Grands Stepping Up opens Denis’ Pantry at Llanerch Hills Chapel
HAVERFORD » Denis’ Pantry is a new partnership between Grands Stepping Up (GSU) and the Llanerch Hills Chapel, a non-denominational christian church at 1516 Myrtlewood Ave., Havertown. GSU is a Delaware County organization that supports local grandparents and kinship guardians, who are raising their grandchildren primarily due to the opioid epidemic, incarceration, mental health, death, or chronic illness.
With the new partnership, GSU will now be able to serve the most immediate needs of “grand families,” as well as any struggling Delaware County resident by providing food, clothing, gently used toys and books, diapers, wipes, paper products, toiletries and more, as well as baby gear, and furniture like cribs, rocking chairs, and small household goods.
Pastor Mike Emge of Llanerch Hills Chapel offered the space to GSU, not only for the food pantry but also to hold meetings of commonality support for the grandparents and grandchildren.. The Chapel also has the space for GSU’s trauma clinic counselors and legal clinic committee members to meet with their clients.
The GSU organization has been blessed with children’s clothing and baby equipment from various donors, but they still need clothing racks to organize the donations, as well as shelving units to store the food donations. Once the new space is organized, GSU will have set dates and times for meetings and visits to the food pantry.
Karen Barnes, president and founder of GSU, said the organization has been blessed by people ordering food and other items through Amazon and other sources and having them sent to Denis’ Pantry to get the new place up and running. Barnes named the pantry after her brother Denis Schwerdtfeger who passed away on April 17. Barnes said GSU has also been blessed by the kindness of Annie Kilbride of Havertown, a professional organizer who organized and set up the daily operational items for the Mothers Home in Darby. Kilbride offered to set the new Denis’
Pantry up for free at the church.
“Basically this is something we can do to spread a little joy and goodwill for the grand families,” Barnes, explained. “The pastor and I agree that no one in need who comes before us will ever be turned away.”
To donate food, diapers, or other items, or to find out what items are needed, people can reach out to Chelsea Barnes, 267-6007493, Karen Barnes, 610355-6362, or Lorna Laffey,
610-803-7330. To reach Llanerch Hills Chapel, call
484-995-3409. For more information on Grands Stepping Up, visit https://www. facebook.com/GrandsSteppingUp/.
Penn State Brandywine offers social media workshop for entrepreneurs
Penn State Brandywine is offering a complimentary virtual seminar on Practical Social Media Tactics for the Busy Entrepreneur on May 18, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., through Zoom video conferencing.
Many small businesses have switched to social media and e-commerce venues to deliver their products and services. This workshop will present time-saving tips and tools to help business owners choose the best social media sites, find content that will appeal to their audiences, craft posts to increase engagement and increase their social media exposure.
The workshop presenter is Brooke Miles, a Penn State alumna and founder of Delaware ShoutOut, a social media training firm. Miles is also a board member of the Delaware Small Business Chamber and a member of the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce.
The training session is organized by Brandywine Boost. As part of the Invent Penn State initiative, Brandywine Boost at Penn State Brandywine offers advisory support to small- and medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs in the region. This support may include one-on-one direct analysis and advising, interaction with Brandywine students in their courses or workshops designed for larger groups.
To register for the video conference, contact Director of Continuing Education Margaret Bacheler at mbw10@psu.edu.
Garnet Valley High School student wins at local youth film festival
Eric Kitchen, a junior at Garnet Valley High School, won a first place tie for best animated film for his entry “Wilson and the Door” and best cinematography for his film
“Beware the Sleepers” at the 12th Annual Greenfield Youth Film Festival. His achievements were recognized at a special awards ceremony held online this year in
place of the usual red carpet-style event due to COVID-19 public gathering restrictions.
Budding young filmmakers from 21 Philadelphiaarea high schools submitted 250 films which were reviewed by more than 25 judges in the film and communications industry nationwide. Top winners received “Greenie” trophies in a variety of categories, cash prizes, and film-related gifts and experiences. Started in 2008 with five participating schools, the focus of the Festival is a forum for young filmmakers to collaborate, create, and make their voices heard through film.
Manor College makes SAT/ACT optional for applicants
In an effort to support its future Blue Jays and to continue providing the most personalized education possible, Manor College, located in Montgomery County, has made the decision to waive the SAT/ ACT test requirement for prospective first-year undergraduate students. Students that are applying with a high school GPA of 2.0 or greater, will not be required to submit SAT/ACT test scores, as it is now an optional requirement. Testing for SAT and ACT exams has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, and Manor College is taking every measure to demonstrate flexibility for its students during this incredibly stressful time.
The decision applies to students who have submitted applications for fall 2020 and to those who will apply in the future. In addition, Manor College joins the list of schools that have moved the fall deposit deadline from May 1 to June 1. For more information, visit Learn more at www.manor.edu/.