Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth (READY) is a program funded by Howard County, Maryland, and administered by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (the Alliance) with support from People Acting Together in Howard (PATH).
PATH, affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation, is a multi-racial, multi-faith, non-partisan citizens’ organization rooted in local congregations and associations of Howard County. PATH engages congregation and community leaders around issues that directly impact their lives.
Two issues that have consistently been important to PATH’s members are:
- Being good stewards of the environment;
- Finding meaningful jobs for the unemployed of Howard County
Some of the people most in need of jobs are young people seeking to earn money for college, who also need valuable work experience. READY is designed to meet the environmental and employment goals of Howard County, the Alliance, and PATH. READY is working with Howard County government to fund employment of young adults, aged 16-26, in building rain gardens throughout the county.
This will help alleviate the flow of toxic stormwater runoff polluting our streams, rivers, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, and significantly eroding our land.