Greenville & Hockessin Life Winter 2020

Winter inter nter 2020

Magazine

Auburn Heights:

The exquisite and the timeless Page 42

Inside: • Heroes through a new lens • Forgotten Cats: Solving a problem through method, kindness • Profile: Local author Terry Berry

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Greenville & Hockessin Life Winter 2020

Greenville & Hockessin Life

Table of Contents

10 Greenville history: Centuries gone by 16 Forgotten Cats solves a problem— with kindness

52

24 Art exhibit showcases essential workers

34

34 Profile of author Terry Berry 42 Photo essay: Auburn Heights

48 Q & A: Dave Lovelace, Lower

Brandywine Presbyterian Church

52 All Housed:

The Springboard Collaborative

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48

Greenville & Hockessin Life Winter 2020

Letter from the Editor:

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42

Welcome to the winter issue of Greenville & Hockessin Life.

In “The Centuries Gone By,” writer Ken Mammarella explores the history of Greenville—including a Sunday school that begat four churches, a road that went from dirty to scenic, and the benevolence of the DuPont Co. and the du Ponts.

This issue also features a story about Jeff and Chris Ronald’s commitment to act on behalf of Delaware’s unhoused citizens. Inspired after a 2018 meeting with civil rights icon John Lewis, the Hockessin couple is collaborating with community leaders to achieve an “all-housed” Delaware by 2025.

We also highlight the mission of Forgotten Cats, a non-profit organization that works to solve the homeless feline population problems in the area. Felicia Cross, a resident of Centreville, discusses the mission of the organization, and how she first came to understand the plight of roaming or feral cats while living in Ireland.

We talk to local author Terry Berry about her exploration of the creative side of writing. Berry entered a short story competition and had one of her mystery stories published.

The subject of the Q & A is Dave Lovelace, the newly-retired pastor of the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church. In his 20 years at the church, Lovelace oversaw a facilities expansion, two capital campaigns, increased community involvement and the church’s recent 300th anniversary.

This issue also includes a story about a new photography exhibit focusing on essential workers who helped keep the community going during the pandemic.

Auburn Heights, a local treasure, is featured in the photo essay. Every step in Auburn Heights is a journey along a pathway to affirmation.

We hope that you enjoy these stories as much as we enjoyed preparing them for you, and we wish you all good health and happiness for the holidays and in the new year. We look forward to bringing you the next issue of Greenville & Hockessin Life in the summer of 2021.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, Ext. 13

Cover design: Tricia Hoadley Cover photo: Moonloop Photography www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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|Greenville History|

Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library

Charles Dalmas in 1806 drew this picture of his brother-in-law E.I. du Pont’s powder mills, which transformed what would become Greenville.

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By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

Highlights of Greenville’s history include a Sunday school that begat four churches, a road that went from dirty to scenic and the benevolence of the DuPont Co. and the du Ponts

I

n considering the history of Greenville, the first question is defining its whereabouts.

The 2016 “Greenville Village Special Area Plan” offers four ways to draw the boundaries.

Google maps out Greenville’s center as the stores and offices on the east side of Kennett Pike.

A search on Google or Bing is broader, going west of Montchanin Road/ Route 100, south of Kirk Road/Route 82, east of Centerville Road and north of Barley Mill and Berkeley roads.

However the lines are drawn, Greenville is one of Delaware’s wealthiest areas. This history extends south to Lancaster Pike/Route 48 and the Wilmington city line and east to the Brandywine.

That expansion allows Greenville to include The Tatnall School, which was founded in Wilmington in 1936 for all girls, moved to Greenville in 1952 and graduated its first co-ed class in 1964.

It also includes the home of Joe and Jill Biden. He moved to Greenville in the 1970s, after he was widowed. In 1996, he sold that house, bought four acres of lakefront land off Barley Mill Road and built a house. He has owned at least seven homes in Delaware and lived in Greenville the longest.

Farms and mills The area’s first residents were the Lenni-Lenape.

One of the first Europeans was Adam Stedham, deeded property in 1684 called Crooked Billet by William Penn. A crooked billet is a bent stick hung over tavern doors to advertise to illiterate travelers. The developer building homes there calls the Kennett Pike site the “heart of Greenville.”

Another was Hendrick Jacobsson, a Swede who in 1686 acquired 100 acres along the Brandywine.

“Historically, the vicinity was composed of agricultural fields with dwellings scattered throughout,” according to that Delaware Geenways report, commissioned to plan a future for Greenville.

Many farms were not too far to the north and west, with the market towns and ports of Wilmington and Elkton not too far to the south and Continued on Page 12

Courtesy of Hagley Museum and Library

This 1816 map highlights the mills along the Brandywine. Buck Tavern, in the lower left, lies where Greenville’s downtown would be two centuries later. The Three Mile Stone a little to the right counts mileage along the new turnpike.

Courtesy of the University of Delaware

Goodstay, now a University of Delaware complex, is one of several former du Pont holdings that have been donated to the public. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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Greenville History Continued from Page 11

east. Mills formed the first important industry, primarily for grain and lumber, with the rapid descent of the Brandywine providing free power.

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In 1802, when the du Ponts moved here, buying the site of a burned textile mill, there was no community called Greenville, said Lucas Clawson, historian at Hagley Museum and Library.

The name came later, for the family that ran a lumber yard on train tracks built in 1869.

The tracks were for the Wilmington and Northern, a project of Col. Henry A. du Pont of Winterthur.

Early colonists built a dirt road called Doe Run to Kennett Square, with one landmark being Buck Tavern, where Janssen’s Market is now. The tavern was an early center for the community, whatever it was called. Clawson said it offered food and drink and served as a polling place and a rally point after explosions at the DuPont mills that transformed the region and its economy.

Doe Run was renamed and opened as a hard-surfaced turnpike in 1813, forming another spoke in the pikes that radiated from Wilmington to Philadelphia, Concord, Lancaster and Gap. Creation of the turnpike doomed the Crooked Billet tavern by making it too far from business. The land reverted to farming, mostly by the du Ponts, until it was sold in 2016.

Scenic country roads Development grew with the railroad. “Coal, lumber, and other businesses capitalized on the open space and ease of transportation afforded by the rail line’s presence,” the Greenways report said.

Even though the report chides the village for becoming an unwalkable sprawl, development in the 20th century was slower and less intense than, say, Brandywine Hundred or Pike Creek.

That’s because the DuPont Co. and du Pont family owned a lot of area. They lived in some large mansions on large estates, generating the Chateau Country nickname.

And when they sold their properties, they sometimes preserved them as parks, museums and dedicated green spaces.

“By 1918-1920, when P.S. du Pont purchased the Wilmington and Kennett Turnpike, rebuilt the roadbed and deeded the Kennett Pike back to Delaware, du Pont family members or business interests owned 48 percent of the frontage on Delaware’s portion of the road, essentially halting growth from Wilmington outward,” the Centreville Civic Association wrote in a 2001 history.

“While post-World War II development flourished on other ‘spoke’ roads out of Wilmington, Kennett Pike and the land surrounding it appeared much as it had at the turn of the 20th century.”

P.S. du Pont’s deal also called for no billboards unless every landowner agreed.

That billboard-free beauty is part of the scenic nature of the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway.

Kennett Pike and Several shopping centers and a residential Montchanin Road complex are named after Greenville. were designated the byway by the state in 2002 and federal government in 2005. The scenery also includes low walls, expertly laid with local stone and without mortar, undulating along the streetscape.

Matters of faith The first du Ponts were baptized as Catholics, as everyone in France was back then, but they were largely Hugenot.

Patriarch E.I. was a Deist. And the company he began was progressive in employee relations.

“The remote location of the powder works required the company to take responsibility for the housing, education and general well being of the workers and the families,” Robert Robetsky wrote in “200 in 2000: A du Pont Family Reunion.”

The Brandywine Manufacturers’ School (now part of Hagley Museum) was chartered in 1817 to teach children in the reading, writing and religion. Four churches came out of that school.

As population grew, the denominations moved: Roman Catholics in 1841 to St. Joseph on the Brandywine, on Old Church Road; Presbyterians in 1849 to Green Hill on Kennett Pike; Methodists in 1847 to Mt. Salem on W. 19th Street; and Episcopalians in 1856 to Christ Church Christiana Hundred on Christ Church Road.

“The DuPont Co. built this church for its Irish Catholic workers, an early example of benevolent corporate paternalism,” W. Barksdale Maynard wrote about St. Joseph in “Buildings of Delaware.” “Catholic parochial education in Delaware, so dominant today, got underway with a convent constructed here in 1850.”

Continued on Page 14 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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Greenville History Continued from Page 13

One more significant religious building is Irisbook, built in 1928 on Montchanin Road for William F. Raskob. In 1956, actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco celebrated their engagement here, Maynard wrote. It’s now the headquarters of the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities.

More from and for DuPont Co., the du Ponts In 1862, the federal government established a camp on Kennett Pike for troops guarding the DuPont powder mills.

It was known as Camp DuPont, its historical marker says, then Camp Brandywine.

In 1892, the DuPont Co. gave the land, and the du Pont family gave the money, to build a school named after Alexis I. du Pont on Kennett Pike. The building, with its distinctive castle style, became a middle school in 1966. It’s part of the Henry Clay Village Historic District of the National Register of Historic Places, its historic marker says.

In 1919, E. Paul du Pont, working from his Buck Road land, created DuPont Motors. His luxury car firm just lasted 13 years but had a lasting impact on the radiator grille and instrument dashboard.

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In 1924, Henry Belin duPont established an airfield on Barley Mill Road. He also founded Atlantic Aviation, North America’s largest aircraft sales and service organization.

The last flight from du Pont Airfield was in 1958, and the 56-acre site became DuPont Co. offices. Today, with a smaller DuPont, it is being redeveloped with offices, retail and housing.

In 1926, William du Pont started planning Westover Hills, which within a few years drew many of Delaware’s millionaires to its architecturally varied homes and spacious lots on curving streets.

In 1996, Missy Lickle, great-great-great-granddaughter of E.I. du Pont, created the Inn at Montchanin from a collection of buildings on Montchanin Road, most interestingly workers’ cottages.

The Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute at Pelleport is a ChristianaCare facility on Kennett Pike. Its name is from a du Pont donation and du Pont mansion that stood on there.

Eleutherian Mills is, of course, part of Hagley, but the family’s largesse is probably stronger outside Greenville, with destinations like Winterthur, Mt. Cuba, Nemours and Longwood Gardens.

Finally, consider the legacy of Ellen Coleman du Pont Meeds Wheelwright. Her husband, Robert, designed Valley Garden on Campbell Road, with plants rescued from the

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creation of Hoopes Reservoir.

She donated it in 1943; it’s now a park known for walking trails and miniature waterfalls.

In 1968, she bequeathed her home on Pennsylvania Avenue to the University of Delaware.

Goodstay now houses the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. It was previously a farm called Green Hill, which dates back to at least 1685. Howard Pyle, one of the giants of the Brandywine School of Illustration, grew up there in the 1850s. Margaretta E. du Pont bought the place in 1868 and changed the name to Goodstay, a translation of Bon Sejour, the du Ponts’ first home in America.

This 1953 Franklin map locates Greenville Elementary (now Stonegates), Shields Lumber & Coal (gone) and the Shields shopping center (renamed).

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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|In the Spotlight|

Solving a problem with method, kindness Forgotten Cats works toward ending area homeless feline population

By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer

I

n 1998, Felicia Cross and her family were living in Ireland after her husband’s job transfer when she was asked to help catch a mama cat and her kittens.

“They were living in a parking garage that was going to be torn down,” Cross, now of Centreville, recalled. “I helped to catch them and that kind of opened my eyes. Why would they be living in the parking garage? I started doing research and realized the plight of roaming or feral cats.”

Cross knows the felines’ difficulties better than most. She’s the founder and executive director of the non-profit Forgotten Cats, the leading regional organization that utilizes the trap, neuter, vaccinate and release (TNVR) method of reducing populations of homeless cats. Since its formation in 2003, Forgotten Cats has trapped, neutered, vaccinated and released an astonishing 140,000 animals. “Already, since January, we’ve sterilized over 13,000 cats,” Cross said.

She honed her skills while still abroad after finding an English-based organization - Cat Action Trust. “They educated me on trapping, neuter, release. So I started TNR [in Ireland]. I was only there for three years, but you know by the time I left I think I had sterilized somewhere close to 1,000 cats, and that was just me helping people.”

TNVR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Release) involves humanely trapping homeless cats and transporting them to a veterinary clinic where they are neutered. They may also receive a health check, vaccinations, and 16

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All photos provided by Olivia Westley

Olivia Westley, development director for Forgotten Cats, at the Christiana PetSmart adoption Center.

Westley started as a volunteer, and two years later was made one of the employees of the non-profit.

can be treated for routine medical conditions. After surgery, the cat recuperates for a day or two and is then returned back to his colony habitat where caring individuals provide food, water and shelter.

Eighty to 85 percent of these cats are feral, or those that aren’t socialized to people.

Olivia Westley, development director for Forgotten Cats, said there’s no mistaking a

Forgotten Cats founder and Executive Director Felicia Cross is with John Fedele, organization vice president, at a Volunteer Appreciation Event in Wilmington.

feral cat. “You can compare these cats to raccoons, foxes,” she said. “They don’t want to be inside. You can’t touch these cats. You can’t hold these cats. If you held them, it would be unfair to them. They would be miserable.

“But what we find is there are a lot of people in the community that care for these cats. They get up every morning, go out back and feed these feral cats. They have names for them. Even though they can’t touch them, they still love these cats.

“Releasing them back to their location when they have somebody that’s feeding them and somebody that is making little winter houses for them ... It’s really the best-case scenario for a feral cat.”

Babies, kittens up to three months old and friendly cats are also treated, evaluated and put up for adoption. The friendly cats are usually strays, former pets that under some circumstance lost their homes. Currently, there are nearly 200 cats featured on the group’s website waiting for homes.

“Feral cats fall in this black hole,” Cross said. “They’re not wildlife and they’re not pets; they don’t want to be pets.

There’s this black hole category where they don’t really fit in. That’s why we keep the ‘friendlies’ and stop the reproduction of the ‘unfriendlies,’ and eventually the population will go down.”

Forgotten Cats is often contacted not to trap a single cat, but many that live in larger groups.

“People think it’s about helping animals, and it is. But it’s actually helping people,” Cross said. She explained how the cycle starts by giving the example of a condominium complex. “Let’s say someone leaves. What happens many times is people go into nursing homes, or they move or they pass away. Sometimes they’ll just put the cat outside because they don’t know what else to do with it, especially when the shelters are full. Or cats get out of the house and they can’t find their way back home, for whatever reason.

“Many times, they sit on the doorstep and wait for someone to feed them and when they don’t, they start scavenging. Now there might be a neighbor five doors down that sees the cat, looks in the windows and sees the owner is gone. They start putting food out. Before you know it, the cat has kittens, the kittens have kittens and there are 12 Continued on Page 18 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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Forgotten Cats Continued from Page 17

cats, 15 cats, in a year or two.

“And people are calling for help. ‘Help me. I can’t catch these cats. I don’t know what to do, but I don’t want them killed. I just want them to stop reproducing.’

“We’re actually responding to people’s request for help: ‘Please help us to get this situation under control.’ So, we go out and catch all the cats.”

And Cross means all. She explained why Forgotten Cats is so successful.

“When smaller orgaA trapped cat awaiting surgery at the nizations drop a trap, Forgotten Cats clinic. He was rescued, they trap maybe two along with more than 30 other cats, from cats here, two cats an apartment complex in Wilmington there. If they’re going where they were being poisoned by a resident. to trap a colony of 50 cats, they may trap two or five a week.

And then put them back, then go back and try to get two or five more. It doesn’t work because by the time you get 15 done, you’ve had 15 kittens born. You never really catch up. Plus, the Luka, a homeless senior cat in Wilmington. people who are feed- He lived outside for years while people ing them don’t want walked by him every day. A kind person to starve cats that called Forgotten Cats and asked for help.

This was his last day as a homeless cat. have already been neutered. They don’t want to withhold food for no reason, but it’s very difficult to catch cats that aren’t hungry because they go in the traps for food.”

“In February, Forgotten Cats handled a colony of Continued on Page 20

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Forgotten Cats Continued from Page 18

about 70 cats in Claymont off of Naamans Road. “They were being fed by a host of people up and down the railroad tracks,” Cross said. “You have to bring the number of traps that are needed. So we brought 50 or 60 traps on the first day and we trapped maybe 20 or 30 and we brought them back to our facility.

“We continue trapping every day. We don’t stop until we’ve caught them all and we continue to hold them until we’ve caught them all. Generally, that takes anywhere from five to maybe 10 days at the very most, depending on how far they’re spread out and how many people are feeding them. But it’s important that you’ve trapped the entire colony in order to get the colony size to diminish.

“That was a colony that was being done two cats a week for six months and within 10 days we had the whole thing stabilized. And what is kind of neat is they saw no kittens the entire year so far. Normally cats have three litters by [November].

“That shows you that it works. This is our mission. We do a lot of other things, but we make sure that when we walk away, there aren’t going to be any more kittens.”

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Forgotten Cats – Around the region As its reputation has grown over the years, Forgotten Cats has become the go-to organization for TNVR. Cross said they worked with the city of Harrington a few years ago and ended up removing more than 130 cats; Coatesville, Pa. also tapped them for their services. Cross sick kitten arriving for medical has also noticed their effect a A care. little closer to home.

“I have seen a huge improvement in New Castle County.

We can tell by the number of calls we get and also colony sizes. We would get many, many more calls and the colony sizes would be 20, 30 cats. Now, we’re getting calls and there might be one, two or five cats.”

Their influence has moved beyond the county. Westley, the development director, said their group affected Delaware’s decision in 2019 to become the first no-kill animal shelter state.

“I really feel that Forgotten Cats played a crucial role

Continued on Page 22

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Forgotten Cats Continued from Page 20

in that because by controlling the homeless cat population, you’re having [fewer] kittens being taken to shelters.

Because when shelters are overloaded with kittens, then they have no space, and then they start euthanizing. Our work has been vital.”

The organization’s reach has expanded considerably. It serves Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

“We’re going to be beginning a big project down in Maryland. It will be almost 2,000 cats,” Westley said.

After it started, it was clear that Forgotten Cats needed to become a self-sufficient organization because of the sheer volume of cats. It has its own spay and neuter clinics, one in Trainer, Pa. (just north of Claymont) and one in Willow Grove, Pa., that serves Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey. A third, in Sussex County, is temporarily closed as a veterinarian is being sought for that location.

“We are in 10 different locations for adopting cats out, PetSmarts and Petcos,” Cross said. “We have a mobile adoption van that we’re using during COVID-19 precautions. Kind of useful because people can see the cats from the outside and don’t have to worry about safe distancing.”

Westley said the grants, donations, fundraisers and bequests are crucial to keep the non-profit Forgotten Cats going. “PetSmart Charities has been particularly good to us,” she said.

And Forgotten Cats couldn’t have done nearly the good work that it has done without the assistance of its 700 volunteers.” “We’ve grown this amazing organization with primarily all volunteers,” an appreciative Cross said. “The people we have, and the dedication and compassion they show … it’s just incredible.

“If anyone would like to volunteer, this is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You see these cats come in, and they’re scared. They might be injured. They might be emaciated, covered with parasites. And by the time we’re finished with them, they’re going home to forever homes.

“Even with the ferals, they come in and we sterilize them, vaccinate them, and treat them for fleas. We treat them for worms. And then, you can watch them go back out. And you know they’re going to live a full life without having to be plagued with kittens and they’re going back to good homes. It’s a very rewarding process.”

More information about cat or kitten adoption or volunteering can be found on the Forgotten Cats website, www. forgottencats.org.

Natalie Smith may be contacted at natalie@DoubleSMedia. com.

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|Greenville & Hockessin Art|

Seeing essential workers through Photographs of local a new lens heroes now on view

T

he Delaware Art Museum is presenting a celebration of essential workers throughout the area with a photography exhibition in the museum’s Orientation Hallway.

COVID-19 and the response to stop the spread of the virus reminded nearly the whole world just how much it relies on essential workers. The initial focus was on thanking first responders such as doctors, nurses, and emergency personnel. But it quickly became evident that so many other kinds of workers—bus drivers, grocery cashiers, farmers, dry cleaners, and more— are essential to supporting communities.

Continued on Page 26

All photos courtesy © Luna Visions First responders such as doctors, nurses, and emergency personnel were the initial focus, but it quickly became evident that so many other kinds of workers—bus drivers, grocery cashiers, farmers, dry cleaners, and more are also essential to supporting communities.

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Greenville & Hockessin Life | Winter 2020 | www.ghlifemagazine.com

One of the many photographs now on display at a new exhibition at the Delaware Art Museum.

www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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Local Heroes Continued from Page 24

This photography project, Essential Workers Photography Campaign, created by operation technician Iz Balleto and teaching artist and curator-in-residence JaQuanne LeRoy, shows the faces and voices of the many people who have kept the community going since the start of the current health crisis. It combines portraits with personal stories of working on the front lines, exploring what essential work entails and honoring those individuals who continue to Continued on Page 28

Balleto, who lost a cousin to COVID-19, was inspired by his own experience as an essential worker at the Delaware Art Museum to create the campaign.

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Local Heroes Continued from Page 26

dedicate their lives to their work every day.

Balleto, who lost a cousin to COVID-19, was inspired by his own experience as an essential worker at the Delaware Art Museum to create the campaign. Even a closed museum has critical operational needs.

“I was looking at empty walls in the museum,” he said. “I was essential, and still report every day.

Continued on Page 30

The Delaware Art Museum is presenting a celebration of essential workers throughout the area with a photography exhibition in the museum’s Orientation Hallway.

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If moving is in your plans, then your first move is to call TLC Moving Services, LLC. Put these professionals to work for you and call Caen Stroud at 610-268-3243.

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Local Heroes Continued from Page 28

Apart from that, I thought about everybody else who was going to work. Not everyone had the opportunity to work from home: we had to get up no matter what.”

Balleto added, “What’s essential to a community is different than the definition of first responders. I wanted to highlight the heroes in our community who are more than just doctors and nurses. There are people who take care of children and the elderly; people who make sure we have food, from the bodega to the grocery to the bakery – they all matter. This is a love and a sacrifice.”

LeRoy was selected to curate the campaign, tapping photographer Luna Visions to shoot the subjects, and creating a questionnaire for the subjects as a way to collect information for the captions. Luna Visions’ work can be found on Instagram under @lunavisions.

LeRoy said, “Corner store bodegas represented an area of essential work that stood out for me. Growing up in Wilmington, the bodega was a staple, meeting your immediate needs without having to go to a grocery store.”

Continued on Page 32

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Local Heroes Continued from Page 30

He added, “Understanding most of those are small businesses run by families and the risk they undertook to be open for the community, I thought that was very special and was happy to see as a part of this campaign.

Those decisions where you might have to groom someone else to step up and be more involved when elderly people are at risk changes that family dynamic.”

Like Balleto, LeRoy experienced the effects of COVID19 in his family. His uncle works for the Wilmington Port Authority, where fresh fruits and food supplies come into the community, and upon learning his uncle was in the hospital with the coronavirus, LeRoy’s perspective on who an essential worker was changed.

Molly Giordano, interim executive director of the museum, said, “So many people have supported us in 2020, ensuring that our needs are met and our families remain healthy and cared for. We believe art is an essential resource, and by utilizing the arts, we connect and celebrate our community.”

The Museum is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with hours extended to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

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The Delaware Art Museum For over 100 years, the Delaware Art Museum has served as a primary arts and cultural institution in Delaware. It is alive with experiences, discoveries, and activities to connect people with art and with each other. Originally created in 1912 to honor the renowned illustrator and Wilmington native, Howard Pyle, the Museum’s collection has grown to over 12,000 works of art. Also recognized for British Pre-Raphaelite art, the Museum is home to the most comprehensive collection of Pre-Raphaelite art on display outside of the United Kingdom and a growing collection of significant contemporary art.

Under the leadership of its Board of Trustees, the Delaware Art Museum is implementing a comprehensive approach to community and civic engagement. This exciting new strategic direction requires that it increases our value and relevance to all audiences. Visit delart.org for the latest exhibitions, programs, and performances or connect with the museum via social media.

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|Greenville and Hockessin People|

rtesy tos cou All pho ore? h s n o p

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By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer

A

Courtesy photo

Terry Berry received the Judge’s Award in a recent short story competition. The Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest is sponsored by Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, Del. and published

by Catandmousepress.com. The judge’s comment upon reading her story says it all: “Tight beginning, an interesting setting, and a strong narrative arc. Dialogue moved both plot and characters forward. Overall a well-constructed and executed short story, enjoyable as a mystery beach read!”

fter years of working in the insurance field, marketing internet companies or, more recently, writing legal findings in the corporate world, Terry Berry is now writing for her own enjoyment.

The years of technical writing certainly taught her how to write on a schedule, but Berry always longed for something beyond the daily consumer communications she prepared.

She had always been keenly aware of her creative side both in art and in writing, and that realization led her to writing and art classes. She immersed herself in both, and made some interesting relationships along the way.

Berry explained, “I have been writing since I was in grade school. As I got older I did sales writing, and insurance proposals. Writing has been my strength and success in my working life. I take technical documents and turn them into consumer documents.”

And, looking back, it is not a surprise that she is comfortably fitting in with other accomplished short story writers. Still, she was excited when she entered a short story contest and actually wound up winning the honor of being a “published” short story writer.

Even more pleasing, she was one of the authors who earned the Judges’ Award in the writing contest.

“I was content with just being published,” Berry said, “But I was very surprised to hear the judge’s comment on my work.”

That comment was the following: “Tight beginning, an interesting setting, and a strong narrative arc.

Dialogue moved both plot and character forward.

Overall a well-constructed and executed short story, enjoyable as a beach mystery read!”

Writing a short story can be a daunting challenge, especially coming from a technical writing field, which often requires a long, detailed explanation.

Berry said, “In this contest, I had a 3,500-word limit.

The theme for the anthology of short stories was mysteries. And with a mystery there is a lot to tell.

You have to go back and utilize dialogue to convey information that you would normally tell a reader. It is a very different writing from what I had done in my writing career.”

Continued on Page 36

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Terry Berry Continued from Page 35

Berry added, “This is my first published work. I have plenty of unfinished work just waiting for my return. I actually targeted this contest as a way to force myself to complete something. I have been part of writing groups for a couple of years. I first met Nancy Sakaduski, the publisher and owner of Cat and Mouse Press, as part of a book and art show that comes to Hockessin. Her group was very welcoming, and I have taken several writing classes through them. They teach one called selfcheckout where you write stories about your history. It was an opportunity that really changed my life.”

Berry described the short story mystery that she wrote.

“The character I created was a 12-year- old boy. The story takes place in the 1960s, at the beach town of Rehoboth and much of it takes place on the ferry. I used to ride on the Chester Bridgeport ferry, so I remembered the breeze, the smell and taste of hot dogs, and the Continued on Page 38 Terry Berry, a published short story author, has her own storied past filled with amazing experiences in both the writing, crafting and art fields. She is also an accomplished felter who poses with one of her handmade felted foxes.

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Terry Berry Continued from Page 36

sounds of the crowd. I was able to bring my own experience into the story to describe what it was like to the reader,” Berry said. “I was taking a prep course on short story writing and it was my teacher who told me about the contest. When she found out I was one of the winners, she sent her congratulations. I was surprised. I have several books from the previous series of Beach Reads.

“The contest occurs every year. They announced a theme for this year, which was mystery. I never thought of myself as a mystery writer. The genre is called cozy mystery. As its name suggests, it’s a comfort-read that leaves you satisfied and at one with the world, rather than scared to sleep alone with the lights out.”

Although she has taken many writing classes, Berry was surprised to discover she was a natural at mystery writing.

She intends to continue writing other stories, utilizing her character and is setting up a website as a way to introduce Thadeus Zoone to more people as he continues his travels.

Writing may run in the family for Berry. She and her 44-year-old daughter recently collaborated on an Irish tale.

Continued on Page 40

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Nancy Sakaduski, is the publisher/owner of Cat & Mouse Press. Cat & Mouse Press is publishing Beach Mysteries, the eighth in the Rehoboth Beach Reads series sponsored by Browseabout Books. To get your copy go to catandmousepress.com.

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Terry Berry Continued from Page 38

“My daughter is working on her degree,” she said.

“Collaborating with my daughter was fun, even if she killed off a lot of my characters. I hope we do more.”

When asked if she would continue to create short stories, Berry quickly answered, “Yes!” She said, “I didn’t know a lot of people were fans of the short story, but they are. It is a challenge with the constriction of words, but I enjoy that challenge. I’ve gained a new respect for the short story genre.”

Berry has had quite the variety of interests—everything from owning a horse farm to making glass beads, and the mind-boggling craft of felting. In the world of crafting, needle felting is one of the most fascinating activities around.

It’s simple in concept, but looks complex in execution, and the results are intricate sculptures made completely out of wool. Essentially, the activity uses a special needle to fuse fibers together in a stiff form. Berry continues felting and had actually thought about raising her own sheep.

However, she soon learned that she would need a guard animal that would look after and protect her sheep. She was even considering acquiring a llama, since they make great guard animals. After further research, she discovered you can only have one llama, because if you get two, they may get so enamored with each other they forget to take care of the sheep.

So somewhere between creating glass beads and securing one lonely llama, she realized focusing on writing was less cluttered than arts and crafts.

Berry gives much credit to Sakaduski and Cat and Mouse Press for moving her onward and upward.

“As far as Nancy, I don’t know she does it,” Berry said. “It wasn’t until she notified me of winning that we realized we knew each other from the Center for Creative Arts.”

Sakaduski founded Cat & Mouse Press to support local writers and create “playful” books with a connection to the Delaware shore. Her husband, Joe Sakaduski, is her business partner and helps with several aspects of Cat & Mouse Press.

She enjoys working with writers to help them perfect their writing and experience the joys of publication. She takes that part of her job very seriously.

“I was annoyed with other publishers when I was working with them on my books,” Sakaduski explained. “I felt like I had no control. It was then I thought about being a publisher. Having gone through my own troubling publishing experiences, I thought I could work well with authors.

There are lots of writers that live in the DelMarva Region.

There are also a lot of non-fiction authors. But I couldn’t find books specific to the area. I believed there was a need and supply for that. I came up with the publishing

company and wanted to write high-quality stories. Then I developed the Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest.

The Beach Reads series is going into the ninth year.”

The series is a professionally designed and edited paperback book.

A vital part of Sakaduski’s mission, she said, “is to make our books inclusive. For example, our children’s books include illustrations of disabled children, different races, and same-sex parents. We try to always remember that Rehoboth Beach is home to a very large number of LGBTQ+ people and families. Even our romance collection (Beach Love) included a gay romance. My feeling is that acceptance grows when differences are not treated as differences, but as just part of the tapestry.”

Sakaduski feels they have built a winning formula. “We welcome authors that know Rehoboth, no matter where they live or regardless of their background as a writer.

Stories are judged blindly, and they vary greatly each year.

Judges know nothing about the author and the author knows nothing about the judges. Their story will be chosen or not chosen based on the criteria we post on our website.

When I got one of our contracts back I was amazed to find out it was high school student. The ages of our authors span from 18 to 80,” Sakaduski said.

She added, “There are contests out there that are scams.

Mine is not. Some contests will grab the rights without giving the author credit. Here, everyone has a level playing field.”

Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach is one of the largest independent book stores on the East Coast, and sponsors the contest by providing the prize money for the winners. First prize is $500, second prize is $250 and third prize is $100. Among the authors chosen for prizes, several were never published, several were published, and one is the vice president of a Writer’s Guild. The writers come from all backgrounds.

Sakaduski said, “We get a lot of older people who retire here. We include the authors’ bio in their background. The back stories are astonishing.”

The cover illustrator, Emory Au, lives in Hockessin and he is a professional artist. Sakaduski also believes in supporting local illustrators.

“I’m lucky that I don’t have to support myself on this.

However, to be honest, for the time I put into it I feel a great satisfaction,” she said. “I receive incredibly nice letters for helping them. Winners cry or scream when I tell them they have won. It is fun and rewarding to bring joy into their lives. And our readers thoroughly enjoy the stories. It is fun to read about places you are familiar with.”

For more information visit: catandmousepress.com. www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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|Greenville & Hockessin Photo Essay|

Auburn Heights: The exquisite an Photos by Moonloop Photography

Text by Richard L. Gaw Throughout its rich history, tucked into the natural crevices of Yorklyn and standing high on a hill, Auburn Heights has become everything to everyone, no matter the reasons that lead them there. Lovingly cared for by the Friends of Auburn Heights, it has nonetheless been claimed – at least in theory – by those who live in Greenville, Yorklyn, Hockessin and beyond, who show it proudly to out-of-town visitors for what it is has become. A treasure.

It is not difficult to see why, because every step in Auburn Heights is a journey along a pathway to affirmation – of our indelible past, of our good Earth, of our curiosity, of our childlike sense of wonder, and of the love we wish to share with friends and family on the most important occasion of our lives.

Continued on Page 44

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ts: and the timeless

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Auburn Heights Continued from Page 42

Auburn Heights is the grandfather taking his grandsons on a tour of the 6,000 square-foot Marshall Steam Museum. It is mothers, daughters, sons and fathers admiring the Victorian splendor of the Auburn Heights Mansion and carriage house, where generations of the Marshall family once lived. It is the reunited siblings joining their young children for a ride on the Auburn Valley Railroad that was built in the 19th century, and just for a moment, returning to childhood themselves.

Continued on Page 46

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Auburn Heights Continued from Page 44

It is steam train buffs at Steamin’ Days and classic car aficionados at the Auburn Heights Invitational Classic Car Show, feeling as if they have just arrived at the most magical place on earth. It is a future bride and her bridesmaids, giddy with anticipation, planning her upcoming wedding on the grounds. It is the adventurous on a walking tour of the 360-acre Auburn Valley State Park -- the lasting gift and legacy of Thomas C. Marshall, Jr. and his wife Ruth Pierson Marshall – exploring both the quiet elegance of the Red Clay Creek and the industrial history of Yorklyn.

Auburn Heights: Everything, for everyone.

Auburn Heights is located on 3000 Creek Road, Yorklyn, Del. 19736.

To learn more about events, collections, tours, special occasion planning, memberships, volunteer opportunities and the Friends of Auburn Heights, visit www.auburnheights.org.

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|Greenville & Hockessin Q&A|

q&a

Pastor Dave Lovelace Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church

Since he first arrived at the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church in 2000, Pastor Dave Lovelace has overseen a facilities expansion, two capital campaigns, increased community involvement and the church’s recent 300th anniversary. Just before he began the next chapter of his life in retirement, Pastor Dave sat down with Greenville & Hockessin Life to talk about his faith, his church and its people.

Talk about the early introduction to your faith.

People are sometimes saved out of things, and sometimes people are saved from things by being a part of the family of a church over a long period of time. My earliest memories of church and Sunday School were riding in a car with my grandmother to the Calvary Community Baptist Church in Merchantville, where she was the superintendent of the primary department.

When she got too old to make that journey, my parents started transporting the family to the First Presbyterian Church in Blackwood, N.J. When I was 12 years old, I was baptized and confirmed, and it was then that I made my public profession as to my faith in Christ.

You later served a one- year tour in Vietnam in the U.S. Army. What did you do there?

I was in college at the University of Delaware at the time of the Vietnam Era. I thought it would be wise to go through R.O.T.C. rather than take my chances with the draft. When I got to Vietnam, there were two requisitions for people with accounting degrees. One was to be the custodian and bookkeeper of the Saigon officer’s clubs. The other was a newly-created purchasing office.

At the time, I had a moustache, and the purchasing department head despised moustaches, so I was chosen 48

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Photos by Richard L. Gaw

Pastor Dave Lovelace of the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church.

because he could then tell me to shave it off. Often, the U.S. Army would give us choices of assignments in order to influence you to remain, and at the time, I was dating by mail the woman I later married, and I wanted to go back to the greater Philadelphia area. The U.S. Army sent me there, where I worked at the National Inventory Control Point with electronics equipment.

This must have presented you with a conundrum. Here you are, a young man who was being led to a life of faith, working in a war zone halfway across the world. How did that juxtaposition play itself out?

We worked six and-a-half days a week, so there wasn’t any time for church in the traditional sense. One of my enduring memories of that time was walking down the street in Saigon on a beautiful day and telling God, ‘If this is the last day of my life, Lord, this has been a good life.’ It was the feeling of knowing that God was in control.

The journey and impact of your faith took on an even more vital role as you got older, yes?

Late in my Army career, I went back to the University of Delaware to serve on their ROTC faculty. During that time, I did some personal church hunting and found myself at the First Presbyterian Church in Newark, where I served as an elder, became the executive secretary of the Board of

Courtesy photos

Now in its 300th year, the origins of the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church date back to 1720.

Elders, preached my first sermon, and reorganized several committees. It gave me a great respect for the importance of the people and the lay leadership of the church.

It also led you to the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church in 2000.

When I sent my dossier to the church, they met me at Red Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, where I was interim associate for education and congregational life. They heard me deliver a sermon, and then conducted a 75-minute interview with me. During the interview, I said that I did not have a strategic plan for the church in my briefcase, but that I would be very happy to conspire with them.

They listened to me deliver one more sermon, and then I went away for a week on a mission trip. During that week, they offered me the job as the new minister at the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church, but this was in the days before cell phones, so my wife had to sit on the news for a whole week. I officially came on board in October of 2000.

Over the course of your 20 years at the church, you have overseen a facilities expansion project, two capital campaigns, participated in several youth group trips, increased the church’s community involvement and, of course, the celebration of the church’s 300 anniversary – as well as the overall stewardship of this church. You didn’t do it alone.

It is said that a parish is only as strong as the power of its parishioners.

There have been so many people it would be difficult to name them all. One has been Linda Natali, who has been the long-time administrator here and the unofficial “mother of the church.” Another has been Phil Calabrese, who up until recently, had been our contemporary music director, and he and his wife Marilee were the coordinating hub of our Worship Consort.

There has also been Nancy Day, an elder on the ministry

During his 20 years at the church, Pastor Dave has overseen a facilities expansion project, two capital campaigns, supervised several youth group trips, increased the church’s community involvement and the celebration of the church’s 300th anniversary.

team, whom I kidded as being the “de-facto associate pastor” of the church. There was also Barbara Sypher, one of our parishioners, who became our Christian educator.

Talk about the power of the parishioners and how they have helped grow the mission of this church.

Given that we are a regional church, we are blessed by people who come from everywhere – from Chadds Ford to West Chester and Newark to Wilmington. Our people have done significant things with important organizations for many years. They have various leadership skills. They take initiative and they follow through, and we give them the freedom to be themselves.

Continued on Page 50

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Pastor Dave Lovelace Continued from Page 49

You are about to retire after two decades at the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church. What do you think you will miss most about being here?

Without a doubt, I will miss the many parishioners I have come to know. They are a very nice group of people with whom to associate. They are by no means clones; they have a wide diversity of life experiences.

I have always had a warm spot for confirmation, and my work with the church’s teenagers. It’s my chance to establish a relationship with them. I will also miss what we call our Parable Time -- often called Children’s Church -- which I’ve done three out of the four Sundays of the month, because it’s been my only chance to be eyeball-to-eyeball with our children, and it enables me to find out who they are.

What are your future aspirations in retirement?

My wife Mimi reminds me that when you turn 75 you should begin thinking about thinning out some of the stuff you have accumulated. I call myself a “book-a-holic,” and I have a lot of information that is bound in books that I hope is valuable, and the question is whether or not to what degree are these books that were quite essential in their time are of any interest to others. My background at

First Newark before I went to the seminary was helping to develop adult education courses. I have also written curriculum for five-session adult education courses for their Academy of Christian Studies.

I did my doctoral dissertation on rest, and the product of that was a five-session adult education course I taught on incorporating rest into one’s life as an aspect of discipleship. I hope to take that on the road somewhere, as something that may be of value.

Who is God to you?

I have glass replica of a jewel that resembles a diamond that my three children got me for Christmas one year. I like to look at God as a gemstone with infinite facets. Each person who relates to God sees God from his or her own angle, as factored through the variables of our ethnicity, our economic status, what part of the world we live in, and whether we are male or female or young or old. It allows us to share our own visions with others.

What is your definition of religion?

In its purest sense, religion is a relationship. None of us are here of our own doing, but yet we find ourselves in the midst of a glorious creation as sentient beings with the

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ability to think we can step back ten yards and evaluate.

Religion assures me that there is a wiser mind than my own that I can rely on. There is a verse in Psalm 46-10 that says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” I’ve been led to understand that the Hebrew version translates roughly to “Hush up!”

What is your favorite spot in Greenville and Hockessin?

We live in Newark, but Winterthur has always been a very special place. I have also enjoyed the few rides I’ve had on the Wilmington & Western Railroad. I actually did a wedding on the railroad once. We stopped the train, conducted the wedding at a creek bed, then got back on the train and went to the reception.

You throw a dinner party and can invite anyone, living or not. Who will we see around that table?

It would have to be done over the course of three dinner parties. My wife and I periodically think how it would be wonderful to see our respective parents again, at a time in their lives when they weren’t in the latter stages. It would be a chance to reflect on how our lives all worked out.

In addition to having three children, we have been blessed with seven grandchildren, whom we haven’t seen

all together in a while because of COVID-19. It would be beautiful to have an opportunity to have them all around the table at the same time.

The third dinner party is a real one, not imagined. Each year, we have a dinner party for the key leadership for the church – the ministry team and others who have made significant contributions over the life of that year. We began having those dinners at the Dilworthtown Inn, and for the last few years, we’ve met at the Greenville Country Club.

At each dinner, it gives me the chance to go around the table and celebrate each person and what they have done for the church.

What can always be found in your refrigerator?

I work on the Push System of Inventory Replenishment. I get things when they are cheap and I push them onto our shelves, rather than waiting for when I am desperate and pulling them off of the store shelf at whatever the going price is.

The Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church is located at 101 Old Kennett Road, Wilmington, Del. 19807. To learn more, visit www.lowerbrandywine.org.

- Richard L. Gaw

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|Hockessin People| A 2018 meeting with civil rights icon John Lewis helped galvanize Jeff and Chris Ronald’s commitment to act on behalf of Delaware’s unhoused citizens. Grounded in the conviction that housing is a human right, the Hockessin couple is collaborating with community leaders to achieve an ‘all-housed’ Delaware by 2025

All Housed: The Springboard Collaborative

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

The Ronalds listened to Lewis reflect on his lifetime of humanitarian endeavors, and as he spoke, they noticed hen measured that on the walls of Lewis’ alone, the gift of office hung the pantheon of Compassion owns American history over the the tender delicacy of a butterpast 60 years: photographs of fly’s wings, but when joined Rev. Ralph Abernathy, John F. with Cause and Action, it conKennedy his brother, Robert tains the strength to change and Dr. Martin Luther King, the course of human lives.

Jr., and Lewis as a young freeThe first words of the story dom fighter, among many that is The Springboard Collaborative – an aspiring Courtesy art others.

“His courageous activism local non-profit organization As seen in this prototype illustration, The Springboard Collaborative’s whose mission is to eradicate goal is to develop permanent eco-friendly tiny home villages in both and resolve to build a more just and benevolent world was homelessness and remove the urban and rural settings around Delaware over the next few years. awe-inspiring,” Ronald said. barriers to education, employment and self-sufficiency – were written in 2015, when “I had admired Mr. Lewis from afar, but having the honor Hockessin resident Jeff Ronald wrote a letter to his hero, of stepping into the hallowed ground of his office was an experience we will never forget. Quietly, slowly and pasrequesting an opportunity to meet with him.

Three years later, permission was granted, and in sionately, he emphasized the importance of getting into September 2018, Ronald and his wife Chris had the distinct ‘good trouble’ -- ‘necessary trouble.’”

By the time they returned home, the ideas that the privilege of meeting with the late congressman and civil Ronalds had been considering -- to cultivate an ‘all-housed’ rights leader John Lewis.

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Courtesy photo

The Springboard Collaborative co- founders Jeff and Chris Ronald met with the late congressman John Lewis in 2018.

Delaware and alleviate human suffering -- had solidified.

Soon after, they took the first steps to what became The Springboard Collaborative, Inc. Short-and Long-Term Solutions If 2018 served as the “Year of Dreaming” for The Springboard Collaborative (TSC), 2019 and 2020 have seen the organization take bold steps in determining its key aspirations. At the top of the list will be to develop both interim and long-term affordable housing solutions: • Offer non-congregate temporary dwellings -- as early as 2021 -- that will provide un-housed Delawareans with immediate access to safe shelter on the path to obtaining permanent housing. TSC will partner with Pallet, Inc., a social purpose company who produces durable, portable, pre-wired, and freestanding shelters for one to three people that can be delivered and built in just one day; and • Develop permanent eco-friendly tiny home villages in both urban and rural settings around the First State over the next few years. Choices of units will include a small cottage (220 square feet, for one resident); a medium cottage (290 square feet, for one to two residents); a large cottage (410 square feet, a two-bedroom unit that accommodates three to four people); and family cottages (two-three-bedroom units ranging from 700 to 1,200 square feet that can accommodate families with children).

This participator-supportive community will likely include raised box gardens, as well as outdoor and indoor yearround farming; an amphitheater for residents and the

broader community engage in social activities; athletic/ activity areas; and grassy “open space” areas to foster health and well-being.

Created as part of a co-op framework, residents will pay a sliding-scale monthly fee that includes a minimal ground lease cost to the Community Land Trust, a reserve fund fee to cover long term major repairs, a maintenance fee to cover short-term annual maintenance, and a payment for each resident’s share of Principle, Interest, Taxes and Insurance (PITI). The goal is to keep a resident’s monthly rent to less than 35 percent of his or her monthly income.

No matter if it’s an interim or permanent housing solution, there is more to the TSC’s goals than merely be able to put a roof over people’s heads. Through a consortium of collaborations with several Delaware-based agencies, residents will be linked to a network of regional support services.

TSC neighborhoods will offer an on-premise ‘resource hub’ for life’s basic necessities, plus free transportation to connect residents with off-site case management, mental and physical healthcare services and other programs offered by existing regional organizations.

“Emulating proven models around the country, we envision collaborative communities of affordable, modest homes where individuals and families can nurture a pathway to self-sufficiency,’’ Ronald said. “We hold as sacrosanct that all humans are worthy of dignity, respect and the opportunity to advance.

“Poverty puts constant pressure on people. Evidence points to inequities in our structural/societal systems, and lack of employment with a living wage, that inhibits human flourishing. Treat people with decency, remove barriers to opportunity and people will thrive.”

Grassroots campaign While TSC looks to acquire its 501 (c) (3) non-profit certification that will subsequently open the door to seek corporate, agency, state, federal and philanthropic funding in 2021, their grassroots efforts to cultivate early interest has already drawn a groundswell of support. As part of its goal to raise $10,000 in seed capital by the end of the year, TSC kicked off a Go Fund Me campaign in the fall that as of late November, had already seen more than $6,000 in private donations, which is being used to pay for part-time employees and the development of a digital marketing platform.

To help create a visible prototype for the initiative, Frederick, Md.-based architects and planners Seth Harry Continued on Page 54 www.ghlifemagazine.com | Winter 2020 | Greenville & Hockessin Life

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The Springboard Collaborative Continued from Page 53

and Associates have generously provided pro-bono conceptual drawings of the cottage community design.

As part of their extensive research, TSC studied examples of how the tiny home village concept has succeeded in other parts of the country. One of those is The Dwellings, a 139-unit development in Tallahassee, Fla. that provides a sustainable housing solution for individuals who are financially, socially, or institutionally disadvantaged. Developed by Connecting Everyone with Second Chances (CESC), The Dwellings provides residents with onsite case management, job placement, and medical and dental care, in partnership with approximately 40 local social service agencies.

Ronald said that The Dwellings is just one of many tiny home communities across the country that is paving the way for future developments like them.

“These organic models across the country have proven that they work, but the concept has not yet been standardized,” Ronald said. “Right now, there is a patchwork of solutions that are vetted and viable, and we fully believe that these efforts will continue to work with each other to create solvable solutions in the next few years.

There is no reason to believe that we will not be able to have an all-housed citizenry in Delaware, either through the interim solution or through the long-term villages.

“It’s not a question of ‘If.’ It is a question of ‘When,’” he added. “There is no reason that the co-op model we are developing in Delaware can’t eventually be replicated and expanded throughout the tri-state area.”

Perception vs. Reality

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Against the backdrop of the mighty aspirations the TSC has for the coming years, however, it is fighting an uphill battle against public perception of individuals experiencing homelessness and the stark reality of the economic hardships they endure. Sadly, a too-often common attitude toward the issue of homelessness is that it is the by-product of character flaws, and poor choices that are systemically passed from one generation to the next in a continuum of neglect.

In truth, however, the statistics speak otherwise. In its 2019 report on the State of Housing and Homelessness, Housing Alliance Delaware stated that: • There are only 38 available-affordable rental homes for every 100 extremely low income (ELI) renters in Delaware. A similar scarcity of housing exists even for low-moderate income families Continued on Page 56

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The Springboard Collaborative Continued from Page 54

•D elaware has the 17th highest two-bedroom rentalhousing wage in the U.S. • An estimated 3,500 Delawareans will experience homelessness at some point during the year; and • In 2018, 68 percent of those experiencing homelessness were homeless for the first time and as with seniors, homelessness is on the rise with single women and families with children.

“There is literally no housing product out there that is affordable for people who have only the financial means to devote 30 percent of their monthly income to rent,” said Judson Malone, a TSC board member and its director of project development. “We have been very diligent about how we’re going to bring our message to the general public. We will argue that the need to provide sufficient housing is a human rights issue, and the issue is not personal, but structural.

“People who are homeless are living a highly-traumatic life,” Malone added. “They have to get up in the morning and figure out where they are going to find food and where they will find a shower. Every day is a stressful day. Properly and humanely addressing that invites the need for what is called ‘Rapid Re-Housing,’ which operates on the belief of ‘find them decent housing first, and let them get their lives in order.’”

In preparation for the “rubber meets the road” year of 2021, the Ronalds, Malone and members of the TLC board have already held substantive discussions with representatives of the healthcare industry, elected officials and key stakeholders. As the head into the formal fundraising campaign next year, Ronald said that the selling points of establishing interim and long-term housing for the homeless in Delaware have already been demonstrated by economically viable communities across the country.

‘Housing is a fundamental human right’ “To a person, they have told us that for every dollar that goes into these initiatives, will yield five to ten dollars back into the community,” he said. “Beyond the humanitarian component, and beyond the fact that housing is a fundamental human right, there is a growing body of empirical evidence around the globe that demonstrates once someone has a roof over their head, they get a good night’s sleep. They become employees. They pursue education. They become a tax-paying member of society. There is less recidivism. There is less reliance on emergency services.

“The accumulated amalgam of research has proven 56

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The Springboard Collaborative Values that the overwhelming majority advance in their education, advance in their vocation, give back to society and create healthier and more vibrant communities.”

As Ronald begins the long journey to the day when he can see the labors of his collaborative efforts with other kind-hearted individuals to create that ‘springboard’ of opportunity for those less fortunate, he said he is constantly reminded of the words of his hero.

“As John Lewis put it, nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society,” he said.

Make your contribution to The Springboard Collaborative.

Visit “Fundraiser by Peter Ferris: Help Jeff Ronald establish Springboard as a 501c3” on GoFundMe. com. To learn more about The Springboard Collaborative, email jeff@the-springboard.org.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

Dignity: We are resolute that all are worthy of honor, respect and the basic necessities to live. We covet Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI); celebrating human diversity, practicing fair treatment and engaging all in the opportunity to advance Community: We believe social connectedness, engagement and support among residents of purpose built, co-op communities cultivates resilience and the ability for people to thrive; while fostering more vibrant towns, cities and neighborhoods Stewardship: With steadfast integrity and transparency, we hold our duty to serve the public good (i.e. socially, fiscally, ethically), and wisely invest the funds with which we are entrusted, as sacrosanct Excellence: Do it right, don’t cut corners, be data-driven, and relentlessly pursue quality in all we do Well-being: We believe everyone deserves access to supportive resources to optimize health, practice self-determination and pursue a satisfying life Innovation: We will harness evidence-based best practices and strive to improve upon current approaches by creating new products, processes and services

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