Erica Berge Community Involvement

My community involvement across Cecil County didn’t begin with this campaign. Long before I filed to run for Maryland House of Delegates District 35B, service was already how I spent my time; on boards, on steering committees, at school meetings, alongside farmers, neighbors, teachers, first responders, and small business owners. The work below represents years of showing up in Cecil County communities, learning what’s working, what isn’t, and what our families, farms, schools, and main streets actually need. It’s also the foundation for how I’ll represent District 35B in Annapolis: by listening first, acting on what I hear, and staying connected to the people and places this work has always been about.

Community Involvement in Port Deposit

Port Deposit is where much of my community involvement took root, and the organizations below are how I’ve worked to strengthen it; block by block, neighbor by neighbor, year after year.

Community Connecting Us — President of the Board

Co-founded with my husband Brian. CCU is an asset-based community development 501(c)(3) operating out of Nesbitt Hall and the historic Tome Memorial Church on North Main Street; offering classes, meeting space, food distribution, and a home for neighbors to share resources, skills, and stories. Leading CCU’s board is the heart of my community involvement in Port Deposit.

Port Deposit Sustainable Community — Board Member

Working through Maryland’s Sustainable Communities designation to guide revitalization, historic preservation, and quality of life in Port Deposit. This role connects local priorities to state resources administered by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Port Deposit Heritage Corporation — Board Member

Helping steward Port Deposit’s historic assets, including the Paw Paw Museum, and the cultural identity that makes our town unlike anywhere else. Protecting heritage is protecting what makes Cecil County home.

Community Involvement in Schools and Education

Strong schools build strong communities. These steering committees are where I work directly with educators, families, and state programs serving Cecil County students from birth through graduation.

Community School Steering Committee, Bainbridge Elementary — Member

Working with teachers, administrators, and families to strengthen wraparound supports for students at Bainbridge.

Community School Steering Committee, Perryville Elementary — Member

Same commitment, in Perryville; supporting students, families, and staff where they are.

Cecil County Judy Center Steering Committee — Member

Helping guide early childhood education and family support services for children from birth through kindergarten, funded through the Maryland State Department of Education Judy Center program.

Coordinated Community Supports Partnership Hub — Steering Committee Member

Part of Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future effort to expand mental health and behavioral supports for students and families across Cecil County.

Workforce and First Responders

Cecil County’s first responders protect every one of our communities. Supporting the pipeline that trains them is part of how I serve District 35B.

Cecil College EMS Program Advisory Board — Member

Helping shape the training pipeline that prepares Cecil County’s next generation of EMTs and paramedics; the first responders our neighbors count on when minutes matter.

Agriculture and Business

Cecil County’s farms and small businesses are the economic backbone of District 35B. These memberships keep me connected to the people running them, locally and across Maryland.

Cecil County Farm Bureau — Member

Standing with the farmers who shape our landscape, feed our communities, and carry Cecil County’s rural heritage forward.

Maryland Farm Bureau — Member

Standing with Maryland’s farm families statewide as they advocate for the policies that keep agriculture viable.

Port Deposit Chamber of Commerce — Member

Standing with the small businesses that keep our town’s Main Street alive.

Cecil County Chamber of Commerce — Member

Supporting the businesses, employers, and entrepreneurs who drive our county’s economy.

Maryland Chamber of Commerce — Member

Engaging with the statewide business community on the regulations, taxes, and workforce issues that affect every employer in Maryland.

How This Shapes My Approach to District 35B

Every one of these roles has taught me something I’ll carry into Annapolis. Boards teach you to govern. Steering committees teach you to listen. Chambers and Farm Bureau meetings teach you that policy lands on real people; the farmer planning next season’s crop, the Main Street shop owner watching her margins, the mom choosing between groceries and the electric bill. My community involvement has never been a line on a résumé; it’s how I learn what Cecil County needs. If you want to see where that leads on policy, read my platform for District 35B or the story of how I got here.

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Want to talk about how any of this shows up where you live?
Text 443-256-6911 or get involved with the campaign.