Yvonne “Toddy” Christy Moore, 87, of Hockessin, died Sunday, April 17, at her home. She was the loving wife of Joseph E. Moore Jr., who died in January of this year and with whom she shared 63 years of marriage.
Born in West Chester, she was a daughter of the late Rowland and the late Mary Malloy Christy.
She attended Unionville High School and the Chester County Hospital School of Nursing. She was a registered nurse for many years at AI DuPont Hospital for Children. She retired as the night nursing supervisor in 1988. She was relied upon for her general medical knowledge by many including family, friends and neighbors throughout her life.
Some of Yvonne’s fondest memories were growing up on the grounds of Longwood Gardens. She shared these special experiences with her family regularly. Her love of flowers and gardening was evident especially in her retirement. She loved vacationing with family and friends in Avalon and Stone Harbor, N.J. She enjoyed playing bridge with the DelPark Manor friends and completing the daily crossword puzzles. She was an avid Phillies fan never missing a game on TV.
Survivors include her four devoted daughters, Pamela Gambacorta, Christy Almeida (Joe), Debra Papillo (Mark) all of Hockessin, Kimberly Mezick (Rob) of Wilmington; eight grandchildren, Ryan, Erin, Lauren, Devon, Caitlin, Francesca, Joseph, and Madison; five great-grandchildren, Brady, Hunter, Evelyn, Sloane, and Jude and two brothers, J. Wayne Christy of West Chester, and H. Romain Christy (Nancy) of Wilmington. She was predeceased by her two sisters, Dorothy R. Christy Barili and E. Jeanne Christy and two brothers R. Marvin Christy and Donald B. Christy.
A private graveside service will be held at Longwood Cemetery in Kennett Square. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, 1901 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE 19803. Arrangements are being handled by the Kuzo & Grieco Funeral Home Inc. (610-444-4116) of Kennett Square. To view her online tribute and to share a memory with her family, please visit www.griecocares.com
“Our Rivers on Drugs” will be the topic of the Stroud Water Research Center’s Science Seminar Series on Thursday, April 21.
Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall will discuss the effect that pharmaceutical and personal-care product pollution has on streams.
Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist from the Cary Institute, will discuss the effect that pharmaceutical and personal-care product pollution has on rivers and streams. This pollution includes an array of contaminants, from prescription medications to antimicrobials and cosmetics.
These compounds enter streams and rivers from households and are often not removed by wastewater treatment facilities, according to the Stroud Water Research Center, which has been working to protect the health of the world’s freshwater for nearly 50 years.
Rosi-Marshall will explain how these products harm aquatic life and compromise the health of our nation’s freshwater systems. She will also outline what is needed to combat this growing problem.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for light refreshments. The lecture begins at 7 p.m., and following Q&As, it will conclude by 8 p.m. Representatives from the New Garden Township Police Department will be on site from 6:30 to 7 p.m. to collect unwanted and expired medications that attendees would like to see discarded safely.
The event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are not required, but appreciated at www.stroudcenter.org/events. The Stroud Water Research Center is located at 970 Spencer Road in Avondale. For more information, call 610-268-2153, ext. 288 or email jprovinski@stroudcenter.org.
The center began in 1967, five years before the birth of the Environmental Protection Agency. It resulted from the foresight and vision of W.B. Dixon Stroud, his wife, Joan M. Stroud, and Ruth Patrick, a water scientist at the Academy of Natural Sciences. They joined forces to establish a location in Avondale along a branch of the White Clay Creek that could be studied by teams of scientists during a time when the nation’s waterways were severely imperiled.
Since then, the center has expanded, continuing its commitment to environmental advocacy. Its Moorhead Environmental Complex received LEED platinum certification in 2013, the highest honor for green buildings.
The idea of developing a strategic plan for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District has been bandied about for two years. In two months, those intermittent discussions might move into an action phase.
The board is scheduled to vote in June on whether to retain the services of the firm Demosophia to help generate the plan. Demosophia’s proposal would cost the district $52,500, according to the company’s proposal to the district.
Andy Hegedus, of Demosophia, briefed the school board directors during their April 18 meeting on what his firm can do to help create the plan. However, Hegedus first explained the name of the company, saying it’s a made-up word meaning “wisdom of the people” based on the Greek roots demo, meaning people, and sophia, meaning wisdom.
That meaning also relates to the process of how Demosophia goes about its business. Hegedus said the company brings in members of the community to determine what an organization needs to be done, defining what he called the “wicked problem.”
He defined wicked problem as an idea or concept that the district would like to address, its top priority or goal, not necessarily a problem. It’s also an area where work will never be finished.
“It’s something you’ll always be looking to improve,” he said, explaining that education is never fixed, that educators are always looking to improve how to educate.
His company’s procedure is to find a way to go from the wicked problem to noteworthy improvement. Part of that procedure to gather all the stakeholders — teachers, administrators, businesspeople and residents — to define what needs to be done and then find a way to accomplish the goal.
“Our process looks to energize the community and get robust community engagement…and by tapping into their wisdom in a really meaningful and important way that inspires commitment,” he said. Everybody buys in, he added, because they helped build it.
Hegedus added that he wants to work on “important things, things that will move the district forward. We try to figure out where the leverage is. That’s where structured democratic dialogue comes in.”
He likened that part of the procedure to trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle without a box showing the final picture.
“You have lots of pieces. You know there’s a picture at the end, but you’re not quite sure what that picture is, and you’re not quite sure where to start,” he said. “That’s where we and the structured democratic dialogue come in.”
In this type of situation, the puzzle pieces are the various perceptions that people have. Without knowing all those pieces, he said, “you under-conceptualize” the problem. If that happens, the solution won’t be as powerful. The structured democratic dialogue brings all those pieces together, he said.
Demosophia has done a similar job for the Avon Grove School District, he said, and the people “self-nominated” to be part of the discussion. The company has also done work for Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
A few school board directors expressed skepticism.
Mike Rock asked what Avon Grove is doing differently because of its work with Demosophia. Hegedus said he’d rather not talk about Avon Grove because there have been issues in that district that “took them off the path…They did not have us help with implementation. They stopped at design.”
“What if the people are wrong,” Rock said.
Hegedus responded by saying “When it comes to issues like this, right and wrong aren’t really known. Nobody really knows what’s right or wrong. It’s the best wisdom in the moment from the people that are there. And what’s your alternative?”
Director Steve Simonson asked: “At the end of the process, what does good look like? How do we know we’ve invested our resources and time in a productive activity?”
The answer was that the board and stakeholders would be presented with the information in a “very transparent way. You’ll see everything the entire community talked about,” Hegedus said.
Vic Dupuis, board president, said there is no “wicked problem” for the board to deal with. The goal is for the district to get to the next level of excellence.
“The collective wisdom of our stakeholders is what has gotten us to where we are. There’s collective wisdom that’s beyond our stakeholders. It’s the collective wisdom of those outside organizations that have achieved more than we have. We want to capture the essence of what made them more successful,” Dupuis said.
The response from Hegedus was that “expertise is best leveraged in trying to figure out how to move forward with specific issues, rather than engage in the conversation that’s in your context at this time.”
Carolyn Daniels asked how Demosophia gets fresh voices into a discussion.
Hegedus said his group uses online surveys, face-to-face interviews and telephone interviews.
Gregg Lindner said that if a group of 60 people volunteered, he could probably name 45 of them before he saw the list of names.
Superintendent John Sanville said the board would discuss the matter further during the May and June meetings, and then vote in June.
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.
Natural Lands Trust (NLT) announced a small but significant parcel of land that will be transferred to French Creek State Park.
The 2.3-acre tract will link two sections of French Creek State Park, providing a key trail connector.
The acquisition, finalized late last month, of 2.3 acres of woodlands is a critical link needed to connect the soon-to-be-completed two-mile section of the Big Woods Trail running through French Creek State Park to the Thun Trail (pronounced “tune”) section of the Schuylkill River Trail, a NLT press release said.
“This key purchase proves that even two acres of forest can make a big difference,” Molly Morrison, Natural Lands Trust’s president, said in the release. “This land is an important link in the Schuylkill River Trail System, which has the potential to connect communities from Philadelphia through Pottsville.”
The 2.3-acre property lies within a region known as the Hopewell Big Woods – the largest block of contiguous forest between New York and Washington, D.C.– which has been a focus of conservation efforts by Natural Lands Trust and more than 50 private and public partners over the past decade.
The tract is also a part of the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape, an area at the intersection of the Pennsylvania Highlands and the Schuylkill River Watershed that has been designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) as a priority for conservation, recreational access, and compatible economic development. Seventy-one percent of Pennsylvania’s forests are privately owned, which puts them at risk for development, the release said.
“This property is the critical link needed for DCNR to connect French Creek, a very popular state park with almost a million visitors annually, to the Schuylkill River Trail,” Pennsylvania DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in the release. “The trail link will expand outdoor recreation opportunities at the park and provide an alternate transportation route for visitor access.”
This land purchase marks the eighth that Natural Lands Trust has facilitated for French Creek State Park; to date, the organization has worked with DCNR to add 386 acres to the park. On June 30, 2015, Natural Lands Trust purchased and transferred a 54-acre parcel of land to the park, allowing officials to reroute a portion of the 140-mile Horseshoe Trail from land owned by the South Birdsboro Gun Club to land owned by the park, the release said.
Support for this conservation success was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation.
Natural Lands Trust is the region’s largest land conservation organization and is dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Since its founding in 1953, Natural Lands Trust has preserved more than 100,000 acres, including 42 nature preserves totaling nearly 22,000 acres. For more information, visit www.natlands.org.
My 7th, and most recent trip to India was another great success. I wanted to bring so many friends and supporters my summary of my time at PPES with 4 fantastic US volunteers. I had another successful venture, with so many unexpected twists and turns, and memories of making a difference in the lives of our girls and villagers in rural India.
Laurisa Schutt, and her daughters, Ryann and Tatum, and Debbie Wilson, all from Wilmington had life changing experiences during their time in rural India. Once again, the team stayed healthy and safe, changed forever by the experience of being at Pardada Pardadi.
Besides having no internet(imagine that!) for the first week, due to it being knocked out by a storm that hit the area before we arrived, and brown shower water in our hotel in Agra during our visit to the Taj, we survived quite well. As the saying goes, “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”……I am pretty strong by now, and know the volunteers that came along with me are stronger as well.
It is overwhelming to think about how far we have come, and how much has changed, since our initial trip in 2010. I dreamed of a Health Center at the school, which became a reality. The next dream was to build a Medical Center that would provide quality health care to the families of our girls, as well as the villagers.
Thanks to my friends and supporters, groundbreaking for the Medical Center took place during my November trip. Just 4 short months later, it is open and operating under the direction of Elsa, our nurse and 2 doctors who work there 4 days a week. 2 students, who want to be nurses, are being trained by Elsa.
It is amazing how receptive Sam Singh, our school founder, is to making changes to improve the lives of the people, and how fast change happens, in comparison to how long it can take here. The new medical center is beautiful.
The separate building with toilets is the best bathroom in town! We now have a computerized medical program, instead of records written in notebooks. This innovation was the result of a suggestion from volunteers that came with me in 2014.
While at the school I came across a little girl lying on the floor of a class, being cared for by her friends. Another was out in the field, getting sick, with 2 friends rubbing her back. Our girls are so familiar with taking care of one another, and do it so well. We want them to bring their friends to Elsa. I accompanied two students to the local government hospital, one to be tested for malaria, the other for rabies shots, as she was bitten by a dog.
The conditions of the hospital are filthy and deplorable, people dying unattended. There was little concern from anyone other than me when I learned that the hospital was out of rabies shots. I was told there is a shortage in India, despite rabies being rampant, due to animals not being vaccinated. Fortunately, our doctor was able to locate shots and brought them to the school 2 days later. I continue to encounter so many issues in the village that we never have to think about in the US.
Our Class 12 girls have now graduated, having completed their Board exams. Many of the girls who want to go on for higher education may not be able to do so, because the concept of taking out loans(provided through the school) is new and not understood by parents. Until two years ago, when the school was young and graduates few, PPES was able to provide scholarships for higher education through donor support.
Now that the number of girls graduating has grown, and funding is not available, girls need to take loans that they, not their parents, sign for. Because they are girls, parents don’t want the risk of the loan. For boys, it would be no problem. Though parents are not responsible for the loans, many parents want their daughters married, don’t want them to leave the village, etc. Centuries of not educating girls is in the process of being changed at Pardada Pardadi. The school is now educating parents about the value of higher education for their daughters, in hopes that before long, graduates will all go on for higher education.
I have watched one of my favorite students, Anjali, grow up and now graduate. Upon learning that her absent, abusive, alcoholic father told her she couldn’t go on for higher education, I went to their home, with two translators, to speak to the mother. She explained that though the father hasn’t been seen for 4 months, he won’t allow her to go. The next day we brought the mother to the school to talk with Sam. As mom began to understand more about the benefits of Anjali continuing her education, she began to soften. The next day, we met with Anjali and her older sister, Aarti, who graduated last year. Both have agreed to go to Bangalore to a Yoga training institute in July. This was a great victory, yet I know there are many other girls, just like Anjali, who don’t have an advocate. I wish I could do it for each and every one of them. Today, still 85% of the village girls have never been to school.
There is always lots of activity at the school-
~ State Board Exams were being given while we were there. Our students always score much higher in exams than other regional schools, so exams are important at PPES, spread out over two weeks.
~We accompanied a group of girls who sang at a political meeting, and were made us the honored guests at the rally!
~Our girls made beautiful bird nests from grasses and flowers. They didn’t go out to buy the materials at A.C. Moore, which our students might well do. They picked everything-grasses, twigs and flowers, from the school grounds.
~A group of girls made beautiful rangoli to welcome visitors. Rangolis are made from dry powdered colors, shaped by hand. Our students excel at rangoli, an Indian art.
~Before leaving on this trip, I spoke with a Rotary group in Tuckhannock, PA. They have given money to purchase 50 new bikes for our girls who ride bikes to school. Our girls have to pay a percentage of the bikes, allowing them to have ownership and care for them.
~This trip also included distributing donations from the US. Pencils were given to all, after a volunteer saw what I call “the pencil of an India school child”. Students with attendance of over 85% got new pencil boxes. Undies, toothbrushes, soap, hair accessories, puzzles, art supplies, candy, brushes and combs were handed out. All of the girls received sweets for Holi.
~ The school canteen received a fresh coat of paint, thanks to the suggestion of Laurisa. Tatum sketched out a design that was painted by Class 11. What fun the girls had and what difference paint makes!
~Our team donated new flags to fly in front of the school. The sun, heat and rain are harsh on the flags, so new ones will make a difference.
~Volunteers taught classes and played with the girls. Building relationships with the girls is invaluable. Our girls love having visitors and teaching them, as well as learning from them. Preschool girls had a great time learning to fly kites.
The women’s soap making business is up and running, with details now perfected. The team brought back 800 bars of soap, which are for sale. These women are so happy making soap and earning income so they can feed their families. This project was made possible through 2 US soap makers, who travel the world to teach women this trade. They have sourced out top quality, all natural ingredients, having created a great bar of soap. The soap is beautifully packaged in bags made by our textile women. If you would like to purchase soap at $6/bar, email me and I will send it to you. Please consider supporting these women who are so happy to be a part of this project. If you know of retail opportunities where soap can be sold, I’d be happy to make the connection as well.
PPES welcomes volunteers. We need medical volunteers, volunteers who can teach English, as well as contribute their time and talents. If you know anyone who would like to volunteer, please send them my way. Please consider donating to the medical center, sponsoring a girl, supporting the nutritional enhancement program. You can go to education4change.org to provide support.
The PPES Annual Event will be held in Fairfax, VA on June 25th. Please come if you can. I can provide you with details. The 2nd PPES Gala for the Girls will be held in Fairfax, VA on October 22nd. Details also available. Both are great events and an opportunity to meet with others who love PPES and the difference it is making in the lives of our girls and women.
Trash-picking as an educational resource will be the focus of the next Tavern Talks, a monthly series sponsored by the Chadds Ford Historical Society (CFHS).
The Chadds Ford Historical Society will host its second Tavern Talks on Thursday, May 12.
On Thursday, May 12, from 7 to 9 p.m., attendees will learn about what you can discover about how someone lived, ate, and worked simply by digging through their garbage. The CFHS has unearthed many interesting artifacts in its historic buildings’ trash pits that have provided insight into the people that lived there.
During the presentation, participants will meet real archaeologists and learn more about their field. They will also be able to view select artifacts from the both the Chadds Ford Historical Society and Newlin Grist Mill’s archaeology collection, according to a CFHS press release.
In addition, the program will include fun, hands-on activities that will enable participants to play archaeologist, beverages to sample that were inspired by ancient recipes, and education about “food archaeology” from a local food historian, the release said.
Tavern Talks is aimed exclusively for adults 21 and older and focuses on unexplored aspects of early American history and culture. The program takes place at the Chadds Ford Historical Society’s Barns Brinton House, a 1714 tavern, located at 630 Baltimore Pike.
Admission is $15 for non-members and $10 for members. Tickets must be purchased in advance over the phone, in person, or online as space is limited. For more information on the CFHS or to purchase tickets, call 610-388-7376, email us at info@chaddsfordhistory.org, or visit www.chaddsfordhistory.org.
Upcoming programs include Herbs and Potions on June 9, LiberTEA! EqualiTEA! on July 14, Creating the Perfect (Colonial) Selfie on Sept. 15, Very Superstitious: Fears, False Notions and Fables on Oct. 13, and All Things Apple on Nov. 10.
State Sen. Andy Dinniman of Chester County has been named to the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, according to a press release from Dinniman’s office.
State Sen. Andy Dinnigan (left), D-19, has been named to the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
Dinniman, D-19, who has a long record of support for veterans and emergency first responders, requested the committee appointment to be in a position to act further on his support.
“Supporting our veterans and ensuring that our communities are safe are not Democrat or Republican issues. They are Pennsylvania issues,” he said in the release. “I look forward to working in the spirit of bipartisanship to help ensure that our veterans have access to strong support services and all our residents have access to strong emergency response services.
Dinniman said the foremost issue facing fire, ambulance and emergency services today is the struggle to recruit and retain volunteers. Over the past 40 years, the number of volunteer firefighters statewide has plummeted from an estimated 300,000 to about 50,000, according to the Office of the Pennsylvania Fire Commissioner.
Dinniman has introduced several pieces of legislation designed to boost the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. Senate Bill 1097 calls for establishing a Volunteer Firefighters Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP), as is used in other states, to provide incentives for recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters.
In addition, he is reintroducing the Student Volunteer Firefighter Housing Grant Act, which would allow fire companies to provide housing for college students in their stations in exchange for the students’ volunteer service. Dinniman said the bill aims to both attract new young people to the volunteer fire service while retaining current or previously trained members who may go to college away from their home stations.
“The vast majority of our fire companies are primarily staffed by volunteers, and we are losing them at an alarming rate,” Dinniman said. “This is not just a tradition. It’s an economic necessity. We need to find new and innovative ways to incentivize and grow our volunteer force.”
Dinniman has also introduced Senate Bill 1096, legislation to expand the Premise Alert System statewide to allow anyone with a special need, complex medical diagnosis or disability to share pertinent information with local law enforcement and the 911 system.
Last year, Dinniman was honored by Good Fellowship Ambulance and EMS Training Institute for his work in passing legislation and updating state regulations to give police and emergency first responders access to the life-saving, anti-opioid drug Naloxone (Narcan). Dinniman said that he continues to work on effective ways to address the crisis of addiction. His office maintains a close working relationship with Good Fellowship, as well as the law enforcement and fire service community on state issues, legislation, and regulations impacting emergency first responders.
Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness will be Dinniman’s sixth committee assignment in the Pennsylvania Senate this session. He currently sits on the Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Environmental Resources and Energy, Public Health and Welfare, and State Government committees, in addition to serving as minority chair of the Education Committee.
For more information, contact Dinniman’s Office at 610-692-2112.
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.
