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Chester CountyPRESS
www.chestercounty.com
Covering Avon Grove, Chadds Ford, Kennett Square, Oxford, & Unionville Areas
Volume 151, No. 35
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Attorney’s cell tower presentation met with continued opposition By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
60 Cents
A new school year arrives with smiles and hugs
It began with a simple invitation and subsequently, a PowerPoint presentation. It ended as a scuffle of opposition, brought to light by a conglomeration of locals intent on finding an alternate location for a proposed 125-foot-high telecommunications facility that would, if built, improve cell phone service in a pocket of Landenberg that needs it. Scheduled and moderated by attorney Christopher H. Schubert of Riley, Riper, Hollin & Colagreco at the New Garden Township building on Aug. 22, the meeting was intended to serve as question-and-answer session between representaPhoto by Richard L. Gaw tives from Eco-Site, Inc. and Members of Concerned Citizens from Landenberg T-Mobile, and more than 60 voiced their displeasure about the proposed construcresidents, most of whom are tion of a cell tower, before a public meeting held at the Continued on Page 3A
New Garden Township building on Aug. 24. Photo by John Chambless
Now teaching its second class
2017 Mushroom Festival Guide
KACS launches Getting Ahead program to assist those experiencing poverty By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer
There is a classroom in the Kennett Area Community Service building on West Cedar Street in Kennett A new winery tastSquare where, for two-anding room will open in Toughkenamon …...... 1B a-half hours every week for 16 weeks, a group of individuals whose dreams in life seem at the moment to be unattainable, are both informed and inspired. Beginning with its first Getting Ahead class last fall and now in its second
semester, a group of KACS facilitators are helping local residents from all walks of life improve their overall quality of life, giving them the tools and the resources to do so. Launched as a hands-on companion to the national Bridges Out of Poverty initiative created by aha! Process, Inc., the Getting Ahead program at KACS serves to address poverty in the community, and empowers individuals to lift themselves from need to self-sustainability.
Introduced to the United States 15 years ago, Bridges Out of Poverty now counts KACS among its 200 participating agencies in the U.S., Europe, Central America and Canada. “As an agency, we looked at our data in 2014 and realized that part of our obligation, since we engage people in poverty, was to offer residents a pathway out of poverty,” said KACS Executive Director Melanie Weiler. “We began
New dresses and school gear were part of the first day.
By John Chambless Staff Writer With a hint of autumn in the air, students across Chester County returned to classrooms and fall routines on Monday morning. At Chadds Ford Elementary School, the mix of smiles and nervousness, new backpacks and shiny shoes was much the same as at every other school. For principal Shawn Dutkiewicz, welcoming the school’s 350 students was a chance to make a good first impression and set the tone for the year. For the youngest students, meeting the school mascot at the front door for a hand slap or a hug was a friendly way to start the day. Others grinned as they leaped up for a high-five with band director Ken Miller when they got off the bus. A few parents took quick photos of their children as they headed through the doors, while the school’s drone hovered overhead for a high-tech overview of the first day of school. Crisp new outfits ranged from puffy dresses to a blue blazer – all of which got a smile and a compliment from Dutkiewicz or other staff members. Continued on Page 9B
Continued on Page 2A
Love is medicine at Camp Dreamcatcher Kennett beats Avon Grove 25-23 …... 4B
Volunteers make the Mushroom Festival happen ….. 6A
INDEX Opinion........................7A Calendar of Events......2B Obituaries..................3B Classifieds..................6B
© 2007 The Chester County Press
By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer Love is medicine. The short but powerful message was written on a Post-It note and placed among dozens of other positive messages on a special board that was set up at Camp Dreamcatcher this year. According to Patty Hillkirk, the founder and executive director of the organization, the board of favorable notes was a small way to encourage the 122 children who attended this year’s camp, which took place at Camp Saginaw in Oxford from Aug. 19 to 26. There is a lot of turmoil and negativity in the world, but at Camp Dreamcatcher, more than 230 volunteers, medical personnel, professionals, and community members work to ensure that the camp is an oasis of safety amid all the turmoil and negativity. So positive messages? Yes, they will be posted. Love is medicine. Hillkirk, a trained psychotherapist, founded Camp
Dreamcatcher in 1995 to help children who were either HIV-positive themselves or who had close family members who were HIV-positive. Children who find themselves in these circumstances are often afraid, sad, or angry. They can face other issues, too, like bullying, community violence, and poverty. Hillkirk wanted to create a camp that offered a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where children could express their feelings of fear, sadness, and anger. So for each of the last 22 summers, children from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region have come together for this unique, week-long camp that blends the fun and friendships of a traditional summer camp with a variety of therapeutic and educational programs aimed at helping the children overcome their challenges and mature into happy, productive adults. Many of the children at camp come back year after year to see their friends. The counselors and leaders-in-
Photo courtesy Dan Fineberg
Brealey, the camp therapy dog, was quite popular with this year’s campers.
training at the camp stay in touch with the youngsters throughout the year, offering support and friendship. The camp has grown into one, big extended family. “Camp always feels like home,” said Karim, 15, who is looking to transition from being a camper to being one
of the leaders-in-training. “Everybody is family here. We look at each other as brothers and sisters.” That’s no exaggeration. As one of the older campers, Karim said that he takes it upon himself to work with the younger children at camp so that they learn that
it’s important to help each other—the way that an older sibling might work with a younger sibling. The camp offers plenty of time for children to bond with their counselors and with each other, and those bonds are strengthened year after year. Continued on Page 2A