Golden Apple Gala 2015

Preparations have begun for the 2015 Golden Apple Gala!  Excitement is building for Pottstown’s premier fundraiser benefitting the Pottstown Area Seniors’ Center.  Commit now to insure your organization receives maximum exposure for your support, and reserve your seats early before they sell out!  Last year’s event was a huge success, and we have moved to a larger venue this year to make sure we have enough seating.

Event details:

Date/Time:               March 14, 2015,  6:30 – 10:30

Location:                 Brookside Country Club, Pottstown

Dress:                       Black Tie Optional

Entertainment:       Swing Kings Dance Band

Cali, 18-Year-Old Jaguar At Elmwood Park Zoo In Norristown, Has Died

NORRISTOWN, PA — The Elmwood Park Zoo announced the passing of Cali (pronounced “kah-lee”), an 18-year-old female jaguar, on Wednesday. She had been receiving chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with lymphoma in the fall of 2013. Zoo staff witnessed a substantial decline in Cali’s condition and made the decision to euthanize her Wednesday morning.

The jaguar, named after the Hindu Goddess Kali and whose name means “the black one,” was unlike typical spotted jaguars. Cali’s unique black coat was caused by melanism, a common condition among felines that is caused by an excess of the black pigment, melanin.

Cali was born at the Marion Nature Park in Ocala, Fla. on Sept. 19, 1995. She arrived at the Elmwood Park Zoo on Jan. 1, 1996. Cali was paired with Anasazi, Elmwood Park Zoo’s 2-year-old spotted male jaguar.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/lifestyle/20140710/cali-18-year-old-jaguar-at-elmwood-park-zoo-in-norristown-has-died

Alvernia University On The Rise

English: Alvernia University Category:Alvernia University Category:University logos (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Dr. Thomas F. Flynn took over the presidency at Alvernia University in 2005, the future looked bright.

The university was growing rapidly, and officials were putting together an aggressive plan to expand the campus in the next decade.

Then the recession hit in 2008, just as the university began not only its strategic plan, but its first comprehensive capital campaign.

Despite the challenges of the past five years, Alvernia flourished and moved forward faster with its plans than anyone expected.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=446239

New Church In Limerick Recycles Sacred Objects From Closed Parishes

Location of Limerick Township in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As construction was winding down at the new Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church building in Limerick, Jack Schmidt sneaked in to get a glimpse of his past.

The retired Peco worker had grown up in West Kensington as a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church, which closed in 2006 and which was demolished last year.

But inside Blessed Teresa was a 37-foot-high reminder of the years Schmidt, 71, served as an altar boy, attended Boy Scout meetings, and went to school in the Philadelphia parish.  St. Boniface’s towering white marble altar had found a new home at the Montgomery County Church.

“It was a good feeling just knowing that St. Boniface was not completely gone,” said Schmidt, of Clifton Heights, Delaware County.

Read more:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/religion/20121203_New_church_in_Limerick_recycles_sacred_objects_from_closed_parishes.html

$1.2 Million Capital Campaign Kicks Off For Pottstown Senior Center Renovations

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN — A new home for the Pottstown Area Senior Center having been secured, a $1.2 million capital campaign is now under way to pay for the renovations needed to convert the former Pottstown Athletic Club on Moser Road into a state-of-the-art senior center.

Purchased in February for $550,000, the building has several floors, but plans for senior center renovations are focused on the ground floor, which can be accessed from behind the building and is level with the 92 parking spaces that come along with the property.

The purchase of the building was made possible as the result of a $100,000 grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, said Executive Director Brad Fuller.

He said the next phase is aimed at renovations needed to open the center by next August, when the lease at the YMCA  on North Adams Street, where the center is currently located, expires.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20121105/NEWS01/121109839/-1-2m-capital-campaign-kicks-off-for-pottstown-senior-center-renovations&pager=full_story

Pottstown Senior Center Finds New Home

Image via Wikipedia

Editor’s note:  We are glad that the Senior Center will stay in the borough of Pottstown where it belongs.  Furthermore, we are happy to see the former Pottstown Health Club building be reoccupied before it turns into a blighted property!  A win-win by all accounts!

POTTSTOWN, PA — After years of searching, the Pottstown Area Senior Center has finally found a new home: the former Pottstown Health Club site on Moser Road.

It was 1997 when the decision was made to leave the senior center’s former downtown home, the former Eagles building, and move into space in the expanded YMCA.

But a decade later, with both organizations growing, both needed more space.  And so the search began.

Locations investigated included the former East Penn AAA building on South Hanover and South Street and the former Dames Chevrolet dealership on High Street, as well as the former Giant supermarket, former Super-Fresh (now site of Wawa) and St. Pius X High School.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/article/20120115/NEWS01/120119806/pottstown-senior-center-finds-new-home