The Avellinos

Home is Where Love Is

By Craig Whitney

Photography by Dan Hall

Scott and Mimi Avellino have built their family bond through hardship and adversity and used it to make the world a brighter place.

The pair first met as freshmen at St. Joseph’s University, clicking right away despite the obstacles in their way. Particularly, they both had significant others at the time and couldn’t be together. They both met at a summer program that was held before the fall semester began. One of the first things they needed to do was get IDs for the year.

Along the way from their dorm to the office where they would be getting their IDs, the group they were walking with had phased in and out, and by the time they arrived at the office, it was only Scott and Mimi. Much like the ID she was about to get, Scott would end up staying with her for the rest of her college career.

“I first saw Mimi when I walked into the dorm building with my sister and her husband,” Scott explained. “I saw her from across the room and pointed her out to my sister, jokingly saying that I was going to marry her someday.”

Considering Scott and Mimi both had significant others at the time, the line seemed especially outlandish. After their relationships naturally ended several months into college, Scott and Mimi coincidentally grew closer and closer over the course of the first semester. Having left home for the first time and taken their first steps into college together, the two had a bond experiencing those feelings together and sharing them. It would be the first example of weathering hardship and making something beautiful out of it.

Three years after graduating from St. Joseph’s University, the pair got married in Ocean City, New Jersey, where Mimi grew up. They got married at St. Augustine in Ocean City, the parish Mimi grew up in and where she went to grade school. The day was as perfect as anyone could have hoped for, surrounded by family, the familiar hometown streets and the salty ocean air.

After beginning their lives in Newtown Square, Scott and Mimi had their first child, Scott Jr. He is currently a member of the crew team and enjoys studying history in his spare time. During the summer, Scott Jr. works at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Ocean City. His father was quick to praise his work ethic, especially that Scott Jr. would wake up early for work in the summer and never complain about it. Most of all, his father was proud of his son’s kindness.

He’s very caring and compassionate, a true gentleman,” Scott said of his son. “I look at him and see how much of a model he is for the kids around him.

Maggie is a freshman at Merion Mercy Academy and is described by both of her parents as fierce. She is determined to be good at whatever she tries to do. From singing and dancing to being a part of the crew team like her older brother, Maggie manages to excel at whatever she is doing.

Sarah is currently a fourth grader at Saint Annie’s, and if you ask anyone in the Avellino family they’ll tell you she’s the one who runs the house. Independent, vocal and confident, Sarah is always a source of energy for the family. She learned how to talk around two years old, and hasn’t learned how to stop.

Andrew Avellino was born in 2007 and, unfortunately, passed away at 18 months old. This may have been a very difficult hardship, but like all the difficulties in their life, Scott and Mimi learned to make something beautiful out of it.

Instead of asking for flowers after Andrew passed on, they asked for a donation to a local cause. In the spirit of Andrew’s energy and love for the outdoors, the focus on the donations were for local outdoor programs, which slowly developed into the program it is today. Andrew’s Friends Fund is dedicated to creating playgrounds around the community and tri-state area. The mission is to give families a place to enjoy each other and the outdoors the same way that Andrew did.

Andrew was a very happy, adventurous kid who loved life and the outdoors," said Mimi. "Playgrounds made sense, they’re a chance for families to take a break from their busy day and spend some time as a family.

The fund has helped build playgrounds in Newtown Square, the Ronald McDonald House, Chester, Doylestown, and the Jersey Shore. The foundation helped to fund the Drexel Lodge Park in Newtown Square, providing swings and a play area. In the upcoming project coming to Warrington township, Scott and Mimi are excited about the sensory area for children with sensory difficulties and a handicapped area. With each playground, the memory of Andrew and the mission to spread his joy grows stronger and wider around the community.

Newtown Square has always been an amazing sense of comfort and protection for the Avellino family. Green Countrie, the neighborhood within Newtown Square that they live in, seemed the obvious choice for the Avellinos. Scott credits their neighbors for helping them cope with the tragedy they faced.

We can’t imagine leaving the community now, after how close we have gotten to our neighbors and the Saint Anastasia parish,” Scott said. “When Andrew passed, our neighbors and really the whole community rallied around us and wouldn’t leave us alone. For months they took care of us and made sure we were okay.

As Scott said this, Sarah walked up to him with a note that she had written, saying ‘home is where love is.’ He and Mimi laughed at Sarah’s thoughtful note, but after considering it more, there was a pause. Everyone realized she had captured it perfectly and there was nothing more to say. After hard days at work, long times apart and even unthinkable tragedy, home has always been the comforting embrace that can get the Avellinos through the dark and see the light. It doesn’t always have to be joy and laughter, sometimes it’s sadness, but it’s always love.

Whether it’s Sarah and Maggie filling the house with song and dance, or its all the children sledding down their hill with all the neighborhood children, light can always find a way.

Do you know a neighbor who has a story to share? Nominate your neighbor to be featured in one of our upcoming issues! Contact us at cwhitney@bestversionmedia.com.