January 21, 2018

Museum trains on track to battle breast cancer

The newest addition to the Brandywine's holiday train display is a pink car promoting breast-cancer awareness.

Updated at 9 p.m. to add acquisition of caboose

The Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art has given procrastinators reason to rejoice: Its popular holiday model trains will be displayed through Sunday, Jan. 28.

A new train car urges viewers to get on board in the battle against breast cancer.

Even better, the unprecedented extra time comes with an addition to the Brandywine Railroad O-gauge extravaganza: a train car that promotes breast-cancer awareness. So those who managed to schedule a trip to the museum during the display’s normal run will have incentive for a repeat visit: new details to enjoy amid smaller crowds.

Andrew Stewart, marketing and communications director for the Brandywine Conservancy and Museum of Art, explained that the display’s extension, driven by the public’s interest in a longer viewing opportunity, was made possible for the first time by this year’s schedule of art exhibitions.

Stewart said that Dave Jensen, a veteran of the train display, added the breast cancer awareness car last week. “I asked him if it had any significance, and he said he put it up for personal reasons since he has a friend who is battling cancer now and in general to highlight breast-cancer awareness,” Stewart said.

Since May 2016, Victoria Browning Wyeth, the youngest member of the renowned Wyeth family, has publicized her battle with breast cancer in an attempt to help others. The granddaughter of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth said this week that Jensen contacted her to let her know about the addition that she and others had inspired.

“It’s for you and all the others dealing with this horrible thing,” Wyeth recalled being told.

Jensen, who found the new train car on EBay, said the Wyeth roots run deep at the museum, where members of the famous clan make regular visits. In addition to showcasing the paintings of multiple members of the artistic dynasty, the museum boasts a display case next to the model railroad with trains that were donated by Nicholas Wyeth, Victoria’s father – cars that once transported some of her childhood Barbies and Cheerios.

A pink caboose is the latest car to promote breast-cancer awareness.

The need for breast-cancer awareness, coupled with the positive reception the first pink car received, may have sparked a trend, said Jensen, adding that breast cancer has impacted his own family as well as those of neighbors and co-workers. On Sunday, visitors were treated to another pop of pink: A breast-cancer-themed caboose Jensen ordered arrived in the mail.

Jensen said the trains “are all about spreading joy,” something that has been a staple of Victoria Wyeth’s life and makes the addition of the pink cars even more appropriate.

Wyeth said she appreciated the fact that Jensen understands the devastating impact the disease has had on millions of families.

She said there seems to be an increase in diagnoses for women in their late teens, 20s and 30s, giving them a potentially longer time to agonize over whether the cancer will return if they survive the first or second bout.

Nicholas Wyeth applauded Jensen’s ingenuity. “Dave, the awareness you’ve shown is wonderful and certainly original,” he said.

Victoria Wyeth said shortly after her diagnosis her uncle, Jamie Wyeth, sent her a fitting morale-booster that was a play on her nickname – Vic. Inside a golden frame were interlocked breast-cancer ribbons that spelled Vic-tory.

“I’m honest with myself and realize that some days will be better than others, but I am intent on maintaining a fiercely positive attitude,” she said.

She noted that although pink was not a color that dominated her late grandfather’s palette, she’s confident he would have applauded the display.

“I truly believe that these new pink trains would bring tears to his eyes,” she said. “They certainly do for me.”

The model train display features trains running on nearly 2,000 feet of track and includes more than 1,000 pieces, including locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys that pass through a small town, a farm, factories and even a carnival. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.brandywine.org/museum.

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Family Promise expands leadership

Local News, Local News Kennett

FamilyPromiseSCCBoard2018 — Pictured left to right: Susan Minarchi, Angela Emrich, Carol Lowe, Richard White, Wesley Bowers, Michael Bell, Reverend Annalie Korengel, Dr. Burton Rothenberger, Thomas Houghton, Esq., Phillip Duncan, and Kimberly Zuleba. Missing from Photo: Karen Eichman, Esq., James Herr, and John Kriza.

Joining the Board of Family Promise are Phillip Duncan, Karen Eichman, Esq., Angela Emrich, Carol Lowe MSW, LSW, and Burton Rothenberger, PhD. “An organization is only as good as the people leading it,” stated Family Promise Board president, Reverend Annalie Korengel. “Our Board is a family of strategic thinkers and movers and shakers. We all wear many hats—from governance and fundraising to public relations and finance—and are willing to rollup our sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

The new board appointments bring vision and moxie. Family Promise of Southern Chester County (FPSCC), a volunteer driven nonprofit committed to helping families experiencing homelessness regain their housing, employment and their independence, is proud to announce the appointment of five new board members to its Board of Directors.

There are nearly 2.5 million children in the United States that experience homelessness each year. FPSCC works with Southern Chester County’s most vulnerable families to provide temporary housing, meals, and the support needed to turn their lives around…because every child deserves a home.

Phillip Duncan is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at West Chester University. He is cofounder and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Autism Resource Center (SPARC), where he served as Executive Director from 2007 to 2013. Mr. Duncan is an active member of St. Philips Lutheran Church in Wilmington, DE. He sings with the Brandywine Valley Chorale, and, fueled by his passion for nature, volunteers at Mt. Cuba Center, a botanical garden located in Hockessin, DE.

Karen Eichman, Esq. owns Eichman Law PLLC, located in West Grove, PA. Prior to establishing her law practice in 2012, Ms. Eichman served as the business manager for Kaolin Mushroom Farms. She is an active member of numerous associations including the local bar associations, American Mushroom Institute, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Rotary Club of Kennett Square and the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce. Eichman received numerous accolades ranging from “Volunteer of the Year 2012” (Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce) to “Top Lawyers” in Labor Law, Main Line Today Magazine 2014 and 2015.

Angela Emrich brings to Family Promise her passion for causes relating to homelessness and poverty. She has devoted the past ten years volunteering extensively through Westminster Presbyterian Church to create, facilitate and implement programs and services to help the underprivileged. She shares her time and talents by serving on outreach and youth vision teams, mentoring youth, as well as spearheading donation collection activities for local non-profit organizations. Ms. Emrich’s civic engagement and commitment to making a difference in the community is represented by her volunteer work with Bridge of Hope, Church World Service and the West Chester Food Cupboard. She has over 15 years of experience in the financial sector as tax director for De Lage Landen and as tax senior for KPMG.

Carol Lowe is a licensed social worker with over 25 years experience leading, managing and supervising professional staff in social services. Ms. Lowe currently serves as executive director for New Life Youth and Family Services, a community-based program in West Chester, PA. Her vast and versatile experience in the non-profit sector includes program planning, crisis and case management, as well as volunteer management. She earned a Master of Science degree in Social Work from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Burton Rothenberger retired from Sunoco, Inc. in 1999 after 32 years in various technical positions. He served as Technical Manager of Sunoco’s Marcus Hook, PA, and Toledo, OH, refineries and as Director of Research & Development. Dr. Rothenberger is an advocate for affordable housing and has had a long association with Habitat for Humanity. He is a regular volunteer at Chester County Habitat’s ReStore in New Garden. An avid gardener and promoter of the use of native plants, Rothenberger volunteers at the Brandywine River Museum and Winterthur as a gardener. He earned a BS in chemical engineering at Lehigh University, a MS in chemical engineering at Carnegie Institute of Technology, and a MA and PhD in chemical engineering at Princeton University.

About Family Promise of Southern Chester County: FPSCC is committed to helping children and their families experiencing homelessness in the Avondale, Kennett Consolidated, Oxford, and Unionville-Chadds Ford school districts. Its goal is to help families achieve lasting self-sufficiency and stability by providing comprehensive case management services, as well as shelter and meals through a network of congregations and volunteers until they find sustainable housing. Family Promise of Southern Chester County is part of a national, nonprofit initiative founded in 1988 with over 200 affiliates across the US changing the lives of families. To volunteer, make a donation, or provide services, please contact Family Promise of Southern Chester County at www.familypromisescc.org or sminarchi@familypromisescc.org.

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Op/ed: Keeping Crebilly

Opinion

I enjoyed some thoughtful reflection the other night, as I drove home by way of my favorite country back roads. Naturally, I had to pass Crebilly Farm. It made me smile to see her trees and hills in peaceful slumber, covered by a blanket of glowing moonlight and snow. Choosing the roads less traveled whenever possible, I moved on to route 100 and gingerly wound my way through the dark tunnel of snow-capped trees and illuminated ice. With the exception of a few hiccups of newness, I find that road relatively untouched by time and still looking like I remember it as a kid. It made me think back to riding around with my father in his dusty old brown Chevy station wagon, staring out the windows at the Brandywine as we headed to our regular breakfasts at Hank’s Place. I’m talking back when Hank’s Place had paint chipping off the walls and the waitresses called you ‘hun’ and were as endearing as a close family member. Back when occasionally you’d see Andy Wyeth up at the counter. Which then made me think of the old Jameson’s Restaurant off route 52. Another gem of a place where my father, in his dirty cut-offs and holey Izod shirt, was almost overdressed. And nobody cared. We were just a couple of locals taking a break… on our way to Yearsley’s to pick up tractor parts. I share this because I realize now, more than ever, what a responsibility it is for the rest of us to protect our Chester County homeland and history.

Inspired by the many emails and questions I have received regarding Crebilly Farm, I would like to take this opportunity to help clarify to others, in very basic terms (because that is all I am capable of): What now? To be blunt, and honest- I do not know. Friends, we have achieved an amazing feat together- we fought the odds and won a great victory. Thanks to all of you and the courageous decision by the Westtown Township Board of Supervisors, together we threw a huge (and I think unexpected) log in the road. But friends, please do not be disillusioned by our recent win. We have only won ’round-one’ and there is much more to come. Ultimately, we need a ‘win-win.’ We need to find a win for the landowners and the surrounding community.

The next move will come from the developer. It is not uncommon to have the township’s decision appealed by the developer and go to court, especially in the case of Toll Brothers. In court, a judge will make a ruling based on the evidence presented during the hearings. Hopefully, Westtown Township has enough evidence to support their unanimous decision, denying the conditional use application and convince a judge to rule in their favor. If this is the case, the developer may choose to ‘appeal the appeal’ or submit new plans and the process will start all over again. Or they could pull out altogether. And it is possible (though not likely) the developer may not appeal anything and move on. That remains to be seen since none of us know the details of the agreement of sale between the Robinson Family and Toll Brothers. This process will take several months and I will do my best to share what I learn as things unfold.

Conservation of Crebilly Farm is complicated for many reasons. Instead of thinking ‘all or nothing’ with regards to conservation, a more reasonable goal would be to conserve ‘as much as possible’ if given the opportunity. We are not there yet. In the meantime, I love the saying ‘success is when preparation meets opportunity.’ No time like the present for coalition building among the conservancies and historic preservation organizations. Thanks to an awareness campaign gone wild, these organizations are aware of this pending sale. All of us together have put Crebilly Farm on a national map! We need to give reminders and continue to raise awareness on all levels so that Crebilly Farm remains on the front burner. Rather than inflict another ‘ice jam’ I will continue these thoughts (including an action plan) in more detail in the next Crebilly email which I intend to send out next week.

Since we are entering a new chapter, I’d like to circle back to the beginning of how I got started on this awareness campaign, in the first place. I grew up near Crebilly Farm and used to ride my horse there as a kid. In August of 2016, I learned of the pending sale between the Robinson Family and Toll Brothers and was shocked by how few knew about it. Thanks to the advice of a mentor of mine, Linda Kaat and a local reporter named Kathleen Brady Shea, I decided to once again ride my horse through the nearby neighborhoods of Crebilly Farm and hand out flyers to the residents to raise awareness of what was about to come. Though, admittedly, I still think my idea of awareness was silly… I just could not do nothing. The flyers started to create a little buzz which turned into an email chain. My email chain morphed into a website. And with the help of many others, the website has become a hub for information, updates and a way to empower others to help raise more awareness through massive public outcry. I recall many who said to me back then: it’s already a done deal… you’re just wasting your time… they always win… why bother- it won’t help…’ Well, a year and a half later, and thanks to all of you- even Washington D.C. is aware of Crebilly Farm and the national history in jeopardy.

So, moving forward, I am going to continue to ‘waste my time’ and ‘bother’ with a ‘done deal’ that I assure all of you is not even close to finished. And every time Crebilly Farm makes it to the change of a new season, I hope all of you know- we have accomplished something. All of us need to keep moving forward. We need to keep putting one foot in front of the other until Crebilly Farm has a permanent solution we can ALL live with. The landowners need to be fairly compensated for their land. And we, the surrounding residents, need to find a compromise that preserves our national history and evokes thoughtful development that works with what is already here. So please… take some time to breathe during this brief lull… enjoy the rest of football season. And then, plan to sharpen your pencils and internet connections and gear up for the next round of good, wholesome effort that you have already demonstrated so beautifully over this last, long year. You’re all doing great! Let’s keep up the good work. Massive public outcry continues to be our strongest ally.

In closing, and from one underdog to another: Fly Eagles Fly-Go Birds.