Community Briefs: Delaware County Sheriff’s office earns law enforcement accreditation

MEDIA – Delaware County Council commends the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, under the leadership of Sheriff Jerry Sanders Jr., for earning a unanimous vote for accreditation by the Pennsylvania Law
Enforcement Accreditation Commission of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.
Accreditation is awarded to only a small percentage of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, who exhibit strong leadership and professionalism. This is the third time that the Sheriff’s office has earned this Distinction since 2018.
To determine if a law enforcement agency will be awarded accreditation, the Commission conducts a thorough analysis to determine if the office’s current policies comply with the program’s 139 standards, and on-site reviews of agency files are conducted by trained assessors to ensure compliance with those standards.
Law enforcement accreditation is considered a progressive and time-proven method of helping law enforcement agencies evaluate and improve their overall performance by adopting high standards and professional objectives. Accreditation often improves law enforcement/community relations; increases employee input, interaction, and confidence in the agency; reduces agency risk and exposure to lawsuits; decreases liability insurance expenditures; extends agency accountability to the public and elected officials; encourages problem-solving activities within the agency; identifies and highlights the capabilities and competence of the agency; and furnishes a solid foundation for the agency to build upon for further progress.

In all, over 375 agencies have enrolled since the program’s inception in 2001, and only 131 agencies currently maintain accredited status — including just six sheriff’s offices in the State and eight of 51 law enforcement agencies in Delaware County.
The Delaware County’s Sheriff’s Office’s accreditation was announced during the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association’ annual banquet in July. Accreditation status will remain valid for a three-year period with annual reports required.

Churches, organizations and individuals needed to continue Thanksgiving ministry

The First Presbyterian Church of Glenolden, 2 S. Chester Pike, Glenolden, is seeking to partner with other churches, community organizations, and local individuals this year on their annual Thanksgiving Meal Ministry to better serve the community.
For the past 28 years, with the support of many in the community, from all over Delaware County, the Meal Ministry was able to deliver thousands of meals on Thanksgiving Day. Last year, even in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the Thanksgiving Meal Ministry mailed out hundreds of $25 grocery gift cards to those in need and delivered frozen turkeys to larger families. This way, those in need could go to the grocery store and prepare a holiday meal for themselves. Those who could not prepare a meal, were given a Thanksgiving Day meal from a local diner. The church plans to follow the same program for this year.
The church is asking churches, community organizations and individuals to help this year by donating $25 gift cards to a grocery store, helping to make phone calls to clients to assess needs, addressing envelopes, adopting a family and providing them with a complete dinner, adopting ten individuals or less and providing them with $25 gift cards, making a donation to the First Presbyterian Church’s Thanksgiving Ministry, providing a frozen turkey, helping to pick up a dinner on Thanksgiving and delivering it to a recipient, being a spokesperson to groups about the ministry, distributing flyers about the event, and/or helping to deliver frozen turkeys the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20, beginning at 10 a.m.
To help in any of these ways, contact organizer Debbie Hadden at 610-437-7442.

Car and truck show, flea market planned at Arasapha Farm Saturday

Arasapha Farm, 1835 Middletown Road, Glen Mills, will present a Car, Truck, Motorcycle, Big Rig and Tractor Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11. Cost is $20 per vehicle. Dash plaques will be available to the first 100 vehicles. In addition to the car show, the event, sponsored by Brothers Pizza and Saloon 151, will feature a flea market, 50/50 raffle, DJ and Kona Ice truck.
Cost of table rental is $30. For information, contact Nicole Bates at 484-250-1094 or batesmobilex@yahoo.com or visit http://www.arasaphafarm.com.

New East Lansdowne principal rolls out red carpet for returning students

New Principal Dr. Nakia Williams and her staff welcomed students at East Lansdowne Elementary School, 401 Emerson Ave., East Lansdowne, Wednesday, Sept. 8, with red carpet fanfare.
East Lansdowne Borough police officers and firefighters were on hand to welcome students back for full-capacity, full-time instruction for the first time since schools shut down because of the COVID pandemic. Neighbors surrounding the school stood on their porches, cheering students as they walk by on their way to school. As students arrived, the principal, faculty, and staff welcomed them back to school, by escorting them down a red carpet. They were greeted by music, dancing, games, balloons, decorations, continental breakfast and other school-wide events.
Williams’ appointment as principal of East Lansdowne Elementary School was approved by the William Penn School District School Board on Aug. 11. She was officially introduced to the East Lansdowne community at the back to school kick-off.

Glenolden Community Day features music, food and family fun

Glenolden Parks and Recreation will host its annual Community Day celebration, noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18 at Glenolden Park, Knowles and Llanwellyn Aves. The family fun day will feature music, craft vendors, inflatables for kids, beer garden, and more, plus food vendors that will include local favorites Cedar Craft & Kitchen and Bambistro.. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 19.
The day is being sponsored by Shop Rite and RCN, as well as Fainting Goat, ProAction Restoration, KO Roofing, Stirling Service, McCausland, Garrity, Marchesani Funeral Home, Perfect Degree HVAC, Cleaver Cable Construction, Pfaff Brothers Construction, Stantec Engineering, Kevin Lyons Funeral Services, Efficient Air Conditioning & Heating, Suburban Materials Co., and Stantec Engineering.
The 4th of July Association’s fireworks display will follow at the Interboro Athletic Complex, to cap off the full day of celebration and fun. For more information, visit the “Glenolden Parks and Recreation” Facebook page.

Lima Church volunteers help to build house for tornado victims

Lima United Methodist Church, 209 N. Middletown Road, Middletown, behind The Promenade at Granite Run, is partnering with Help Build Hope to frame out a house in one weekend, Sept 24-26, for shipment to Habitat for Humanity to help a family in need.
Volunteers will cut the lumber on Friday afternoon and assemble the walls on Saturday.  This volunteer opportunity is open to the community and all skill levels are welcome. Volunteers will be fed breakfast and lunch on Saturday.
On Sunday, the church will bless the framed-out house and disassemble it for loading onto a flatbed truck, for transport to its destination in LaGrange, Georgia, where the walls will be used to rebuild a Habitat for Humanity house that was destroyed by a tornado in April.
For more information, visit http://helpbuildhope.com or call church secretary Christina Ayoub at 610-566-7109.

PRC offers free recycling webinar

Individuals living throughout Pennsylvania are invited to take part in the Pennsylvania Resources Council’s (PRC) free “Recycling & Waste Reduction” webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 14, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.  The online workshop will answer common questions surrounding recycling issues such as curbside collection, hard-to-recycle materials and pharmaceutical disposal.
According to PRC Education Program Coordinator Nancy Martin, “Participants are always surprised to hear me say the words ‘When in doubt, throw it out,’ but people should not place their K-cups, yogurt containers, takeout clamshells and many other plastic items in a recycling bin.”
While the Recycling & Waste Reduction webinar is free, pre-registration is required by visiting www.prc.org/programs/webinars or e-mailing nancym@prc.org. PRC is recognized as a state and national leader in waste reduction and recycling. PRC conservation workshop webinars are sponsored by Green Mountain Energy.
To learn more about PRC’s various programs and collection events, visit http://www.prc.org

Readers can send community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at pdegrassa@21st-centurymedia.com.