Media Borough comes together to help children on Unity Day

Media Borough comes together to help children

MEDIA » Eric Townes grew up in the borough of Media. He remembers how the adults of his hometown cared for all the kids in the neighborhood and how the kids, including him, respected their elders.

“About nine years ago, I noticed a real change in the community,” Townes said in a recent interview. “Kids, in general, seemed more lost, some of them seemed to feel disconnected and unloved or uncared about and I noticed an overall lack of good morals. Respect for themselves and other people in the community often seemed obsolete.”

Townes decided to make a difference and in 2010 he founded the “Unifying Group of Media,” an organization whose mission is to work together as one in the community, with the love, respect and the vision of “it takes a village to raise a child.”

“Our mission is to provide a coalition of people to provide events and activities to the community as a whole, while addressing the social and political issues to better the community for the youth,” Townes explained.

The Unifying Group of Media holds several events throughout the year to help and engage youth. The group is currently gearing up for its annual signature event, Unity Day weekend, Aug. 24-26.

The weekend will kick off Friday night, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m., with a “Black and White Cabaret” fundraising affair that will raise the money to keep Unity Day as a free event for all. The fundraiser will be held at the Swarthmore Community Center “Grape Vine,” 715 Haverford Ave. DJ Smoove and DJ Rahdog will play old school to new school tunes for a night of fun and dancing. People are asked to bring their own food and drink. Limited food will be available. The event, which will last until 1 a.m., serves as a resident reunion. All current and former residents of Media are encouraged to attend and dress to reflect his year’s theme of black and white.

The Ninth Annual Unity Day is planned for Saturday, Aug. 25, from 12 noon to dusk at Sapovits Park, Vernon and Anderson streets in Nether Providence Township. The free event will feature food, a large grill, live music by Special Brewd and other musical guests, a waterslide, flag football, basketball and baseball games, races, face painting, and more. A special skills challenge, in honor of Robby Allen Payne, will be held at 11 a.m. and all boys and girls are welcome for the freethrow, dribbling and threepoint competitions, hosted by Strath Haven coach Daniel Spangler and Penncrest coach Rodney Duncan. Unity Day guests can also ride a zipline all day for only $10.

“Unity Day is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen,” remarked Unifying Group of Media volunteer Cheryl Borelli. “Last year, there were at least 500 people who came out. The event grows bigger every year. It’s like a big block party, only even better because it’s not only one block of people. Those who attend come from all over the community.”

Vendors can contact Townes to be included in the event. So far, the array of different vendors and local business tables that will be on site include CASA, Fellowship House, State Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161, a pet rescue group, a voter registration table and Diego’s on State Street. Others are signing on daily.

“Unity Day is something that is really needed in this

“Unity Day is the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen. Last year, there were at least 500 people who came out. The event grows bigger every year. It’s like a big block party, only even better because it’s not only one block of people. Those who attend come from all over the community.” — Unifying Group of Media volunteer Cheryl Borelli

community,” Townes explained. “It’s a day when both genders, all ages, all colors, all races and all walks of life, and all backgrounds come together. It’s a nice day for people to come back to the area, if they’ve moved away, to reminisce about their time here. Usually, we only see those former residents when we’re at funerals, so it’s always nice to have this happy occasion to reconnect.”

The event is pet-friendly, but no alcoholic beverages are permitted. Pastor Warren Mayes of the Second Baptist Church of Media will hold a moment of silence for residents who have passed away since last year’s Unity Day. A banner, listing the names of the deceased, will be displayed at the site. People can contact Townes to add a name to the banner.

Another banner will also displayed listing the Unity Day sponsors including Pinocchio’s Restaurant and Beer Garden, Cavanagh Patterson Funeral Home, County Beverage, Vista Underwriting, Phoenix Masonry and others. The sponsors’ names will also be listed on commemorative T-shirts which will be sold at the event for $15.

On Sunday, Aug. 26 at 2 p.m., Unity Day weekend will close with its annual backpack giveaway. Families can return to Sapovits Park where the Unifying Group of Media will host a gathering of Media churches whose pastors will distribute bookbags, filled with school supplies, to children in need. Participating churches include the Second Baptist Church, Trinity AME Church, Saint Paul AME Zion, Abounding Grace, and Honeycomb Union AME Church. The bookbag giveaway event will also feature a meetand-greet with local politicians.

Families do not have to live in Media to sign up for the giveaway. Last year, 150 bookbags were distributed to students from Morton, Yeadon, Darby and other Delaware County locations. To sign up to receive a bookbag and get more information, visit www.unifyinggroupofmedia.com/.

Townes, who graduated from Strath Haven High School, Class of 1990 and attended Cabrini University, currently lives in Wallingford and is the owner of Easy Care Lawn Services, a landscaping and multi-service company. He has two sons, Arthur Taylor, 19, a Penncrest Class of 2018 alumnus and Emmanuel Taylor, a junior at Strath Haven High School.

Townes gets help with his Unifying Group of Media by dedicated community volunteers, as well as an active and committed board that includes Barbara Walsh, Jason Johnson, Michael Goolsby, Pauletta Goolsby, Tea Craig, Julian Cummings, Daniel Spangler, Ralph Hunter, and Aaron Mathis. More helping hands are always needed and people can contact Townes for more information on ways to volunteer.

The Unifying Group of Media also hosts other events throughout the year, including a Thanksgiving Men’s fellowship breakfast and flag football game for young and adult males, an Easter egg hunt at Sabovits Park, a coat drive and a popular Halloween Trail in Media on Halloween night. The group collected 4,000 pounds of clothes at South Media Fire Company this year as a fundraising effort. Townes also makes an ongoing effort to find jobs for teens and young adults who want to work and get them involved in sports and other healthy, positive activities.

“A community that genuinely cares about all of the children is something that is lacking on a grand scale these days,” Townes said. “We are trying hard to change that. All that’s really needed to reach out to most kids is love of neighbors and a good heart. The kids need to feel that the members in the community genuinely care about them. It’s the lack of self-esteem that makes most kids make wrong decisions. Coming together as a community to connect with one another, to help one another, and to get to know and care about our neighbors is a benefit to everyone, of all ages.” For more information on the Unifying Group of Media and its upcoming events, call Eric Townes at 610-803-7903 or e-mail unifying groupofmedia. com or visit https://www. unifyinggroupofmedia. com/. Updates on Unity Day weekend can also be found on the “Unifying Group of Media” Facebook page.

“A community that genuinely cares about all of the children is something that is lacking on a grand scale these days. We are trying hard to change that. All that’s really needed to reach out to most kids is love of neighbors and a good heart. The kids need to feel that the members in the community genuinely care about them. It’s the lack of self-esteem that makes most kids make wrong decisions. Coming together as a community to connect with one another, to help one another, and to get to know and care about our neighbors is a benefit to everyone, of all ages.” — Unifying Group of Media founder/president Eric Townes

Unifying Group of Media founder/president Eric Townes and Chester Panthers coach Charles Thompson and some players pose for a photo after Townes brought a donation of hundreds of pairs of cleats to the Panthers. The Unifying Group of Media is a group of volunteers who help to instill good values in youth by keeping them involved in positive activities and helping them gain the feeling of being a vital part of the community at-large.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Media residents Eric Townes and Cheryl Borrelli, both of The Unifying Group of Media, talk about the annual fundraiser that funds the annual Unity Day in Media Borough. Held at the Grapevine of Swarthmore, 715 Haverford Ave., on Friday night, August 24 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., the fundraiser will feature dancing and DJ Smoove and DG Rahdog.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Eric Townes and Cheryl Borrelli of the Unifying Group of Media discuss the upcoming Backpack Giveaway, slated for 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26 at Sapovits Park, Vernon and Leiper streets, Media. Children can come to the park and meet and greet with local politicians, enjoy some food and other fun. The backpacks, filled with school supplies, were donated by local churches. For more information, call Eric Townes at 610-80307903 or visit unifyinggroupofmedia.com/.

PEG DEGRASSA – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Eric Townes of Media, a 1990 alumnus of Strath Haven High School, founded the Unifying Group of Media nine years ago to give the people of the borough a sense of community.