Delco Press Club celebrates Women’s History Month with ‘Women in Media’ panel
MEDIA » The Delaware County Press Club celebrates Women’s History Month with a virtual webinar panel titled Women in the Media on March 24, from noon – 1 p.m. Featured panelists include Debbi Calton, Outside FM and former WMGK midday host; Peg DeGrassa, Town Talk Newspapers, News & Press of Delaware County, Delaware County Daily & Sunday Times; Rebecca Barger, photographer and former photojournalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer; and Loraine Ballard Morrill, iHeartMedia PHL.
The program will consist of a moderated Q & A period with questions to panel members to address and discuss their careers; the roles of women in the changing media landscape; leadership; mentorship; and more. Following the program, the audience is invited to submit questions for discussion.
Calton is a Grammy Award winner and an onair personality on OutsideFM.com. A radio D.J. since 1976, she has been a Philadelphia rock/classic rock radio mainstay for 37 years. She recently stepped down from her decades– spanning midday shift at WMGK but she now gets to harken back to her early freeform radio days playing whatever she wants.
DeGrassa is editor for both the Town Talk Newspapers and News & Press of Delaware County and a feature writer for the Delaware County Daily & Sunday
Times. A lifelong Delaware County resident, the award-winning journalist wrote a blog and a weekly column about life in Delaware County for Delco News Network for over 20 years. She continues to report community news and write positive feature stories for print, digital, and social media platforms.
Barger is a former photojournalist for The Philadelphia Inquirer where she was a staff photographer for 20 years. Barger has two Pulitzer Prize nominations, most notably for images from the aftermath of the genocide in Rwanda in
1994. Her photography has taken her all over the world but she’s currently staying close to home working in the Philadelphia region as a wedding, commercial, and portrait photographer.
Morrill is news director and community affairs director for the six iHeartMedia PHL radio stations where she hosts and produces community affairs and community outreach programs and campaigns. Her work has been recognized with awards from the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission, the Philadelphia NAACP, and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Under her direction, Power 99 FM was the first station to receive six awards for broadcast community service from the National Association of Broadcasters.
All press club events are open to the public. The webinar is free for members of the press club and costs
$10 for nonmembers. Advance reservations are required at https://www.thepressclubpa.org/events.
Membership in the press club is available to individuals, businesses, and students working in all fields of communications and in allied communication fields. Founded in 1979, the Delaware County Press Club comprises professionals, active or retired, from the fields of communications, including print and broadcast journalism, public relations, marketing, writing and photojournalism, as well as communications teachers and students and professionals in allied fields.
For more information on eligibility in joining the club, visit thepressclubpa. org. The press club season runs September through May.
Oil assistance available for families in need
While winter is winding down there are still many cold days ahead. Community Action Agency of Delaware County Inc. has grants available to assist eligible Delaware County residents with oil assistance. These grants can help keep households warm during these challenging times. Households must be income eligible and should contact CAADC to see if they qualify. There is a limited amount of funding available.
Residents needing assistance should contact CAADC at 610- 874-8451.
CASA Youth Advocates hosts virtual discussion with best-selling author
CASA Youth Advocates, Inc., an organization that works to ensure children in Delaware and Chester counties’ child welfare systems live well, achieve academic excellence, and experience the joys of childhood by providing them with trained volunteer advocates who speak for their best interests, will hold a virtual discussion with nationally-known foster care advocate and author Ashley Rhodes-Courter, whose life was positively impacted by a Court Appointed Special Advocate.
Members of the public are invited to attend this discussion, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 2, to learn more about Ashley’s story, as well as how they can help atrisk youth in Delaware and Chester Counties by supporting the work of CASA Youth Advocates. Regsiter at: https://www.eventbrite.
com/e/join-casa-and-meetny-times-bestselling-author-ashley-rhodes-courtertickets-138688289407.
Born in 1985 to a single teen mother, by the age of 3 Ashley was in Florida’s foster care system where she spent almost ten years being shuttled between fourteen homes — some quite abusive — before being adopted from a Children’s Home at the age of 12.
Ashley’s CASA helped her to find a safe and permanent home. She experienced a revolving door of foster parents, teachers, case workers and therapists but her CASA was the one consistent person who remained with her until she was adopted and they maintained a relationship even after the case closed. She was so inspired by her CASA that she later became a CASA volunteer as an adult and advocated for youth in the child welfare system.
Ashley’s story is a remarkable one, but her childhood story is one that is all too familiar to CASA Youth Advocates Inc. In 2020, the nonprofit served 222 children in Delaware and Chester Counties and provided 13,000 volunteer hours for these children. Due to the pandemic, CASA pivoted to provide much-needed physical support to the youth they served, including providing Chromebooks, clothing and holiday gifts, food and housing assistance, and in-person, as well as virtual, check-ins to keep children safe.
CASA is always seeking new volunteers and supporters. For more information about becoming a volunteer or to donate to CASA Youth Advocates, Inc., visit https://delcocasa.org.
DCIU presents free parent training
The Delaware County Intermediate Unit will offer a free workshop, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 18, to help parents better navigate the often-challenging roadmap of educating their children with disabilities or learning challenges who may need extra help.
The workshop, “Secondary Transition Planning and Services: What every parent of a student with a disability needs to know,” will provide participants with an overview of the requirements for secondary transition planning and a parent’s role in that planning. A description of the different services that might be considered will be discussed and resources for planning will be provided.
The content of this workshop is geared toward parents.
There will be no Act 48 or continuing education credit offered if a professional chooses to attend this workshop. Laurie Newsome, professional development specialist, will be the presenter. There is no cost to attend, but registration is necessary to receive the Zoom link. People can register at https://tinyurl.com/d9fh55sj.