Peter Brehm has been an active volunteer in the Frederick area for many years, supporting organizations and their activities relating to the arts, local festivals, the environment, community and neighborhood development, and social issues. He received a 2015 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism Award from The Community Foundation of Frederick County. Our 2021 Wertheimer Fellow and Youth in Action Award nominations are open through May 31. Mr. Brehm’s story should inspire our community to nominate similar volunteers this year.
Mr. Brehm is known for his community involvement that began in 2008 with Frederick’s Neighborhood Advisory Council 9 of which he is the current co-coordinator. He is the president of Friends of Baker Park, where he began working as a volunteer, then treasurer, and was appointed president in 2013. He was active with Frederick County Green Homes Challenge as a certified Green Homes Leader. He has served as the treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Frederick through which has helped maintain the Orchard Grove Elementary School gardens in honor of the late Rodney Pulliam.
With his additional volunteer service, Mr. Brehm is the treasurer of The Frederick Center and co-coordinator of Frederick Pride, including coordinating Frederick Pride’s annual event and organizing group activities. He attends the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ (ERUCC) and is active on several church committees, including serving as the president of the Consistory, the church’s governing body. Mr. Brehm serves as vice chair of the Frederick County Coalition for the Homeless (FCCH) and is treasurer for the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP) of Frederick County. He has helped manage the beer and wine garden for the Frederick Festival of the Arts and has assisted with Celebrate Frederick Candlelight House Tour, Celebrate Frederick Beyond the Garden Gates Tour, Color on the Creek, Friends of Carroll Creek Linear Park, Friends of Waterford Park, and the “iCan Bike” program.
Those who have volunteered with Mr. Brehm have described him as “selfless” because of his commitment to the cause he is working for, his positive outlook, his ability to lead but not seek the spotlight, his willingness to mentor others, and his focus on helping family, friends, and the community.
With his 2015 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism Award, Mr. Brehm established The Frederick Center Fund with the Community Foundation to provide support to The Frederick Center’s programs.
Mr. Brehm’s story is one of many outstanding volunteers who have received Wertheimer Fellow and Youth in Action Awards from the Community Foundation. The Community Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2021 Wertheimer Fellow for Excellence in Volunteerism and Youth in Action Awards through May 31, 2021. The online applications can be found at www.FrederickCountyGives.org/WertheimerAwards. Nominations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2021. Individuals only need to be nominated once for consideration, and no paper applications will be accepted.
The Wertheimer Fellows for Excellence in Volunteerism Awards is now in its 19th year and honors the legacy of the late Janis Miller Wertheimer, a well-known Frederick businesswoman and prolific volunteer. The awards program is made possible through The Janis Miller Wertheimer Endowment Fund.
The Wertheimer Youth in Action Award is now in its 10th year. Youth under the age of 18 who are positively impacting the community by volunteering their talents and energies in extraordinary ways are eligible to be nominated.