October 11, 2007 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local News

Kids’ café asked to return with better plans, support
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

After a three-hour meeting with the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee, principals of the proposed Treehouse Play Café were asked to return to the LUPZ meeting next month with more detailed plans and signatures of nearby neighbors.

Bomb threats, sexual assault report disrupt calm at college
by JENNIFER KATZ

Students at Chestnut Hill College were told to evacuate after a bomb scare brought the school to a nervous standstill last week. Cora Mahon, 18, and Stuart Robinson, 18, both freshmen, were among the 300 to 400 students, faculty and staff waiting near the sports fields while campus security checked the buildings. (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

The quaint, hilltop campus of Chestnut Hill College was disrupted last week by a series of bomb threats and reports of a sexual assault that left students shaken and administrators searching for answers.

On Oct. 2, college security received a phone call around 3 p.m. from someone claiming to have placed a bomb in one of the buildings. Campus security officers evacuated the campus, moving approximately 350 students, faculty and staff to the baseball fields below the parking lot on lower campus.

According to students gathered at the field, security officers ran through the dorms pounding on doors and screaming to the students to get out of the building.

“It’s scary,” said Brittany Rieu, 19, a sophomore at the college. “They seemed serious about. It was clear it wasn’t a drill.”

Local social worker helps new moms adjust, appreciate themselves
by LIZ DAY

Grace Lutheran Church is home to Mommy Chat, a support group for new mothers and their children, led by Jeanine O’Rourke, a licensed clinical social worker. She guides mothers like Erin McDonnell (with her son Dylan) through  discussions about everything from sleep deprivation to ‘Perfectionism’ and ‘Mommy Guilt.’ (Photo by Erin Vertreace)

Walking down Germantown Avenue, one can find oneself weaving in and out of strollers, doublewide baby joggers, and little ones toddling excitedly while mom chats with a friend. Many of these moms, especially the first-timers, stumble on a world of wild unknowns — sleep deprivation, inconsolable tears, coping with a post-baby body, and figuring out how to deal with the “perfect mom” image.

Jeanine O’Rourke, LCSW, asks, “Where are these women getting their support?”

“Guilt, insecurity, breastfeeding — it’s never enough,” O’Rourke said of modern motherhood. “Everyone has an opinion, when the truth is that there’s no such thing as a ‘good enough’ mother.”

When O’Rourke became a mom six years ago, she found out that she was not acclimating well to her new stay-at-home status. Frustrated by her lack of contact with other new moms, she began going to group sessions for new parents, and found them to be a great balance in her life.

Whitemarsh gives $1.9 million to Erdenheim Farm preservation fund
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

Whitemarsh Township announced last week that it will contribute $1.9 million towards the $20 million purchase of the Angus Tract of Erdenheim Farm.

Run caps 20 years with final dinner dance
by JENNIFER KATZ

As the Run for the Hill of It prepares to cross the finish line after 20 years, organizers announced Wednesday that the Montgomery County Advocacy Project will take over the USATF-sanctioned and certified 5K run and 1-mile fun walk beginning next year.