Page 12 - MILConnection_Fall_2019

Top 100 Loved Accordionists: Brandy DePhillip!

Brandy DePhillip, a REPS sector employee was recently ranked Top 100 Accordionist in the World by
Accordion Stars! Ranked at #100, Brandy began playing the accordion at age 10, where she studied at
a studio in Orange County, Ca. In her Accordion Stars magazine profile, she notes that, "I love playing
the accordion, more than anything else I've ever done." Her favorite tunes to play are Christmas music,
with 50-70s pop as a close second. Brandy loves to play at nursing homes, where the elderly remember
songs and join in singing and dancing. Most of all, she notes, "I love making people smile and bringing
joy to their lives with music. Making others happy makes me happy!" Most recently, Brandy won the
top prize for the Adult Pop Contest, hosted by the American Accordionists' Association (AAA) for
the piece, "Going Out of My Head." She is member of the AAA, National Accordion Association, and
International Digital Electronic Accordion Symposium. Congrats, Brandy - what an accomplishment!

mil cares

MIL sends Patuxent High School relay Let’s all pull for the Beltsville Bulls!

team to Nationals MIL is pleased to be among the corporate supporters and
sponsors of the Beltsville-Adelphi Boys & Girls Club, a non-profit
On June 15th, the boys 4x200 relay team from Patuxent High organization that’s served the local community for over 60 years.
School in Lusby, MD competed in the New Balance Nationals One of the ways the Beltsville-Adelphi Boys & Girls Club
Outdoor Track & Field Meet. MIL sponsored the team, Harvil encourages teamwork and leadership skills development is
Jenkins, Jr. (HC – 11th grade), Todd Perrin (12th grade), Noah through its athletic programs. To foster sportsmanship and build
Gill (9th grade) and Tazman Davis (12th grade), allowing the a winning attitude among its participants, the Club started a
team to travel to Greensboro, NC June 14-16 to compete against Boys AAU Basketball program for teens ages 14 to 17. After a
the best athletes in the country at North Carolina A&T State very successful first season—where the team finished first among
University’s Aggie Stadium. competitors in the Potomac Valley Spring League, and runner-
The relay team had an outstanding season, finishing 4th in the up this year—the club is looking forward to many more winning
Class 2A Division at the MD State Track & Field Championship seasons as well as to the expansion of the program to include
held at Morgan State University on May 25th. Their personal best other age groups.
time was 1:29.6, which qualified the team for the National meet. In order to be successful and remain competitive, the Beltsville-
The Patuxent HS team placed 42nd out of 55 club and school Adelphi Boys & Girls Club desperately needed gym time for
teams overall, but it was an amazing experience to run against the practice over the summer, as their dedicated gym space offered by
best high school athletes in the country. The team (pictured below, Prince Georges County Schools was unavailable after the close of
wearing custom company logo T-shirts over their track uniforms) the academic year. That’s where MIL’s contribution, and those of
was happy to be able to represent the state of Maryland, PHS, and other interested sponsors, helped to bridge the gap for the Club
MIL. Harvil Jenkins, Jr., runner of the first leg of the relay team, through our MIL CARES (Celebrates, Acknowledges, Responds,
said, “It was an awesome opportunity to run at Nationals. There Energizes, and Strengthens) corporate sponsorship program.
have only been a handful of athletes from our area to qualify and
compete on this level and we are so thankful to MIL for helping
us make our dream a reality.” Helping the hungry and the homeless
Video coverage of the Boys 4x200m Relay Championship race MIL is happy to lend our support to The Church of The Ascension
is provided here. The team appears as the “Lusby Tc-Md” team Food Pantry in Lexington Park, MD, as they continue their good
running in lane 8. Lusby is the town where the Patuxent High works assisting Southern Maryland (SoMD) residents in need.
School is located. The food pantry is a local source for food and other essential
products the area’s hungry and homeless need for everyday
life. Each month, The Church of The Ascension Food Pantry
distributes over 800 pounds of food, serving over 780 SoMD
community members.
According to the Church’s Community Service webpage, their
“Food Locker” is a collection of staples distributed to people with
emergency food needs in the Lexington Park area. The pantry
is located in the Church “undercroft” (cellar) and is staffed by
volunteers from H.O.P.E. and parishioners of the church.

10 | The mil connection | FALL 2019