Media 1st Responders Honored At Hometown Heroes Event

Media PA

15 June, 2022

9:00 AM

Description

MEDIA, PA — Two first responders in Media were awarded scholarships recently as part of the 2022 Hometown Heroes event in Ardmore. The Main Line Chamber Foundation awarded nearly $71,000 in scholarships, the most ever, to 35 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians during its annual Celebration of Hometown Heroes on June 9. After two years of virtual celebrations due to the coronavirus, the 2022 event marked the first in-person celebration at the Lower Merion Township Building in Ardmore. Scholarship recipients came from firehouses and ambulance services from Chester, Montgomery and Delaware counties, and were selected for their exemplary service to the community. Media honorees and scholarship recipients are: Yookang Nam, Rocky Run Fire CompanyLucas Sampson, Rocky Run Fire CompanySeveral new scholarships were awarded this year, including two memorial scholarships that were established in honor of Penn Wynne/Overbrook Hills Fire Company Firefighter Sean DeMuynck and Belmont Hills Fire Company Firefighter Thomas Royds, who lost their lives in the line of duty last year. The $10,000 memorial scholarships were awarded to two firefighters who exhibited outstanding courage and dedication in their service to the community – Benjamin Schmid of the Penn Wynne Fire Company received the Sean DeMuynck Memorial Scholarship presented by Walsh & Nicholson Financial Group, while the Thomas Royds Memorial Scholarship presented by Witmer Public Safety/The Fire Store was awarded to Shaffer. Also awarded was the first WSFS Cares Foundation Leaders of Tomorrow Award, which recognizes an individual who exhibits leadership qualities within the volunteer firefighter/EMT community. The recipient of this $5,000 scholarship was Thomas Flynn from the East Whiteland Fire Company. With these latest awards, the Main Line Chamber Foundation will have given out nearly $550,000 in scholarships to local volunteer emergency responders, the vast majority of whom attend local colleges and universities. The Celebration of Hometown Heroes was created to draw attention to and show appreciation for the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians who selflessly serve the Main Line and surrounding areas. A tradition that began in 2011 was continued as three Thomas J. Hays Memorial Scholarships were presented in honor of a young firefighter with the Merion Fire Co. who died in the hours following going out on a call. The $5,000 memorial scholarships were awarded to Ethan Tartaglio from the Berwyn Fire Company, Sean Righter from the Glenolden Fire Company and Kevin Dillard from the Union Fire Association. The remaining scholarships are made possible by the Foundation's annual Giant Main Line Run/Walk through the streets of Wayne, which is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 11. "We owe a deep debt of gratitude to volunteer emergency responders, who put their lives at risk by responding to emergency calls," said Maureen McAleer, chairwoman of The Main Line Chamber Foundation Board of Directors. "All of us at the Foundation feel privileged to celebrate their service and distribute scholarship awards that will enable these deserving recipients to pursue their academic goals." The 2022 scholarship recipients, listed alphabetically by last name, are: Benjamin Abt, Gladwyne Fire CompanyLindsay Baker, Llanerch Fire CompanyElise Bermingham, Berwyn Fire CompanyJermaine Brinkley, Merion Fire CompanyMiles Carr, East Whiteland Fire CompanyWilliam Clarkin, Bryn Mawr Fire CompanySophia Crossan, Bryn Mawr Fire CompanyKevin Dillard, Union Fire AssociationWeena Doyle, Narberth AmbulanceThomas Flynn, East Whiteland Fire CompanyBrian Friend, Brookline Volunteer Fire CompanyJacob Haury, Manoa Fire DepartmentAngela Khoudary, Narberth AmbulanceGabriel Leskusky, Bryn Mawr Fire CompanyJordan Lichy, Berwyn Fire CompanyErin Madden, Bryn Mawr Fire CompanyRyan Marsh, Merion Fire Company of ArdmoreAlexis McElhone, Bon Air Fire CompanySean Meals, Gladwyne Fire CompanyYookang Nam, Rocky Run Fire CompanyEmily Nudy, Berwyn Fire CompanyJack Nudy, Berwyn Fire CompanySophia Pellechia, Bryn Mawr Fire CompanyWendy Qu, VMSC Lower Merion & NarberthSean Righter, Glenolden Fire CompanyAlexander Rudnicki, Narberth Fire CompanyLucas Sampson, Rocky Run Fire CompanyBenjamin Schmid, Penn Wynne Fire CompanySamuel Shaffer, Gladwyne Fire CompanyRegina Solecki, Thorndale Fire CompanyNicholas Sondergaard, Berwyn Fire CompanyEthan Tartaglio, Berwyn Fire CompanyKyle Vaughn, Malvern Fire CompanyDevora Weintraub, VMSC Lower Merion & NarberthTague Wilkins, Paoli Fire Company A majority of the scholarships are presented by members of the Foundation's Board of Directors, who are themselves volunteers. Foundation Board members represent a variety of businesses that are members of the Main Line Chamber of Commerce, which houses and staffs the Foundation. The primary source of scholarship funds, the Giant Main Line Run/Walk, comprises a 5- kilometer run and a popular 1.5-mile walk, which opens up the event to non-runners and family participation. The course passes through the streets of Wayne; Lancaster Avenue and neighborhood streets are temporarily closed for safety. Online registration for the Sept. 11 event is available online here. Sponsorships for the Run/Walk and donations to The Main Line Chamber Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, are accepted year-round. Visit the chamber's website here for more information. "The Hometown Heroes event and the Giant Main Line Run/Walk shine a light on thecontributions of all our volunteer emergency responders," said Bernard Dagenais, president ofthe Foundation and CEO of The Main Line Chamber of Commerce. "These volunteers serveon the front lines and their tight-knit community has been deeply affected by lives lost in theline of duty over the past year. Through these scholarships, the business community andresidents come together to honor and thank men and women who show up to help their fellowhuman beings in times of need."