The Delaware County Weekly

Bringing Delco news and information directly to our residents!

—— December 8, 2023 (98th edition) ——

The eight-day Festival of Lights began at sundown on December 7 

Delaware County Council extends a heartfelt Happy Hanukkah to residents celebrating the joyous eight-day Festival of Lights from December 7 - 15. 

Hanukkah marks a time of reflection and festivity, drawing families and communities together in a beautiful symphony of traditions and shared memories.

Hanukkah has ancient roots, commemorating the second century B.C.E. reclaiming and rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following a period of occupation and desecration of the holy place, according to ancient Hebrew texts like the Talmud and the books of the Maccabees. 

The lighting of the menorah each night symbolizes the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days when it should have lasted for only one. 

In addition to the menorah, Hanukkah is celebrated with various traditions, including special meals, songs, and games. Popular foods like potato pancakes (latkes) and doughnuts (sufganiyot), fried in oil, symbolize the miraculous oil. Children often receive gifts and Hanukkah gelt, traditionally given as money or chocolate coins in gold foil, and play with four-sided spinning tops, called dreidels, with sides bearing Hebrew letters representing the phrase "nes gadol haya sham," or "a great miracle happened there.”

Most importantly, Hanukkah is a poignant reminder of hope, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people. May these eight nights be filled with light, love, and hope.

Chag Sameach! Happy Hanukkah!

Delaware County’s cherished annual Festival of Lights and the 3rd annual Delco Holiday Village at Rose Tree Park opened last Friday, and week two is packed with dozens of local vendors and food and beverage trucks!

The Festival of Lights features more than 100 lit trees and many festive displays that circle around Rose Tree Park, creating a Winter Wonderland in Delco. The festival runs nightly, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., through Sunday, January 1.

The Holiday Village: Select Evenings this December

Presented by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, the Holiday Village operates on select evenings — December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 (the first three Friday and Saturday evenings) — from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Visitors can visit the Holiday Village website, linked below, for a list of vendors and rain date information. Each night features different vendors and food- offering residents several weeks of festive fun, delicious food and drinks, and local shopping for the holidays. 

Rose Tree Park is located at 1671 N. Providence Road in Media. Parking and admission are free. Handicapped parking is available. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome. 

December 8th Vendors

December 9th Vendors

Holiday Village Reminders

Rose Tree Park. 1671 N. Providence Road in Media, PA.

Hours are 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following weekend evenings:

Fri. & Sat., Dec 8 & 9

Fri. & Sat., Dec 15 & 16

Admission and parking are free. Handicapped parking is available. Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome!

Weather Cancellations and Park Event Updates

For event notifications, such as weather cancellations, text the word DELCOPARKS to 888777 or select 'Parks & Recreation Alerts' in the Delco Alert system (available at DelcoPA.Gov/DelcoAlert), or call (610) 891-4455.

Weather notifications and possible changes in the schedule can also be found online at www.holidayvillagedelco.com.

The country’s longest Veterans’ parade, “Wreaths Across America’s Escort to Arlington” will visit the Delaware County Veterans Memorial in Newtown Square, the route’s only stop in Pennsylvania, on Thursday, December 14, at 8:45 a.m.

Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit organization founded in 2007 to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine wreath maker Morrill Worcester in 1992.

The organization’s yearlong mission—Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve, Teach the next generation the value of freedom—is carried out, in part, each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at thousands of participating locations across the United States.

The Delaware County Veterans Memorial will host a patriotic ceremony on December 14, open to the public, including the laying of wreaths, musical performances, and moving remarks from local Veterans. Wreaths Across America will also have their Mobile Education Exhibit on-site to educate local youth.

Participants for this year’s Escort to Arlington include Gold Star Families, Blue Star Families, volunteers, and Veterans representing many eras and local Veteran Service Organizations including the VFW, American Legion, VFW Auxiliary, and the American Legion Auxiliary. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and Patriot Riders, and law enforcement from departments across many states along the route will provide escort to ensure safe transport for all participants.

The wreaths’ journey to Arlington has become a tradition, allowing members of the community along the route to share in the emotional and educational experience as the convoy passes through their hometown.

Wreath’s Across America’s route includes a 55+ vehicle convoy traveling down the East Coast stopping at schools, memorials, and other locations along the way to spread the year-long mission to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families, and teach the next generation the value of freedom.

Learn more on the Wreaths Across America website.

The Wreaths Across America’s Escort to Arlington's long convoy rolls into Newtown Square in 2022

It takes a lot of vehicles—over 50!— to carry the wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery

Ralph Galati, 2022 Host and DCVMA Vice President, addresses attendees

In the spirit of the holiday season, a time renowned for joy, celebration, and togetherness, the Delaware County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, together with the Delaware County Suicide Awareness and Prevention Task Force, want to extend a warm embrace to our community's Veterans. While the holiday cheer is in the air, it's important to recognize that this time of year can be a period of mixed emotions for some—especially Veterans.

Understanding the complex emotional landscape that many Veterans navigate during this season, Military and Veterans Affairs and the Task Force want Veterans to embrace the holiday season with balanced expectations and understand that it's completely natural to feel an array of emotions, both joyful and reflective. 

As part of their dedication to offer guidance and support, Veterans Affairs and the Task Force have developed a list of practical tips to help Veterans cope with the emotional challenges that the holiday season may bring. These tips are aimed not only at helping Veterans navigate their feelings but also at reminding them that they are not alone in their experiences. 

The recognition of these challenges and the subsequent outreach efforts reflects Delaware County's commitment to Veterans, ensuring that even in times of solitude, support and understanding are readily available.

Thoughtful Tips for Finding Comfort and Joy this Holiday Season:

• Both positive and negative feelings can be felt around the holidays, this is normal! 
• Try to reframe unrealistic expectations you may have about the holidays.
• Getting out and around others can help put you in a positive mood. 
• Consider volunteering for a non-profit organization, an animal shelter, or visiting a nursing home to remember the spirit of giving.
• Surround yourself with supportive and positive people.
• Re-connect with someone you have lost touch with.
• Find opportunities to increase your natural supports during the holidays.
• Maintain a balanced healthy diet. Everything in moderation.
• Get plenty of rest.
• Exercise regularly.
• Go outdoors. Be active!
• Pace yourself with commitments and activities so you remain regulated.
• Remember it’s okay to say “no,” and not attend every function.
• Set priorities and budgets before the holidays. Create a calendar or "To Do List" for shopping, baking, visiting, and other events.
• Give gifts that can't be bought, such as time and the sharing of memories.

Are You a Veteran in Need of Peer Support?

Contact the Delaware County Critical Incident Stress Management Team at (610) 565-8719—or through any 911 dispatcher. Veterans can also call the Delaware County Mobile Crisis Team at (855) 889-7827 or dial 988 (Ext. 1).

Experiencing Suicidal Thoughts?

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, please dial 911.

Sixteen students, eight from Penn State Brandywine and eight incarcerated people, graduated from the George W. Hill Correctional Facility’s “Inside Out" program on November 28.

The graduation ceremony was the culmination of a semester-long project featuring the "inside" students from Penn State and the "outside" students from the George W. Hill Correctional Facility. During the 13-week semester, students learned to be effective public speakers and challenged their ideas about the criminal justice system. The innovative program provides a transformative opportunity for learners of diverse age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender to thrive in a classroom and recognize their potential.

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program began in 1997 at Temple University and has expanded across the country. The George W. Hill Correctional Facility first participated in the program last year. After its successful completion in fall 2022, the course was administered for a second time in the fall 2023 semester.

During the closing ceremony, several students shared examples of speeches they had prepared for class and their reflections on the program, and each student was awarded a certificate.

"A Community of People Learning"

Among the guests attending the ceremony were Brandywine’s Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells, Director of Development Patton Vo, Interim Director of Academic Affairs Jen Nesbitt, Prison Warden Laura Williams, and the prison’s Reentry and Program Administrator Kelly Shaw.

"One of my favorite quotes from a Brandywine professor this year is, ‘We are a community of people learning,’ and that really stuck with me," said Brandywine’s Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells. "I think the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program and what we’ve done here together is a testament to that. When you look at all the partners that have come together—Delaware County, the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, and Penn State Brandywine—it’s really a testament that we’re a community of people learning.”

"Celebrating a Moment"

Warden Williams noted how courageous it is for the students, both inside and outside, to take part in the course.

“We’re celebrating a moment where so many people have learned to find their voice and be able to employ and use it in a way—with confidence—that they may not have been able to before taking this course,” said Warden Williams. “Voices are such an important and profound way of communicating with other people, and so many people who are incarcerated in America today don’t have a voice. I’m very proud of the students who took the courageous step to join this course, whether from the inside or outside, to explore this opportunity and be able to use their voices in a very different way.”

Over the past few years, the County has moved to change how it addresses public safety and reduce recidivism. In 2022, Delaware County reassumed control of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility to remove the profit motive around incarceration and invest in the long-term health of residents. Local jails, like Delaware County's, house people who either have been accused of a crime and are awaiting a court hearing or have received a sentence of less than two years, typically for a relatively minor, non-violent offense. Nearly all will soon return to the community and pragmatic results-focused policies are key to reducing recidivism. As many as 60 percent of the inmates at any time are recidivists, usually for minor crimes or parole violations.

"Programs like 'Inside Out' help incarcerated people build their skill sets in preparation for their return to our community and it creates opportunities for people inside and outside of prison, to have transformative learning experiences that emphasize collaboration and dialogue,” said Warden Williams.

To learn more about the program, please visit the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program website.

George W. Hill Correctional Facility Warden Laura Williams, Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Marilyn J. Wells, and Associate Professor Angela Putman with the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Graduates during the closing ceremony on Nov. 28.

The Delaware County Health Department (DCHD) continues to track the respiratory illness season here in Delaware County and is monitoring trends and information available at the state, national, and international levels. 

On December 7, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Health released a health advisory highlighting a bacterial infection (Mycoplasma pneumoniae) that typically causes mild respiratory illness among large numbers of individuals, including children, worldwide. Epidemics occur cyclically every 1 to 3 years, impacting pediatric pneumonia rates globally. 

While recent surges were reported in specific regions of China, Europe, and certain U.S. states (Ohio and Massachusetts), to date there have been no reported outbreaks of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Pennsylvania. 

Additional information is available from the Pennsylvania Department of Health's December 7th Health Advisory and from the CDC website.

Preparing for the Holidays: A reminder to test before you toast! 

DCHD has free home COVID-19 tests available at our offices in Yeadon, Eddystone, and Chester!

Residents can also order another round of COVID-19 tests from the federal government. Each household can order four at-home tests to be delivered to their home for free. Order yours today!

As we progress into respiratory illness season, we can do more than ever to help prevent people from becoming severely ill from respiratory illness. This continues to include immunizations, testing, and washing your hands often with soap (especially after coughing or sneezing), quitting smoking, getting regular physical activity and eating healthy.

Preventing transmission is especially important during the winter holiday season with so many indoor gatherings.

This holiday season, Delaware County’s Office of Services for the Aging (COSA) is calling on Delaware County seniors to make a difference by volunteering their time, skills, and compassion to help children in need of guidance, support, and a shoulder to lean on. The holiday season reminds us that the true spirit of the holidays can be found in giving back to those in need.

Be the change you wish to see in the world and make someone’s day a little brighter by donating your time, experience, wisdom, and positive outlook by becoming a Foster Grandparent for a Delaware County child.

Foster Grandparents experience the joy of knowing they are making a real difference in the life of a child. 

About the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program

The program, sponsored nationally by AmeriCorps Seniors and locally by COSA (Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging), was established for people 55 and older who have a desire to help children achieve their full potential. 

Foster Grandparents can help guide students to higher academic achievement, care for premature infants or children with disabilities, mentor troubled teenagers and young parents, and serve as role models for those with exceptional needs. Interactions will take place in schools, childcare centers and Head Start.

AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers, who serve within the Foster Grandparent program, provide the kind of comfort and love that sets a child on a path to a successful future. AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers themselves report better health and longevity having served their community, and enjoy new relationships with people in their community, while making a significant difference in the lives of others.

Interested in being a Foster Grandparent to a child in need?

If you would like more information about the Foster Grandparent Program or would like to be in the next graduating class—the next class starts in February— please contact Alisha Freeman by phone (610) 490-1498 or by email at freemanas@co.delaware.pa.us.

AmeriCorps Seniors service provides tangible benefits for volunteers, including a tax-free stipend up to $640 a month, transportation assistance, STO – stipend paid time off, and holidays. Other benefits include training, accident, personal liability, and excess automobile liability insurance as well as community recognition. 

Participants must be available at least 15 hours per week.

For more information, visit the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program website.

If you own a dog in Pennsylvania, whether a Beagle or Bulldog, Dalmatian or Doberman, Saint Bernard or Shih Tzu, then you’ll need an up-to-date dog license for 2024 (it’s the law).

2024 dog licenses are now available! Licensing your dog prior to the new year will ensure that you start 2024 off on the right paw (ba dum dum).

All dogs three months or older must be licensed by January 1 of each year. Licenses are valid from January 1 through December 31, regardless of when the license was purchased. This means that if you purchased an annual license for your dog a few weeks or months ago, that license was a 2023 license and will expire on December 31. Your dog will still need a new license for 2024.

Prices range slightly, depending on whether or not the dog is spayed or neutered, with discounts for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

There is also an option to purchase a lifetime dog license (which requires the dog to be tattooed or micro-chipped). 

Please note that the new bi-partisan Dog Law Modernization Act, signed into law by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in October 2023, will take effect on January 21, 2024 This new law provides updated protections for dogs, including the first increase in licensing fees in 27 years as well as increased penalties for unlicensed dogs and negligent kennels and dog owners. These increased fees will help fully fund the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. More information on this bill, as well as details about the 2024 licensing fees that will take effect on January 21, will be made available on the Delaware County Treasurer’s website in January.

To purchase your dog license online with a credit/debit card or echeck, go to the PA Dog License website at www.padoglicense.com. After completion of payment, a proof of license can be printed, and the license and tag will be mailed to you the following business day. 

To obtain duplicate tags, license transfers, a printed application, and more, visit the Treasurer's Office page on the Delaware County website, linked below.

To purchase your dog license online with a credit/debit card or e-check.

To obtain duplicate tags, license transfers, a printed application, and more.

We're closing in on the 100th edition of our Delaware County Weekly, our dynamic e-Newsletter that is read by thousands of Delaware County residents each week. Your ideas and input are crucial in helping us ensure that the Delaware County Weekly remains relevant, engaging, and continues to evolve as a vital source of news, information, and community insights.

Launched on January 28, 2022, the newsletter is designed to serve as a source of county news, events, job listings, services, and more for Delaware County residents.

With 98 editions and over 900 articles already published, we are committed to maintaining transparency and serving our community. As we gear up for the 100th edition, we want to know what you think! 

What do you love about the newsletter? What topics or features would you like to see more? How can we improve? Your suggestions are invaluable to us.

Last week's call for input brought some great ideas and let us know we’re on the right track, but we need more feedback before we consider possible enhancements and changes. 

Share your thoughts at AskDelco@co.delaware.pa.us – we are eager to hear from you!

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