Whisked away in a police motorcade, Charles Reyes wasn’t sure where he was going. The behavioral specialist who worked to quell crises in the Philadelphia schools was headed toward Eakins Oval and a surprise.

When Reyes stepped out onto the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, camera crews from “Good Morning America” were waiting, along with well wishes from the TV show’s stars who were honoring Reyes for his community service.

“I was truly shocked,” Reyes said of that day in 2019. “It was a real curveball.”

Over the years, Reyes has bagged groceries for low-income families, started a Saturday program to keep youngsters off the street, and delivered fruits and vegetables to neighborhood residents. His latest endeavor, though not as sobering, still has a community flavor.  Reyes and his wife Sharita have opened an ice cream shop on the corner of Germantown and Mt. Pleasant avenues in Mt. Airy.

The new Scoopful Delights reflects the couple’s commitment to local engagement. “We’ve always wanted to open an ice cream shop,” said Reyes, a father of five. “It’s a fun business that brings people together. Plus, who doesn’t like ice cream?”

Reyes grew up in North Philadelphia. He earned a degree in secondary education from Temple University in 2017. He started working for the city in 1999. As part of Mayor Jim Kenney’s staff, Reyes served as a behavioral health specialist dispatched to schools during emergencies. At Dobbins High School, he worked as a  school coordinator and community director, starting a weekend program for youngsters.

 For his service to the community, “Good Morning America” gave Reyes a trip to Aruba for his family and $20,000 to donate to a local food bank. Mayor Kenney declared June 13, 2019, to be “Give Back, Make an Impact Day” in honor of Reyes' service to the city.

 Last year, Reyes resigned from his post with the mayor’s office to run for City Council at Large, as required by the City Charter. He had a decent following “but could not get over the financial hurdle,” he said. “You really need a lot of money to run for citywide office.” Reyes wound up in the top 10 candidates with more than 16,000 votes for Democratic Party At-Large City Council positions out of 27 candidates.

After the loss, Reyes and his wife, who now live in West Oak Lane, decided to pursue a not-so-new endeavor – ice cream. “It is our first brick and mortar business. We had other small businesses, but the pandemic and family matters interfered. But we always wanted to do ice cream,” Reyes said. “We had an ice cream bar at our wedding reception. We had pop-ups for event planning and discussed a small catering operation, but now that our kids are older, with the youngest in middle school, we felt it was time to do this business.”

 Mt. Airy, Reyes thought, was the perfect location for his new adventure. “This area is always thriving,” Reyes said. “The business corridor here is thriving. It's a great location and is not far from our home. The Mt. Airy community has a long history of diversity, being welcoming and supporting newcomers. I'm still all about the community, helping neighborhoods to thrive, and our focus is now on Mt. Airy.” 

 Both Charles and Sharita, who formerly had a summer camp and led a vocational Bible School, graduated from Dobbins High School in 1993, and they say they are proud to be alumni of the same school that University of South Carolina championship basketball coach Dawn Staley attended.

 Scoopful Delights, which has both indoor and outdoor dining, currently offers 20 flavors of ice cream that come from a commercial supplier, but the Reyes family plans to make all of their ice cream themselves in the near future. They have their own recipes, which they have tried out on family and friends. 

 “We are very pleased so far,” Reyes said. “We have had a steady flow of customers. We want this to be a community meeting place. The ice cream is the cherry on top. What better way is there to bring people together than over ice cream? It always makes people smile. Remember that happiness begins in the cone.”

 For more information, visit scoopfuldelights.com. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.