Generous contributions, from individuals and business, helped everyone feel welcome at the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Halloween Haunted Garden. It was exhausting and wonderful to be part of an event flanked by the long nights and happy celebrations that merged a World Series Win with a Philly majority for Obama. We are grateful to those who helped. I can recall 57 individuals and 13 businesses that made contributions. I hope I am forgiven for missed or misspelled names. Photos may help you recognize people who participated. Here is the direct link to our 2008 favorites. http://picasaweb.google.com/campionef/Halloween2008 Click on "slide-show” to see the thumbnails at full screen size. Cynthia Preston coordinated volunteers from Police and Squirrel Hill Town Watch to stuff goodie bags, close and secure the street, and arrive in costume to hand out treats. Cynthia proves that retirement, frail health and fixed income are not obstacles to making major contributions of time and talent on behalf of children and her neighborhood. Cynthia stuffs Halloween Treat Bags in the same way that others knit. She collects small toys, (Yo-Yos, mini-Slinkies, Pencil Toppers, etc.), year round. She multi-tasks. TV and telephone time are opportunities to stuff a few items into individual treat bags. She corrals her visitors into joining her in bag stuffing. By Halloween, she has stuffed over 10,000 bags. This allows us to have multiple distribution stations in the yard. It is a major thrill for kids to collect a variety of treats, from 10 stations, as they walk though the Haunted Garden. This year, Boy Scout Eagle Candidate Michael Motyka, of Troop 152, coordinated Boy Scouts, teens from the Community Service Corps at West Catholic and younger children from St. Francis de Sales to move items in and out of storage and to hoist the ghosts and basilisk and decorate. As always, Mary Ellen Cabry acted as the official greeter. She supervised the teens that helped control the line and distributed a Bag to each guest. Businesses that made contributions included: ABBRACCIO restaurant – 12 Pizzas for the volunteer after-party Angel Photography Studios – Dozens of stunning photos Campus Apartments - funds towards beverage purchase Central City Toyota – Max Paul- funds for toys & treats Eric Kassab & Goffredo Plumbing – The Toilet/Chamber for the Basilisk KRF Apartments – funds towards beverage purchase McDonalds of 39xx Walnut – 1,000s of cookie packs O’Donnell Real Estate - funds towards beverage purchase Penn Dental School – Toothbrushes PNC – 12” Rulers UCD – kept Ambassadors in the vicinity Ya-Ya Fruit Truck – cases of tasty apples and oranges Cedar Park Neighbors Individuals that contributed items included: Several Donors who wish to remain Anonymous Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell – Publicity and funds State Representative James Roebuck – Funds State Representative Thomas Blackwell – Coloring Books Cheryl ? – Packs of Snicker Cookies John Fenton - Funds Carolyn Kelly – Sewed the 45’long body tube for the Basilisk The Airone Family – 2,000 Tootsie Pops Mary Armstrong – Batteries for the FX machines & Spider Webbing Wendy – Candy, Decorations and more Webbing Individuals that volunteered time and talent included: Mike, Ron & Marie, Neghiste, Bruce Andersen (with sons Jonathan and Benjamin), Keith Angelitis, Trish Bradley, Patty Bulack, Marty Cabry (Sr. & Jr.), Gerry Dougherty, David Estabrook, Valerie Heath, Veda King, Elga Lyle, Larry Motyka, Christopher Pham, Edwin Robertson, Andrew Rupinski, Jackie Slaughter, Vivian Zauhar, the 493 Adults who accompanied their children through the Garden and our neighbors, who were patient and helpful through street closing & mess. Current and former students of West Catholic and St. Francis de Sales and BSA 152 include: Cindy, Deaze, Dung & Hanh, Moses, Mathew, Dante & William Gibbons, the Kudiera boys (Chiminueka, Imani, Moses and Koko) and their Dad, Katie Motyka, Louis Monroe, Joyce Oyi, Richard Pogue, Cameron & Clay Staley, Marcellus Valentine, Bridget Wozniewski and Me (SFDS’69, WC’73 Many of our guests seem thrilled with access. Folks can print or share photos from the 'public' links. www.picasaweb.google.com/campionef opens to all my public albums. Click on “Halloween 2008” for favorites, “Decorations” to get a virtual tour of the Haunted Garden and “Volunteers” to match faces and tasks to those who helped. “A”, “B” and “C” are photos based upon arrival time. A is early, C is late. Some neighbors may want to know that Cynthia Preston was admitted to HUP for Emergency abdominal surgery on 11/2. She was out for a day and than admitted to Jefferson for treatment of blood clots. She has not had access to her lists, so I may not have all of her names. I hope grateful neighbors will help cheer Cyndy back to health. She gives much to the neighborhood and keeps the mini-station open and a resource for the neighborhood.
We feel blessed that Squirrel Hill-Cedar Park-UC is a Halloween DESTINATION and considered a "Safe neighborhood". We send our thanks to all who helped and visited. We hope good people continue to find and support each other and the community we call home. Liz Campion <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> ____________________________________________________________ Become a medical transcriptionist at home, at your own pace. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/PnY6rw2bxfzvWadRrqqUJJdt27B1kaiyuATKt0TBGuddQKWfMbv9H/
