Chester Eastside celebrates the past and looks to the future
CHESTER >> In the words of one of its board members, Chester Eastside, Inc., will be “looking back and looking forward,” at its Gala Celebration today, April 29, in Boothwyn.
The dinner and program will be an occasion to honor the Rev. Bernice Warren, who led the agency since returning to her native Chester in 1995; signal the launching of a new Cultural Arts Program set up in her name; and give welcome her successor, the Rev. Zuline Gray Wilkinson.
Though now retired, the Rev. Warren continues to be active on issues of peace and social justice, both locally and globally. Her work has taken her to many parts of the world; a particular concern has been Haiti, which she has visited on missions of mercy many times over the years.
In 2014, Chester Eastside, long associated with the venerable church building at Ninth and Potter Streets, was forced to relocate because of structural flaws in the building. It now carries on its mission of helping those in need, bringing out the full potential in people of all ages, and advocating for social justice, at the nearby St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at Ninth and Madison.
“Like a lot of Chesterites and the city itself, that have both faced major challenges over the years, we view such setbacks, not as a time to give up, but on the contrary a signal to work even harder to excel,” said Wilkinson. And excel it does. Its community services arm provides food, clothing, and other necessaries to hundreds every month, one of the largest such operations in Delaware County. It does so in a welcoming manner that tells recipients “you are worth something.”
Through its after school and summer camp programs, Chester Eastside both helps young people to get the most out of educational opportunities and opens up new horizons beyond the world they occupy. Most members of the after school program have been getting Bs in school. Some graduates of these programs have gone on to college and beyond. One alum won a Gates scholarship, which provides a full college education at any institution in the country. Another is on the faculty at Yale University. Both attribute their success in part to their experience at Chester Eastside.
Chester Eastside is constantly breaking new ground. For example, the Reverend Bernice Warren Cultural Arts Program will include new experiences to broaden young people’s horizons. Currently, under the guidance of experts in digital technology, high school students in a new Technology Training Program are learning such arcane skills as programming, system management, and 3-D printing and then passing this knowledge on to other young people. And this year for the first time, Chester Eastside joined a hundred other Philadelphia Area agencies in the annual Walk Against Hunger at Lincoln Financial Field. In the process, Chester Eastside’s Community Services program picked up some $2,200 to benefit its food program.
Chester Eastside, Inc. is located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 301 E. Ninth St., Chester. For information or to get involved with the organization, call 610872-4812 or www.chestereastside.org