Kennett Square Life Fall/Winter 2022

Kennett Square Life Fall/Winter 2022

Letter from the Editor:

In his story titled “From farm to your front door,” writer Ken Mammarella explores how Kennett entrepreneurs Kevin Quinlan and Barb McCoy created Logical Living and JJ Produce Box, which deliver fresh produce and other items to local residents. That’s just one story in this issue of Kennett Square Life that illustrates how diverse and dynamic the Kennett Square community is.

Kennett Square resident Erin Bobo overcame personal injuries through the work of myofascial release therapy. Writer Richard L. Gaw takes a look at how she now takes what restored her health and provides the same healing art to horses throughout Chester County and beyond.

The Bethany Presbyterian Church in the tiny Mendenhall section of Kennett Township will be marking its 125th anniversary in the fall of 2024. Their newest pastor is Mwat Asedeh, a Nigerian native who officially started in August. Bringing in the 35-year-old Asedeh full time is part of a greater plan to breathe new life into the church, Natalie Smith writes in her story about how the church members have embraced the enthusiastic new pastor.

Gene Pisasale, a local historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square, offers a look at the history and the contributions of the Kennett Symphony.

In this issue of Kennett Square Life, you’ll also meet Marta Molnar, the author of The Secret Life of Sunflowers. The book is a work of fiction, but it is based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, the sister-in-law of Vincent Van Gogh. Johanna Gezina van Gogh-Bonger was a multilingual Dutch editor and translator of the letters of the Van Gogh brothers. She was the wife of Theo Van Gogh, art dealer, and the sister-in-law of the painter Vincent Van Gogh. She became the key player in the growth of Vincent’s posthumous fame and, without her, who knows if the world would have ever appreciated the artist?

The subject of our photo essay is Hilary Myers, a pastry chef at Terrain. Born and raised on a farm on the outskirts of Unionville and Kennett Square, Myers learned baking at the waist of her grandmother, Anna Myers, who taught her the fine art of measurement, utensils and mixing. She uses what she learned to this day.

We hope that you enjoy the stories in this issue of Kennett Square Life. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions for stories to include in an upcoming issue of the magazine. We’re already at work planning the next issue of Kennett Square Life, which will arrive in the summer of 2023. Until then, enjoy the holidays and have a Happy New Year.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com., 610-869-5553, Ext. 13

Cover photo: Richard L. Gaw

Cover design: Tricia Hoadley

From farm to your front door From farm to your front door

Photo courtesy of Barb McCoy Barb McCoy of Kennett Square founded JJ Produce Box.

By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer

Entrepreneurs from Kennett Square have created profitable businesses that deliver fresh local produce and other items.

“A lot of people want to support local businesses and local farms especially because these foods are healthier for them and they employ local people,” said Kevin Quinlan, who co-founded Logical Living in 2013. “But most people don’t know how to do it or have the time. We provide the conduit.”

“It’s fresh produce straight from the farm,” said Barb McCoy, who founded Juice Jarz and its JJ Produce Box subsidiary in 2019. “Customers can place an order and get contact-free delivery within 24 hours. People really like the service, and they can try things that they never have had before, such as sunchokes, which are also known as Jerusalem artichokes.”

Both businesses have pivoted from their founding concepts. Logical Living began “as a vehicle to help the environment in an economical way,” Quinlan said, crediting his wife Tobi for the original idea. “We were trying to do it, but the programs were quite pricey.”

McCoy began Juice Jarz when she was following her “love of produce and personal journey with juicing.” Her juicing began 18 years ago to cope with carpal tunnel syndrome and continues today, but her business is now focused on produce delivery.

Kennett entrepreneurs Kevin Quinlan and Barb McCoy created Logical Living and JJ Produce Box, which deliver fresh produce and other items

Photo courtesy of Barb McCoy

Eighty percent of the JJ Produce Box business is contact-free residential deliveries.

Fresh produce

Continued from Page 11

“While I realize there are plenty of options to have food delivered to you these days. none of them are able to bring you the incredible local products that are grown and harvested right here in Southern Chester County,” Quinlan said. “The food is better for you, and you are supporting your local farmers and economy by having Logical Living do the legwork and bring you the best our area has to offer.”

Milk and much more

Before Logical Living, Quinlan worked at the Traffic Safety Store in West Chester, and his wife worked as an information technology project manager in banking.

“Her corporate job allowed me to build this business,” he said.

Almost a decade ago, the Quinlan’s were trying to live a green life, recycling almost everything, installing low-flow aerators to halve their water use and considering solar panels (too many trees to be feasible). So their new business was to help other people on this environmentally friendly path, and the home page of www.logical-living.com counts 462 people who have pledged to make changes, with more counts

“Last night’s Quinlan dinner was a winner,” Kevin Quinlan wrote on the Logical Living Facebook page, with an eatlocal hashtag. “North Star Orchard fingerling potatoes, Coverdale Farm yellow waxed beans and Wild For Salmon sockeye salmon fillet. It was delicious and if I can do it anybody can!!”

on reducing water and electricity used and waste generated. Part of that green life is local food. Quinlan – who on his commute home used to pick up eggs, milk and butter from Baily’s Dairy at Pocopson Meadow Farm – decided to become a milkman, “out of my Subaru with big coolers.” It’s a throwback to his childhood in Unionville.

He then thought about the awesome harvest the family enjoyed in the Community Supported Agriculture program at Inverbrook Farm in West Grove, so he added a CSA share to Logical Living.

Logical Living now lists about 200 items on its website (offerings vary seasonally, of course), with 90 percent locally sourced, from about 40 vendors. Local is relative; on a recent day, the list began with Alaskan halibut, procured by Wild for Salmon in Bloomsburg, and ends with Wild Tiger coffee, made from South American and Indonesian beans by Golden Valley Roasters in West Chester.

Quinlan, now using a Sprinter refrigerated van, handles deliveries several days a week to Kennett Square, Unionville, Chadds Ford, Coatesville, Downingtown and West Chester.

Continued on Page 14

Photo courtesy of Kevin Quinlan

Kevin Quinlan of Kennett Square co-founded Logical Living.

Fresh produce

Many partners

Quinlan last year added a Giving with Logical Living program that collects donations. The first outreach was to the Kingswood Community Center in Wilmington (full Thanksgiving dinners for 10 families). He has also regularly dropped off produce, yogurt, turkeys and other items to Kennett Area Community Services and recently gave $1,000 to the World Central Kitchen to help feed people in Ukraine.

“This has all been made possible by our generous and caring customers,” he said.

Baily’s milk remains one of the most popular items. “Baily’s Dairy fresh milk … is slow pasteurized at low heat, which makes it more nutritious than typical store bought ultra-pasteurized milk which zaps out most of the good stuff (hence vitamin A and D added back in),” Quinlan said.

“Pastured chicken, beef, pork and more from Lindenhof Farm, Buck Run farm and Walton-Myers Farm provide our customers with great tasting local meats that are lower in fat because the animals are raised on grass as they were meant to be.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Quinlan A Logical Living delivery box. Holidays at Hagley:

“Our fresh produce from Coverdale Farm, Barnard’s Orchard and North Star Orchards is so much better than buying grocery store produce that is picked or harvested way too early, which means it doesn’t taste as good and is not as nutritious as it should be. Some of our newer products that have been very popular are Dad & Will’s Microgreens and Nourish Cold Pressed Juices, both from Kennett Square.”

Of course, the Quinlans – Kevin; Tobi; their teen-age son Patrick; their dog Ranger; and their cats Splash, Captain and Tango – also get to enjoy this local bounty.

Ranger is particularly fond of the smoked salmon skins (dog treats prepared in West Chester), and the cats like leftover chunks of the canned Alaskan sockeye salmon. But there are no cat treats. “That’s a hole in the offering,” Quinlan acknowledged.

Continued on Page 16

Photo courtesy of Barb McCoy

Important partners for JJ produce box include Turk’s in West Chester for hot sauces, Fishtown Pickles in Philadelphia, Dad & Will’s in Kennett for microgreens and Beachy Keen in Sea Isle City for jellies and jams.

No subscription charge

McCoy grew up in South Philadelphia and said she has established good relationships with vendors at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market.

A majority of her produce is from local farms, and important partners include Turk’s in West Chester for hot sauces, Fishtown Pickles in Philadelphia, Dad & Will’s in Kennett for microgreens and Beachy Keen in New Jersey’s Sea Isle City for jellies and jams.

On www.jjproducebox.com, she lists four sizes of produce boxes, two boxes with organic produce, a fruit box, a customized box and a gift box. About 100 other items can be added, but of course the list is seasonal, and the items in the boxes themselves vary by the season and to avoid monotony.

She said 80 percent of the business is residential deliveries – contact-free, a boon during the pandemic, and without a subscription charge. Customers can order deliveries every three days, weekly, biweekly or monthly. JJ Produce Box delivers daily to Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey.

Photo courtesy of Barb McCoy

The website for JJ Produce Box lists four sizes of produce boxes, two boxes with organic produce, a fruit box, a customized box and a gift box.

The Kennett Symphony: Music to your ears

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

People who have lived in Chester County for many years may not know that we have our own orchestra. The Kennett Symphony is the only one in the county and it has pleased audiences for more than 80 years, yet it is not widely recognized. Why is that? One reason might be the perception that the symphony only plays music that you would hear at an organ recital. Another misconception may be that the music performed is all 200 years old and not appreciated by people today. Another reason might even be that families with children would not care for the selections performed. All of these are largely incorrect misperceptions which many people have about the repertoire of most orchestras today.

The Kennett Symphony was formed in 1940 as a volunteer organization by Dr. Duer Reynolds and Ray Lyman Ott. Ott was its conductor for 20 years, from 1940 to 1960. Over the years, the group became better known through a series of concerts around the region. Their website states that the symphony has been dedicated to “…producing quality symphonic music…” with a concert series that “…offers innovative, first-class programming in an approachable environment that is electric.”

Now, don’t assume that “electric” means ear-splitting electric guitars. The symphony performs a wide range of classical, Broadway-themed and popular music, the caliber of which will please young and old alike.

Photos courtesy of the Kennett Symphony

A Kennett Symphony brass musician during a performance.

The Music is Back for the 2022-2023 season.

Kennett Symphony

The Kennett Symphony approaches each new season in an attempt to engage audiences and inspire them to appreciate some of the greatest musical works ever created, gems from a repertoire which digs deep into the history of classical music, going back to Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The Symphony has a commitment to interact with the music-loving public in unique ways, “…from concerts throughout the community to music themed 5K races.” As noted on their website, they also conduct educational programs with young artist competitions, a children’s chorus and ‘instrument zoo’. Their main message: “We perform. We engage. We enrich.”

Local symphonic music lovers will remember Mary Woodmansee Green, who dedicated more than two decades of her life to the Kennett Symphony. At the end of her 25th anniversary season with the Kennett Symphony, Green stepped down in August of 2012 as the symphony launched a search for her replacement. Under Woodmansee’s long and creative tenure, the Symphony moved from a community orchestra with a mixture of volunteers and paid professionals to a fully staffed professional orchestra serving the southern Chester County region. The Symphony

website states that she offered a wide range of imaginative programming, with commentary from the podium that enriched the musical experience and understanding for all those in attendance.

Under Woodmansee’s direction, the symphony had its first sold-out concerts, added its first professional manager, initiated the Kennett Symphony Children’s Chorus and established a vital education program with its annual Instrumental and Voice Competitions as well as annual Children’s Concerts.

Green presented world premieres and composers introducing their own works, featuring world-renowned performers, outstanding first chair players and emerging artists as soloists. She integrated opera, dance and fine art into orchestra concerts and promoted international goodwill with the onstage appearances of senior foreign diplomats.

After a 17-month review process, the search for a replacement for Woodmansee yielded fruit with the hiring of Michael Hall as Music Director, beginning with the 2014- 2015 season.

Said Paul Merluzzi, formerly on the board of directors: “Michael brings a wealth of orchestral

Kennett Symphony Music Director Michael Hall.

Kennett Symphony

experience to the KSCC and our community, and we are fortunate to have him join us. His artistic vision, commitment to orchestral performance at the highest level, and welcoming, engaging personality are the perfect fit for the KSCC and our community at this very exciting time in our orchestra’s development.”

The search for a new music director was a painstaking, yet successful effort in which over 100 candidates were interviewed from around the country and internationally. Hall’s background is impressive, including guest appearances with the Houston, Toronto and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. Hall was formerly Music Director of the Southwest Florida Symphony from 2007 to 2012. He has been praised for his “…drive, artistic excellence, innovative thematic programming, and collaborations with celebrated guest artists…” which resulted in “…unprecedented artistic growth, audience praise, and enthusiastic reviews.” This author has had the pleasure of seeing many concerts

Continued on Page 24

Kennett Symphony

from Page 22

performed by the Kennett Symphony. They were all wonderful musical experiences. One particular concert stands out, held at Longwood Gardens, during which the orchestra performed segments from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Those who know Gershwin appreciate that he achieved something special: a delicate melding of jazz with classical music. Gershwin formed a new genre, very approachable to the average person, as it combined elements of popular music with the classical style. In the last 50 years, numerous orchestras around the world have performed Gershwin’s pieces, to great fanfare, pleasing audiences of all ages. The Kennett Symphony’s performance of his work was superb, and was met with thunderous applause.

So, whether you enjoy strictly classical music or performances of popular pieces, give the Kennett Symphony a try. You’ll come away with an enhanced appreciation for not only music, but the “finer things in life.”

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His ten books focus on the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. His latest book is Forgotten Founding Fathers: Pennsylvania and Delaware in the American Revolution. Gene’s books are available on his website at www. GenePisasale.com and also on www.Amazon. com. He can be reached via e-mail at Gene@ GenePisasale.com.

Hall has been praised for his drive, artistic excellence and innovative, thematic programming.

Minister from comes ‘home’

Eager to grow, Bethany Presbyterian Church embraces enthusiastic pastor from Nigeria

By Natalie Smith Contributing Writer

It takes faith, love and determination to maintain a local church for more than a century. Members of Bethany Presbyterian Church surely possess those qualities, because the church in the tiny Mendenhall section of Kennett Township will be marking its 125th anniversary in the fall of 2024.

“We emphasize the three Ms – ministry, music and missions,” said 50-year member Robert Schirmer, a church elder in charge of Bethany’s Christian Education and of Evangelism & Outreach. “For a small church, we’ve had about eight missions.”

Since 1899, more than 20 pastors have served the congregation for varying periods in both full- and part-time capacities.

The newest pastor is Mwat Asedeh, a Nigerian native who officially started in August. Bringing in the 35-year-old Asedeh full time is part of a greater plan to breathe new life into the church.

In recent years, Bethany Presbyterian’s membership – like many Christian houses of worship across the country – is

growing older and getting smaller. According to the 2020 study Faith Communities Today, conducted by the multifaith group Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, in a quarter of Christian communities, half or more of their participants are aged 65 or older.

Photos courtesy of Double S Media Pastor Mwat Asedeh along with senior member Robert Schirmer of the Bethany Presbyterian Church.

distant land to Mendenhall

“The average age of our congregation is about 70, but we have three young people under 40 years old and then three young families who want to participate,” Schirmer said. “All told, we have about 50 regular members and probably about 15 who are not members but attend.”

And while some might be content to let the church eventually

fade away, Schirmer and like-minded members of Bethany are resolute about keeping viable the church they love so much.

“We are looking for ways to bring in the community and stress our care for our fellow men and women,” the church elder said.

A sign greeting Pastor Mwat Asedeh and his family graces the entrance to the Bethany Presbyterian Church chapel.

The front of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in the Mendenhall section of Kennett Township. The chapel was constructed in 1899.

Pastor Mwat Asedeh

Continued from Page 27

Enter Asedeh, who all but radiates his love and enthusiasm for his new flock.

Part of his September bulletin message to the congregation stated, “The first time I worshiped with you, I was captivated by the friendship I observed among you; openness and willingness to explore different avenues of growth.”

He said later, “They wooed me here with their friendship. They’re really wonderful people.”

The journey of Pastor Mwat, as he is called, “is a long one,” he said. In 2014 he graduated with a degree in missions and evangelism from JETS – Jos Evangelical Theological Seminary in Nigeria.

“I was posted to go to a rural setting, where I learned a lot of things about tough times and about how to reach people,” he said.

Asedeh founded and ran Ambul Industries, with the goal to provide schooling for children in rural areas and economic freedom for youths.

“I got moved around a bit,” he explained. “I was then transferred for [my] first international cross-cultural mission.”

Continued on Page 30

The church’s front sign.

Pastor Mwat Asedeh

His assignment took him more than 2000 miles to the West African country of The Gambia. The trip was an eye-opening one for him.

“When I was in The Gambia, I felt there was this sense that the Christian ministry is more global,” he said. “It is no longer just one way of seeing it.”

Asedeh ended up coming to the United States in 2019 and attending Lancaster Theological Seminary, from which he graduated with a master’s of divinity degree this May. The seminary took a more ecumenical view of Christianity than the conservative way in which Asedeh had been raised and educated.

“I chose the path that I thought would be more challenging,” he said, “one that would really open me up to see where I’m wrong. I believe it’s something that will help me to really be able to have conversations with people that I don’t know, people that I have not heard of before or have not seen before.

“It’s provided me with a really, really rich environment of getting to learn people; to meet a transgender person for the first time and have a conversation. I’ve asked questions and not feel as though I’m insulting, but I’m trying to understand. That goal was achieved for me. I am not where I used to be.”

Continued on Page 32

Numerous message stones with positive thoughts are placed in various locations around the church property.

A portion of Bethany Presbyterian Church’s property from inside the meditation gazebo, adjacent to the prayer garden.

While going to school in Lancaster, Asedeh attended nearby Wheatland Presbyterian Church and did an internship there. A bonus was the “very vibrant” ESL (English as a Second Language) program the church offered, which sometimes had more than 100 students. Asedeh would sometimes pray with those in attendance before or during class; he’d also find out what they needed, like food or clothing or help with their utility bills.

He felt a special affinity for those learning English; Asedeh grew up in Offa, in southwest Nigeria. He speaks four languages.

“My parents are from a minority group in Nigeria called Kulere and that was always spoken at home,” he said. “My dad worked in the southwest region of the country where they speak Yoruba; it’s a very popular language. So that was what we spoke with kids when we went outside to play. The North as a

whole has a common language, which is Hausa language. And that is what most Northerners speak as a common language. When we went to church. that was the language we spoke because we had a church there.

“So, when I met with Hausa kids, I spoke Hausa. When I played with Yoruba kids, I spoke Yoruba. At home, I spoke Kulere. And I started to learn English when I was about 4.

“I think, well, I wouldn’t say I could speak English well until I grew much older,” he said, laughing, “but then I thought, ‘Well if I could share that story with people who are trying to learn as a second language, it would be encouraging for them’.”

Many of the people in the ESL classes came from Spanish-speaking countries, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Asedeh said it was a delight to meet so many people from all over the world.

A bit of humor accompanies a hand sanitizer dispenser.

Schirmer said the amiable Asedeh is a good fit for Bethany.

“This is a Presbyterian church that is more liberal than some of the other sects in the Presbyterian Church,” he said.

The Presbytery of Donegal, which is the Lancaster-based Presbyterian administrative body, told the church’s committee that a full-time minister was needed, despite the congregation’s small size.

“Otherwise, we’d just be marking time,” said Schirmer. “We wanted to increase.”

The committee headed by Doug Cranage sought a new pastor and chose Asedeh.

The members have a three-year program during which the aim is to increase membership by at least 25 percent. “We want to attract young people,” Schirmer said.

Nearby non-denominational chapels are behind the idea.

Schirmer said a youth minister at Willowdale Chapel told members of Bethany that they “weren’t in competition” for

Continued on Page 34

Robert Schirmer is a senior church member at Bethany Presbyterian.

Pastor Mwat Asedeh

members and “we need to work with you to see if some local youngsters might be able to help us get started.”

Expanding and contemporizing Bethany’s music is another way the church is going to appeal to younger potential congregants. New music director Adrianna McCaw started in September.

“When our music director left, we luckily found someone that was 25 years old, that is a writer of music and of church music,” Schirmer said. “She works for the music studio two houses down from here, she teaches and she wants to start contemporary music programs.

“Since she came, the choir has improved. We’ve almost doubled the number. Sometimes there are more people in the choir than in the congregation.”

More changes as part of the three-year plan include the purchase of the two open acres behind the church.

“We’re going to convert it into something for environmental or nature studies,” Schirmer said. The church members are also deciding how they can make it available for community activities.

Other future plans include contemporary mid-week services; pastor’s Bible class; a Spanish-language assistance program; Sunday School for all ages; an expanded musical church program; and concerts celebrating diversity and ethnic heritage.

The pastor said the group is considering ways to improve the church’s appearance on social media.

Pastor Mwat Asedeh, originally from Nigeria, officially came to lead Bethany Presbyterian Church in August. Continued on Page 36

Pastor Mwat Asedeh

“Maybe a teaser or something that will spark curiosity and make you want to learn more [about Bethany and Christianity],” said Asedeh. “Just a one-minute video or 30-second something, because that is what is really moving as far as TikTok is concerned. Using WhatsApp, maybe. Make it really short, short. Things people wouldn’t want to stay online watching you for 15-20 minutes talking about. We thought that would be a tool that we could use as a teaser to get people to be curious.

“You could come to the website or join us online or come to a service. We hope to use it as a way to get people into having conversation about Scripture and principles that we can use for living.”

Currently, in addition to weekly 10:30 a.m. Sunday services, Bethany programs include a men’s discussion group; women’s Bible classes; Sunday School for primary students; a nursery; adult Sunday Bible class; and a prayer garden.

Pastor Mwat, his wife Achsah and their two young children, Dariah and Dominic Jr. are adjusting to life in Kennett, he said. Preaching to the congregation in May twice before he was offered the job, search committee leader Doug

sign greeting Pastor Mwat Asedeh and his family graces the entrance to the Bethany Presbyterian Church chapel.

Cranage asked Asedeh what his plans were.

“I said, ‘Wherever God leads me, that is where I shall go.’”

It looks as if he was led to Chester County. Natalie Smith may be contacted at Natalie@DoubleSMedia. com.

A

Terry R. Vodery, Chi The United Way of Sou

Following a national search earlier this year, the United Way of Southern Chester County appointed Terry R. Vodery as its new Chief Executive Officer, replacing long-time CEO Carrie Freeman.

A former executive director of the United Way of Cecil County, Vodery is now responsible for the steerage of one of the most influential agencies in the community, driving its annual campaign and working with stakeholders across private, public and corporate sectors to make lives better for residents in southern Chester County. Recently, she met with Kennett Square Life to identify the community’s most crucial needs, how the United Way of Southern Chester County is working to meet those needs – and a most enjoyable set of dinner guests.

Kennett Square Life: When you inherited Carrie’s position earlier this year, what personal goals did you set for yourself as the new CEO of the United Way of Southern Chester County?

Terry Vodery: I want to become the kind of CEO that I would want to work for – someone who can inspire others, be a strong leader and decision maker, and be a face in the community. Like any other non-profit leader, I also set a goal to raise more money than has ever been raised for the organization. Because there are so many area residents who are Spanish-speaking, I have made a personal goal in 2023 to get a tutor and start learning and practicing the Spanish language.

Thus far this year, the United Way of Southern Chester County has contributed more than $200,000 to promote family stability and health programs, and over $200,000 to help other agencies help their clients transition to independence. And yet, the agency has dedicated more than $350,000 this year to crisis intervention, emergency assistance, food distribution, case management and

domestic violence outreach centers. In the richest county in Pennsylvania, why are we continuing to see these separate crises continually rising, as well as the funding to address them?

There are a lot of reasons for this. For example, there are waves of immigration and more people moving to our towns and boroughs. The demographic of this region is changing in ethnicity and age. We also have social justice issues. The point is, even though we may all live in the same region, we live in different worlds. The “haves” continue to live in a world that is so different from the “have-nots.” Someone with means may rarely personally interact with someone they don’t identify with. But it’s only when people come together that we can affect any real change.

That’s what the “United” in the United Way is all about. We unite people, businesses, and non-profit organizations to have one common goal. We confront these crises together.

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Terry R. Vodery, the Chief Executive Officer for the United Way of Southern Chester County.

One of the key missions of the United Way of Southern Chester County is to promote inclusion and create opportunities – particularly for people of color and minority ethnicity. Speaking within that paradigm, and in your opinion, does Chester County have an equity problem? If so, where do you see it most manifested?

I think the entire world has an equity problem, and southern Chester County is merely a microcosm of that. These equity problems have manifested themselves in a lot of ways. We have a health equity problem. Not everyone has the resources to obtain the healthcare that others take for granted, which is why we fund health programs like La Communidad Hispana (LCH) and the Maternal Child and Health Consortium among others.

We also have an education equity problem. For example, imagine being the child of an immigrant parent, who is new to the country and doesn’t speak the language. Imagine having to start kindergarten and compete with children who have been here all their lives. They may already read and write in English. They have enjoyed all the comforts of living above the poverty line. From day one in kindergarten, the child of the immigrant parent has a lot of catching up to do.

Courtesy photo

Office Manager Lisa Tucker

HABLAMOS

We fund programs that provide students with the resources they need, so that when they graduate from high school, they can be productive citizens. We’re funding the Kindergarten Readiness Program, subsidized child care, afterschool and ESL programs.

We also have an economic equity problem. Race, age and disability all factor into a person’s earning potential. It takes generations for families to rise above poverty and create and build wealth. I deeply respect the people we serve for their courage and resilience.

There are so many non-profit organizations who are partnering with the United Way in this effort to level the playing field. Can you imagine southern Chester County without them?

Absolutely not. We would have a different southern Chester County without the work of the LCH, the Maternal and Child Health Consortium, SILO and others. Without the Garage, who knows what these children would do after school or who they would become. Who knows where we would be without the Tik Tok Early Learning Center? We have 18 partnering agencies and every one of them are heroes.

At its very core, the United Way of Southern Chester County has been about providing hope and opportunity, so let’s talk about how the community helps your agency help other agencies.

Our organization has been entrusted in this community since 1945, and we’re not going anywhere. The people of Southern Chester County can always trust that we’ll be there to fund the most efficient programs of our partnering organizations. We’re going to be there advocating for them and gathering volunteers for them.

We have a great funding allocations process, where we give our donors the opportunity to hear what these partnering agencies do and help decide where we can make the greatest impact. Last year, our Allocations Panel (a group of 40 trained volunteers from throughout the region) vetted 24 programs serving the people of our region that proved to be the most effective in improving people’s lives. The Panel consisted of people from diverse sectors of our community—business owners and retirees, donors, and community leaders.

We want our donors to know that their dollars are going to the most efficient and effective programs that are helping people in their own backyards.

Let’s look into that crystal ball that the leader of any agency, business or entity gets to peer into. Moving forward, how will you and your staff continue to position the United Way of Southern Chester County as a vital stakeholder in the community?

Continued on Page 42

Kennett

When I look in the crystal ball, I see us doing exactly what we’re doing now, but taking it to new levels. We will continue fundraising until there is no other non-profit that needs a dollar. Our ultimate goal is to work ourselves out of our jobs. We want every organization to have every need taken care of, and we will continue to fundraise until that happens.

It is our honor to do so. We do this because we get to go to sleep every night thinking, “We helped someone today.”

What is your favorite spot in Kennett Square?

I have two favorite spots. The first is Longwood Gardens. A close second is La Pena Mexicana, a restaurant that is just a few blocks away from our office on West Cypress Street. It’s a real chef’s kiss. It’s like someone’s grandmother is back in the kitchen, preparing all of these amazing dishes.

Terry Vodery organizes a dinner party, and can invite anyone she wishes to – living or not, famous or not. Who would you like to see around that table?

My dinner party will be fun. I am going to invite Eleanor Roosevelt, and I am going to seat her next to RuPaul. Across

the table, I will seat Joan Rivers next to my mother. Now, that’s a party.

What item can always be found in your refrigerator?

I always have a jar of kimchi in my refrigerator. I put that on nearly everything I eat.

To learn more about the United Way of Southern Chester County and to make your private or corporate donation, visit www.unitedwayscc.org.

~Richard L. Gaw

Courtesy photo Finance Director Mercedes Diaz with Development Director Selina Toedter.

&Time,

Taste Fragrance

by Jie Deng Text by Richard L. Gaw

Photos

On any day of the week, the threeperson staff in the pastry department space, they blend, emulsify, slice, dice, bake and deliver some of the most delicious desserts imaginable, that break the mold on tradition and create new horizons for what is considered delicious.

For starters, there is the vegan pumpkin pie, made with oat crust and pumpkin spiced popcorn.

There is the chocolate terrarium, made with four different chocolates, and there is the olive oil cake, made with orange blossom, brown butter and sage cream cheese. Two of the six hands responsible for creating these delectable masterpieces – as well as countless cookies, pastries and other sweets – belong to Hilary Myers of Kennett Square.

Hilary Myers

Born and raised on a farm on the outskirts of Unionville and Kennett Square, Myers learned baking at the waist of her grandmother Anna Myers, measurement, utensils and mixing -- and that crimping a pie practice Myers still uses today. After studying comparative languages in college, she became the cheesemonger at The Country Butcher in Kennett Square in 2012. A year later, Myers received her big break when who was on maternity leave, and in 2014, she joined the staff at Terrain where she has remained ever since. When Robert Toland years working together as a creative team to bring Terrain’s pastries to new heights.

“It gives me the control to measure every recipe out to the gram. I love the feeling of being able to create a masterpiece on my own, and then delivering it.”

“The art of baking is an experiment on science – almost like magic – and I love that I can measure out the exact same ingredients every single time and it can turn out exactly the same every time,” Myers said.

Hilary Myers

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In addition to her work as a pastry chef at Terrain, Myers is pursuing a degree in digital innovation in marketing at the Fox School of Business at Temple. It’s part of a dovetail of skill sets that will combine her talents as a pastry chef and as a photographer into a new career in digital food marketing -- which she would like to transfer to print and on-line magazines, cookbooks and recipe testing.

“Both pastry and photography are perfect combinations of art and science,” she said. “Each depends on numerical accuracy and and ultimately, how it makes you feel. For me, digital storytelling in marketing is a natural continuation of striking that balance. I can’t wait to see where it takes me!”

To learn more about the work of Hilary Myers, visit her on Instagram at hilarymyersbakes, or on her website: www.hilarymyersphotography.com.

In her healing work with horses, Bobo focuses on improving the animal’s movement, posture, structure and balance.

Handsonhorses

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

Rory, a 19-year-old Irish Sport horse, occupies the far end stall of a stable on a Chadds Ford farm, and until he received a visit from his equine therapist, he had spent a portion of his day flirting with Pepper, the year-old filly one stall over. As barn swallows swoop and soar around the barn, the therapist slowly runs her hands over the shiny brown mane of the former show horse’s chest, its hindquarters, its flank, its ribs and its throatlatch. It is a session of subtle signals; at first, the patient is tentative, but over time, he surrenders to his therapist’s soothing voice. In the stillness of what happens when mutual trust between patient and therapist is achieved, the therapist leans tight into the horse’s face, closes her eyes and listens.

* * * *

“I always ask permission of the horse to come into their space,” said Kennett Square-based Myofascial Release Therapist Erin Bobo, B.S., L.M.T., who has been healing both people and horses for the past 23 years. “Horses are used to people coming into their spaces with an agenda – whether it’s to clean the stall or a vet coming for an appointment. I take a different energy and ask for permission from them.

“I am there to keep them safe and I want them to keep me safe, which creates an energetic exchange that is one of respect, which allows me to enter that space and become helpful to them. There is something that happens to their body language that tells me that they know that I am extremely aware of them. The truth is then established and they reveal themselves on a whole other level about what they need.”

For Bobo, her career as a myofascial therapist has in many ways been the result of a dovetailing kaleidoscope of moments, transformation and healing that began when she was nine years old, riding her first horses at Pony Island Stable in Kennett Square. From the start, the barn, the stables and the riding circle became for the young rider a sanctuary, a home-away-from home.

Suddenly and without warning, however, Bobo’s idyllic childhood was brought to an abrupt and painful end. When she was a senior at Kennett High School, her beloved horse Jammer was killed at Pony Island Stable as a result of a suspected attack by a wild animal. Soon after, she suffered multiple injuries from a severe car accident. Her head hit the windshield. Her knees smashed into the dashboard. She dislocated several bones.

Kennett Square resident Erin Bobo overcame personal injuries through the work of myofascial release therapy. She now takes what restored her health and provides the same healing art to horses throughout Chester County and beyond

Courtesy photo

Myofascial Release Therapy

Continued from Page 50

As she entered Lynchburg College to study Biology with the intention to go to vet school, Bobo’s pain – both physical and emotional – had become an albatross that was just beginning to take up a lifetime residence.

“That started me on my long journey on understanding the mind-body connection,” she said. “I had all of this emotion that I was stuffing down and it all had to do with this profound grief experience and debilitating pain.”

For the next six years, Bobo lived in a cocoon of pain, pushed along by a medical philosophy that focused on “fixing” and not “healing.”

‘The big picture of my pain’

At 24, Bobo, who had graduated from college and was living and working in Atlanta, suffered a second car accident. One holiday, she returned home to visit her family, and on the advice of her mother Linda Brackin, made an appointment with Tom Taylor, a myofascial therapy expert in Chester County, who helped treat her mother’s fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease.

Generally defined, myofascial release therapy addresses the trauma and holding patterns we develop over a lifetime. It is a hands-on technique focused on a sustained stretch into the system that communicates with everything in the body – its connective tissue (fascia) – in order to release pain and imbalance over the long term.

At first, Bobo was skeptical, and had resigned herself to a life of medication, prescriptions and doctors visits.

Continued on Page 54

Courtesy photo In her healing work with horses, Bobo focuses on improving the animal’s movement, posture, structure and balance.

Myofascial Release Therapy

Continued from Page 52

“I was in a pretty dark place and had pretty much given up and resigned to spending the rest of my life in pain,” she said, “but as I began exploring myofascial release with Tom, it became really clear that my body was responding to this therapy, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that I learned that my back was just a symptom and held the ‘big picture,’ which was the pain I had been holding for years, and on top of that the anger of what I was not able to do.

“Everyone else was simply working on my back, but myofascial therapy taught me what is needed for true and long-term healing.”

Eventually, the plan to enter veterinary school detoured. While still living in Atlanta and inspired by the work done by myofascial release therapy founder John Barnes, Bobo began taking classes taught by Barnes – as well as equine therapy classes, which were taught by Barnes’ son, Mark. After

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Myofascial Release Therapy

Continued from Page 54

completing her initial level of education in 1998, she established her first practice in Atlanta as a licensed massage therapist and equine sports massage therapist, specializing in myofascial release.

“My plan for the beginning was that I would help horses with the same work that helped me,” she said. “As part of my practice, I also became passionate about teaching riders about how the imbalances found in their bodies are reflected in the imbalances found in their horse’s bodies.”

Since moving back to Chester County in 2002, Bobo has intensified and expanded her education and skills in the healing arts as the owner of Hands on Therapy – for both two- and four-legged patients. In her sessions with people, Bobo focuses on empowering her clients to gain a deeper sense of body awareness to achieve long-lasting pain relief and wellness. In her work with horses, she is often called upon by her clients to address several issues.

“They are noticing something when they ride the horse that is affecting the horse’s performance, such as movement, posture and structure, indicating signs of discomfort, pain or imbalance,” she

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Equine myofascial therapist Erin Bobo with one of her “clients,” Rory.

Photos by Richard L. Gaw

Myofascial Release Therapy

said. “They can also show signs of behavioral issues that highlight that something is amiss.” Bobo said that whether she is working on people or horses, the most crucial component in her toolkit is the ability to listen. “It is about tuning in, looking and watching them show you the roadmap, and following it,” she said.

“Healing is not an event that has a logical conclusion. To use an overused term, it’s a journey or a process. Healing – whether we are two- or four-legged – is something we have to continue to show up for.”

‘They have taught me to trust what I feel’

When she was a child at Pony Island Stable, Bobo spoke with the horses she rode. It was the start of a conversation that has never ended.

“Horses have taught me everything that is important,” she said. “They have taught me about the power of listening. They have taught me that I am a nurturer. They have taught me about compassion. They have taught me about trusting my intuition. They have taught me about honoring their power and their wisdom.

“In the experience of them teaching me, they have also taught me about my wisdom and my power. It was imperative, because of my connection with animals, for horses to be my primary teachers as I stepped into this commitment to be a therapist. Through them, they have taught me to trust what I feel.”

To learn more about Erin Bobo and Hands On Therapy, visit www.erinbobo.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

Ella Sestrich, community member, social infl

Shakespeare lover, Underground Railroad advocat

boys, died on March 1, 2022 at the age of 95 – an

A local writer reflects on the beautiful connection Saying ‘Yes!’

By Winden Rowe Contributing Writer

Rafaella “Ella” Castorina Sestrich was in a class of her own.

There isn’t a person who knew her that does not have an intimate and life changing experience of her burned into their memory, and their heart. It’s simply not possible, because tucked into her most compact and completely authentic body was one of the most powerful and mighty people in the world, and one of the best friends I have ever known.

Brooklyn born and bred, in the same spirit of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who was also Brooklyn born, Ella was blessed with gusto and moxie. She was both kind and tough as nails and not afraid to be open to the truth of the world and the human experience. Her thoughts were filterless words and her mind was incredible. Because of this, she changed people’s lives everywhere she went.

With her beloved husband Fran, Ella owned and operated Sestrich’s Country Market for 25 years in Unionville, and in that capacity, she became a village keystone for decades, and subsequently, a matriarch, confidant and advisor to the local who frequented the market. She loved her community through food, wine, opera, Shakespeare, the New York

Times crossword puzzle, and a deep and profound abiding love for a God who loved all -- and when God didn’t love you, Ella did.

She was a friend to all, Republican and Democrat alike -- people of all shapes, of all sizes, of all colors and societal backgrounds. Ella threw her arms around the whole world, and she never let go. The only thing that she sorely disliked was bad wine, bad food, and bad manners, but everything else was an adventure in exploration and learning.

For decades, locals and innocent passersby would stop at Sestrich’s for the newspaper, and leave with a new angle, a new insight, and a new perspective on their woes, their family life and their future, and despite the way that she mainlined right into your most personal insides, despite that infiltrating, we most often left smiling, and feeling deeply loved -- even if it was a little uncomfortable.

* * * *

In this world, especially now more than ever, we are so desperately in need of a global mindset change -- a Lovekrieg, the Blitzkrieg’s counterpart -- a mind and heartset change to embody acceptance, celebration, togetherness, community, and a return to the places in our hearts that feel like home. It takes a special kind of fortitude to face ourselves and the things that are sometimes hard to face, but that was Ella’s gift. She was direct yet sensitive yet blunt,

nfluencer, writer, bridge player,

cate, wife to Fran and mother to three nd her legacy will never be matched. n she had with her long-time friend

to the world

and she had a way of confronting your inner demons, even if you didn’t want to or had planned to.

I had the deepest honor to be there with Ella in her in her last days. She could hardly muster the energy to move even a muscle in her tired 95 year-old body, but she still managed a sip of Prosecco, and to continually whisper day in day out to everyone who visited her, “I love you.” Her forever favorite saying was “Say yes to the world,” which when interpreted says that life is short and there is only so much sand in the hourglass, so while we are here, she would encourage us all to embrace life, even the things that were hard. I know this because her next favorite pearl of wisdom was to “learn to enjoy the downs as much as the ups.” Ella did so in her last days. She faced death with such poise, with such patience, and with strength. She made sure to love all of those who were around her, as much as we were loving her.

The presence and impact that Ella had on me will never, ever be replicated, and simply against the laws of physics. I knew the day that I left her bedside for the last time that I will never in my lifetime know a woman like her again, and I will never be loved by someone quite the same way. If you knew her, and were loved by her, you too know what I mean.

Rafaella “Ella” J. Sestrich died on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at the Friends Home in Kennett Square.

Since Ella’s passing, I have lost five friends, four of them to sudden and unexpected death. This has been a year that has reinforced Ella’s truth that says that we only get one wild and crazy life, and as I have learned again in recent days, some of us get 95 years of days, and others so fewer.

* * * *

How can we all begin to say “Yes!” to the world again? Can we courageously begin to choose the same mindset that Unionville’s beloved Lady Ella so fluidly embodied?

On behalf of dear Ella, I invite you to raise a glass, and with a resounding affirmation, say “Yes!” to the world and to the things that sometimes scare you or discourage you, and see if you, like Ella, can try to come at the hard stuff with a little more curiosity, and a lot more Ella-like moxie.

If Ella Sestrich had one great fear, it was that she would be forgotten, and an even greater fear of hers was that she would return to the other side but not find her great love, Fran. I am certain that neither of those fears will come to fruition, and hopefully, this essay is a continued testament to that.

To you dear Ella, we miss you so greatly, but in your honor, we promise to live on, and just like you, we will keep saying “Yes!” to this beautiful world. Enjoy that martini and a dance to a Sinatra song with Fran. It is all well deserved.

Love, Winden.

Courtesy photo

Author Marta Molnar spent a lot of time writing her new book, The Secret Life of Sunflowers.

Meet Marta Molnar, the author of The Secret Life of Sunflowers

By Betsy Brewer Brantner Contributing Writer

Secrets don’t stay buried, and Kennett Square author Marta Molnar was on a mission to expose one. It took mountains of meticulous research, and the uncovering of a diary from an “ordinary woman” to bring her new book, The Secret Life of Sunflowers, to life.

In this new work of fiction, Molnar examines the life of Johanna Gezine van Gogh-Bonger, a multilingual Dutch editor and wife to Theo van Gogh and sister-in-law to the artist Vincent van Gogh. She became the key player in the growth of Vincent’s posthumous fame and, without her, who knows if the world would have ever appreciated the artist? That fierce fight for recognition for van Gogh is one that Bonger continued long after the artist’s death. And it is that very battle that continues to shed light on his artistic prominence.

Marta Molnar

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For all of the unknown questions about the artist that still remain, one has been answered: Vincent van Gogh only sold one of his paintings.

Molnar makes the point in her book that Bonger would have been considered unremarkable and would have remained largely unknown were it not for her connection to van Gogh.

The sunflower paintings had a special significance for van Gogh: they communicated gratitude. He hung the first two in the room of his friend, the painter Paul Gauguin, who came to live with him for a while in the Yellow House. Sadly, their friendship did not endure, like many of van Gogh’s relationships, and although sunflowers will always be connected to the work of the artist, another painting took even more prominence: Starry Night.

van Gogh stands as one of the most celebrated artist of the nineteenth century, and his painting, Starry Night, completed in 1889, is not only one of his most famous works, but also one of the most famous paintings in the world.

However, The Secret Life of Sunflowers is much more than just a book about van Gogh and his love of painting sunflowers. It is a “fly on a wall” perspective of many artists during the Post-Impressionism movement. Post-impressionists extended the use of vivid colors, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter, and were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, distort forms for expressive effect, and use unnatural or arbitrary colors in their compositions. It was a very controversial movement in the art world.

Molnar gave much thought to how she would bring readers into this world and she decided on a dual timeline. It is an intriguing look into the life of women from the 1800s to the 2000s, and the strength they find in desperate times. It is also a story of accomplishments that were not laid out or planned, but fulfilled by the desire to survive.

“I love history, art, research, and writing,” Molnar

said. “I asked myself who would be a good guide in this story and decided on a modern heroine from New York City and the dual timeline was formed. It made sense to include issues women faced in the 1800s and compare them to those women face now. We have three generations: Bonger from the 1800s; the grandmother, an artist in her 80s who in her youth ran with men in the art world; and the modern-day heroine who is a guide to the three generations. Historical women’s fiction has always intrigued me.”

Molnar has no favorite character in her book. She loves them equally.

“Each one is crucial to the telling of the story,” she explained.

The story is very special to the author because of its subject matter, and also because it is the first book she has written while using her real name.

She explained, “I wrote for Harlequin for years under the pen name Dana Martin. I perfected my craft that

way. They were the first to take me on as an author and I owe them everything.”

Under her pen name, Molnar has published over fifty novels that have been translated into over a dozen languages and sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Molnar is humble but over-the-moon excited about her new book. Little did she know how empowering it would be for her to author a book in her own name.

“I want my readers to feel empowered,” she said. “I want them to believe that no matter what has happened to them in life, no matter the losses they have endured, they can survive and do great things. They can face the things that scare them the most, whether it is writing a book, speaking before a crowd, or learning how to endure the loss of those they love.”

Molnar weaves many variations of love into this tapestry of a book.

Marta Molnar

“I’m not always aware of it, but many of my books do tend to be about family building,” she said. “Many people have lost their families or loved ones in one way or another, and from that perspective, family building is always an issue in my stories. I think it is my responsibility to leave my readers with an uplifting feeling and with hope.”

Molnar self-published this book and is even planning on releasing an audio book.

“I travelled a long road to get here, but I enjoyed doing this book so much,” she said. “I wanted to give women like Bonger a voice. I want to give all people a voice. There will be others.”

Molnar can be contacted at marta@martamolnar.com.