PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, November 15, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- College Settlement of Philadelphia raised over $80,000 during their 10th annual “Acorns to Oaks” gala, which celebrated the 100th anniversary summer of College Settlement Camp.

Held on Saturday, October 15th at the Horsham camp grounds, the evening’s Centennial Celebration attracted over 165 attendees, and raised funds to keep the cost of summer camp affordable to families in many of Philadelphia’s most underserved neighborhoods.

“We raised over $10,000 just through our live appeal for camper scholarships at the gala,” said Terry Dougherty, Executive Director of College Settlement. "It was great to see so many alumni from the past at the gala, as well as many from overseas. In addition, there were many former and current board members that came out to support us. The funds raised through our gala allow us to keep the cost of camp down, as well as provide scholarships for those who cannot afford the camp tuition.”

Among the event’s highlights were a photo booth, and live reindeer from College Settlement’s Spruce Run neighbors, Spruce Run Farm, as well as a specially designed cake from Sprinkled Sweetness, owned by a former College Settlement camper.

During the gala, College Settlement presented three special awards, including:
• The Summer Camps at College Settlement Award, presented to Alumni from all over the world who have captured and shared the spirit of College Settlement. The award was accepted on behalf of the alumni by Frank Gerome, who joined the camp in 1965, was named Executive Director in 1982, and retired in 2013.
• The College Settlement Corporate Citizens Award, presented to Carr & Duff Electrical Construction (Huntingdon Valley, PA), which has been instrumental in the construction of College Settlement Camp’s climbing towers, ziplines, and ropes courses.
• The Anna Freeman Davies Founders Award, presented to Linda Herring-Hill for her outstanding contributions to College Settlement. After attending as a camper, Herring-Hill has worked with College Settlement for over 40 years.

In addition, new board members attended this year’s gala, including three new College Settlement of Philadelphia board members - Henry Franz, Clarence Iszard, and Prince Moody, and one new College Settlement Camp board member, the aforementioned Linda Herring-Hill.

Iszard is the co-facilitator of the Einstein DadLab program, and a health educator with A Better Start, an Einstein preventative health program that identifies challenges to health and wellbeing and develops programs to address those challenges. Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Iszard earned his BA and MA in Education from Cheyney University and has been providing service to others for over 30 years.

Franz is a video production specialist with his own production company based in Philadelphia, and an instructor at Souderton High School. He is a LaSalle University alumnus.

Moody is Temple University’s Associate Athletics Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Student-Athlete Development. He joined the Owls in July 2021, after serving the previous eight years in the student-athlete support services office at Ohio State University. Moody is a former football player at the University of Wisconsin where he earned both his BA in history and MA in educational leadership and policy analysis.

Herring-Hill, who teaches second grade at Lamberton Elementary in Philadelphia’s Overbrook Park, has spent the past 40 summers at College Settlement Camp, first as a camper, then a counselor, a house leader, team leader, environmental education director and now, a member of the board.

Sponsors for the 10th Annual Acorns to Oaks Gala included: Dale Corporation, Brown Brothers Harriman, Raymond James, Francis J. Raab Foundation, Casey Cox, PECO, Utility Line Services, M&T Bank, The Phillip and Sara Rosenberg Family Trust, Rob and Chumi Khurana, Sklar Carmosin & Co., A to Z Party Rental, Blackthorn Rugby Football Club, Brinker Simpson, McCallister Brewing Co., Policy Map, Wild Blue Creative Catering, Veeva, Heather and Ed Farber, Liz and Tom Finocchio, Mary Lou and John Labows, David Brill, C.K. Radcliff & Sons, and Top Results Promotions & Apparel.

Founded in 1922 to serve the children of Philadelphia and their families by providing a healthy outdoor, country experience in the aftermath of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, the mission of College Settlement of Philadelphia and College Settlement Camp is more vital than ever as the Philadelphia region copes with the COVID-19 pandemic. As the non-profit organization celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the summer camp programs, it continues their mission of shaping the lives of young people by instilling respect for self, others and the natural world. In 2023, College Settlement will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its Outdoor School Program. Additional information is available at https://collegesettlement.org.

Jim DeLorenzo
Jim DeLorenzo Public Relations
+1 215-266-5943
jim@jhdenterprises.com
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