Schools and other organizations in the greater Chadds Ford area once again took part in the annual MLK Day of Service. For some, it was a “favorite day.” For at least one other, however, it was a whole new experience.
This Martin Luther King Day was the first for Shawn Dutkiewicz, in his first year as principal at Chadds Ford Elementary School.
He said there was no such day of service at his previous school, but he likes what sees here in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District.
“This is a tremendous outpouring of community support,” Dutkiewicz said in a school lunchroom packed with student and adult volunteers who were filling bags with clothes, shoes, toys and books for needy children.
“The parents, the PTO parents, really orchestrated this entire event here at Chadds Ford with the help of district personnel,” he said.
Rhea Tomas was the CFES PTO chair for the event this year. She said students and families collected enough supplies to help out 150 children for one week. Those supplies were to go to Cradle to Crayons in Conshohocken for final distribution.
According to its website, Cradle to Crayons “provides children from birth through age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive - at home, at school and at play. We supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need.”
While the event was new for Dutkiewicz, for Hillendale Elementary School Principal Steve Dissinger, it was old hat; old, maybe, but still great.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” Dissinger said. “It’s all about serving others. That has to be good. It gives me a good feeling, and I hope we always do it.”
As in years past, Hillendale students and volunteers made soup and sandwiches to be distributed through Safe Harbor in West Chester and Meals on Wheels in West Grove. Canned goods went to the Kennett Food Bank.
For the second year, the folks at Hillendale also provided backpacks filled with notebooks, pencils, crayons markers and other school supplies. Dissinger said HES is providing 75 backpacks to La Comunidad Hispaña.
Pocopson Elementary School also took part. Chair Tracy Wahl said the students there collected sports equipment, new and used, for numerous groups in southern Chester County.
It wasn’t only schools getting involved. The Chadds Ford Historical Society also had a video, coloring books, and other craft events for children that focused on King, slavery and civil rights’ issues.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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