Krueger honors national antibullying expert Claudio Cerullo
ASTON » State Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-161 of Nether Providence, honored Dr. Claudio Cerullo Thursday evening for his tireless work in the field of anti-bullying and school violence prevention. Cerullo was joined for this recognition by family and friends via Zoom.
A veteran educator and administrator, Cerullo has been helping children and families for almost 30 years with issues regarding bullying, harassment and violence prevention.
“The past year has been really hard for all of us,” Krueger said at the presentation. “My office wanted to recognize the work that Dr. Cerullo has done on antibullying in our community.”
Cerullo accepted the award with gratitude, saying, “This was a wonderful surprise and I am truly grateful for this honor. I will continue my work in this county and across the country in an effort to always keep children safe, whether at school or at home.”
Cerullo, who was bullied himself in younger years, established teachantibullying.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2011 to serve children and families who have been or are being affected by bullying.
Cerullo recently released his new book, “Inside the Mind of a Bully: From Victim to Advocate” which not only gives insight on what parents, teachers and administrators can do to help curb this ever pervasive public health issue, but shares his personal struggles as a child victim. The book is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Cerullo has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN, and Fox News, while also being featured in The New York Times, The Washington Journal, LA Times, Newsweek, and on GMA. Cerullo brings over 28 years of professional experience in the field of education and is extremely active in addressing the great need for anti-bullying awareness, and prevention nationwide, helping students that are being impacted academically, socially, and emotionally by this silent threat.
For more information, visit www. dr.claudiocerullo.com.
South Media Fire Co. kicks off fundraising drive
South Media Fire Co, will kick off its 2021 fundraising drive at Media Shopping Center on Saturday, March 13. The owners of Media Shopping Center, ECHO Realty, presented South Media Fire Co. Chief Max Hopkins with a generous check to start their campaign.
Over the past year, COVID-19 has hindered the ability of the fire company from conducting routine fundraising, but it must still raise funds for equipping and training the volunteer members. Hopkins expressed gratitude on behalf of the fire company for ECHO Realty’s generosity.
The South Media Fire Co. has been in operation for almost a century. The
funds from the current drive will enable the fire company to continue providing service to the residents of the community. Founded in 1922, the fire company is a small neighborhood all-volunteer organization serving Nether Providence, Rose Valley, and the surrounding areas. The company, along with the Garden City Fire Co., make up the Nether Providence Fire Department. The fire company will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year.
Volunteers who will be at the Media Shopping Center, 505 E. Baltimore Pike, Media, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for a boot drive.
Those unable to make it to the drive at the shopping center, can mail a donation, made out to South Media Fire Co, 535 Washington Ave., Media PA 19063 or visit southmediafire.com/donate.
Tuition assistance available for unemployed and underemployed residents
COVID-19 has left almost 14,000 Delaware County residents unemployed. The Delaware County Workforce Development System offers free tuition assistance for training in high-demand occupations to prepare unemployed and underemployed residents for the post-COVID workplace.
The Workforce Development System works with business and education leaders to identify the skills and training that workers will need to succeed. The Workforce Development System then provides tuition for unemployed or underemployed residents to get training in these critical skills. Only colleges and training schools with a strong record of helping people get jobs in their new field are selected for the program.
As the federal government provides stimulus programs to extend the length of unemployment benefits, this is an ideal time for unemployed residents to take advantage of an opportunity to get the skills they need for postCOVID employment. Tuition assistance is available for many in-demand fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, computer programming, and contact tracing. Excellent colleges and training programs that participate in this program include Delaware County Community College, Villanova Professional Program, All State Training School,
Springhouse Education, and Full Circle Computing.
Unemployed or underemployed Delaware County residents are encouraged to learn more about training that can help them prepare for the post-COVID workplace. The first step is to attend an orientation to learn about all the programs available. Call 610723-1220, email wec@dccc. edu, or visit https://pacareerlinkdelco.org,
Aston student wins prize in C-SPAN video documentary competition
C-SPAN announced that Briona Morris, a student at Northley Middle School in Aston, is an honorable mention winner in CSPAN’s national 2021 StudentCam competition. Morris will receive $250 for the documentary, “Are We Really Equal? Racial Injustices.”
The competition, now in its 17th year, invited all middle and high school students to enter by producing a short documentary. C-SPAN, in cooperation with cable television partners, asked students to
join the national conversation on the challenges the country is facing with the theme: “Explore the issue you most want the president and new Congress to address in 2021.”
Despite the unique challenges brought about by COVID-19 this year, more than
2,300 students across the country participated in the contest. C-SPAN received over 1,200 entries from 43 states and Washington, D.C. The most popular topics addressed were: Health Care
(14.9%), Environmental and Energy Policy (14.6%), Equal Rights and Equity (13.5%), Criminal Justice/Policing
(7.6%), and Education (7.5%). C-SPAN is funded by America’s cable television companies, who also support StudentCam. In Aston, C-SPAN is available locally through Comcast.This winner is among 299 students from across the country winning a total of $100,000. The 150 winning videos can be viewed at www.studentcam.org.
Readers can email community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21stcenturymedia.com.