District receives $231,000 windfall from state
Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity teams up with ‘Good Morning America’ to return money
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity and ABC News’ “Good Morning America” teamed up to surprise Spring-Ford Area School District with a check for $231,057 worth of unclaimed property at halftime of the district’s state playoff football game on Nov. 10.
“It’s always a thrill to return unclaimed property to its rightful owners,” Garrity said. “Doing it in front of thousands of enthusiastic football fans added a whole new layer of excitement. I want to thank Spring-Ford Area School District and ‘Good Morning America’ for being great partners in pulling off this surprise return of more than $230,000 and helping us to return more than $25,000 in unclaimed property to unsuspecting football fans.”
Spring-Ford officials said the money comes in handy.
“Fortunately, the SpringFord Area School District was the recipient of unclaimed funds,” said SpringFord Superintendent Robert Rizzo. “In our case, checks were mailed to a former tax collector in two separate instances but never made it to the school district. We were thrilled when we found out that ‘GMA’ and the Treasury Department wanted to highlight the school district, and we were excited for the members of our community who would benefit as well.”
Fans who attended the football game could check their names on the spot, and because of the early publicity around the “GMA” segment, Rizzo said “I’ve heard from many others in our community who didn’t attend the game but checked the Treasury website to check their status. As for the school district, we will be working with the school board to determine how best to utilize the funds, and already have some unique ideas that would benefit our students, staff, and community.”
About 2,500 people attended the playoff game against Central Bucks South.
Garrity and GMA’s Ike Ejiochi were busy all evening long, returning $25,833.92 worth of unclaimed property to more than 120 attendees — including two people who received more than $5,000 each.
State Rep. Joe Ciresi, a strong proponent of the unclaimed property program and a former Spring-Ford school board director, was on hand to help return the funds.
“Many in the Spring-Ford community received pleasant surprises that evening — despite how the game turned out — thanks to the hard work of the PA Treasury,” Rep. Ciresi said. “I appreciate their proactive efforts to help the district and my constituents, as well as our ongoing cooperation in returning lost money back to its rightful owners.”
Spring-Ford’s administrative team will work with the school board to determine how the money will be used.
“As the school board president, I was pleased and surprised to learn that our district received a substantial check through the Unclaimed Funds program,” said Spring-Ford School Board President Erica Hermans. “This unexpected windfall will undoubtedly contribute to our ongoing efforts to enhance educational opportunities for our students. We are committed to working with our administrative team to ensure these funds are utilized responsibly to enrich the learning experience within our schools further. This unexpected boost will undoubtedly significantly impact our dedication to providing a high-quality education for all our students.”
Treasury is working to return more than $4.5 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners. About one in ten Pennsylvanians is owed unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth about $1,600.
To learn more about unclaimed property or to search the Treasury’s database, visit patreasury.gov/ unclaimed-property.
Salad of Pears, Hazelnuts and Blue Cheese
In her cookbook, “Roast Figs, Sugar Snow — Food to Warm the Soul,” author Diana Henry writes that this dish, based on a classic French bistro salad, “tastes slightly of smoky bacon” although none is found in the ingredient list. She advises that apples can be substituted for pears, and walnuts used instead of hazelnuts. I like to include 2cups of bitesize pieces of butter lettuce mixed with the more assertive watercress or spinach, in which case I double the amount of dressing.
INGREDIENTS
1 small red onion
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Dressing: 2 1⁄2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1⁄2 teaspoon granulated sugar (or to taste), 1⁄4 cup hazelnut oil or walnut oil, 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and flaky salt and black pepper to taste 3 pears, not overly ripe 2tablespoons butter 6ounces salad leaves, such as baby spinach or watercress
2⁄3 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts (but not skinned), halved
1 3⁄4 cups crumbled blue cheese such as Gorgonzola, Dolcelatte or Cashel Blue
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Halve the red onion and cut it into crescent-shaped slices. Put into a small ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until soft with slightly caramelized tips.
3. Prepare the dressing by whisking all its ingredients together, seasoning to taste.
4. Halve and core the pears, then cut them, lengthwise, into slices 1⁄4-inch thick. Melt butter in skillet and quickly sauté the pear slices on medium-high heat on each side until golden. Don’t overcook them; they should still hold their shape.
5. Toss the salad leaves with the nuts and most of the dressing. Divide between six plates. Add the pear slices and slightly warm onion and scatter with the cheese. Drizzle each plate with the rest of the dressing and serve.