(Annapolis, MD — October 16, 2007) Conflict resolutions practitioners and organizations statewide will be celebrating Conflict Resolution Day on Oct. 18, 2007, the Maryland Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office (MACRO) announced today.

"Conflict Resolution Day is an opportunity to celebrate the tremendous work of mediators and dispute resolution professionals perform daily," said Chief Judge Robert M. Bell of the Maryland Court of Appeals. "We see mediation, both within and outside the court system, as a central part of Maryland's access to justice strategy."

Maryland is home to many strong and thriving community mediation programs, many of which are hosting open house events and other celebrations in honor of Conflict Resolution Day. These centers provide free mediation at the neighborhood level, addressing a wide variety of inter-personal disputes, said Rachel A. Wohl, Esq., MACRO's Executive Director.

"In mediation, people speak for themselves and make their own decisions, often developing creative solutions to complicated conflicts," Wohl said. "Because of the Judiciary's clear support for mediation and other appropriate dispute resolution processes, thousands of Marylanders every year take control of their conflicts and achieve satisfactory resolutions."

In addition to the various programs that will be held on Oct. 18, Community Mediation Maryland will hold its 2nd Annual Conflict Resolution Day Celebration on Oct. 20 at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis. Volunteer mediators from each of Maryland's community mediation centers will be honored.

Community Mediation Maryland will also present the "Commitment to Collaborative Conflict Resolution" award to the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (OPD). The OPD has trained its entire staff throughout Maryland in conflict management skills. In addition, OPD has trained 50 staff to become mediators, mediating internal employment issues as well as volunteering for local community mediation centers.

"This year we have seen the power of collaborative conflict resolution spread to many new areas -from using mediation to help prisoners re-entering society make plans with their family members, to providing mediation within juvenile justice facilities," said Lorig Charkoudian, Executive Director of Community Mediation Maryland.

For more information on mediation and conflict resolution, visit www.courts.state.md.us/macro/index.html.

(Editor’s Note: On the next page is a list of Conflict Resolution Day activities on Oct. 18.)

Conflict Resolution Day Activities in Maryland on October 18, 2007

Montgomery County
Montgomery County will celebrate Conflict Resolution Day from 4-6 p.m. at the Montgomery County Education Association office, located at 60 West Gude Drive, in Rockville. County leaders will recognize outstanding volunteers at ceremonies beginning at 5 p.m. Videos and materials about alternative dispute resolution will be displayed from 4-5 p.m. Participating organizations will have representatives and materials on hand that describe their contributions to resolving conflicts throughout the county.

Prince George's County
Prince George's County Community Mediation and Conflict Resolution Collaborative will distribute materials on the conflict resolution services provided by their center at the 13-area Metro Rail Stations throughout the county from 6:30-8:30 a.m. For more information please contact the CMCRC at 301-952-4729 or pabendross@co.pg.md.us.

Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester counties
Mid Shore Community Mediation Center, which serves Caroline, Talbot and Dorchester Counties, will hold its Annual Meeting on Conflict Resolution Day. The meeting will include the election of board members, a "State of the Center" presentation, food, recognition of center volunteers and their projects and programs mediation experiences. Anyone interested in learning more about the center or in volunteering is welcomed to attend. The meeting will be held at St. Andrews Community Hall, located at 215 Goldsboro Street in Easton, from 6-8:30 p.m. For more information call 410-820-5553.

Calvert County
The Community Mediation Center of Calvert will celebrate its First Birthday with an Open House at the Phillips House, located at 28 Duke Street in Prince Frederick, from 3-5 p.m. Individuals are invited to bring gifts of peace, such as songs, art, poetry, and good thoughts which will be recorded and photographed to be included in the "Many Faces and Voices of Peace Builders in Calvert County" collection. Refreshments and door prizes will be available. For more information or to RSVP, call 410-610-2650.

Baltimore City and County
The Community Mediation Program will host an Open House with Mediation Demonstrations, from 3-7 p.m. on October 18, 2007. All are welcome. The center is located at 3333 Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore. For more information, please call 410-467-9165.

Howard County
The Mediation and Conflict Resolution Center at Howard Community College will celebrate Conflict Resolution Day with a Peace Walk on the Quad 12-1 p.m. at Howard Community College, located at 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, in Columbia. For more information, call 410-772-4620.

Allegany County
Allegany Conflict Resolution Center will celebrate Conflict Resolution Day with a brief ceremony at noon, with a public reading of the Conflict Resolution Proclamation issued by the City of Cumberland at the Town Centre Outdoor Cumberland Mall at the corner of Liberty Street and the downtown mall. For more information or to learn more about the center, please call 240-727-0408.

Washington County
Washington County Community Mediation Center will celebrate Conflict Resolution Day with a "Creating a Peaceful Society Educational Event" from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Aspiring to Serve Building, 140 W. Franklin Street, 4th Floor Commission on Aging Conference Room, in Hagerstown. The event will include a retrospective of WCCMC's history, an announcement of youth art and essay contest winners, a volunteer mediator experience speech, a mock mediation session and light refreshments. For more information, call WCCMC at 301-665-9262, visit www.wccmc.org, or by e-mail at wccmc@wccmc.org.