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As part of its 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day fund raiser, the St. Patrick’s Day Society will present Joe Conklin, Philadelphia impressionist and radio personality. Conklin, known for his impressions of Barack Obama, Charles Barkley, and a host of politicians, athletes and film stars, will headline the March 14 communion breakfast.
To date, the Wilmington-based event has raised nearly $2 million for St. Patrick’s Center, a respite for people in need on Wilmington’s East Side. The mass and breakfast were the brainchild of some influential Delawareans, including Joe Farley, Sr., retired printing company owner and former chairman of the Delaware State Democratic Party.
“We wanted Irish-Americans (and people who want to be Irish) to do something positive on St. Patrick’s Day,” says Farley, Sr., who still emcees the event. “Today, new generations are joining us to sing ‘Danny Boy’ and ensure that St. Patrick’s Center has resources it needs to serve Wilmington’s neediest.”
Tickets are available at $50 per person; group sponsorships start at $500. Tickets can be purchased through StPatricksCenter.org or by mail. Organizers expect more than 1,000 attendees.
Mass begins at St. Patrick’s Church on March 14 at 7:15 a.m. followed by a parade up King Street to the breakfast at the DoubleTree Hotel. The festivities kick off with a Sponsor’s Dinner on March 13.
Christiana Care gets grant
The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation awarded Christiana Care’s Center for Community Health a $195,809 grant to support its Cardiovascular Outreach Prevention Program during a press conference earlier this month at William Penn High School in New Castle. This is the second consecutive year in which Christiana Care has received funding from the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, for a total of $348,463.
“This is a program that folds perfectly into The Christiana Care Way, which is to serve our neighbors — meaning this high school’s students and their families — as respectful, caring, expert partners in their health,” said Omar Khan, M.D., medical director of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at the Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Center at Christiana Care Health System. “We understand the value of using teens to engage their families in their health, and we are so grateful to the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation for their work in our community.”
The AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation gave Christiana Care the award through its Connections for Cardiovascular Health program, which provides annual grants of $150,000 and up to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations engaged in charitable work at the community level.
Christiana Care carries out its Cardiovascular Outreach Prevention Program at four New Castle County high schools — Howard High School of Technology in Wilmington, Hodgson Vocational Technical High School in Newark, Christiana High School in Newark, and William Penn — and targets underserved, low-income African-American teens and adult women. The goals of the program are to engage the teens to increase both their knowledge and confidence in their ability to make healthy lifestyle changes, as well as to teach them skills to improve the heart health of their mother or another important adult female in their lives.
Sallie Mae makes $25,000 donation
Sallie Mae, Newark, announced it will donate $25,000 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to support breast health education. The donation was made possible by thousands of customers with Sallie Mae-serviced student loans.
The company recently partnered with the NBCF to encourage customers to enroll in its free direct e-notification paperless service. Sallie Mae donated $1 to the nonprofit for every customer who enrolled in the service. It took just one month for Sallie Mae to reach its $25,000 donation goal.
“We are proud to partner with Sallie Mae, a company that turns education dreams into reality,” says NBCF Founder & CEO Janelle Hail. “Their support will help NBCF save lives by educating women about the importance of detecting breast cancer early.” Sallie Mae’s direct e-notification paperless service enables customers to receive all their account correspondence via email, rather than traditional paper documents sent through the mail.
P.J. Fitzpatrick
Area home improvement contractor P.J. Fitzpatrick Inc., New Castle, has often used their Facebook page as an opportunity to involve their fans in various charitable activities. Earlier, the company, have been collectted nominations throughout January and are preparing to name a recipient for P.J. Fitzpatrick Volunteer of the Year.
P.J.Fitzpatrick has a number of non-profits they work with throughout the year, and often times any number of the volunteer staff members will stand out for service to their cause. In addition to the Volunteer of the Year Award, starting on February 7, and going through until the end of the month, P.J. Fitzpatrick will be holding a cutest pet competition on Facebook with PAWS for People, with the company making a donation.
