MARPLE — Delaware County Community College will hold its 37th annual Seniors Week May 17, 18 and 19, where seniors 55 and older can learn, have fun and find camaraderie in mini-classes purpose-built on the college’s Marple campus at 901 S Media Line Road. “We are delighted to once again host this wonderful event! There is literally something for everyone. Some of our most popular workshops include ‘Understanding Social Media’, ‘Watercolor’, ‘Meditation’ and ‘Delco Sports Legends’,” said Tricia Scepansky, director of community education for the college.
Registration is $130 for three days or $115 for two days, which includes workshops, continental breakfast and lunches at the ElderWeek Café. Most classes and activities will take place at the STEM center, which is conveniently located next to the parking lots and easily accessible.
To register and find out more, go to:http://www.dccc.edu/elder-week.
Pre-registration is compulsory and limited. Classes and workshops are filled on a first come, first registered basis. The preferred form of registration and payment is by phone with a credit card at 610-359-5025. Mail-in entries must be postmarked no later than May 5. The college cannot guarantee class placement but will do its best to enroll enrollees in the classes they most desire. Placement is based on continued enrollment. To learn more about Delaware County Community College, visit http://www.dccc.edu.
Delco received $600,000 grant from DEP to purchase electric vehicles
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced that Delaware County has received two Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants totaling $600,000 to be used by the county towards the purchase of new electric vehicles and charging stations. related charging.
The generous grant, solicited by the Delaware County Office of Sustainability, will allow the county to purchase 69 new electric vehicles, including 29 dedicated to the new Delaware County Health Department for health care visits in the county, and 22 charging stations charging. This complements two 2021 AFIG grants that recently enabled the county to purchase 15 electric vehicles and three charging stations, bringing the county’s entire fleet to 84 electric vehicles and 25 charging stations.
With Delaware County’s entire fleet of vehicles consisting of more than 300 cars, trucks and specialized law enforcement vehicles, the new grant will allow the county to significantly improve the percentage of sustainable, emission-free electric vehicles in the county park and make an aggressive transition. away from fossil fuel vehicles. Overall, the new electric vehicles are poised to displace 33,253 gallons of gasoline per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 178 tonnes per year.
The transition to electric vehicles and related reduction of fossil fuel vehicles is part of Delaware County’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan, which is currently in the final stages of development. This plan will provide the county with a variety of action items to address human-induced climate change, which the Delaware County Board and world experts say is the greatest threat to public health today. , with the most vulnerable populations most at risk.
Saint Catherine’s Church in Siena presents a new pipe organ from Italy
St. Katharine of Siena, 104 Aberdeen Ave., Wayne, recently installed a new custom pipe organ. The instrument was handcrafted by Fratelli Ruffatti, a world-renowned organ builder in Padua, Italy, a city that has been producing fine instruments since 1940. Today, Ruffatti organs can be found all over the world. world, but only three are in Pennsylvania, with only one in the Philadelphia area.
The history of St. Katharine’s organ began in 1965 when a new church was built to replace a smaller, outdated 1895 building. A generous donor donated an organ that had been used at a convention organ teachers but never destined for the church; it lacked crucial features such as volume control, was in constant need of expensive repairs, and was placed in the chancel loft, leading to logistical and acoustic problems. The organist frequently had to rush into the organ chamber to adjust or remove pipes that continued to play. The parish had been studying the replacement of the organ since 1995. Thanks to the generous support of its members, this long-held dream has just come true.
Bishop Hans Brouwers, pastor of St. Katharine, worked closely with church leaders, the music department, and the finance committee to thoroughly research whether to rebuild or replace the organ. Ruffatti came up with the best proposal to build an organ designed for the church space, using proven techniques combined with the latest technology.
The agreement was signed in 2018 and the organ arrived last February. Four Fratelli Ruffatti craftsmen came from Italy to install the organ in the sanctuary, a process that took three weeks and required a specialized state-of-the-art crane to lift the 2,500-pound console and mahogany pipes. 16 feet in the church. attic of the choir. Once assembled, two professionals arrived from Italy to tune and play the 2,242 organ pipes.
The new organ made its debut at Easter, marking the greatest celebration of the Christian faith. Msgr. Brouwers noted that the organ has been the official musical instrument of the Catholic Church since Charlemagne had one installed in his chapel in 812 AD. Its wide range of sounds – from 16′ principals to 6″ flute pipes – provide the musical expression of all our spiritual desires, from lament and sorrow to joy and praise, as we worship God. This new organ will accompany the congregation of St. Katharine of Siena Church in their songs of prayer for generations to come!”
For more information on Saint Catherine of Siena, visit http://www.stkatharineofsieng.org.
Upper Darby announces Earth Day celebrations
Upper Darby will host several Earth Day and Arbor Day celebrations in the township this weekend. Habitat for Humanity will host two events in the township as part of its “Rock The Block” program: Volunteers will build a community garden at the Prayer Chapel Church on Hampden and Locust Sts., as well as planting trees. residential trees throughout the township with the Upper Darby Tree Deals. The program runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 23.
Also on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. there will be a dedication of the Native Tree Nursery at Naylors Run Park, 1567 Garrett Rpad. This project is a collaboration of the Shade Tree Commission, Tree Tenders and the Township Parks Division. The nursery is dedicated to Clyde and Gisela Hunt, long time residents and active volunteers who have planted hundreds of trees here in Upper Darby.
On Sunday, April 24, members of the Shade Tree Commission, Tree Tenders and the Township come together again to plant trees along the new Darby Creek Trail. Planting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and participants will meet at Bloomfield and Rosemont avenues. Extra hands are always needed and volunteers can register on the homepage of the township website.
Additionally, an Identity Theft Protection Event will be held at Beverly Hills Middle School on Wednesday, April 27 from 5-7:30 p.m. Each resident is allowed two boxes or bags of papers to shred onsite. Acceptable documents include legal documents, bank and credit card statements, check books, as well as tax and medical records. There will also be a Delaware County Attorney’s Office Drug Retrieval Van on site to retrieve unneeded, expired and past prescriptions.
You can find more information about all these events on http://www.upperdarby.org.
Readers can email community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at [email protected].
