HOOVER FINANCIAL ADVISORS STAFF VOLUNTEERS AT CHESTER COUNTY FOOD BANK

Shown left to right at the Food Bank warehouse are: Gail Coxe; Kelly Hoover; Phil Gagliardi; Carol Olver; Pete Hoover; Jerry Fahey; Beth Hoover; and Tim Curvan.

It was a wonderful day for the Hoover Financial Advisors staff. Employees donated a day of service to work at the Food Bank’s new location on Pennsylvania Drive in Exton. Splitting into two shifts, the group repackaged vegetable, including onions, lettuce, beets, celery and cabbage. HFA adopted Chester County Food Bank as its charity of record last year. The Malvern-based financial planning company will hold a fundraising campaign this fall.

“Hoover Financial Advisors is a terrific asset to the efforts of the Chester County Food through its support in three-fold giving with food donations, monetary support and volunteering,” says Phoebe Kitson-Davis, manager for Agency and Community Partnerships. “HFA has hosted fund drives amongst its clients to strengthen giving for the Food Bank, packed food boxes in our warehouse, helped in our farm fields and held food drives. We are very appreciative. Hoover Financial Advisors is a true ambassador of the Chester County Food Bank.”

Penn State Child Abuse Scandal Fallout Continues

The fallout at Penn State continues.

In addition to Jerry Sandusky, JoePa, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, Mike McQueary and Graham Spanier, you can add Second Mile charity CEO Jack Raykovitz to the growing cast of characters.  Mr. Raykovitz resigned Sunday after 28 years at the helm.  So far all the victims were boys in the Second Mile program.  Second Mile has retained Philadelphia law firm Archer & Greiner as its counsel.

Mike McQueary, on paid administrative leave, is apparently consulting with the Harrisburg law firm of Strokoff and Cowden, who specialize in employment law.  McQueary received death threats and is reportedly in hiding.  

McQueary is being handled differently than the others because he is a witness in the case and he also may fall under Pennsylvania’s whistleblower law.  The law includes protection for the whistleblower against firing, demotion or punishment.  McQueary’s status under this law is still being determined.

Pottstown Crop Walk – October 9th

CROP HUNGER WALKS …….are community-wide events sponsored by Church World Service and organized by religious groups, businesses, schools and others to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world.  Come out and join us for this fun family event!  This year’s Crop Walk will be held on Oct. 9^th! 

If you cannot walk, please consider sponsoring a walker.  The walk itself is 1 or 6 miles.  This is a family event.  You can bring your baby in a stroller and you can even bring your dog.

For more information: https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/SPageServer?pagename=crop_main

Flea Market For Charity – Gilbertsville

Flea Market for Charity

Sponsored by NetWorks of TriCounty

When: October 15, 8am to 1pm

Where: FastPro Restoration, 1600 Swamp Pike, Gilbertsville PA 19525

Wanted: Shoppers  No experience necessary!!!

Vendors – call 215 256-6477 for space availability

(Rain date October 22, 2011)

Hanover Based Utz Quality Foods Celebrates 90th Anniversary By Giving Away $90,000

Image via Wikipedia

It is always gratifying to see corporations who remember their roots and care for the communities that helped make them what they are.  Utz Quality Foods, maker of Utz Potato Chips, is celebrating their 90^th anniversary and gave away $90,000 to nine Hanover organizations as a way to pay it forward in their community.

Tuesday afternoon, the representatives of the nine organizations gathered at Utz headquarters in Hanover to receive their checks and accept thanks from the Utz family for helping make their business the success it is today.  Utz is the largest independently owned and family owned snack manufacturer in the country.

The following organizations each received $10,000:

Hanover Area Family YMCA, the YWCA of Hanover, Adams-Hanover Counseling Services, the Visiting Nurse Association of Hanover and Spring Grove, UCP of South Central Pennsylvania, “Sweet Charities” cancer patient fund, Saint Matthew Lutheran Church organ fund, the Hanover Soccer Club and the Hanover Area Council of Churches.

Two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to Utz Quality Foods of Hanover for being a good corporate citizen.

Pottstown’s Hometown Holiday Charity Ball

By now many of you have seen the advertisements for Pottstown’s Hometown Holiday Celebration.  One component of this month-long celebration is a Christmas Costume Ball for charity.  The event will benefit PMMC’s pre-natal clinic.  The ball will be held at the Elk’s and there are only 225 tickets being offered for $40 per person or $70 per couple.

This all sounds wonderful and certainly donating to charity is always great.  The Borough of Pottstown made a $4000 donation to help defray the cost of entertainment.  An 11 piece band has been hired for the event.

The borough’s donation was made using money from Pottstown Area Rapid Transit’s promotions line item in their budget.  This was done at the discretion of the Borough Manager and did not go before council.  Councilor Rhoads asked about this at last night’s Committee of the Whole meeting as councilors were unaware of this donation when contacted before the meeting.

I am wondering how this donation promotes Pottstown Area Rapid Transit?  Do we expect to gain new riders for PART from those attending the ball?  Are there not better ways to have used this money to encourage people to “Take PART”?  A few well placed ads in the Mercury would have reached more people.  I suppose the other thing that puzzles me is why this money was not used toward the Pottstown 4th of July celebration that tens of thousands of area residents enjoy each year?  Would we not have gotten more “bang for our buck”, if we are trying to promote PART, at a huge event rather than a ball for 225 people?

If our goal was not necessarily to promote PART, but rather to give to charity, should this money have come from another source?  Hint: Tom Hylton likes to donate money.

$4000 is a blip on the transit budget for PART.  However, considering the fact the economy is trashed and we keep raising taxes and fees for services, should we not be better stewards of public funds? 

Public figures are just that, public figures.  People watch the decisions you make and follow your example.  Food for thought: Was this donation the best use of money from the transit budget?  You may want to consider that possibility if a similiar situation arises in the future.