Find those boots made for walking
+ 🫶🏻 how can we help + 💰 library calling + 🚁 flying high + 🍿 snacks + more
Quick Note: We started a Chadds Ford Walking Club.
Sometimes the weekly newsletter is heavy on fun activities around town. This week, we’ve got a hearty dose of helping neighbors and building up some of the organizations close to home that help people every day.
We can’t all save the world, but we can each do small things in our communities that change one or two lives at a time. I bet most of us agree that helping a few people is better than throwing in the towel because we can’t help everyone.
Imagine the snowball effect when we all chip in where we can and do the one thing that needs doing, here and now. Cheers to the collective power of many hands making for light work. 🍻
💸 Heads up: I’m about to tell you about many options to financially support local organizations doing great work. Pick what resonates with you and fits in your budget. I’m not asking you to do all the things.
📚 Turning lots of pages at the library
It’s a busy month for your book friends at Rachel Kohl Library. Now that school is back in session, they are switching gears from summer storytimes to raffles, book sales, and dinners… oh my! In non profit speak, we call it “fundraising season.” 💰 Did you know private donations fund more than 40% of the library’s budget?
Library fundraising dinner
Grab your tickets to the annual library fundraising dinner. Be there or be square. I’ll be joining you!
Amazing Fundraising Raffle Baskets!
Along with the dinner, the library has 10 raffle baskets to win. Raffle tickets are $2 each or 3/$5. You don’t have to be present to win! So even if you can’t make it to the dinner, grab a few tickets for a chance to win one of many amazing baskets!
Details about each basket are below. 👇🏻 Find the baskets you want. Click this link to order your raffle tickets and note which basket(s) you wish to enter in the notes of the purchase page. Library staff will be sure to add your tickets to the respective basket drawing (or you can come to the dinner and drop the tickets into each drawing yourself). 🥰
Can you help us with a library book sale? 🤞🏻
The library wants to host a big ol’ book sale, but they need your help. Would you like to volunteer to help organize the books? They plan to host the sale in January 2026, but only if they can get a few volunteers to help with preparation. As a bonus, you’ll get first dibs on any books donated to the sale! Reach out to the library if you’re interested.
P.S. I’m on the board, so you can reach out to me if you’re interested and want to learn more as well.
Win when you get a library card!
Last but not least, the library is hosting a September raffle for any new library cardholders. Sign up to receive your new library card (or refer someone else who signs up for a new card) and be entered to win! Details below.
🐕 Dogs + Vets (military, not medical)
One of our Chadds Ford neighbors (okay, technically Birmingham Township, but we’re all friends here), Travis Maurer, is riding 100 miles to raise money for Team Foster, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting injured and disabled veterans by funding highly trained service dogs and other critical resources.
Travis is currently deployed overseas while he fundraises for this organization that’s close to his heart. Kyle Schwarber (yes, that Kyle Schwarber) is also a fan. Travis is close to achieving his goal, but let’s help him blow it out of the water. I suspect he and the service dogs will have no bones to pick with us about throwing the charity a few extra bones. 🦴
🛩️ STEM en femme in flight
Bring your daughters to the Helicopter Museum Day. 🚁 Part of the museum’s GIST (Girls in Science and Technology) program, Girls in Aviation Day introduces young people to the opportunities available in aviation and aerospace engineering! Pretty cool, right?
Participants explore organizations, companies, and institutions in the aviation industry, and meet professionals in those fields to learn about their careers. Head to their site for more details and check out the flyer below.
🍿 Kids caring for kids (with snacks, of course)
Did you know that Chadds Ford Elementary partners with Mitchell Elementary in Philadelphia, allowing kids to help kids thrive in school? Now through September 12, Chadds Ford Elementary PTO (remember that teacher’s lounge glow up??! ✨) is hosting a snack drive to support the students at Mitchell Elementary.
If you’d like to help make their impact even greater, drop off non-perishable, individually wrapped snacks (see the list on the flyer below) to the collection box in the vestibule of CFE. You can also Venmo (@cfespto) and let the PTO shop for you or order from the Amazon wishlist, if either of those options is easier!
This is not the first year CFE has run a snack drive for Mitchell, but it’s more important this year. Federal food programs such as SNAP, the Local Food for Schools program, and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement face steep cuts. At the same time, regulatory changes increase red tape, making it harder for eligible families to access food. (sigh….)
Students can’t learn well when they’re hungry. Small drives like this one help ensure our young neighbors at Mitchell Elementary have stocked snack shelves to fuel their brains, bodies, and futures forward. 💛
🚴🏻 Two wheels to kick cancer to the curb
Like to ride bikes on the rolling hills of the Brandywine Valley in the crisp fall weather? You’re in luck. Hop on your bike behind the Chadds Ford post office on Saturday, September 13, and ride a little lollipop loop back to OsoSweet Bakery and Cafe to support cancer research.
The race (which includes options for all levels of cyclists, starting at 20 miles) raises money to support cancer research as part of the NWC worldwide cycling challenge. It’s free to participate, though they request a $50 donation. If you’re not a cyclist but want to support the organization, they accept donations without riding the route (shocking, I know). The site suggests registering by August 31, but I’m pretty sure you can still sign up. Especially as federal funding for cancer research is drying up (sigh again….), I suspect they’ll be happy to fit in a few extra fundraising riders.
🪴 Calling all the plant baby parents
Don’t miss the Chadds Ford community plant and seed swap this Saturday from 10 am – 1 pm at the Chadds Ford Township Pavilion (10 Ring Rd). In addition to the swap, they’ll have cardboard for lasagna gardening and some shiitake cultivation supplies. They’ve also got $2 plugs from North Creek Nursery! More details on their Facebook Event page. There’s just one rule: no invasives. 👍🏻 I second that motion.
Adding native plants to your yard or garden is a great way to participate in building a Homegrown National Park or creating a Monarch Waystation! 🦋
Looking ahead
Here are a few other events you might want to add to your calendar. Several require registration in advance. Double-check dates and times in case they’ve changed since I shared.
Weekend Plans
Chadds Ford Elementary Blood Drive | Sat. Sept 6 from 9 am – 2 pm
Chadds Ford Community Plant and Seed Swap | Sat. Sept 6 from 10 am – 1 pm at the Chadds Ford Township Building (10 Ring Rd)
Run the Vineyards | Sat. Sept 6 at 9 am at Penns Wood Winery
OsoSweet Bakery Birthday Celebration | Sat. Sept 8 from 8 – 2 pm at OsoSweet (pizza and live music)
Mark Your Calendars
A few more exciting and important events to put on your calendar now so you don’t miss this!
Remembrance Day | Thurs. Sept 11 at 6 pm at Brandywine Battlefield Park
Brandywine Polo Club Fundraiser Event | Fri. Sept 12 at 4 pm at 232 Polo Rd, Toughkenamon, PA (benefits UCFSD Crew Club)
Concord Community Day & Fireworks | Sat. Sept 13 from 4 pm – dusk at Concord Township Park (note the new date!)
Chadds Ford Days | Sat. and Sun. Sept 13 – 14 at Chadds Ford Historical Society (artisans, food vendors, reenactors, demonstrators, and more)
Shred Event | Sat. Sept 13 from 9 am – 12 pm at WSFS Glem Mills Banking Office
Bike the Brandywine | Sat. Sept 20 starts at Chadds Ford Historical Society
Fall Festival | Sat. Sept 20 from 10 am – 4 pm at Newlin Grist Mill
Girls in Aviation Day! | Sat. Sept 20 from 11 am – 3 pm at American Helicopter Museum
Kennett Arts Festival | Sat. and Sun. Sept 20-21 at 600 South Broad Street, Kennett Square
Sound Bath (meditation/relaxation) | Fri. Sept 26 from 5:30 – 7 pm at The Yoga Space
Fluid Motion: Yoga & Art | Fri. Oct 3 from 5 – 7 pm at The Yoga Space
The Great Pumpkin Carve | Thurs – Sat. Oct 16 – 18 at Chadds Ford Historical Society
Check out full event calendars for some of our best event hosts in the community.
Other events to add?
In the comments, feel free to share any other events happening in and around Chadds Ford that you think our neighbors will enjoy!
I love libraries. Always have, since I was 4! One of the ways I like to contribute is to put a few dollars in the jar whenever I visit, which is often. It is painless, adds up, and I figure I have saved money every time I go there.