Community Briefs: Wawa celebrates grand opening of new Boothwyn store

Jan 13, 2024

UPPER CHICHESTER — Wawa Inc. opened new store Friday at 2608 Chichester Ave., Boothwyn. To celebrate, Wawa held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring first responders, local officials and charity partners and gave away limited-edition Wawa Delco Wawa T-shirts to the first 100 customers.

The grand opening of this location is the third new store that opened in Delaware County in 2021. Ridley Township and Upper Darby locations opened earlier in the year. The Boothwyn store is a relocation from its original location of 2300 Chichester Ave. Throughout the year, Wawa will continue to invest in existing markets and open new stores in new markets to create more unique customer experiences through its commitment to boundless convenience.

As part of the grand opening celebration, Wawa hosted its signature "Hoagies for Heroes," hoagie-building competition where teams from Upper Chichester Township Police Department and Upper Chichester Fire Co. and EMS faced off to see who could build the most hoagies in three-minutes in the traditional Wawa way. Wawa concluded the Hoagies for Heroes competitions by presenting checks on behalf of the winning and runner up teams, for $1,000 to the charities of their choice which were Delaware County Law Enforcement and the Delaware County Firefighter and EMS Memorial,

As part of its 2021 growth, Wawa is enhancing its commitment to boundless convenience, which Wawa defines as providing customers and communities with the highest level of convenience by extending beyond the store's four walls and meeting customers where they live, on their terms – with more options and more access. This new Boothwyn store will not only have all of Wawa's customer favorites, but also new innovations in convenience including mobile ordering, curbside pickup, delivery options and its newest Catering Online offer where customers can order favorite Wawa foods for their upcoming events at: http://www.wawacatering.com.

The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum will offer a peaceful Winter Solstice Sunset Walk, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 21. According to the refuge, sunrise and sunset are both beautiful times to enjoy a walk and look for wildlife. Everyone is welcome to join Refuge staff for this guided sunset walk that will begin at the /Visitor Center and last approximately one hour. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers and sturdy boots and bring water. The walk will be at a relaxed pace. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/heinz.

White Horse Village in Edgmont, an active senior living community offering a range of living options and a continuum of healthcare services, announces a new innovative program featuring Zeen®, a unique mobility assistive device developed by Exokinetics, Inc. of West Chester. Several White Horse Village residents participated in a trial program to evaluate the new device and provide feedback on performance and functionality.

The product concept for the Zeen originated at White Horse Village, where the mother of Exokinetics's CEO, Garret Brown, resided. "I observed how challenging walkers and wheelchairs are to maneuver. In search of a dignified alternative, I began working on the Zeen mobility device," comments Brown.

The lightweight, folding Zeen uses proprietary lifting and caster technology to help users get around with confidence. Neither a walker nor a wheelchair, the Zeen effortlessly moves to standing, walking and ‘barstool’ heights and gently lowers to become a comfortable chair. People with reduced mobility can get back on their feet and even transition to coasting, or ‘Zeen-ing,’ while the saddle/seat-belt combo keeps their weight stabilized and centered.

Exokinetics's partnership with White Horse Village began in 2013 and has been instrumental to the Zeen development process. Residents began testing early prototypes in 2015 and offered valuable feedback to improve the design. The pre-production model of the Zeen arrived on campus this year for resident evaluation and testing.

"Our residents have been very interested in participating in the Zeen device trial," remarks Tonya Costley-Stilts, Director of Resident Life. "They received extensive training from Exokinetics staff and were tasked to evaluate specific features of the Zeen to provide final feedback on the design."For more information on the Zeen, visit https://gozeen.com. For more details on White Horse Village, visit https://www.whitehorsevillage.org.

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5 of Swarthmore, recently announced that $30,721,947 in new federal funding under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is headed to Pennsylvania to make much-needed improvements to Philadelphia International Airport. The money will come from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program, one of three new aviation programs created by the bipartisan infrastructure law. A total of $2.89 billion will be made available to 3,075 airports around the nation through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration.

"Philadelphia International Airport is an economic engine for our area, and PHL's vision for the use of these funds through a robust cargo expansion means new opportunities for individuals in PA-05 and beyond," said Scanlon. "This $30,721,947 grant, made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will deliver good-paying jobs for Pennsylvanians while making much-needed improvements at the airport. I look forward to continuing to work with PHL as it moves proactively to anticipate and meet the needs for air cargo and travel in our region."

Philadelphia International Airport will receive a similar tranche of funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law each year for the next five years, as part of a program for airport development. The allotted funds could vary from year to year, as it reflects how many people use the airport each year. In addition to these guaranteed funds, Philadelphia International Airport can compete with other airports for grants from an additional $5 billion nationally for terminal and landside improvements.

On Nov. 15, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included $15 billion in formula funding to help redevelop airports across the country. Projects that qualify for funding include: improvements to runways and taxiways, terminal development, and noise prevention. The law also includes an additional $5 billion nationally for FAA towers and facilities funding, which the FAA will distribute among airports in need.

In addition to the $30,721,947 for Philadelphia International Airport, another $763,000 will go to Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Girl Scouts troop 5027 and 5837, led by Gina Huff, recently helped Chambers Memorial Presbyterian Church in Rutledge provide items for the homeless and local babies in need.

The Girl Scouts filled 40 bags with toiletries to be delivered to homeless in the Upper Darby area. Bags contained toothpaste, tooth brushes, wash cloths, soap, shampoo and conditioner, tissues, hand cream and more. The church had been providing these bags for 12 years now.

The troops also helped with Chambers Baby Manger project that will continue until Jan 9. The girls brought in baby items for foster children that included diapers, wipes, formula and gift cards. Anyone who would like to help in this effort can contact Mert Hinkel at [email protected]/.

Readers can email community news and photos to Peg DeGrassa at [email protected].

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