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These Pennsbury High School senior athletes gathered recently with their coaches, counselors, family members, and administrators in the PHS-TV studios to announce plans to play their respective sports in college in the fall of 2012.
From left, Ann Herman, who will run cross country for Cornell University; J.J. Denman, who signed to play football for Rutgers University; and Stephanie Fischer, who will play soccer for Holy Family University. Congratulations to these accomplished athletes!
by Fran Miller
We’ve all heard of Eagle Scouts, those rare top achievers in the Boy Scouts. But how many of you are aware that the Girl Scouts have a similar, if not even more demanding top category?
Welcome to Girl Scout Gold, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, awarded to only about six percent of all Girl Scouts. Seven local girls received this lofty award on January 29th in a special honors ceremony at the Morrisville United Methodist Church.
The ceremony included local political luminaries US Congressman Michael Fitzpatrick, State Representative Steve Santarsiero, and the Mayor of Morrisville, Rita Ledger, as well as the Lower Makefield Board of Supervisors, Commanders of the VFW, American Legion, and Elks, representatives of the Makefield Women’s Association and the Bucks County Women’s Advocacy Coalition, as well as leaders from Girl Scouts of Eastern PA Council and the Oakville Girl Scouts Service Unit.
Both Congressman Fitzpatrick and State Rep. Santarsiero noted that they had never before been invited to attend a Gold Ceremony and were less aware of the requirements for Girl Scout Gold Awards than they were of the Boy Scouts Eagle Award. As an added honor, Congressman Fitzpatrick cited the girls’ achievements on the floor of the US House of Representatives on February 1st.
After completing numerous prerequisites each candidate for Girl Scout Gold must research and select a community need on which her project will focus. Each approved project must constitute at least 80 hours and the Girl Scout must serve in a leadership role to create and implement the project. The project must become a sustained effort that can move forward to assist the community and the Girl Scout must recruit and train a team of volunteers to assist the project.
The seven Girl Scouts, six of whom are high school juniors and one a senior, are all members of the Oakville Service Unit Ambassador Troop 21292 and all attend Pennsbury High School.
Christine DiPierro’s project, “Food From the Farm,” focused on organic sustainable farming, and included learning first-hand about planting, tending and harvesting organic produce. The Lower Makefield resident worked with Snipes Farm and Education Center and the families of the Community Supported Agriculture Group (CSA). She researched and assembled over a dozen recipes, which were then printed into a recipe booklet, and included in the CSA newsletter.
submitted by Dr. Maria DiDonato, D.Ed. Psychologist, Achievement & Wellness Center, www.achievewell.net
Lily, (not her real name), was bouncing on the sofa much like a trampoline. She was probably one of the most ADHD children I had encountered. Her response to my questioning look was “I do this all the time.” Her mother, looking spent, nodded in agreement.
Lily stopped bouncing long enough for me to attach an electrode and ear clips to begin her first neurofeedback session. That was her last bouncing session ever. She began responding to the brainwave biofeedback immediately. She calmed down, became less hyperactive and began to focus more.
Of course, sessions needed to be repeated twice weekly to recruit and “strengthen” more desirable neural pathways. Gradually, her hyperactivity and inattentiveness with her behaviors were brought under control. As time progressed, learning issues were indicated. We followed with an evaluation and a quantitative electroencephalogram (qEEG). The new information gave us a clearer picture of the imbalances of the brainwaves and the connectivity problems between different areas of the brain.
Gradually, as her learning issues were addressed, academic success was being realized. Emotional issues that began to surface during the course of treatment were also addressed, and she was gradually growing into a responsible and successful student.
Lily was a complex case. She first came to treatment for ADHD as an alternative to psycho-stimulants. These behaviors were not her only area of concern. Beneath the layer of inattentive hyperactive behaviors, there were learning and emotional concerns that a systematic process of neurofeedback was able to address to improve this young lady’s life.
Due to the commitment to neurofeedback treatment by mother and daughter, Lily is happy and very successful today. Neurofeedback is an effective modality that treats attention, hyperactivity, learning and emotional problems. It is a drug-free treatment that successfully trains the brain to produce the more desirable brainwaves in order to improve behaviors, cognitive skills, and emotional balance.
submitted by Tom Wells, founder of Thomas G. Wells Construction, www.tgw-construction.com
Assisted living facilities do a fine job in our area. And, for some elderly people with serious physical conditions, there really is no choice. But as numerous surveys have shown, the vast majority of “seniors” prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as they can.
One way to do this is to make thoughtful, senior-friendly modifications like installing strategically placed hand grips, walk-in showers, or stair lifts. We’ve made such modifications to homes many times, and I will have a lot more to say about them in this space in the future.
This month, however, I’d like to discuss what may be the ultimate “aging-in-place” modification: creating or adding an in-law suite. Certainly this is something children of an aging parent might consider. But it’s also something the soon-to-be aging person might think about for his or her own home.
I know of an individual who was in exactly that situation. In a nutshell, the man’s wife had died and, anticipating the future, he decided to transform his home’s garage into an entirely self-sufficient in-law suite. That was to be Step One.
Step Two was to sell his home to his daughter and her husband for some nominal amount, with the implicit assumption that they would offer the necessary “assistance” for in-home assisted living as he aged. In the meantime, he would be free to cook and eat on his own and to come and go as he pleased.
I also know of many situations that have worked in reverse: adult children, seeing that their parents are failing, add an in-law suite to their home. Sometimes they modify a portion of the first floor. Sometimes they have an external concrete pad poured and then build a structure on it with access to the main home, and sometimes they transform an existing garage.
(Note that it doesn’t have to be the entire garage. A single bay may offer all the space that is needed. Everything depends on the specific situation.)
Formally attired Rotarians will be serving a gourmet breakfast on Saturday, March 3rd, at the Morrisville United Methodist Church at 501 West Maple Avenue, Morrisville.
A breakfast choice of either Eggs Benedict or Gourmet Quiche, garnished with steamed asparagus, fresh pineapple and strawberries, will be served along with endless cups of coffee and juice.
The cost is $8 per person and tickets can be obtained from any member of the Morrisville-Yardley Area Rotary Club or by calling Ted Fletcher at 215-736-2286.
Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Come anytime between 8:30am and 11:00am and enjoy a friendly ecumenical get-together.
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-Bucks, recently announced that Lower Makefield Township has received a $85,901 grant and Yardley Borough has received a $4,094 grant as a reward for recycling performance and as an incentive to improving recycling rates.
“I commend these communities for the work they do to protect and improve our environment,” Steve said. “In addition, local recycling programs such as these help create jobs and support an industry that is an important part of Pennsylvania’s economy.”
According to DEP, there are 3,803 recycling-related businesses and 52,316 recycling-related jobs in the commonwealth. The businesses have an annual payroll of $2.2 billion.
Lower Makefield Township’s grant was based on the community recycling 4,130 tons in 2009 and its population.
Yardley’s grant was based on the community recycling 240.4 tons in 2009 and its population.
The grants were awarded under the Recycling Performance Grant Program of Act 101 of 1988.
by Robin Prestage
Those approaching retirement and wondering how to spend their new-found leisure time might want to take a page, or two or three, from the playbook of Harold “Hal” Long, the first winner of our Volunteer of the Month award.
To describe the 74-year-old Lower Makefield resident as active in community life is an understatement; his volunteer resume embraces his church, neighborhood, service organizations and choral groups. A soft-spoken Midwesterner (Indiana-born and an engineering alumnus of Purdue), Hal is “a very special person,” says Kathy Sharp, executive director of Reach Out Foundation (ROF) of Bucks County, a Penndel-based drop-in center for those with emotional and mental health issues.
“He is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need,” writes Kathy in her nomination of Hal for this award.
He is a member of the organization’s advisory board, helps ROF with fundraising and putting together brochures and other promotional and advertising materials.
Most every year he and his wife Wanda go to a group home in Morrisville for a Christmas party and gift exchange. Then he leads the singing of Christmas carols.
“He never thinks twice about helping in all parts of the community. It is a great pleasure to know him and work with him,” Kathy says.
Hal and Wanda have a son, daughter and an eight-year-old granddaughter. The terraced rear garden of their home on Lakeview Drive overlooks historic Silver Lake, one of two Makefield lakes. As president of the Makefield Lakes Preservation Association, a nonprofit group of local homeowners, Hal has been active in restoration and fundraising for lake dredging and dam repairs.
Landscaping and building maintenance projects are also among Hal’s achievements at Morrisville United Methodist Church, where he is a member of the Trustee and Finance committees and a long-time member of the Chancel Choir. Currently he is part of a capital improvement campaign committee to raise funds needed for a new roof and other improvements.
submitted by Michael Garry, CFP®, JD/MBA, Yardley Wealth Management, LLC
Disability insurance is probably the most overlooked of all of the necessary insurances. People generally either have it at work or they don’t have it. Few buy it on their own because it costs a lot of money and most people don’t become disabled.
I got a letter from one of our doctors earlier this month that put its importance in focus for me. He has health issues and it has forced him to sell his practice. He is my age, lives in the area, and has a family. The letter explained the situation and asked us to go to the doctor who bought his practice.
Even if he had disability insurance, their lives just got a whole lot harder. If he didn’t have it, they could be facing a really rough road. What would you do if you could no longer earn a living? Would you be okay? Would your family?
Generally you are limited to purchasing 60% to 66 2/3% of your gross income. That is so that you don’t make more money by being disabled than you would by working. As you can imagine, that might give some people the wrong incentive.
Group policies are generally cheaper than individual policies, so if you can get one at work, that’s probably your best option. If that isn’t an option, maybe you can try to get it through an affinity group of some sort.
As an example, I have a policy through a plan that covers a group of financial planners to which I belong. If you or anyone else is dependent on your income, and you don’t have enough assets to retire, please check into your disability insurance coverage.
The Artists of Yardley (AOY) Art Center is located on historic Patterson Farm at 949 Mirror Lake Road in Yardley just off the Newtown exit of I-95. AOY is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that is dedicated to nurturing the creative spirit of the community.
They offer classes, workshops, presentations, social art gatherings and trips that encourage individuals of all ages to experience, appreciate, enjoy and share in the arts. Their instructors are teaching artists and have state clearances.
Summer art camps have become a popular success that finishes with a show of kids and “tweens” art at the end of summer. Their camps offer a diverse variety of art-related activities for boys and girls ages five to 18. This year, camps start June 18th with morning and afternoon sessions each week.
Classes for children and adults take place in fall, winter and spring sessions. AOY conducts 10 or more monthly workshops for both aspiring and professional artists. Every Monday night, there is an open life drawing/painting session from 6:30pm to 9:30pm with clothed or nude models for $12 per sitting.
Sponsored art shows for 2012 include a photography show, their first annual juried show, and the Annual Member Art Show where art scholarships are awarded to three Pennsbury eighth graders.
The AOY Studio Tour is a much anticipated fall event with a self-guided visit of local artists’ studios. In September they will repeat the wonderful success of Harvest Night and in November host the ever-popular Hand Crafted Gift Show, bake sale, chance auction.
The Pennsbury Scholarship Foundation (PSF), in its 56th year of existence, has awarded over $2.1 million in scholarships to more than 1,250 Pennsbury graduates.
The first superintendent and driving force of the Pennsbury Schools, Medill Bair, brought together a group of local business and community leaders to plan for a foundation that would perpetuate yearly scholarships. His desire to help Pennsbury graduates with the cost of post-high school training led to the formation of PSF in l956. This turned out to be very timely because just a year later the launch by the Soviet Union of the first man-made satellite pointed to the need for the American education system to do a better job, especially in science.
In 1957, its first year of awarding scholarships, PSF distributed $2,850 in student aid to six Pennsbury graduates. In 2011, scholarships totaling $100,000 were awarded to 52 Pennsbury graduates.
PSF awards scholarships based equally on four criteria: character, leadership, academic achievement, and financial need. All scholarships are awarded as one-half grant and one-half zero-interest loan repayable after the recipient leaves college. These scholarships are possible because of income from the PSF’s endowments and low-risk investments; repayment of zero-interest loans by former recipients; gifts made in honor or memory of loved ones by friends, family, and community members; as well as gifts from businesses, organizations and the Pennsbury School District Parent Teachers Organization, Education Association, Administrators and Supervisors Association, and Educational Support Personnel Association.
Besides tax-deductible contributions, stock transfers, bequests, memorials, and honorariums in any amount, donors may also create new namesake scholarships. Twenty-eight namesake scholarships will be awarded in 2012 in memory of 25 former community members, including 12 graduates of PHS. In this way, families keep the spirit and memory of loved ones alive while helping students achieve their post high school educational goals.
