O’Hara hosts food drive, shredding event Saturday
SPRINGFIELD » The Allstate Foundation, Tom Mallon Allstate Insurance Agency, Toscana Gourmet Pizza, and the Cardinal O’Hara Student Organization have partnered to host a Share Food – Shred Hunger event 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in the Cardinal O’Hara High School parking lot. The event is open to the public.
Organizers are asking Delaware County residents to bring their unwanted residential papers and paper products for shredding. In exchange for discarding the unwanted materials, organizers ask participants to bring non-perishable food to be donated to local food centers. Non-perishable food donations are welcome from people, even if they don’t have anything to shred.
City Team Chester and the St. Mark’s Food Center in Broomall will help organizers distribute grocery boxes to Delaware County families in need.
“Before the pandemic, City Team and St. Mark’s played a critical role in the community providing meals, groceries, and infant supplies to county residents who needed a helping hand to make ends meet.” explained Tom Mallon, owner of the Tom Mallon Insurance Agency in Springfield. “Today, their operations are significantly impacted. City Team is not able to host hot meals at their facility. In addition, the food pantries at both locations can not keep up with the increase in demand.”
The goal for this event is to gather more than 1,000 pounds of food. With Delaware County residents’ kindness and support, the organizers hope to stock the shelves of City Team Chester and St. Mark’s Food Center in Broomall.
Neumann University offers course on ‘Mamba Mentality’
Neumann University’s Caleb Mezzy, a professor of sport management, is teaching a new course this fall, entitled “Embrace the Mamba Mentality.” Designed around the philosophy of former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, the three-credit course focuses on an analysis of the Mamba Mentality and its application beyond the realm of sports.
Bryant, who died tragically on Jan. 26, left behind a legacy filled with incredible basketball achievements and life lessons. He coined the phrase “Mamba Mentality,” which he said embodied his approach to life on and off the court.
According to Bryant, the approach is all about focusing on process and trusting in hard work when it matters most. Neumann students can learn how to embrace this philosophy.
He plans to challenge his students to tap into their curiosity and creativity, and to reflect on the impact they want to make in the world. The class will require students to do a “Dear Basketball” project, which mirrors the short film written and narrated by Bryant that won him an Academy Award. The short film embodies Bryant’s love, passion, and gratitude for basketball and celebrates the importance of?big dreams, hard work, and perseverance.
According to Mezzy, the Mamba Mentality is not exclusively for the basketball court but rather geared toward life in general. He hopes his students will come to understand this concept and find ways to use Bryant’s philosophy in their own lives.
To date, there are 12 students signed up for the class, which is being offered online.? For more information, visit www.neumann.edu.
Springfield Lions help community during pandemic
Springfield Lions Club social and fundraising activities have been put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in insufficient funds to support their numerous charitable activities. In order to provide some relief, President Tom Citro initiated a special appeal to Lions members for donations. Some of the donations were to provide food to persons whose income has been reduced by the virus and a portion was to go to various charities supported by the Lions.
Some of the money was used to purchase gift cards for the Springfield High School student AJ Faustman of BSA Troop 512. The Boy Scout’s Eagle Scout project is to hold a contactless food drive for the Upper Darby Food Bank this week. The Springfield Lions Club donated $300 in gift cards to local food stores to support AJ toward this purpose.
Chester Senior Center presents ‘Living with COVID-19’ Zoom series
Senior Community Services’ Chester Senior Center, in partnership with Merakey, will host a 5 week discussion group, “Living with COVID-19…Challenges and Tips,” beginning this week at 11 a.m. Mondays, through Aug. 31, via Zoom Conference.
COVID-19 took everyone by surprise and we are still dealing with the effects of it. Merakey staff will facilitate this group series to help cope with the changes that this virus has brought. There will also be a prize drawing. Everyone is invited to participate, ask questions and learn. For further information and to register, call 610- 497-3550.
CRC Watersheds Association welcomes new Board of Trustees member
The Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association in Edgmont has announced that Lisa Gaffney, of Brookhaven, has joined the CRC Board of Trustees. Gaffney is the executive director for the Chester Economic Development and the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Chester, responsible for housing programs, economic development, grant writing and redevelopment projects. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County, a nonprofit membership organization of major waterfront businesses and institutions. Currently, she administers the Chester Shade Tree Commission and serves on the Board of the Housing Equality Center. Gaffney has worked with CRC during several of the organization’s Annual Streams Cleanups.
“Even as a relatively small organization, CRC has made a significant contribution to the environmental health of the targeted watersheds and I look forward to playing a part in these efforts,” says Gaffney. “I am also very interested in expanding CRC’s role in Chester and other communities located in the lower sections of the watershed.” Gaffney notes that these communities suffer from development upstream and do not always have adequate resources to address the cleanliness of the streams, the lack of tree canopy near the creeks or the detrimental impact of invasive species.
“I hope to encourage more involvement from residents and employers in these communities,” she says. Gaffney’s previous experience includes positions at the Chester Community Improvement Project, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. She also served on the Board of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s from Penn State University and a Master’s in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
The mission of CRC is to support, encourage and promote the enjoyment, restoration, conservation, protection and prudent management of the natural resources of the Chester, Ridley and Crum Creek Watersheds. 2020 marks CRC’s 50th year working towards healthier watersheds.