October 8, 2014 - Page 2 of 2 - ChaddsFordLive.com

Police Log Oct. 9: Chadds Ford youth arrested; chestnuts stolen; condoms thrown into parked car

• State police from the Embreeville barracks said they arrested five male juveniles on burglary charges: an 18-year-old from Chadds Ford, an 18-year-old from Unionville, a 16-year-old from West Chester, a 17-year-old from Kennett Square, and a 17-year-old from Coatesville. Police said from Jan. 1 through March 4 the teens removed copper and other metals from buildings at the vacant Embreeville complex in West Bradford Township and then sold the stolen property. Police said charges were forwarded to the Chester County Juvenile Probation Department.

• State police from Troop K, the Media barracks, are investigating a case of criminal mischief that took place in Painter’s Crossing shopping center. According to a report someone threw four used condoms into a car through an open sunroof. The condoms were sent to the lab for analysis, police said.

• Two men, Meifen Yang, 56, of Collingdale, and Mei Hua Chen, 51, of Brookhaven, were charged with trespassing and theft on Oct. 7, police said. The pair reportedly entered a restricted area at Linvilla Orchards and stole chestnuts.

• Robert Lane Porter, 23, of Wilmington, was found to be in possession of marijuana following a traffic stop in Pennsbury Township, police said. A report said Porter was stopped on Fairville Road at Ridge Run Road at 11:35 p.m. on Oct. 3.

• Two Razor scooters were stolen from a garage on Grouse Trail in Chadds Ford Township on Sept. 23 sometime between 2 and 3 p.m., a police report said. The garage door had been left open, according to the report.

• Area police want residents to be wary of a “distraction burglary” that occurred last week in New Garden Township. Police said one person came to the door of a home on Ewart Road on Oct. 4, said he was doing some tree work and needed to be shown the property line. While the resident went out with the first suspect, another person entered the home. The homeowner and his disabled wife later noticed an electrical item valued at $100 was missing. New Garden Township Police Department, which is in contact with other area departments investigating similar incidents, requests that any suspicious activity be reported immediately to your police department. Police believe three men were involved in the burglary. One is described as a white male with a medium build and average height, estimated to be in his 30s. The second suspect was a black heavyset male, more than six feet tall between the ages of 40 and 50. No identifying information was available on the third suspect.

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Around Town Oct. 9

Along the Ford

• The Chadds Ford Gallery is hosting a new exhibit featuring the works of Jacalyn Beam, Bradley Hendershot and Carolyn Anderson. The exhibit, which begins 5 p.m., Oct. 10, with an opening reception from 5 – 8 p.m., will continue through Oct. 26.

• Local author and historian Gene Pisasale will conduct a walking tour of the Brandywine Valley at 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11. The event is free and begins at the Bayard Taylor Library in Kennett Square.

• The Great Pumpkin Carve is making its way back to the great pumpkin patch in the Ford. The Chadds Ford Historical Society is holding the annual event Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 23, 24 and 25 in the meadow at the Barn Visitors’ Center on Creek Road in Chadds Ford Township from 5 to 9 p.m. all three evenings. In addition to 60 pumpkins being worked on by 60 carvers, there will also be a haunted trail filled with ghosts, goblins and some Halloween music. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for people 7-17 years old.

• The Chadds Ford Planning Commission meeting scheduled for Oct. 7 was rescheduled to Oct. 22 due to a time conflict for one of its members.

• Concord Township Supervisors will host a Senior Expo from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 16. Exhibitors from state agencies and local organizations will be on hand to provide information on services and issues important to senior citizens. The expo will be held in the BYC gymnasium at 41 Thornton Road.

• The Chester County Pops Orchestra will present three performances of its first-ever October Series. Maestro Joseph Gehring will conduct the series entitled “Halloween Pops…Music…Magic, Movies and More” at Unionville High School, 7 p.m. on Oct. 18, then at Phoenixville Area Middle School, 3 p.m. on Oct. 19, and at Stetson Middle School at 7 p.m. on Oct. 21. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors. Children’s admission is free. For tickets, go to www.chescopops.org

• The Brandywine Conservancy will hold a tree planting at Wyebrook Farm Saturday, Oct 18, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Part of the conservancy’s reforestation program, the planting focuses on improving water quality and improving plant and animal habitat. Volunteers should dress in layers and wear sturdy shoes. To register, call 610-388-8351 or visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c044aadab23abfe3-tree.

• The Crozer Cancer Project Team will host the 2^nd annual Care 2 Cure Walk/Run in Concord Township on Oct. 19. The race will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Crozer-Keystone Cancer Center — 500 Evergreen Drive — with the runners and walkers able to enjoy either a 5K run or one-mile walk on a certified course that winds through the Shoppes at Brinton Lake. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Proceeds from the race will benefit the Crozer Cancer Project Team. To register, visit http://bit.ly/care2cure2014. Registration is $30 for adults and $20 for children under 15. For more details and sponsorship information, call 610-447-6311.

• The Unionville-Chadds Ford Education Foundation will hold a Recycling/Membership Awareness Day on Oct. 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the basketball court blacktop behind Charles F. Patton Middle School. There will be a gift card raffle offered with new memberships. Education Foundation representatives will also be collecting recycling old batteries, cell phones and other material for recycling.

• Brandywine Valley Quilters presents “The Wonder of Quilting… an Adventure Filled World,” on Sat. Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Brookhaven Municipal Building, 2 Cambridge Rd. in Brookhaven. The show features more than 100 quilts made by local artisans and free demonstrations. Admission is $5.

• It’s a Dine and Date event for the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates at P.J. Whelihan’s on Route 202. The restaurant will donate a portion of the diner’s food bill to the Associates if the diner mentions the park. Note, this is only for the food portion of the bill. Dine and Date for the Battlefield Park Associates is valid on Oct. 23, from 5-8 p.m.

• To alleviate the food shortages affecting more than 70,000 people in Chester County, the YMCA of the Brandywine Valley is sponsoring a canned food drive. Drop off donations at an area YMCA anytime between now and Oct. 26, and they will be delivered to a local food bank, YMCA officials said. As an extra incentive, anyone who drops off three cans or more will receive a three-day guest pass to the Y. Members who donate three or more cans are welcome to give their pass to other family members or friends.

• The Kennett Symphony will sponsor its annual Instrumental Competition for Young Artists on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Kendal at Longwood auditorium. The competition is limited to 16 musicians in grades nine-12. For more information, phone 610-444-6363.

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Arrest a cautionary tale for fire companies

Local News

At a time of dwindling resources for local fire companies, the arrest on Wednesday, Oct. 8, of the treasurer of the Westwood Fire Company in Valley Township – accused of embezzling more than $300,000 from the company – should send out alarms, authorities said.

“This case underscores the importance of financial safeguards for all organizations and businesses,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan in a press release. “This defendant was able to abuse his position of trust to steal from volunteer first responders.”

Hogan said from 2006 through 2012, Hower S. Smith III, 57, of Coatesville, a 40-year member of Westwood, exhibited a shocking betrayal of trust, stealing from volunteers who risk their lives so he could make purchases such as Phillies season tickets. “The defendant used the stolen funds to go on extravagant vacations and live the high life,” Hogan added.

The alleged thefts came to light in 2012 when Smith charged over $2,000 worth of unauthorized purchases to a fire company credit card while on vacation in Hawaii. Westwood officials immediately notified the Valley Township Police Department and the Chester County Detectives, and Smith was removed from office in January 2012, Hogan said.

A subsequent investigation revealed the scope of the thefts, which included more than 400 personal purchases, forged signatures on over 100 checks, even manipulated Bingo records, Hogan said.

Westwood Fire Company, which serves Valley, East Fallowfield, West Caln, Wallace, East Brandywine, and West Brandywine Townships, responds to more than 3,000 fire and medical calls per year.

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The Rabbi’s Study: Staying curious

Religion Today

Last month, I wrote that during the Jewish Holidays I would not charge my community with the mission to find answers, instead I would exhort them to spend the next year asking good questions. Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur have now passed and this week, as if to underline my request, we are about to embark upon the Jewish Festival of Sukkot. To quote that famous not-quite-Jewish leader, Winston Churchill, the ritual observance of Sukkot is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

In addition to prayer services, the primary observance of Sukkot is to build a sukkah, a temporary structure with at least three walls and a roof of branches or other organic materials that cannot be solid. If you can’t see the stars through the roof when you go into your sukkah at night, the structure is not kosher, or ritually appropriate for the holiday. Similarly, if the structure cannot be taken down after the conclusion of the holiday, it is, again, not kosher. During the course of the holiday, observant Jews will eat their meals in the Sukkah, decorate them with lights and produce and tapestries and host large festive gatherings inside. Some will even sleep in them.

Which, of course, raises the question: Why? In the culture in which we live, we’re used to holidays being observed in houses of worship. We are also comfortable with ritual observances and customs that take place in the home. I can’t think of any other religious obligations that must take place in lean-tos in our yards.

The first place to look, of course, is the Bible. In the Book of Leviticus, Moses tells the Israelites to move into booths, or in Hebrew, sukkot, for seven days each year as a way to remember that we had lived in temporary structures during the years that we wandered in the wilderness. (Levitcus 23:33-44) So, in one sense, this practice is just a very literal reading of the Torah. But even though the Jewish people have been called The People of the Book, in our tradition, biblical citations are usually just the beginning of the conversation.

The next question is usually: What is the reason behind this particular commandment? One of the best explanations of this puzzling ritual that I have read is from the teachings of a British rabbi named Jonathan Wittenberg. Rabbi Wittenberg points to the paradox that the temporary nature of the structure is supposed to remind us of the permanence of our relationship with God and the principles of our tradition.

The sukkah, he explains is a reminder of our vulnerability. It is a way to impress upon us the ephemeral nature of those structures that we count upon for stability and protection. We spent Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur within the fixed and sturdy walls of the synagogue. During every other week of the year, we live under the impermeable roofs of our homes. We spend Sukkot outside, hearing the wind rustle through the trees, feeling the heat and the cold of the outdoors. And it is that moment that we can reach out to God.

It turns out that there is something sacred in being aware of our vulnerability. This reminder of our insecurity helps us to remember to reach out for help and to search for meaning. This shocking departure from our usual complacency nurtures the humility in which we realize that, just as we need support, we need to hear the cries of others who are need of assistance, and not just during one particular holiday. And this commandment to leave our homes for one ritual week and to dwell in the sukkah instead brings us face to face with our obligation to respond to those who are in need of housing and shelter every day of the year.

In our prayerbook, the Festival of Sukkot is called zman simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing. And for this week, we celebrate the way that exploring our own vulnerability helps bring strength to our own faith and to our obligations to provide support to others.

About Rabbi Eric M. Rosin

Rabbi Eric Rosin began his professional career as an attorney in Los Angeles serving the entertainment industry, but discovered he needed to be doing something he was passionate about. He left the practice of law and began studying for ordination at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles. After ordination, Rabbi Rosin served for two years as the assistant rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Va., then assumed the pulpit at Kesher Israel Congregation in West Chester, Pa. in 2004.

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The Empowered Parent: Halloween and pets

School & Education

Fall is in the air, festivals abound, and the holiday season is kicking off-How can you be an Empowered Parent this Halloween? Keep everyone focused on fun by taking steps to protect your furry family members and by educating your children to respect animals.

Those of you with pets have probably noticed cuddling on the rise as nights get cooler. Our family has a slender black feline who loves burrowing under blankets this time of year, and a cantankerous-yet-lovable orange tabby, both rescues.

We all want Halloween to be silly and fun for our children, but unfortunately it can be a scary time for pet owners. Our black and orange love getting extra treats on their Mischief Night birthday, but they’re not excited about the extra noise and people that may come by the house. We keep them close this time of year.

To protect your pets, keep kitties indoors around Halloween, especially black cats. Sadly, there is a surge in abuse of cats this time of year-so much that many shelters delay adoptions of black cats until November. It’s additionally saddening to learn much of this violence is committed by minors. Keep communication open with your child to make sure he or she feels empowered to speak out in case they hear or see any animal abuse.

My toddler son loves our cats, but absolutely loves dogs too — he can scare them with his enthusiasm. He wants to run right up, hug them, play and grab tails. That can produce anxiety in even the most gentle canine, but especially so if the little one is costumed up and wearing a mask. Halloween is a time for excitement and games, and that can get Fido just as riled up as any candy-driven kiddo.

You may have to take special precautions to keep Fido calm if you have trick-or-treaters. It’s important any time of the year, but extra vigilance is required when you know people may come by. Pennsylvania does not allow loose animals in general, but if your dog has a history of aggression such as a previous bite, you are required by law to take specific additional precautions. It is possible for a dog to be removed from a family in certain circumstances due to a dog bite injury, which could be devastating to you and your children as well as a dog-bite victim’s family. No matter what Fido’s disposition, being reasonable and attentive as a pet-owner and a parent can prevent most potential problems.

We as parents can educate our kids to be respectful of animals, to protect them and family pets. My son is learning to ask the owner if it’s safe to approach, let the dog sniff his hand, then proceed with gentle pets if all signs are “Go.” It’s especially important if you have very young children to be vigilant when animals are nearby and coach your child through an interaction with a strange animal. And remember, we’re teaching them always, whether we realize it or not: actions speak louder than words. They will mimic your behavior toward animals.

Protection through planning works for pets just as it works for your family. Keep emergency vet numbers around in case they’re needed-store it in your phone now and look up the address so you’re familiar with the route. If something happens to you, have a backup plan: Be sure to include your pets in your estate plans to keep your family whole. You can plan to keep your children and their pets together and provided for.

Those who have pets know they are part of our family. They’re with us daily, we care for them like children, they offer unconditional love and ask very little in return. It’s important you plan to keep your furry loved ones safe, just as you keep your little ones safe.

May your Halloween be all treats.

About Valerie Borek

Valerie Borek, Esq. is a Delaware County native with a passion for empowering people. She believes a strong family is a building block to strong communities. She founded her law firm to serve families with a focus on parenting and family rights. As a mother herself, she knows that parents face tough choices and need support. Valerie is grateful to be in a profession where she can guide people through life’s circumstance so they can focus on the things in life that matter most. Valerie finds her greatest motivation in helping families strengthen their health and wealth. These two foundational areas of life resonate through the day-to-day and when we feel comfortable and secure in these spheres, we are free and enabled to create and nurture the lives we desire. Visit her at www.vboreklaw.com

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Mind Matters: Mr. Rogers

Health

Often, when parents with small children come into my office, I recommend that they and their children watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood together.

And I often get a raised eyebrow or a sideways glance and perhaps even a comment such as “Why?” or “He’s so … hmm.”

How unfortunate that Mr. Rogers is not taken seriously or worse cast aside entirely. In this era where they hype is on “family values” while “reality” shows abound, Mr. Rogers, even though he died in 2003, through his program, provides real value.

Years ago, when my children were young, his programs offered a calming time for all of us. Mr. Rogers gentle manner and psychologically savvy words offered a soothing balm to daily frustrations of toddler-hood (and beyond).

When Mr. Rogers looks into the camera and says, “I like you just the way you are,” he is authentic. (My family and I met Mr. Rogers once and can attest that his kindness and attentiveness is genuine.)

In the World According to Mr. Rogers, a collection of his wise words, he states, “When I say, ‘It’s you I like,’ I m talking about … that deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind can’t survive: love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”

Mr. Rogers was not only an ordained minister but was also schooled in child development theory. So what can we glean from Mr. Rogers, his neighborhood, and his thoughtful songs? Perhaps we could learn how to be patient with one another; how to face our fears (“it’s only when I feel let down, I might be scared into a clown”); how to be aware of our feelings (“the very same people who are mad sometimes are the very same people who are glad sometimes”).

Mr. Rogers continues to remind us to imagine “… what our real neighborhood would be like if each of us offered as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. … Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many.”

Mr. Rogers’ wisdom remains an antidote to James Dobson and Focus on the Family’s many misguided notions regarding children and their development.

This column was first published in 2005 in the Chadds Ford Post. I changed it slightly. Kayta

About Kayta Gajdos

Dr. Kathleen Curzie Gajdos ("Kayta") is a licensed psychologist (Pennsylvania and Delaware) who has worked with individuals, couples, and families with a spectrum of problems. She has experience and training in the fields of alcohol and drug addictions, hypnosis, family therapy, Jungian theory, Gestalt therapy, EMDR, and bereavement. Dr. Gajdos developed a private practice in the Pittsburgh area, and was affiliated with the Family Therapy Institute of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, having written numerous articles for the Family Therapy Newsletter there. She has published in the American Psychological Association Bulletin, the Family Psychologist, and in the Swedenborgian publications, Chrysalis and The Messenger. Dr. Gajdos has taught at the college level, most recently for West Chester University and Wilmington College, and has served as field faculty for Vermont College of Norwich University the Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, Cincinnati, Ohio. She has also served as consulting psychologist to the Irene Stacy Community MH/MR Center in Western Pennsylvania where she supervised psychologists in training. Currently active in disaster relief, Dr. Gajdos serves with the American Red Cross and participated in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts as a member of teams from the Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.Now living in Chadds Ford, in the Brandywine Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Dr. Gajdos combines her private practice working with individuals, couples and families, with leading workshops on such topics as grief and healing, the impact of multigenerational grief and trauma shame, the shadow and self, Women Who Run with the Wolves, motherless daughters, and mediation and relaxation. Each year at Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, PA she leads a griefs of birthing ritual for those who have suffered losses of procreation (abortions, miscarriages, infertility, etc.); she also holds yearly A Day of Re-Collection at Temenos.Dr. Gajdos holds Master's degrees in both philosophy and clinical psychology and received her Ph.D. in counseling at the University of Pittsburgh. Among her professional affiliations, she includes having been a founding member and board member of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Pittsburgh, as well as being listed in Who's Who of American Women. Currently, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Pennsylvania Psychological Association, the Delaware Psychological Association, the American Family Therapy Academy, The Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Delaware County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Board. Woven into her professional career are Dr. Gajdos' pursuits of dancing, singing, and writing poetry.

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Lois Cumpson Byrem of Kennett Square

Obituaries

Lois Cumpson Byrem, 88, of Kennett Square, died Tuesday, Oct. 7 in Linden Hall. She was the wife of Gerald Hoffman Byrem, who died in 2010, and with whom she shared 63 years of marriage.

Born July 30, 1926, in Hillside, Pa., she was the daughter of the late George and Mary Smith Cumpson. She was a graduate of McKeesport High School and Harrisburg Area Community College.

She lived in the Harrisburg area from 1948 through 1980; beginning in 1980, she resided in Strasburg, PA, until recently when she became a resident of Linden Hall at the Friends Home in Kennett Square.

She was active for three decades in the First Church of the Brethren, Harrisburg, Pa where she was the church treasurer for 17 years. The last 30 years of her life, she was active in Palatines to America, for which she served as secretary/treasurer for a number of years.

Mrs. Byrem is survived by two sons: Jeffrey L. Byrem and his wife Paula of Kennett Square, and Richard B. Byrem and his wife Barbara of Incline Village, Nev.; a sister, Nancy Evans of Greensburg, Pa.; three grandchildren, Julia, Rachel and Phaedra, and nine great grandchildren.

Graveside services will be private.

Contributions in her memory may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163-4777 www.michaeljfox.org

Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square, PA.

Online condolences may be made by visiting www.griecocares.com