The Silver Spring Penguin

A schoolmaster, a PTA mom, a pair of artists and two coffee-brewing sisters received kudos from the community at Thursday night’s Impact Awards ceremony.

More than 200 people streamed through a crowded NOAA exhibit hall on East-West Highway to recognize the civic contributions of Richard Crump (above), Emie Mercier Cadet, artists Tom Block and Amy Kincaid, and sisters Lene and Abeba Tsegaye. Each received an award from Impact Silver Spring, a civic organization.

“We’re proud of this community. We’re proud of what it’s accomplished,” said Murray Horwitz, director of the American Film Institute and the evening’s master of ceremonies.

Award winner Richard Crump, president of Quality Time Early Learning Center, was recognized for his commitment to area children. Crump opened his early-learning center for preschoolers in 1988, when Silver Spring was in dire socioeconomic straits.

Since then, Crump has offered English-language classes for adults, health and dental screenings for kids, and support for youth recreation and education programs.

“This is something God called me to do. The thing is, when God calls you to do something, you know it won’t be easy,” Crump told the audience.

“But you also know it’ll all work out,” he added.

Northwest Park resident Emie Mercier Cadet (right) was recognized for revitalizing the PTA at Broad Acres Elementary School, and for her work with the county’s Weed and Seed crime-prevention program. The soft-spoken Haitian immigrant’s next goal is to form a tenants’ association at Northwest Park.

Props went to sisters Lene and Abeba Tsegaye (right), owners of Kefa Cafe, and their collaborators, artists Tom Block and Amy Kincaid. The four worked to develop Space 7:10, a gallery space inside Kefa Cafe’s dining room.

Impact Silver Spring also recognized new graduates of its community-empowerment program. That program trains residents in outreach, networking and organizational skills used in community activism.

Photos by Jennifer Deseo for The Silver Spring Penguin.