Chester County Land Trust Receives over 600 Acres of Ancient Land

Close to 675 acres of ecologically vital woodlands and wetland in the Chester County Great Marsh has been given to French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust by The Nature Conservancy. The organization will monitor and maintain the property, while working on opening a portion as a preserve sometime next year.

The land is located in the upper reaches of the Brandywine and French Creek watersheds, and contains some of the cleanest water in the county. This move represents just a part of The Nature Conservancy’s plan to transfer land it currently owns nationwide to local land conservation organizations.

“We are pleased to transfer the Edward Woolman Preserve at Great Marsh property to French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust as they are in the ideal position to protect and manage the Marsh now and into the future,” said Liz Johnson, Director of Ecological Management for the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Vanguard Celebrates 20 Years of Success for its “Sponsor-A-Child” Program

As part of its annual “Sponsor-A-Child” program, Vanguard volunteers will bring smiles to over 2,000 local children by donating gifts through Delaware Valley Children’s Charities. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the program which has donated over $250,000 in holiday gifts to over 30,000 deserving children since its inception.

The event will take place on December 3, from 8 to 10 a.m. at Vanguard’s warehouse at 400 Devon Park Drive in Wayne. Joanne Dollarton, Vanguard Principal and the Sponsor-A-Child Program lead will open the event with words of thanks and encouragement, after which the gift sorting and loading will begin.

Vanguard employees spend the two final months of the year collecting monetary donations and volunteering their time to help shop and gift-wrap items to fulfill the wish list requests of children in need. Vanguard’s donations are then distributed through the DVCC to nearly fifty human service agencies and organizations, schools and churches.

To get a better idea of the program, watch this Mainline Media video from 2012:

A Statement on Actions Relating to the State Budget Impasse to be Issued Today

During the Commissioners’ Meeting that will be held later today, the Chester County Commissioners will issue a formal statement relating to actions that the County will take to mitigate the effects of the on-going State budget impasse.

A copy of the statement will be made available for distribution following the Commissioners’ Meeting.

27th West Chester Charity Ball to Benefit the Friends Association

For the past 27 years, a benefit gala at the West Chester Golf & Country Club in the borough of West Chester has been organized by a volunteer committee to help those in dire need.

Over 250 are expected to follow the tradition this year and welcome in the holiday season while supporting the mission of the Friends Association in preventing and ending family homelessness in Chester County.

The Master of Ceremonies during the December 5th event will be TV host, actress, and model Kim Alexis, while the whole occasion will be filled with live music, dancing, great food and beverages, a caricature artist, jewelry raffle and additional activities.

Glenda K. Brion is to be this year’s 2015 Friend of the Community Award honoree.

In addition to the entertainment, silent and live auctions will be a key part of the event in order to raise funds for the Friends Association. If you are interested in bidding on this year’s silent auction click here.