Stompin’ for the Seniors and Carin’ for the Kids
by Cate Murway
A zombie denotes an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft, usually encountered in horror and fantasy themed fiction and entertainment.
But by the magic of Mill Street and the hostess, Rachel Lynn Sabolcik, daughter of Dave Sabolcik, the proprietor of Game Zombie on Mill Street, zombies are challenging the vogue for vampires in pop culture and are Stompin’ for the Seniors this Saturday, July 23rd from 12:00pm - 10:00pm to help save the Senior Center.
Save the date and don’t let them shutter the Center.
It serves a real need in the community.
The actual Zombie Stomp walk will start at 8:00 pm, but events are scheduled for the entire day! You are invited to dress up and look scary and participate in the contest give-aways, activities, prizes, festive foods, music, movies, art, scavenger hunt, games and more. A few face painters will be available to help embellish the mood.
Rachel has hand designed the donated Zombie Stomp shirts that are on sale for $7.00 prior to the event. The shirts will be $10.00 on Saturday.
ALL proceeds will be generously given to the Bristol Borough Senior Center!
Assistant manager of the Center, Gail Jean [Bolton] Aufschlag was thrilled!
Rachel shared, “Gail almost cried with joy when we personally came to her house and said we wanted to help. They cannot wait to take part in this event, dressed up and all.”
According to a June article in the Courier Times, “The Bristol Senior Center has gotten six months of life breathed back into it. The Bucks County Association for Retired and Senior Citizens is giving the facility on Wood Street six months to pay its monthly expenses and debt.”
“We can do this and we will do this,” said Rose Marie Strippoli, Bucks County artist, and volunteer who is also the president of the Center’s membership.
Rose is an active member of the Artists of Bristol and she is whole-heartedly leading by example. Her water media paintings are on display in “Encounters”, a trendy-thrifty fashions & art gallery consignment shop located in the Mill Street Marketplace. She is donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of her artisitic works to the Senior Center.
The Center is a valuable resource, a place for active seniors to socialize, learn, and recreate, as well as to lunch. Daily lunches are prepared for the seasoned citizens for just $2.00. Since most of the members live on fixed incomes, it would be a hardship for many to find alternatives to this lunch program. The center also delivers close to 500 meals a month to the homebound citizens.
Rose leads the group of volunteers at the Center, teaching them to make their needles fly, to crochet lap robes for convalescents and veterans. Their hope is that the handmade ‘lapghans’ will make debilitated senior citizens and veterans feel truly cared about and a little more special.
The volunteer group also donates custom crafted trauma dolls to Police and Fire Departments for children in stressful situations, to give them comfort and help them to feel as safe and secure as possible.
Our world is in turmoil with natural disasters, wars, poverty, abuse, and many people are suffering, but the Senior Center and the volunteers are here to help when they can.
“We need to give back to the community so they know we are here,” Rose Marie shared.
All accrued donations from the Zombie Stomp and proceeds from Rose Marie’s artwork sales will go directly to daily operations of the senior’s facility, as there are no grants to assist with day-to-day expenses.
From the Senior Center to the kids’ corner, Bristol on the Delaware with its rich history and exciting future, is totally involved. A lot of activity is jammed packed into 1.8 miles!
The Bristol Borough Community Partnership is a public/private collaboration committed to fostering positive development of youth and families, by reducing substance abuse, delinquency, violence and school dropout among youth, and thereby strengthening our community. The co-chairpersons, Bobbie Enke and Borough resident Joseph “Joe” Ciambrello and their team bring back playtime.
The close working relationship of The United Way of Bucks County and The Community Partnership along with the sponsorship of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local #269 and their friends and families from Trenton, NJ delighted the youth with its 8th Annual Family First Movie Night.
They have scripted the Bristol Borough outdoor movie party.
The family flick evening is now claimed as a rite of summer, the perfect place to take yourself and take the kids.
“How to Train Your Dragon”, a 2010 3D computer-animated fantasy film by DreamWorks began at dusk and was enjoyed under the stars in Bristol Lions Park.
Everyone carefully staked out their spots.
There's something magical about lying back on a picnic blanket and watching your favorite movie with hundeds of others on a warm summer evening.
What would a film be without popcorn?
Tantalizing wafts of freshly popped buttered popcorn enticed the families as they meandered down toward the wharf. Mark DeWitt Carter, proprietor of Mark Carter Photography & Digital Design Group on Mill Street loaned his machine for the evening.
The young audience was so attentive, you could hear a dragon drop, while they munched on their free popcorn and free cool juice drinks donated by the Wawa on Green Lane & Farragut Avenue.
Youth and adult volunteers enjoyed the fresh air and fun while they served the buttery popcorn, and lots of it, in Movie Theater style boxes.
Margaret R. Grundy Youth Services Librarian, Shirley Mills Hickey had assisted the “youngins” at the activity table while they flocked to the crafts assortment, to color and assemble their own paper dragons to tame. Rachel Custer, a member of the Teen Advisory Board was also helping at the craft table.
Board members/volunteers Regina A. McIntyre and Gary Bodenschatz
greeted and registered the guests, ranging from ages of 1 to 100,
to the open-air cinema.
The cost of admission was a smile and a thank you!
Police Chief Arnold Porter was pleased as he watched the crowd create some great family memories, enjoy the sunset and the entertainment.
Executive Board members Jacquie Strand and Marine veteran Robert Barton “Bob” Patrick apparently believe that active kids are happy kids! The program helps to strengthen Bristol and the nearby communities’ bonds by bringing neighbors together for a local celebration.
Nekesha Wilkerson, director of the Bristol after school initiative for teens, part of the 21st Century grant program run at the St. James Parish House on Wood and Mulberry Streets, was monitoring the popcorn production. Her son, Marcus was serving the cold juice.
Jacquie’s multi-talented athletic children, Zaida, Jailyn, and Isaiah have helped their mom at movie nights for several years.
Other juice table volunteers were here for the first time. Michelle LeNoir from United Way and Courtney Wallace cheerfully handed out the refreshments.
Some of the monies for the BBCP programs, a nonprofit collaboration of Borough residents, officials, business people and service providers are raised at Burger nights. Grant money provides training, such as “Lions Quest”, training for the teachers and the staff at the Snyder-Girotti School.
Lions Quest programs are comprehensive, positive youth development and prevention curricula that unite the home, school and community to cultivate capable and healthy young people of strong character.
Historic Bristol on the Delaware is celebrating its 330th anniversary [1681-2011].
The remarkable history, the amazing heritage, the picturesque scenery, the restaurants that overlook water are all magnificent, but it’s the people who make it special.
Geography has made them neighbors. Working together has made them friends.
It’s all about connections. Traditions connect the community.
You’ll feel it at every corner.
Recommend a “Spotlight”. E-mail: vjmrun@yahoo.com
movie night pix-
Jess Graves Photography
