.
"When a day passes when we're not talking about what we're doing to move the city forward, [some people say] I don't care about people and I am not doing anything," Rawlings-Blake said. "If the critics are looking for something to criticize, they are going to find it.
"I am going to focus on moving our city forward, healing our city. We've been through a tough time and I know that there's a lot of good news that's going on in the city. I am going to continue every single day to work hard every day to bring opportunities to young people and to move our city forward."
Rawlings-Blake is running for re-election in April, when she will compete against former Mayor Sheila Dixon in the Democratic primary. Other challengers are also expected.
Young people, ages 14 to 21, can apply for the snow removal program through the city's Department of Transportation. The job will pay a minimum of $500, but participants could earn more depending on how much snow the city gets over the winter.
"I've always been committed to expanding opportunities for our young people," Rawlings-Blake said. "Baltimore's young people are looking for employment beyond the summer. I hear it all the time, about year round opportunities."
Residents who want assistance should contact the city's transportation department. To qualify for the service, they must be at least 65 or legally disabled and incapable of removing snow on their own.
Interested youths should sign up by Nov. 2. "We know by expanding these opportunities, we'll make sure our young people are productively engaged, gainfully employed and giving back to their communities," Rawlings-Blake said.
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