SPRINGFIELD — Members of the Garden Club of Springfield created several spring floral arrangements and delivered them to the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia. The arrangements consisted of carnations, variegated red and yellow tulips, daisies, mums, daffodils, ornamental cabbage, potted pink African violets, adorned with bunnies, chicks and decorated eggs. The flowers are displayed in the parent nook, at the front desk, on the entryway table in the main street hallway and the welcome center. The six potted African violets with bunnies are placed on tables in the dining room. The arrangements will provide a true sense of spring and a feeling of tranquility for families who call the Ronald McDonald House their home while their children are undergoing treatment for serious illnesses. The club will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 23, at the First Presbyterian Church’s Lambert Hall at Summit and Cascade roads, Springfield. A business meeting will be held at 10 a.m., followed by the program, “Healthy Soils for Successful Gardens,” at 11 a.m., presented by Sam Barnett, Delaware County Master Gardener. The club will hold its annual Plant and Bake Sale, rain or shine, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3 at the Old Central School, Saxer Avenue and Powell Road, Springfield. The club is a member of District 1 GCFP and National Garden Clubs Inc. Anyone interested in attending a meeting or becoming a member, should email
[email protected]. For more information on club activities, “like” the “Garden Club of Springfield- Delco PA” Facebook page.
Wallingford Swarthmore Community Classes seeks new board members
Wallingford Swarthmore Community Classes is seeking new board members to oversee its popular adult education program. WSCC is a nonprofit dedicated to providing moderately priced adult education classes for residents of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, Delaware County and beyond. • Generating new ideas for classes and recruiting new instructors in these areas among others: culinary arts, exercise classes, arts and crafts, personal computers and electronic devices, gardening, music and music appreciation, health and wellbeing, and history, including local history and milestone historic events. Board members meet regularly during the spring and fall semesters. No meetings are held during the summer. For information about applying to be a board member, email
[email protected]. To learn more about the Wallingford Swarthmore Community Classes program, go to
http://wscclasses.org. Chester Township awarded $400,000 in Hurricane Ida relief funds
State Rep. Leanne Krueger announced the approval of $400,000 in state grant funds to improve Chester Township’s storm sewer inlets in the wake of 2021’s Hurricane Ida. The funding comes as part of a larger Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery grant set to support the recovery of federally designated disaster areas impacted by Ida throughout Delaware County and other parts of southeastern Pennsylvania. CDBG-DR grants can be spent for housing assistance, including rehabilitation, multi-family housing development and related activities, infrastructure improvements and mitigation. Chester Township suffered significant flooding when the remnants of Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm at its peak, hit. The area is still repairing damage done by the storm. “The people of Chester Township still haven’t seen the last of Ida’s impact, even now,” Krueger said. “Together with local officials, I’ve worked diligently to bring money back to the district for infrastructure improvements. Upgrading Chester’s storm inlets is imperative to protecting the community and its resources from future weather-related disaster.” Storm water inlets are an important part of stormwater management because they direct rainwater and melted snow runoff into drain systems rather than allowing it to accumulate and cause flooding.
Villagers of Newtown Square learn suffragette history from League of Women Voters
The Villagers of Newtown Square held its monthly meeting on March 20 at the Overbrook Country Club. President Marge DeYoung held a brief business meeting followed by lunch. The program was presented by Roberta Winters and Anne Mosakowski from the League of Women Voters. Club members learned about the suffragette movement and some of its prominent women leaders, including Carrie Chapman Catt and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The movement began in 1903 seeking to give women the right to vote. In 1919, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed but it was not ratified by the states until August 1920. The “Justice Bell,” which was in the Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge, was rung when women were finally given the right to vote, although some states had granted them the right to vote earlier. For more information about joining The Villagers, email Arlene at
[email protected].
Upper Chichester Seniors to hold cash bingo
The Upper Chichester Senior Citizens Club is sponsoring a cash bingo at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at the Upper Chichester Community Building, 1950 Market St., Upper Chichester. Doors open at noon. Tickets cost $25 for 10 games or $30 at the door. There will be two specials, a 50/50 drawing, and raffle baskets. Refreshments will be available for sale. For tickets call Doreen at 610-485-4331.
Take a trip down the fashion memory runway at Ridley Township Library
Ridley Township Library, 100 E. MacDade Blvd., Folsom, will take guests for a fun trip down the fashion memory runway at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, with Delaware County resident and historical fashion expert Diane McNitt. McNitt, who has studied the history of fashion and has a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm about the subject, will discuss the impact of the economy, wars, Hollywood, TV, and dancing on fashion trends. Attendees will hear about Coco Chanel’s lasting legacy, interesting button trivia, the significance of stripes on men’s suits, plus the rise and fall of hemlines. To register for the event, go to
http://Ridleylibrary.org , or call the library at 610-583-0593.
White Dog joins pet photographer in seeking submissions for service dog fundraiser
White Dog Cafe and pet photographer Carol Arscott are seeking submissions for a book celebrating dogs to benefit Alpha Bravo Canine, a 501(c)3 organization that donates service dogs to veterans suffering from debilitating medical and psychological problems as a result of their active combat duty. “The Dogs of White Dog Cafe” will feature 100 pups and their stories. For $250 guests can purchase a page that includes a write-up about their pup and a photo session with Arscott in her Media studio. It also includes a copy of the book upon publication. Arscott will select a photo from the session to be included in the book and guests are welcome to purchase any additional photos. Submissions will be accepted through August or until sold out, and additional copies of the book will be available for purchase in late 2025 by pre-order. The proceeds from the session and the book will benefit Alpha Bravo Canine to fund the purchase and costs to raise service dogs. • White Dog Cafe Wayne on Wednesday, April 16, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. • White Dog Cafe Chester Springs on Wednesday, April 23, 5:30- 7 p.m. • White Dog Cafe Glen Mills on Wednesday, April 30, 5:30-7 p.m. Pages/photos can also be purchased at
www.fearlessrestaurants.com/shop. “We are thrilled to partner with Carol and of course Alpha Bravo Canine, which has been a benefactor of White Dog Cafe’s annual Dining Out for the Dogs for the past seven years. We love the opportunity of a book that showcases the dogs of our guests while raising funds,” Fearless Restaurants Director of Development Sydney Grims said. Arscott is an award-winning, internationally recognized pet photographer who creates custom artwork for her clients while raising money for rescues and animal-based organizations. Arscott said she has never met a dog she couldn’t photograph. She has worked with dogs of all sizes, ages, abilities, temperaments and breeds. Arscott has raised over $85,000 for rescue organizations through her photography projects. The pet photographer has published several other pet-centric books, including “The Heart of DVGRR,” benefiting Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, and her second coffee table book, “The Heart of Providence and Francisvale,” which was released in 2024. Her third book, benefiting The Pennsylvania SPCA, will be released in 2025. “This is an incredible opportunity for us especially as we are celebrating our 10th anniversary,” Senechal said, adding, “It is estimated that twenty percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression. Alpha Bravo Canine was founded to help the local community of veterans. Alpha Bravo Canine believes in helping these brave warriors, who fought for our country’s freedom, by giving back to them. A fully trained service dog from puppy to graduated dog can cost approximately $25,000 to $30,000 for up to the two-year time frame while under the organization’s care. Everything we do is free of charge.” For more information, visit
www.whitedog.com .
Rotary Arts Conversations to present Swarthmore College composer at PAC Center
The PAC Center, 129 Park Ave., Swarthmore, will welcome composer and gamelan artist Tom Whitman as the next featured guest in the popular speaker series Rotary Arts Conversations at 7 p.m. Friday, April 25. Everyone is welcome to join an in-depth discussion with Whitman to learn about his life, art and musical collaborations. Whitman has been a member of Swarthmore College’s music faculty since 1990. He is the founder and co-director of Gamelan Semara Santi, a classical Indonesian percussion orchestra. It is the Philadelphia area’s only Balinese percussion orchestra, which has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center and at Carnegie Hall. He also directs the Chester Children’s Gamelan, a volunteer effort that introduces the rich traditions of classical Indonesian music and dance to Chester students. As a Luce Scholar, Whitman studied in Bali, Indonesia, with I Madé Gerindem. Other prizes and honors include an ASCAP Foundation Grant; artist residencies at Macdowell and Yaddo; and commissions from numerous ensembles. His compositions include chamber music, dance and film scores, and six operas. Whitman will be in conversation with Nathalie Anderson from 7-8 p.m. Afterwards, there will be a wine-and-cheese reception. Tickets are $10. The monthly series is a collaboration between the Rotary Club of Swarthmore, the PAC Center and The Swarthmorean.
