Recommendation
Read and present Certificate of Recognition to Mr. Twyman

Discussion

Because of a friend's illness, and a nephew who also needed bone marrow, Rockville resident Rocky Twyman started a national campaign to get more African Americans to register as bone marrow donors. Much of Mr. Twyman's time is devoted to saving the lives of African Americans with bone marrow cancer. He has hosted several bone marrow drives and added more than 14,000 minorities to the donor list in the past 15 years. Last year, he focused on helping to find a bone marrow match for Ramon Hilliard, 16, a 10th-grader at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, who survived a bout with leukemia after receiving a bone marrow transplant. On March 25, 2008, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, made up of the 109 living recipients of the government's highest military honor, selected Twyman as Maryland's finalist to receive the Above and Beyond citizen honor. The society presented the award to Rocky and two other civilian heroes for extraordinary acts of courage or a record of exemplary service. Mr. Tyman remains so dedicated to this cause because there are so many individuals who suffer from bone marrow diseases, such as leukemia, lupus, and sickle cell anemia, that can be arrested through a bone marrow transplant. Mr. Twyman was originally scheduled to appear at the May 12th meeting of the Mayor and Council to be recognized and because of a last minute calendar conflict he could not be present. The Certificate of Recognition was subsequently mailed to him. The purpose of this presentation is to publicly recognize Mr. Twyman and to bring attention to his very important work.

Mayor and Council History
This is the first time this item has been brought before the Mayor and Council.

Attachments

Department Head:



Claire Funkhouser, City Clerk/Treasurer
Approved on: 09/02/2008