Chester’s Mentoring Initiative

November 2022

Members shared the following updates:

  • Tosha Little, Coordinator for Delaware County Housing Authority, is looking for partners to run regular programming at the Fairgrounds, especially for the 101 families with children there. Please contact ToshaL@dcha1.org or +1 (610) 490-6251 if interested.

  • Brittani Hales is now Community Engagement Specialist for the Delaware County Planning Department, and has the ability to make ice skating accessible at no charge. Please contact her at riverRink@co.delaware.pa.us or at 267-338-5760 if interested.

  • Stephanie Scappa of Chester Education Foundation announced that high schoolers are being encouraged to take on after-school jobs helping teachers at the lower schools. Please contact her at sscappa@chestereducation.org if interested. www.chestereducation.org.

  • James Robert of Family Promise invited all to an Open House on December 10 from 1-4PM at 245 Upland Road, Brookhaven. He can be reached at (484) 480-6756 and fpdelcodirector@gmail.com.

  • Katrina Robinson, Assistant Director Experiential Learning at Widener University, is looking for co-op work opportunities for students in a variety of disciplines. She can be reached at Krrobinson2@widener.edu and 610-499-4509.

  • Gerry Gonzalez of Child Guidance Resource Center invited all to the Dec 14 Zoom meeting of the Delco Area Resource Network. He can be reached at ggonzalez@cgrc.org for access.

  • Tyra Virden is new in the Center for Nonprofit Excellence at the Foundation for Delaware County, whose grant cycle opens December 30 and who is opening up an affinity group for black-led non-profit leaders. Please contact her at tvirden@delcofoundation.org.

  • Jeannine Anckaitis shared that Longwood Gardens’ STEAM Challenge provides 6th – 12th grade students the opportunity to develop a food truck theme using a base ingredient that they could grow in their garden, and to win a prize that will benefit their community.  The application is due February 10. 2023. Request more information at schoolandyouth@longwoodgardens.org or by calling 610-388-5377.

  • Michelle Niedermeier shared a scholarship opportunity: Pollution Prevention Challenge for Students. Through a new storytelling challenge, high school and college students can win up to $5,000 by telling pollution prevention stories. For more information, please email guthrie.christina@epa.gov.

  • Michelle also shared the 2022 NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest. Students in grades K-8 can submit their artwork (electronically or by mail) now through December 16, 2022 that answers the questions: How does marine debris impact the oceans and Great Lakes? What are you doing to help prevent marine debris? Please reach out to Demi (demi.fox@noaa.gov) with any questions. https://marinedebris.noaa.gov/annual-noaa-marine-debris-program-art-contest-and-calendar

Our featured speakers represented Chester Community Solar Project, a coalition of students and community members focused on the installation of solar panels and the creation of green-energy jobs through solar-installation training and workshops in Chester, PA. The group’s first installment in Chester will be at the Ruth Bennett Community Farm.

The group is seeking students and adults to learn more and to do apprenticeships. Nolan Fontaine said, “Apprenticeships lead to employment lead to entrepreneurship lead to wealth-building.”

Ariza Nanji explained that the project is supported by https://re-volv.org/ , “a climate justice nonprofit that helps nonprofits in underserved communities across the country go solar, while raising awareness about equitable climate solutions, and training the next generation of clean energy leaders.” She shared that in Philadelphia, solar panels were installed to support an outdoor charging station that serves for a community gathering place and facilitates the use of an outdoor classroom.

To learn more, email ananji1@swarthmore.edu.