Visitors to Bethany Beach and residents alike will find during the holiday season that the Town has rolled out the red carpet and added a boardwalk Christmas tree this year to light the way for holiday revelers.

The festivities get under way on Saturday, Dec. 5, with the Holiday Happenings in Bethany Beach Town Hall, at the corner of Route 1 (Coastal Highway) and Garfield Parkway. Santa will host a party in town hall, posing for complimentary photos and, new this year, accepting letters from children. The party will be held at a new time, 1 to 3 p.m., noted Bethany Beach Entertainment Director Julie Malewski.

At 6 p.m., the centerpiece of the town’s holiday decorations, a 30-foot-tall tree, will be lighted, while the Lord Baltimore Children’s Chorus leads a musical celebration of the season.

The tree, dubbed a “Tree of Warmth” by the Town, has also been the center of a bit of angst driven by its new name and the apparent lack of understanding of its significance, which is that it is meant to encourage those attending holiday events to bring new or gently used hats, gloves and scarves or canned goods, which will be donated to area charities.

After numerous postings on social media decrying the name, Malewski addressed the misunderstanding on the town entertainment department’s Facebook page.

“We apologize that so many are offended by the term ‘Tree of Warmth,’” Malewski said. “Unfortunately, the term has been taken out of context. Certainly this tree is a Christmas tree, a tree for all to enjoy as they celebrate the holiday season. … There is no underlying conspiracy here. The tree will be beautifully lit and stand on the bandstand plaza as a symbol of the warmth of the season, the holiday, of Christmas.

“It is a sad reflection of our time that so many can take something so simple, benign and charitable and make it so dark and sinister during a season of joy and harmony,” Malewski said.

She emphasized that she hopes people of all faiths will see the tree as a gathering place.

“It’s all about the spirit of the season, regardless of what you practice,” she told the Coastal Point this week.

Holiday Happenings is now the beginning of a month of special activities in Bethany Beach. Up until Christmas, each Saturday in December will be a “Weekend Wonderland in Bethany.” Participating shops will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Dec. 5, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, with special activities during each day and caroling around the tree at 6 p.m.

Weekend Wonderland schedule:

Saturday, Dec. 5

1-3 p.m. Holiday Happenings at Town Hall

2 p.m. Story Time at Bethany Beach Books

3-6 p.m. Gift Wrapping Station at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites

3-6 p.m. Frozen Event: Meet Anna & Elsa at Tidepool Toys

6 p.m. Inaugural Lighting of the “Tree of Warmth” featuring the Lord Baltimore Children’s Chorus.

Saturday, Dec. 12

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch with Santa at 99 Sea Level

2 p.m. Story Time at Bethany Beach Books

3-6 p.m. Gift Wrapping Station at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites

3-5 p.m. Drop & Shop featuring “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”: Free movies for kids with certified child care at the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Hotel; sponsored by the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce

6 p.m. Carols Around the Tree led by the Mariner’s Praise Band

Saturday, Dec. 19

1-3 p.m. Lunch with Santa at The Jetty

2 p.m. Story Time at Bethany Beach Books

3-6 p.m. Gift Wrapping Station at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites

3-4 p.m. Holiday Magic Show: A Dickens Parlour Theater performance at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites

6 p.m. Performance around the tree led by the Southern Delaware School of the Arts show choir, on the Bandstand

At a recent South Bethany Town Council meeting, Sgt. Lee Davis repeatedly told residents to call the South Bethany Police Department if something seems suspicious.

“We’d rather go out 10 times” for a false alarm than miss something “because someone doesn’t want to bug us,” Davis said. “You guys are our eyes and ears.”

After having his home burglarized years ago, resident Mike Matera said he put up a streetlight. Davis agreed that lights, dogs or alarm systems can protect a house.

“Burglaries are happening big-time already. Bethany’s getting crushed by them,” Davis said. “Ocean View, too.”

State law requires pawn shops to take photos of the seller. So people are selling flat-screen TVs straight to drug dealers to cut out the middle man, Davis said.

Lock your doors, lock your windows and don’t leave any valuables out, Davis added. “If anything doesn’t feel right, call us.”

Meanwhile, the Delaware State Police have investigated recent thefts from more than a dozen parked vehicles from Lincoln to Rehoboth. They’re also urging people to lock car doors, roll up windows and not to leave valuables inside vehicles.

People should always call 911 immediately to report suspicious activity. A dispatcher will send the appropriate help.

The South Bethany Police Department is available 24/7, even when officers are on the road, at (302) 539-3996. Davis encouraged residents to call even if they feel a situation doesn’t warrant an emergency 911 call.

Coastal Point • Submitted: The Magill family is one happy unit today.Every November, when National Adoption Awareness Month rolls around, adoptive parents greet it with Facebook posts about the miracle of adoption, or with reminders that adoption is defined by profound loss.

Or both.

One of my favorite “memes” — those pithy posts that seem to be everywhere on social media these days — is this one from non-profit guru and mom of 6, Jody Landers: “A child born to another woman calls me Mommy. The magnitude of that tragedy and the depth of that privilege are not lost on me.”

For me, that pretty much sums up adoption. I am the proud mom of an 11-year-old son adopted from South Korea, Nathaniel Eric SiWoo Magill. How he came to be our son is not my story to tell — it’s his, if he cares to, someday.

But here are the basic details: Nathaniel came home to us at the age of 5.5 months, about 2 years after we started the process of adoption through the Welcome House Adoption Agency in Pennsylvania. He arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport from Korea one night in March 2005, bundled in several layers of clothing. His Korean escort, a sweet Korean woman, told us, “Good baby. Sleep.”

When people ask us “why Korea?” — and what they sometimes mean is “Why not adopt an American child?” — my answer is sincere, though it may sound glib. “Because that’s where our son was.” It’s as simple, and as complicated, as that.

For us, at that time, adoption from Korea offered a well-established, stable, reliable process. We had been through enough trying to expand our family that that was a good fit. So we began.

Once, years ago, when I worked for a daily newspaper in Pennsylvania, I wrote a series of articles on international adoption. I never forgot what one father said to me about the process and its interminable paperwork. He said, “When the weight of the paperwork equals the weight of the child, you get the child.”

Now, I can honestly say he wasn’t far off. For someone who doesn’t even like to fill out field trip forms, the paperwork was a struggle. There was a home study, in which we were forced to write things about ourselves that seemed ridiculously personal and irrelevant. We were fingerprinted — not once, but twice. Our house has never been so clean as it was the day the social worker came to look it over.

After all that, the same social worker took him from the escort at the airport, checked his name on his wristband and handed him to us. There we were, in the middle of the bustling airport, suddenly a family of four — me, Eric, our 10-year-old daughter Kelsey and this little guy with the cherry-print socks and the curly hair.

For the record, he did not like the car seat. At all. He did, however, seem fascinated by carpets. It was a start.

Those first two weeks were brutal — all four of us ended up with nasty bugs, and our newest member was jet-lagged, scared and sick. None of us got much sleep until he got his days and nights straightened out, about two weeks after his arrival, or one day for every hour of time difference between Korea and Delaware — just as fellow adoptive parents had said it would happen.

A word about those other adoptive parents, by the way. I know for a fact that I could not have survived the first two weeks, let alone the past 10 years, without the community that I found, online in an adoption agency forum at first, and now, years later, connected mostly through Facebook. No question was too silly, no worry too big for these fellow mamas (mostly, although there are some dads in the mix) who simply Got It.

It was those folks I turned to when I needed to vent about my frustrated, tantrumming toddler, when I wondered if this or that was adoption or attachment related or just plain a kid being a kid.

It was there that I found out about Camp Friendship, an incredible week-long culture camp in New Jersey for children adopted from Korea.

And it was at Camp Friendship, volunteering in music class and learning the basics of Korean folk music, that I began to understand the enormity of what my son had left behind in Korea. Listening to the beats of Korean drumming and watching tiny girls dancing in rainbow-colored hanboks — the traditional ceremonial garb of Korea — I ached for him, for what I was trying to give back to him in a very, very small way.

In addition to the obvious loss that being separated from one’s birth-family brings, he had lost connection with such incredible cultural ties, the likes of which we of the American Melting Pot have no understanding, whatsoever.

Another facet of camp that can’t be overlooked — the sheer fact that, for once, he was not the only Asian in his class. When the kids crammed into the hotel pool after camp every day, the white siblings were the ones who stood out.

Drew Ehlers is a typical 5-year-old kid — he loves to play with his older sisters, and when he’s unhappy, he wants his mom.

The miracle of that normalcy is not lost on his mom, Tanya Ehlers, or his dad, Andy Ehlers.

Born with some pretty severe birth defects, Drew spent the first four months of his life in A.I. du Pont Hospital for Children in Wilmington. He came to the attention of the Ehlers through the Delaware foster care system.

When the Ehlers first met Drew in the hospital, they weren’t sure what to expect. He had been born with his intestines outside his body and had already undergone several surgeries. But as Andy remembers that day, “He was just this perfect, beautiful little boy.” They knew immediately that they wanted to bring him home with them, but at that point had no idea what that would entail, legally or medically. “We just knew this child needed to be in our home,” Andy said.

It wasn’t until the Ehlers met Drew that they learned that it was possible to adopt a child through the foster system, according to Andy. For Tanya, the whole process started with just one question: “Who’s going to take care of this kid?” The answer quickly followed: “We are.”

Tanya recalled “the overwhelmingness of it” — just having to learn how to care for Drew’s feeding tube was a huge undertaking for two people with no medical background — and the rest of the care he needed as an infant, in addition to keeping up with Raychel and Camryn, the two young daughters they already had at home.

The couple recalled those first months with Drew at home as a whirlwind of meetings, medical appointments and various therapies to help Drew catch up with the growth and development he had missed while he was in the hospital.

There were also numerous meetings with social workers, attorneys and Drew’s court-appointed special advocate (CASA) to get the process of his formal adoption moving along. It was at one particular court hearing, Andy said, that he realized, once and for all, that “this little guy was going to be my responsibility.”

To almost everyone’s surprise, Drew’s “special need” turned out to be that he needed a family. His progress once he came to the Ehlers’ Dagsboro home was nothing short of amazing, both to medical professionals and to the Ehlers. “They said he would be delayed in walking, in speech, but after three or four months, they said he was advanced,” Andy said.

The Ehlers’ adoption journey began with inquiries about adopting through an agency. After having difficulty with the births of their oldest daughters, Tanya said she realized that “my time of birthing children was done, but we wanted more children.” The cost of that undertaking — $20,000 to $30,000 — seemed daunting. Still, wanting to help children who needed a home, though, the Ehlers began investigating the idea of being foster parents.

They took the state-mandated classes, became certified as foster parents and waited.

“Once we were certified, we didn’t hear anything for 12 months,” Andy said. Then came the call about medically fragile baby Drew.

Andy Ehlers, who is pastor of High Tide Baptist Church, which holds services in John M. Clayton Elementary School in Dagsboro, said church members have been very supportive of his family’s adoption from the beginning.

When, after so many months of visiting him in the hospital, the family realized Drew was ready to come home, they also realized they had nothing for him.

“All he had was a onesie,” Andy said. By the time they arrived home with him, church members had donated everything they needed — crib, car seats, changing table, bedding — it was all waiting for them.

That was October 2011. Around Christmas that same year, Tanya recalled, the couple received a call asking if they would be interested in adopting a little 4-year-old for whom they had provided respite care. “We said, yes, please do not do anything else with this child,” Tanya said.

As it turned out, the family formally adopted Drew and his new sister, Leilani, on the same day in April of 2012.

The family soon learned about the differences between adopting an infant and adopting an older child. Often, older children have more difficulty settling in to their new families; they remember past losses and have built up defenses against them, which can make bonding to a new family difficult. Some authorities believe even infants who have been relinquished for adoption remember on some level, and for older children, the memories are more tangible.

While Drew’s transformation was mostly physical, from frail baby to the now healthy kindergartner, Leilani’s emotional growth has been what has changed her into a confident 9-year-old, her parents said.

The “girly girl” they adopted has transformed into a child who loves soccer — scoring two goals in her last game of the fall season — and she has gone from a little girl terrified of her nightly bath to a kid who has to be dragged out of the water at the end of a day of swimming. The Ehlers credit Leilani’s closeness with older sister Camryn with much of that change.

“It’s been really cool to watch,” Tanya said. “She is building confidence in herself that she can do these things. She is finding her place.”

The Ehlers say that, although they are honored to be able to provide their two youngest children with a home, the addition of the two children has grown the family in more ways than just numbers. The couple agreed adoption is not always easy and “you have to be willing to sacrifice,” they are also convinced that adoption “has changed our lives probably as much as Leilani and Drew’s,” Andy Ehlers said.

The experience has been beneficial to the older Ehlers siblings, Camryn, now 10, and Raychel, now 12, their parents say. While they are quick to admit that the kids have their issues, just as kids do in every family, the Ehlers said they feel that the adoption experience has given their children a bit of a different perspective.

“It’s helped them to see that the world is bigger than themselves,” Andy Ehlers said.

Every year, the Indian River High School soccer team makes a short list. First there’s the division title. Then the conference championship game. And, finally, the ultimate goal — a DIAA state championship.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: Josh Timmons proudly waves an Indian River High School flag, as players behind him celebrate the soccer team’s 1-0 win over Caravel on Saturday, Nov. 21, to give the Indians the state championship. The team did not allow a goal in four tournament games, and have 10 starters returning next season.For the second time in program history, they find themselves with no boxes left to check on that list now that the season is over, having capped it by taking down No. 2 Caravel 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 21, to be named the 2015 DIAA Division II state champions.

“There’s nothing left to check off,” said head coach Steve Kilby of his and the Indians’ second-ever soccer title. “We reached all of our objectives, and we couldn’t be happier about it.”

The game’s lone goal was netted early, when sophomore forward Oscar Cruz took a through ball from junior captain Patrick Mochiam and beat a Caravel defender for the score in just the fourth minute, to give the Indians the 1-0 advantage.

“They sent me a through ball down the right side,” Cruz said of the play and his 12th goal of the season. “The defender was pressuring me from behind, but he gave me the space — I turned to my left, saw the space to shoot, and I took it.”

But despite jumping out to the early lead, the game was far from over.

“They were pressing, they were chasing the game,” Kilby explained of the impact. “One of the problems with scoring early is it pushes the pressure up for the whole game. So they’re fighting back trying to get in.”

Coastal Point • Shaun M. Lambert: Head coach Steve Kilby gets the customary Gatorade bath from Adam Izzo after his team’s state championship win over Caravel on Saturday, Nov. 21.Throughout the rest of the first half, the Bucs pressed on, creating multiple corner kick opportunities that were ultimately foiled by senior goalkeeper Ian Walls and the Indians’ defense.

“We practiced [corners] throughout the season against Cape. We kept practicing that, and it came into effect in the conference final,” said center-mid Gardo Velasquez. “We knew their striker [Umar Mohammed] was pretty good, he’s a dangerous player. We knew we had to shut him down. Paddy [Mochiam] and Max [Stong] did a nice job with that.”

“An early goal is a hard one to keep,” added Walls. “We just played our zones — we didn’t pick off players, we just stayed in our areas of the box and did what we’ve been doing for the last 10 games.”

In the second half, the Indians nearly tacked on an insurance goal, when freshman midfielder Maykin Nunez Guttierez managed a shot on goal that ricocheted off the top crossbar.

The defense continued to hold strong, however, as the game’s physicality began to escalate and Caravel kept up their aggressive offensive attack. Eventually, they’d go on to seal the shutout — their fourth of the tournament.

“We didn’t yield a goal during the tournament. We shut everybody out all four games. We had to play an extra game, didn’t get a bye — I could not be prouder of these guys,” Kilby said. “The organization of the back four — Patrick Mochiam, Max Stong, Arturo Salas and then a combination of Ivan [Macedo], Keith [Chatterton] and Andrew [White] — along with our two holding mids, Maykin and Gardo [Velasquez], were the difference in the game.

“We denied shot after shot, attempt after attempt — they couldn’t break us down.”

“All we had to do was just keep our opponents in front of us. That’s all we had to do,” Mochiam added. “Throughout this tournament, the defensive backs just communicated well. We had the chemistry, and we just got through it. We won the championship.”

After the game, the Indians got a police and fire department escort through Dagsboro and then back home to the soccer stadium at John M. Clayton Elementary School, where fans gathered to watch the Indians mark the score and the win on the pole — an Indian River soccer tradition.

“We pick players from every game to put the scores on, and if you win the last one, that means you’re the best,” Kilby explained the tradition to the crowd before Indian River and River soccer legend Howard Gerken marked the last spot on the pole. “Tonight, I want Mr. Gerken to put our state championship score up.”

The ceremony made the state championship official for Kilby and his squad, but after starting the season 2-5 on a tough stretch of schedule against both nationally- and state-ranked opponents, getting to that last spot on the pole was a long journey.

“Coach Kilby — he just told us the same word every practice, every drill, every game, is focus. That’s the mantra for us. We just had to focus,” said Mochiam. “The team just got together — we went through so much adversity, a lot of things were not going our way throughout the season, but we just overcame it and just did our jobs, focused on winning games, getting shut outs throughout the tournament and winning the championship.”

“At one point in the season, we said, ‘Alright, let’s start now, we’re gonna get better,’ and we got better,” added Walls. “We kept on winning because we made sure that we all knew that we would make ourselves better for each game We were trying to make us better; we weren’t trying to prove anyone else wrong. We were trying to prove to ourselves that we could be the best in the state.”

After all the adversity, the 2-5 start, and even the one-goal games that went down to the wire, proving they were the best in the state was exactly what the Indians did when they finally checked off that last item on their short list.

And with 10 returning starters next season, there’s no doubt that next year’s short list will have those same three items, as the program continues to grow with high expectations.

“We return 10 starters on the field next year,” said Kilby. “The list has always got three items on it.”

“A Christmas Story” is a holiday film about an average American family of four at Christmastime. The main character is Ralphie — the young boy who desperately begs his parents for the BB gun that they warn will “shoot his eye out.” But there is also a staged musical version of the holiday story — complete with a dance number featuring the lamp leg.

Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth will be running “A Christmas Story: The Musical” from Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, and they’re aiming to realistically bring the story to life — even going so far as to cast a real-life married couple as Ralphie’s parents.

David Warick and his wife, Amy Warick, are no strangers to the theater world. David Warick is not only an equity actor, but also a drama teacher at Sussex Central High School. Amy Warick herself is a frequent-flyer on the stage, being featured in many shows at Clear Space and even co-directing the Delaware Comedy Theatre troop with her husband.

The two of them have teamed up to sing, dance and act their way through the bulk of the holiday season. But playing a married couple on stage isn’t as effortless as it seems.

“Sometimes, I have to remind David and Amy about their real lives and their real relationship and help them bring that dynamic to their characters,” said Artistic Director David Button, who is also directing the show, with a laugh. “They sometimes forget about the dysfunctional nuances that exist in every marriage and are an essential part of these iconic characters.”

Devon Lynch, one of David Warick’s theater students at Sussex Central High School, plays Ralphie. He said, “Working with the two has been a unique and wonderful experience. I am seeing a completely different and awesome dynamic from [Mr. Warick} now that we are working together as actors,” Lynch explained. “They are both so amazing to work with and they are always bound and determined to get all of their ‘stuff’ right.”

Amy Warick said she has also really enjoyed the experience, adding, “I always love being on stage with David; we have a shorthand, which helps us relate to each other more realistically on stage. So, playing husband and wife on stage is a true joy. … I’m looking forward to finding fresh nuances each night during the run of the show.”

The show also offers her another treat that she doesn’t get to enjoy very often. “Hearing David sing always makes me happy,” she mused. “He has two hilarious numbers that really showcase his voice, so that is going to be an extra treat for me.”

The show runs on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m.

Lynch and Amy Warick promised a theater experience to remember.

“I think the musical adds a different element to the initial story and will make fans out of people who did not ‘love’ the film,” Lynch claimed. “That having been said, many moments of the musical cater to the people who are fans of the film. You will see the bunny suit, the soap in the mouth, and of course… the ‘Oh, Fudge!’ scene. Personally, I like the musical better.”

“The musical version is wonderful; it will not disappoint,” Amy Warick also offered. “The heart and humor are still there and adding music raises the stakes and elevates the story, making it a must see for the holiday season.”

Tickets can be purchased online at www.clearspacetheatre.org, by calling (302) 227-2270, or in person at the box office located inside the Clear Space Theatre at 20 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach.

Weekend Wonderland in Bethany will be held the first three Saturdays in December, on Dec. 5, 12 and 19, throughout downtown Bethany Beach, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local merchants will be open, with special promotions and activities, and a variety of events will take place throughout the days.

Each Saturday at 6:00 p.m., the Tree of Warmth, on the bandstand, is a holiday charitable event complete with a local choir caroling. Attendees are being invited to bring non-perishable food items and new or gently-used coats to be distributed to a different Sussex County charity each week

Each Saturday is highlighted by a special event. On Dec. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m., Holiday Happenings, an annual Town of Bethany Beach event, features family-friendly activities including horse-drawn carriage rides, trolley rides, caroling and more.

On Dec. 12 at 3 p.m., is Drop & Shop: Kids Day Out, sponsored by Bethany Beach Ocean Suites and the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce. Children between the ages of 4 and 12 can watch a free viewing of “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” in the hotel. With certified child care on hand, parents will have time to do their holiday shopping.

Then, Dec. 19 at 3 p.m. Dickens Parlour Theatre will perform a special Holiday Magic Show in the ballroom of Bethany Beach Ocean Suites. Shoppers can also take advantage of a Gift Wrapping Station, sponsored by a non-profit organization, from 3 to 6 p.m., in the lobby of the hotel.

Several merchants will be holding events, including Mingle & Jingle with Elsa & the Elf at Tidepool Toys & Games on Dec. 5, Brunch with Santa at Bethany Beach Ocean Suites on Dec. 12 and a Children’s Storytime at Bethany Beach Books every Saturday at 2 p.m.

Weekend Wonderland in Bethany Beach is a collaboration of the Bethany Beach Business Forum, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce, the Coastal Point and the Town of Bethany Beach.

“Weekend Wonderland is a great event to bring people into town to shop local and share in the holiday spirit,” said Kristie Maravalli, executive director of the Chamber. “With the common goal of promoting the business community, the collective effort of the business owners, the Town of Bethany and Bethany Beach Ocean Suites, has been an amazing cooperative experience.”

Complete details of Weekend Wonderland in Bethany, including the participating businesses, can be found on the event calendar at www.thequietresorts.com.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Pictured, from left, The Way Home Board Members Bob Davis and Jeff Jackson volunteer Monday nights to socialize, mentor and offer encouragement to the Way Home participants Mike Mawhinney and Melvin Jones, who live with other the Way Home participants in a Millsboro transitional home.“We have never and we do not intend to turn anyone away in spite of recent budget cuts.” Those words, spoken by Barbara Del Mastro, speak volumes of the dedication of The Way Home’s director, who also serves as one of two program case managers.

An interfaith organization and a nonprofit, The Way Home is celebrating 18 years of steadily supporting ex-offenders transitioning from prison, re-entering society, and re-uniting with their families.

“We receive requests from prisons throughout Delaware and we also serve others who enter our office door in Georgetown,” explained Del Mastro. “We serve, on average, 100 permanent clients each month and support 100 to 150 contacts monthly. In addition, Way Home volunteers facilitate several programs for incarcerated inmates in the Work Release programs of the Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown and workshops in the community.”

The program’s mission is to meet former prisoners at the prison gates and provide connections with the community, meet their transitional needs and foster relationships that prevent return to prison.

“Many times we speak on behalf of incarcerated men and women at parole hearings,” said Tony Neal, The Way Home’s lead case manager.

Del Mastro and Neal, full-time case managers since the program’s inception, and a part-time office manager will be stretched thin.

“We’ve been operating on a shoe string for several years, but the future looks very grim,” Del Mastro said, noting that 20 percent funding cuts impact those salaries and operating expenses. “We will continue to respond to everyone’s needs as best we can.”

“The program is built around their needs,” Del Mastro explained. “Many of the released men and women have a sixth-grade education, have substance abuse problems, are in poor health or at high risk for disease, or have emotional or mental illnesses.”

Comprehensive case management includes meeting men and women at the prison gates and providing initial needs such as clothing, food, housing and many other basic necessities of life. Ongoing support is provided for transportation to find jobs, social services, banking services, driver’s licenses or other identification, educational needs, counseling, medical care; and completion of probationary requirements to meet their goals and responsibilities. Support is also provided for those relocating to other areas.

Participants hear about The Way Home by word of mouth, program outreach, from prison programs sponsored by The Way Home or referral from prison staff. Case managers meet with prospective participants before their release and begin making plans for their transition to the community.

Benefits to state and local communities

Aside from the cost of crime to the community, Delaware taxpayers are paying an annual cost of $36,000 to house one inmate in prison. Alternatively, The Way Home’s cost for case management services for one person is approximately $5,500 — approximately one-sixth of the cost of incarceration.

“Our primary goals have been and will always be to increase public safety and reduce recidivism,” Del Mastro explained. “By assisting and providing the basic necessities of life and other basic services, we believe the men and women transitioning into society can look forward to a happy and healthy life.

“There are several programs statewide that may do one or two facets of what we do. But The Way Home is the only program that serves this population with everything from transportation, to finding a job, a place to live, and medical services.”

Each year in Delaware, approximately 20,000 inmates are released from prison into the community. Of those 20,000 released, it is estimated that 1,200 have been incarcerated for at least one year.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 35 percent of those released have work-impairing disabilities including mental illness. More than 50 percent of those released would return to prison due to new offenses within three years. Many released die, at a rate of 12 times that of other individuals. The leading causes of death are drug overdose, cardiovascular disease, homicide and suicide.

State and local communities benefit when ex-offenders re-enter society with a strong network supporting them: Increased tax revenue from paid employment, reduced welfare costs as participants pay child support, increased community safety, reduced substance use, and reunited families.

In September 2012, the School of Public Policy & Administration of the University of Delaware issued an assessment of The Way Home Program covering the period 1999 through 2008. The study compared Way Home clients and Delaware Department of Corrections detainees. The Way Home had lower proportion of their clients who recidivated in the first year of their release than the ex-offenders of the Department of Corrections.

The University’s summary and conclusions over all years of the study also stated:

• The Way Home Program performed more efficiently than the Department of Corrections on all dimensions of recidivism.

• For any point in time after release, The Way Home clients had higher probability of not returning to incarceration. A higher proportion of Way Home clients were less likely to recidivate for the entire time frame after release.

“The first year after release is crucial,” stated Neal, “Many want to return to their familiar neighborhoods, and although we encourage re-uniting with their families, many times it is not the wisest decision.

“Returning to their neighborhood sometimes means returning to the behaviors that got them incarcerated in the first place. So, we encourage them in their decision making process and many times starting over in a new place gives them a new perspective on life.”

Volunteers are the backbone of The Way Home program

A 40-hour work week is not the norm for The Way Home’s two case managers, Del Mastro and Neal. Many times, prisoners are released with no money, carrying their possessions in a plastic bag, with unsuitable clothing, no transportation and nowhere to stay. Other times, participants need to be at work at 6 a.m. or leave work at 10 p.m., have no vehicle and public transportation is unavailable, particularly on holidays.

“In light of the budget cuts, volunteers are becoming increasingly important to carry on this mission,” Del Mastro explained. “Many assist with transporting participants, help with crafting résumés, establishing a bank account and educating participants with everyday things most people find quite ordinary. Almost since the inception of The Way Home program, several Way Home board members visit with participants in a Millsboro transitional home every Monday night.”

Board Member Jeff Jackson, one of the volunteers, affectionately known as the “Monday Night Guys,” talked about his role at the transitional home.

“It takes a while for the newly-released participants to feel comfortable and for us to establish trust. Sometimes we just chat about football and other things men talk about. We might bring a pizza and offer advice about searching for jobs, interviewing or buying vehicles, when asked. Sometimes we provide transportation to parole meetings or to work.”

DelMastro added, “We do the work we do because we care deeply about people. The Way Home is a compassionate program. In many cases, we maintain contact with the men and women as they continue to build their lives.”

Support groups

Recognizing the importance of the first year after incarceration as being the key in preventing return to prison, several ongoing support groups run by volunteers were started primarily in the last two years:

• Women’s group at Sussex Correctional Center — Since July 2013, Carol Laspino-Franks, clinical psychologist and a volunteer facilitator in the Thresholds program, a decision-making course held in the Sussex Correctional Center, has facilitated a weekly support group for about 10 incarcerated women. Many of the women are in the Crest Program for drug-abuse issues and some are from work-release.

Laspino-Franks said she recognized early on that a sizeable number had diagnosable mental problems or were victims of severe psychological, sexual and/or physical abuse or parental neglect, and some suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Some discussion topics include self-destructive choices, some evolving from immersion in the drug culture, and their consequences.

“Many women are concerned about how to get their children back, where to live because many have nowhere to go, or what jobs they could expect to find after their release,” Laspino-Franks said. “The women are grateful for the therapy sessions. They say it is not like any other program they have participated in. They feel safe to say anything because what they share is not shared outside the group.”

More than 300 women have attended the group sessions since the group’s inception. “I hope to give them an emotional base they can build upon when they leave. I hope that something I say or others say may make a difference, but you can never know if you have ‘planted a healthy seed.’

“If they had not been mistreated and neglected as children and had not become addicted, they might have done great things at this stage in their lives. I drive home the message they are worthwhile, valuable and worth more than being beaten up or beaten down by others.”

• Men’s and women’s support groups — Del Mastro and Neal began as instructors in the Thresholds Program at the Sussex Correctional Institution. Thresholds, a national nonprofit organization, was established in 1974 by a former inmate of a New Orleans prison. While he was incarcerated, he observed that inmates need better decision making skills in order to take control of their lives, to set goals, and make wise decisions upon returning to their communities. Four 10-week cycles of instruction are offered each year for inmates.

The Way Home is grateful for Clifton Harmon, a Delaware Tech student and a Way Home intern, who facilitates a discussion group every Tuesday night in the Sussex Violation of Probation Center in Georgetown.

Sessions are based on a two-volume guide and workbook titled “I am Responsible” by Brett Lunger and Steve Wookey. The books, purchased by the Work Release Program, is used to facilitate discussions about such topics as anger, hatefulness, indifference, holding grudges and how to address or deal with those and other feelings; how to behave in challenging situations or situations that require decisions based on conscience and learning from the experience; planning for making choices for the remaining days on earth; relationships and friendships, joy, zeal, gifts and how to use them.

Facilitated by a Way Home board member, Ira Kalbrosky, and other volunteers, a men’s support group is held every other Tuesday at Work Release from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Discussions center around coming to terms with inappropriate behaviors, changing attitudes and choosing positive behavioral changes in anticipation of a better future.

The Georgetown Presbyterian Church on North Bedford Street hosts a Way Home Women’s Support Group every first and third Monday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. The group is open to women in the Sussex Correctional Institution’s Work Release and Crest programs and to the community. This group, facilitated by Del Mastro, is also a safe place for the women to express their worries and anxieties, to network and to gather information about support services they will need upon their release. The women support and encourage each other as their concerns rise to the surface.

Conflict-resolution weekend workshops are held periodically throughout the year at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown from 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Attendees are men and women from SCI’s Work Release Program, Way Home participants living in the community and community volunteers.

Participants in Transforming Trauma Workshops, led by Charito Calvachi Mateyko, a restorative justice practitioner, learn about themselves, how to cope and balance emotions and feelings, and discuss their future plans, hopes and dreams. Modules are designed to teach participants how to reduce stress, set priorities and focus on what they can do to accomplish future action, rather than immediate gratification.

For more than 20 years, The Way Home’s lead case manager, Neal, has encouraged The Way Home and Work Release participants and family members to attend a support group titled Everlasting Hope on Wednesday nights at the Booker Street Church of God in Georgetown. Also a program of encouragement and mentoring, the spiritually-based evening includes Neal sharing his testimony of addiction and recovery and other testimonies.

“We always try to ‘pick them up’ rather than ‘put them down’. Many are carrying old pains, feelings, and emotions. I stress that failure is not final and if you want something you never had, you have to do something you never did,” Neal stated.

The Rev. Max Wolf, president of The Way Home’s board and rector of All Saints’ in Rehoboth and St. George’s in Harbeson Episcopal Churches, stated emphatically, “There are many reasons why people end up behind bars. Socio-economic status comes into play. It may be because, simply, they are poor and many times cannot hire a lawyer.

“Many lack education and motivation to get ahead, cannot find employment and turn to selling drugs. Dysfunctional family environments and drug and alcohol use also increase the chances of incarceration. Another reason is ‘running with the wrong crowd’ and heading down the wrong path.”

“We at The Way Home are definitely ‘down’ about a 20 percent cut in funding. But, we’re not ‘out’. We have important work to do. We will need to rely more on volunteers. We could use a volunteer fundraiser chair, a volunteer coordinator and a grant writer.

“We all make mistakes. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have dignity and human rights... We are all God’s children. We at The Way Home believe in second chances. The Way Home ministry is not only for participants but to connect our society to the needs of others.”

For more information about The Way Home program, how to volunteer, or to submit a tax-deductible donation, visit www.twhprogram.org, www.facebook.com/thewayhomeprogram/, or call the office at (302) 856-9870.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: Mike Cumming of Mikken Builders, left, Steve Hagen of the Off the Hook Restaurant Group, center, and Phil Barton of Barton’s Landscaping answered questions for future entrepreneurs at the South Coastal Library on Monday, Nov. 23.When the 38th District Republican Club met on Monday, Nov. 23, it wasn’t to discuss politics.

Instead they gathered at the South Coastal Library for an Entrepreneur Symposium — an event designed by club President Drew Sunderlin to encourage young people interested in one day owning their own business by introducing them to some of Sussex County’s most successful entrepreneurs.

“This is an apolitical event,” Sunderlin explained. “The idea is I wanted to bring in the young members of our community and introduce them to three very successful entrepreneurs — I wanted to do something for the community where we show them what it took for these guys to get where they are.”

To do that, Sunderlin sought out area success stories, including restauranteur Steve Hagen of the Off the Hook Restaurant Group, Miken Builders President Mike Cummings and Barton’s Landscaping founder Phil Barton — all of whom eventually went on to turn their ideas into thriving businesses in Sussex County.

“Drew asked me if I could come up here and share my story and answer some questions, and I was honored to be able to do it,” said Hagen. “Hopefully, my story can inspire young people to go start their own American dream. I hope they get that enthusiasm to think, ‘Hey — I can do this, too.’”

“Hopefully, it will show some of the young kids thinking about becoming an entrepreneur that we’re just regular people — we’re not people that came from big-money families,” added Cummings. “It’s great to be able to share our stories so that, hopefully, other people can do the same thing one day and make Sussex County a better place to work and live.”

Throughout the evening, the three speakers made themselves available for question-and-answer sessions about how they got where they are and what it takes to run a successful business, sharing their personal stories along the way.

Questions from the audience ranged from future business professionals looking ahead to current business owners looking for some advice, but even with the event’s initial success, Sunderlin said that he hopes for a bigger turnout from the area high schools for upcoming symposiums.

“This evening was a wonderful opportunity for any youngster to get the chance to see and talk to three people that are incredibly successful in Sussex County. Unfortunately, we did not get a really good turnout from the three high schools that we invited, but we did get a really nice turnout from local [Boy Scout] Troop 281,” he said.

“I think that this is something that, when we go to do this again in the future, it would be extremely beneficial for the high schools. We just want people in Sussex County to know that we as a club really care about the youth. We want them to be able to get good direction from good people.”

For more information on the Entrepreneur Symposium or information on future events like it, contact Drew Sunderlin at 38thDRCP@gmail.com.

Sussex County offices will close for a two-hour period on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, to allow employees to attend the annual Mildred King Luncheon.

County offices will close from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on that date. Members of the public with business to conduct at County facilities are asked to plan accordingly for the temporary closure.

County offices will re-open promptly at 1 p.m.

The Mildred King Luncheon is held each December to recognize County employees for their service to the County government and the people of Sussex County. The annual luncheon is named in honor of former County employee Mildred King, who served Sussex County for nearly 30 years.

Republic Services will continue as the waste hauler for the Town of South Bethany. The company had the low bid for a five-year waste-hauling contract. The town council unanimously approved to pay the winning bid of $1,638,431 for services from May 1, 2016, to April 30, 2021.

“The approximate cost per household for all three services — trash, recycling and yard waste — for the year beginning May 1, 2016, is $243,” stated Town Manager Melvin Cusick. “This will be a savings over the current year of $53 per household. There is an average 3 percent increase for each year thereafter.”

“Residents will see the reflection in their itemized tax bill, which will be mailed out in April,” Cusick added.

According to the company website, Republic Services Inc., is a Fortune 500 company and the second largest provider of services in the domestic non-hazardous solid waste industry (as measured by revenue).

Coastal Point • Maria Counts: The evening of the terror attacks in Paris, Nov. 13, police and military officers patrolled the streets in the Fourth arrondissement.As I sit, trying to figure out how to begin, I realize that there is no way to begin. It was almost three weeks ago today that there were terrorist attacks in Paris, and my mind has yet to settle, to organize its thoughts, to realize that trying to make sense of something so senseless is futile.

You see, on Friday, Nov. 13, I was in Paris.

My family planned a dream vacation of sorts to Europe this fall, with my mother and I going a week ahead to spend some time in London and Paris together before my brother would join us.

We had arrived in Paris on Thursday. Even though it was lightly misting, the city sparkled. We spent the whole day walking about, almost forgetting to eat dinner.

Friday was spent like many of the days prior — wandering the streets, eating too much food and taking more photos than I have wall space to hang.

That night, we ate at Le Tambour, a little bistro in the Second Arrondissement, known for being a fun spot to watch sporting events. We arrived just as the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” began before the kickoff of the France vs. Germany game.

We sat at a corner table and marveled at the little vacation we’d been able to make a reality.

We also laughed that there was a mirror painting of Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moon landing on one wall. Which, now ironically, spurred a conversation about where we were on historic days in time. My mother was traveling home with her mom and sister from a beach weekend when Armstrong landed on the moon. I recalled sitting in Mr. Norton’s civics class on Sept. 11, 2001, and watching a plane hit the second tower.

Coastal Point • Maria Counts: Police and soldiers gather at the Palace de la Bastille in Paris on Friday, Nov. 13, following the terror attacks.From time to time, patrons would leave their tables to view the screen and check on the match. They cheered when France scored. Then, the match broadcast was temporarily interrupted with a short report of shootings — but everyone seemed to take it as a random, senseless act of violence and went about their meals.

Then reports came in that 18 people had been shot. The waiters stopped working and gathered around the screen. The bistro fell silent. As it had been reported, it was just a senseless shooting. No one knew the extent of what had happened.

Then, again, the football match continued, as did the rest of us.

We walked to the Metro to go back to our hotel in the Fourth Arrondissement, and en route found out that a handful of stops had been closed down. That’s when I received the first of many text messages. “You aren’t near the stadium are you?” “Tell me you are home in bed.” “Let us know if you’re OK.”

I was a little surprised that word of the shootings has spread so quickly to the States. Then, my brother called. Terrorists. There had been shootings at a theater about a half-mile from the hotel where we were staying and explosions at the football match.

When we exited the Bastille Metro station, emergency vehicles, along with police and military officers, arriving in armored vehicles and patrol cars, were collecting.

The crowd of people around the commotion grew, as well; most of whom were unaware of the attacks. Many were taking photos or video, and just watching the spectacle. Emergency vehicles sped down the streets, sirens sounding constantly.

When we returned to the hotel, a somber Frenchman met us at the door and asked if we had seen or heard anything. The hotel staff was gathered around the lobby’s television, announcing the count of victims had grown from 18 to more than 60.

We stayed glued to the television. There had been multiple attacks. The victim count continued to grow. The French borders were closed and the country was in a state of emergency. President François Hollande held a press conference and addressed the people of France.

“What the terrorists want is to scare us and fill us with dread. There is indeed reason to be afraid,” he said. “There is dread, but in the face of this dread, there is a nation that knows how to defend itself, that knows how to mobilize its forces. And, once again, will defeat the terrorists… Vive La Republique et vive la France.”

We continued to be flooded with calls, text messages and emails. People sent information about how to contact the U.S. Embassy; multiple friends offered to wire money. Others just offered to talk in any available capacity, to keep our minds at ease.

The sirens could be heard all night, and into the morning.

Not a wink was slept.

In all, 129 people had been lost to the world. Their families will never see them again, their friends will never spend time with them again, and the world will not get to experience what they had left to offer.

Coastal Point • Maria Counts: The evening of Saturday, Nov. 14, the Eiffel Tower stood dark in memoriam for the 129 people who were killed in Friday’s attacks.In the morning, the streets were almost entirely deserted. Few cars could be seen, and sirens could still be heard. We walked to the Bastille, which had a few people present but not as many as the day before. Police gathered at what seemed to be every street corner.

We walked to the local newsstand and bought five copies of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical newspaper whose offices were attacked this past January — our small contribution against the violent acts of the night before.

All the museums were closed Friday, but people still made their way into the streets. Few shops closed for the day, and all of the churches we visited held special Mass for the victims and their families. Signs to “Pray for Paris” covered windows and doors.

The weather was overcast with a little sun, mirroring the mood of the city. As the day went on, shops opened, and people made their way into the streets. Cafés filled with people, patisseries sold out of treats. The people of Paris would not let such an act of terror shut down their city.

At twilight we walked to the Eiffel Tower, which went dark to mourn the 129 souls lost in the attacks. It was both sad and beautiful. The tower was eerie in its darkness and under heavy military guard, but it was also crowded with people. Some couples took selfies, while other people just sat in silence. The city had taken a devastating blow not 24 hours earlier, but it would not be defeated.

Coastal Point • Maria Counts: Italian soldiers stand guard outside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, which received terror threats following the attacks in Paris.We would later travel to Italy, where the loss was still with us. A number of guests in our hotel had also been in Paris the night of the attacks and shared their experiences. The newspapers and local news stations offered updates on the situation. One day, two men hung the French and United Nations flags from a building in Piazza San Marco, and those in the square applauded. Venetians wore black armbands as a symbol of mourning the loss of Valeria Solesin, the Venetian woman who lost her life in the attacks. One Venetian palace was lit in red, white and blue, while all Italian flags were flown at half-staff.

The threats would later follow us to Rome, with a “countdown to terror” and images released threatening imminent attacks. Armed military officials guarded antiquities and landmarks. Tourist attractions, including the Colosseum, closed early. But people still filled the streets and went about their lives.

Now, having returned home, my experience in Paris is still with me. I have thought about it every day since that night. I am thankful to be home, but also sad to have left. My heart is still in that city, with its people, feeling its loss; trying to make sense of something that was senseless to begin with.

What I can make sense of is this: We must stand united for Paris, we must stand united for justice, we must stand united for good over evil, and we must stand united for humanity.

Vive la République, vive la France et vive la paix.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Sussex County Council members presented employee Barry Hitchens the ‘Pickle Award’ at their Dec. 1 meeting. Pictured, from left, are Joan Deaver, Michael Vincent, Hitchens, Rob Arlett and George Cole.Sussex County presented its third-quarter “Pickle Award” earlier this week.

The Give ’em the Pickle program is a national employee-based recognition program that the County adopted this fall.

“It is a peer-to-peer recognition program led by County employees who experience another employee’s exceptional customer service,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson, “and acknowledge that employee by filling out a form describing the event, which is then reviewed and approved by the employee’s manager. This is literally giving them the pickle.”

Lawson said that, additionally, a resident or County customer could give an employee praise that a manager could also use to give the employee recognition.

Lawson paraphrased some of the comments that were submitted for the award.

“One particular comment was sent in by a resident of the county who had a flat tire on Route 1 at 9:30 p.m. at night, and three of our paramedics stopped to help them change their tire. We had one individual write in about a group of employees at the wastewater plant who discovered a grease blockage that would have caused severe problems within a commercial site down off of Lewes.

“We had an employee write about one of their peers, about his service during tax season. He kept everyone on track, and the scripts that he wrote were particularly helpful in making the best tax season yet for our department. We had one supervisor submit a pickle regarding an employee who is part of our emergency response team here in this building, in handling a person who was sick in a professional manner.”

He went on to commend the County’s employees and noted to there were so many pickles submitted regarding great service.

The third quarter’s pickle award recipient was Building & Grounds employee Barry D. Hitchens, for service, attitude, consistency and teamwork. Hitchens received a plaque and an additional vacation day.

“Barry was recognized for his instrumental work in the relocation of the Marriage Bureau and essentially our new chief deputy on her first day,” said Lawson. “Congratulations, Barry.”

Sussex County will hold its next council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m.

Who should serve on a nonprofit board? Typically, high-ranking folks in business, arts, medicine or education are responsible for bestowing thousands of dollars in grant money.

But teenagers are the face of the Youth Philanthropy Board (YPB) for Sussex County. This year, Delaware Community Foundation entrusted 18 students with the power to award $10,000 to qualified nonprofit organizations that serve Sussex County residents.

Not only will these young Sussex Countians study local issues, they’ll learn about community service and grant-making for the day when they can serve on regular boards.

The students work together to choose a focus area, solicit and review grant applications, conduct site visits and decide how to distribute the money to have the greatest impact.

This year, the YPB for Sussex County will consider programs that provide mental health services and counseling in the areas of substance abuse, harassment and suicide prevention for both youth and adults in Sussex County.

Applications are due in January; students do site visits in February; consider the winners in March; and finally present the checks in April.

Schools choose which two juniors or seniors to send. For Indian River High School, senior Lauren McCoy returns and junior Mariayna Lovelace is attending for the first time.

Other local students include Olivia Anderson and Eben Marneweck (Delmarva Christian High School); Nathanael Riddle (Sussex Academy); Zakary Keeler and Hailee Smith (Sussex Central High School); and Brittany Ritter and Emily Whaley (Sussex Technical High School).

Cape Henlopen, Delmar, Seaford and Woodbridge high schools are also represented.

From a group of strangers in October to the award ceremony in April, the students will have learned about philanthropy, how to argue for their cause and how to reach consensus on a board.

New Castle County has had the program for about 16 years, with Kent and Sussex joining halfway through. Sussex and Kent counties each get $10,000 to spend. With a bigger population, New Castle gets $15,000.

Over the months of work, the board creates a scoring rubric, reviews applications, chooses finalists and names the winners.

Welcome to

the boardroom

On Day 1, students gather round a Georgetown boardroom table to brainstorm dozens of needs in the community, from animal rights to veterans’ affairs. Returning seniors lead group discussions, while the newcomers find their own voice to participate.

“The adults really do sit on the sidelines and let the kids go at it,” said William Allan, DCF senior vice president for Southern Delaware. “It’s fun to watch.”

Even the grant statements reflect compromise: Kent County will fund programs that serve people with special needs, but preference will be given to programs that incorporate agriculture, arts or animal therapy. New Castle will fund programs that help veterans transition back to civilian life or that help at-risk teenagers prepare for life for post-high school.

“Most years, they just want it to be for kids,” Allan said. “But [Sussex County] went out of their way to … hear from [organizations] who provide services for youth and adults.”

Nonprofits usually submit about $25,000 worth of requests, Allan said. Sussex County students must figure out how to whittle that down to a meaningful $10,000.

They’ll split into groups to do site visits, then present their recommendations to the board.

“The best part is when they come down to the final decision night,” said Fred Sears II, DCF president and CEO. “Like any other board, they have to decide, ‘Do we want to give each of them $1,000, or give the best ones $3,000, and some of them don’t get anything?’”

Discussion can get heated, but the groups work well together, said Sears, who has attended every New Castle meeting.

“It’s a really good experience,” Sears said. “It really restores your faith in the youth that we’ve got in our high schools today.”

There’s little difference between the youth board and their adult counterparts. Perhaps because they’re so new to the game, students study applications even more thoroughly, where it may become rote for those used to the process, Sears said. Teenagers take the site visits very seriously, too, and have voted against agencies that don’t offer them.

“I’ve had a number of the program directors who have met with them say, ‘Wow, these kids really came out here with their questions and put us through the paces,’” Allan said. “[Nonprofits] know this is a learning process, so they take the time to work with the kids, as well.”

Helping kids help

the community

“A lot of the young people don’t really know all of the concerns and needs until they spend some time with us. They spend the first couple meetings going over concerns in the community,” said Sears, recalling some teenagers stunned to learn that Delaware has an orphanage.

Sometimes students are so moved by a nonprofit that they want to volunteer their own time there, such as a group of girls at a youth services center.

Charitable groups enjoy the financial support, but “they enjoy meeting with the kids, as well, and seeing them involved,” Allan said.

Delaware Community Foundation’s (DCF’s) mission is “to build a shared vision for Delaware, grounded in knowledge, inspired by the common good and advanced through philanthropy.”

The original TPB endowment was established in 1999 by a teacher, Phyllis Wynn, to teach students about the other side of volunteerism: money management on a grander scale. Because the fund isn’t going to last forever, the Delaware Community Foundation welcomes donations that round out the YPB budgets each year.

“We just think it’s that important,” Sears said of one of his favorite programs.

“Some of these kids have really gone on to be active in philanthropy and giving back and volunteering,” Allan said.

Grant applications are available at www.delcf.org/grants and are due Jan. 6, 2016. For grant questions, contact Kelly Sheridan at (302) 856-4393 or ksheridan@delcf.org.

South Bethany’s maps aren’t leading to where it was expected.

At public urging, the town council hired an environmental consulting firm to manage the potential appeal of flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) gave the Town until Jan. 20 to appeal maps that would place oceanfront homes in a higher flood zone than expected.

But the Woods Hole Group’s (WHG) plan of applying FEMA’s own rules more evenly has backfired, as coastal geologist Leslie Fields explained at the Nov. 19 town council workshop.

“Despite the fact that we followed all the rules, and that FEMA had a few errors, we came up with pretty much the same mapping,” said Fields.

The results were similar to FEMA’s 2015 preliminary maps, although about 15 southern Ocean Drive houses would decrease from the VE-13 zone to VE-12.

But in some ways, the WHG map “is considerably worse than the FEMA map,” said Councilman George Junkin, because some homes west of Ocean Drive would move from the AO-3 zone (which only risks standing water) to VE-12 or VE-13 (which risks wave action).

“We were surprised when we found this,” Fields said. “To be honest with everybody, I thought we were gonna get something in between FEMA’s 2015 maps and their 2013 maps, but we didn’t.”

WHG’s plan was to compare FEMA’s 2015 revised preliminary maps (which are at the center of debate) to the 2005 pre-dune topography. WHG found that FEMA used non-standard method for dune erosion and used a near-shore water depth that is too shallow.

Fields doesn’t recommend that South Bethany’s future appeal be based on this mapping, although it’s good data to have.

WHG has to step back and consider other options to leverage for its appeal, such as the sand dune constructed in 2008 by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“It does provide protection in this area,” Fields said. “We’ve seen photographic evidence after two or three storms … and it does provide protection. There’s much less risk now than before the dune was constructed. So, knowing that, we feel like it’s worth considering developing an appeal based on modeling that considers the [dune].”

But FEMA staff personally told the town that reconstructed dunes aren’t considered in FIRM, since dunes aren’t permanent structures, especially if Congress does not continue funding the project. They’re sacrificial in nature, and the Army Corps design is built in the most economically beneficial way, not specifically to protect in a 50- or 100-year storm event.

“FEMA seemed to say they disregard the dune. … What sort of strategies would you bring forward to combat that?” asked Councilwoman Sue Callaway.

Fields said WHG may argue that the dune has well-established vegetation (which helps hold the sand in place); that the Army Corps has a 50-year maintenance plan (although it’s based on available funding); and that the dune has already protected the town.

“We would want to develop some really strong rationale for why the dune should be considered,” Fields said. “We have done a fair amount of thinking about this at the office … and we feel like we can support that appeal. There’s no guarantee that FEMA will accept it.”

South Bethany could argue that FEMA treated them differently from neighboring towns with similar topography. But FEMA could turn around and fix any errors in neighboring maps, which won’t help South Bethany, Fields said.

Next step in the appeal

Despite the unexpected results, the town council didn’t hesitate when voting unanimously to direct WHG to officially develop a strategy of appeal. This is Task 3 of the process, costing $3,790.

“We have science and reality to consider here. The dune has done its job and protected us well in storms, and that is our reality. The FEMA science does not want to consider the reality of our dune. Hopefully, we strike a balance where reality and science can coexist,” wrote Mayor Pat Voveris in an email after the meeting.

“I trust the WHG to put forth thorough and exhaustive efforts on behalf of our town,” she added. “This may well be a pioneering effort for FEMA consideration.”

In December, the town council will vote on whether to submit the appeal, based on WHG’s likelihood of success. If so, WHG will officially write and submit the appeal in Task 4, which costs $7,280.

Task 1 was WHG’s Army Corps dune study, which didn’t produce the apples-to-apples maps they hoped would translate easily into a new FIRM. Task 2 was the modeling and flood zone mapping.

South Bethany is currently operating under the previous 2005 FIRM. After FEMA resolves any appeals submitted by the Town or individuals, (which could take months), it will issue a new Notice of Final Determination. Six months later, the new maps could be enacted, as early as summer of 2016. The final FIRM will have an impact on home owners’ flood insurance rates.

The next regular town council meeting is Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.

With five miles of canals, South Bethany has called itself the “Venice of Delaware.” But all canals don’t lead to Rome in this case, as the dead-end canals suffer from poor flushing and circulation.

That’s the challenge being addressed by the Canal Water Quality Committee, led by Town Councilman George Junkin.

Poor flushing haunts the South Bethany canal ends farthest from larger bodies of water. Waste and nutrients move at snail’s pace out of some canal ends, if they ever escape. Among the inland bays, the best water conditions are nearest to the inlets, Junkin said, since a stronger tide drags Delaware’s dirty water out to sea.

That’s not to say the inland bays are perfect, but “We don’t get the algal blooms in the Indian River Bay like we do in our canals,” Junkin said.

About 800 homes are located on the canals, estimated committee member Jack Whitney.

According to a Town study, the shorter, westernmost canals need a month to reduce contaminants by just 36.79 percent.

But the maze of easterly canal ends were in the red, barely meeting that goal after four months.

One big idea

The Canal Water Quality Committee was formed in 2007 to help make the town’s waters “swimmable and fishable” again. But how do canals prove to meet either of these broad requirements?

Swimmable water is determined by bacteria levels. Fishable waters are measured in dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, salinity and nutrient levels.

South Bethany tests all of these weekly in the summer.

The canals would get better flushing if circulation increased, Junkin has said for years. Around 2007, the Canal Water Quality Committee researched a tidal pump, which could mimic the small, natural inlets that used to cross Coastal Highway (Route 1). They connected the Atlantic Ocean and Little Assawoman Bay. Other U.S. communities connect canals with pipes or pumps, Junkin said.

The committee pitched the idea to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC), but the State “[wasn’t] going to take a chance on saying that they like it, because it would change the environment,” Junkin said. “The canals would be more salty, and there would be pollutants in the ocean.”

“The [tidal pump] proposal was not accepted by DNREC, in part, because the beneficial effects would be limited to the Town and would not appreciably affect the inland bays,” according to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan Five-Year Review in 2012.

The EPA wasn’t interested, either, and there wasn’t $7 million in funding for the project anyway.

But even with the funding, South Bethany would need permission, permits and proof that it would work. To understand how a tidal pump (or any other resource) would affect town, the committee hopes to find grant money for research. That’s why Junkin (successfully) requested $10,000 from the South Bethany budget be made available as a match for any future grants.

Several little ideas

Until South Bethany knowns that a massive project will revive water quality in the canals, Junkin and the canal committee have dedicated hundreds of man-hours to felling the giant, one stone at a time.

Junkin emphasized the need for a future circulation study. The town council approved a $10,000 addition to the budget, in case the Town must contribute matching funds to a grant.

One goal is to reduce nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, which plants love. But that same fertilizer can cause algal blooms. Rain gardens (bio-retention areas) in the town have made a dent in the problem, allowing plants to drink up nutrient-rich water before it hits storm drains, which spit that water straight into the canals.

South Bethany could also work to reduce “gray water,” the runoff from impervious surfaces, such as roofs and driveways, which carries with it pollutants; educate homeowners on reducing fertilizer inputs; and examine dead-end canals to determine if any could benefit from low-cost solutions to increase flushing.

For years, South Bethany has prioritized rain gardens and bio-retention ponds — a relatively inexpensive way to let plants naturally soak up nutrients before stormwater reaches the canals.

Otherwise, the Canal Water Quality Committee is open to suggestions.

By dredging the canals, the Town could suck up the nutrient-heavy mud and potentially increase water flow, Junkin suggested.

“Dredging was done in the 2009/2010 time period, at a cost to the Town of over $300,000,” stated the 2012 Comprehensive Plan Review. The goal was to remove silt and increase water circulation just in canals at less than 3 feet in depth. (The large amounts of sand unearthed led Town Manager Melvin Cusick to believe that was the canals’ first dredging since the Storm of ’62.) The State funded dredging of the neighboring Assawoman Canal.

But dollar-for-dollar, would South Bethany benefit more by treating nutrients before they hit the canals, rather than ship that dirty water into the Atlantic, asked Town Councilman Wayne Schrader. “We’re giving our junk to the ocean,” Schrader said.

“The ocean has room for a lot of junk,” Councilwoman Carol Stevenson responded.

“We’re just trying to get [the canals] more averaged out,” Junkin said.

Local shopping and one-of-a-kind gifts will return to Millville at the town’s 3rd Annual Holiday Market on Saturday, Dec. 5. The holiday shop runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Millville Town Hall and across the street, at the Millville United Methodist Church.

“It brings everybody together — not only Millville residents, but our surrounding community residents,” said Town Manager Debbie Botchie. “They’ll be gabbing in the different buildings, and they come in and eat. And the kids always have a good time.”

Food will be for sale, including hot chocolate, cookies and barbecue from Hocker’s BBQ trailer.

The event has maxed out at 28 vendors, selling a range of items including handcrafted jewelry, scarves, hats, Christmas wreaths, ornaments, painted glassware, honey products, gourmet candy, pet treats and more.

“The day has turned out to be a very good shoppers’ delight, I would say. All the vendors have done very well the previous two years,” and they aren’t charged a display fee, Botchie said.

Kids can hang out at the activity area at the church. They’ll make ornaments (or they can take the project home) and get a snowman donut or Grinch-y fruit snack.

Kids can also visit the Shopkins trading post from 11 a.m. to noon. The collectable toys come in sealed surprise packs, so kids often have doubles and will trade with each other for ones they don’t already have. So, the more attendees, the more choices.

“It’s another craze amongst the children these days, these Shopkins, so we’re going to have a little trading post,” Botchie said. “This is going to give them the opportunity to bring the ones they may want to trade.”

Kids can also enter a free drawing to win one of three Shopkins play sets. (They need not be present to win.)

Donations will also be accepted for the Get Well Gabby Foundation (www.getwellgabby.org), which raises money for childhood brain cancer research to help find a cure, as well as assisting the children and families battling childhood cancer.

“They need all the help they can get, so we wanted to do something for them,” said Matt Amerling, executive assistant for the Town.

Millville Town Hall is located at 36404 Club House Road, Millville. For more details, contact Town Hall at (302) 539-0449 or go online at http://millville.delaware.gov.

Just because beach towns are less likely to see a white Christmas doesn’t mean they shouldn’t sing for one.

Fenwick Island is inviting residents and neighbors to a holiday gathering at the town park on Friday, Dec. 11. People can enjoy caroling, the tree lighting and hors d’oeuvres from 6 to 9 p.m.

“We just thought this would be the year to do this,” said organizer Barbara McCoy. “We thought it would be a good year to spread some cheer.”

Inside the park gazebo, the Christmas tree will be dressed up in striking red-and-white décor. Carolers will gather ’round to sing carols, accompanied by Bob Palladino on the electric piano.

After a ceremonial turning on of the park lights, guests will be invited to a social hour at a festively decorated town hall.

Guests are being encouraged to bring a finger-food, appetizer or dessert item for the reception afterward. They can be delivered to town hall before or after caroling. People should bring their own beverages (beer or wine is permitted).

“I think the town is ripe for it now,” McCoy said. “I think we’ve had some factions in the town, and I just think, and a few other people [agreed], … it was so nice when we did it. It was a nice way to start the holidays.”

Sponsored by the Town of Fenwick Island (“The council seemed to be behind it 100 percent,” McCoy said), the celebration is intended to let neighbors enjoy each other’s company. It’s been on hiatus for about eight years.

“It was such a great way to start the holidays, so we just ran with it,” she said, especially after a “wonderful” park renovation.

McCoy is joined by a committee that includes Lynn Andrews, Vicki Carmean, Sue Clark, Nancy Kushula, Carol McCloud, Jeannie Nedwick, Marlene Quinn and Shari Robinson.

Located next to Fenwick Island Town Hall, the Town Park is at the corner of West Cannon Street and Coastal Highway.

Details are online at www.fenwickisland.org.

This December, a two-week road closure will impact traffic south of Millsboro.

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announced this week that Dagsboro Road (Route 20) will be closed between Cricket Street and U.S. Route 113, from 6 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, until 10 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24. Poor weather could prolong the closure.

The one-third of a mile closure is necessary to construct a new concrete roadway. The curve of State Route 20 (Dagsboro Road) will be widened just east of U.S. Route 113 to accommodate two receiving lanes.

Detour signage will be posted.

The official detour route is via Route 26/Clayton Street, located about two miles south of the construction area. From Route 113, drivers should turn east onto Route 26/Clayton Street. Then turn left to access downtown Dagsboro and the detour areas, or turn right onto Route 20/Main Street to head toward Route 26 and Bethany Beach.

However, “Cricket Street will remain open the entire duration of the road closure. Drivers will be able to access Cricket Street from U.S. 113 and from Route 20,” DelDOT engineer Sarah Criswell stated.

“Access to homes and businesses west (north) of Cricket Street will be maintained at all times,” Criswell said. “Those needing to access the houses and businesses just west (north) of Cricket Street will be allowed to go around the ‘Road Closed to Thru Traffic’ barricade because they would be considered local traffic.”

Sussex Lumber can be accessed from Mitchell Street, to the north. But other homes, businesses and the daycare can be accessed from the east (south) side of the closure.

Overall intersection improvements at Dagsboro Road and Handy Road are expected to finish by March of 2016. That includes installation of a second Route 113 southbound left-turn lane, with 700 feet of “storage” to accommodate beach traffic entering Dagsboro Road.

Dagsboro is the fourth and final piece of the U.S. 113 Intersection Improvements Project, addressing areas with high rates of accidents, part of the overall the DelDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The contractor is the Allan Meyers company. (The project is unrelated to the Route 113 North/South Study, which may result in a third lane on Route 113 and a downtown Millsboro bypass to Route 24.)

Details are available online at www.deldot.gov/information/projects/sussex_county_us113 or by calling DelDOT Community Relations at (302) 760-2080.

It’s time to bundle up, grab some hot chocolate and prepare those Christmas lists, and local towns will welcome the holiday season with the annual Christmas parades.

All the local parades begin at 7 p.m. The Selbyville Christmas Parade is Friday, Dec. 4. Millsboro’s Candy Cane Christmas Parade is Wednesday, Dec. 9. The Dagsboro Christmas Parade is Thursday, Dec. 10. The Georgetown Christmas Parade also steps off on Thursday, Dec. 3, with a theme of “A Holly Jolly Christmas!”

Selbyville parade

The Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce is inviting the public to enjoy a night of holiday merriment at the 55th Annual Selbyville Christmas Parade on Dec. 4 from 5 to 9 p.m.

For the second year, Santa’s House will be open before the parade, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., located on Church Street across from Dollar General.

“Kids can come to Santa’s House and give him their list for Christmas,” said Chamber Event & Member Relations Manager Lauren Weaver, with a laugh.

“Delaware Read Aloud is going to be there selling cookies and cocoa at Santa’s House, and all the proceeds will benefit Delaware Read Aloud. The cocoa and cookies are donated by One Coastal in Fenwick Island.”

Weaver said more than 50 groups have registered for the parade, which includes antique cars, marching bands and fire companies.

“It’s always amazing to me that, even before we put the announcement out that registration is open, we have people contacting us, ‘When are we going to be able to register for the Selbyville Christmas Parade?’

“It’s a really fun tradition for the family and just for people being involved. It gives people an opportunity to showcase their business or their hobbies without charge. It’s just a fun form of expression.”

Judging the parade this year are Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation President Bridget Taylor, Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce President Richard Mais and Selbyville Town Manager Mike Deal, who will be seated at the corner of Main and Church streets. Registrants will be competing for awards in categories including including adult marching unit, commercial float and Overall Dazzler, provided by trophy sponsor Coastal Point. Emily Lampa from WMDT-TV will emcee the parade.

“Holly Kia is our presenting sponsor this year, so they’ll be the grand marshal of the parade,” she added.

Weaver said everyone is welcome to make a night of it, by arriving in Selbyville a few hours earlier to get food and visit with Santa.

“They’ll be plenty of food, like oyster sandwiches. The Fresh Farmer from [Route] 404 is coming in for the first time this year, and they’ll have hot cobbler and apple pie, and all that good stuff.

“It should be a nice night. Everything is set up at 5 o’clock. Even though the parade doesn’t start until 7, there’ll be vendors in town and Santa in town. So, come early and get some good food, and find your spot for the parade.”

Millsboro’s Candy Cane Christmas Parade

The Millsboro Chamber of Commerce will host the 65th Annual Candy Cane Christmas Parade on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. The event, which is sponsored by D&D Stained Glass, will feature more than 50 entries marching in the parade.

Lineup will start at 5:30 p.m. at M&T Bank on Mitchell Street and will march down to Main Street.

Those who will be marching have the opportunity to win awards in a number of categories, including marching band, commercial float and non-commercial float.

“It’s going to be a good-sized parade this year,” said Amy Simmons, the Chamber’s executive director. “The FFA, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, Brownies, Boy Scout groups, churches and other non-profits, as well as our businesses, will be in it.”

This year, the registrant marchers will be judged by a group led by Bob Cardaneo.

“We do have new judges this year,” said Simmons. “Bob Cardaneo, one of our board members, is heading this up. He is a certified judge and also a member of the drum and bugle corps in New Jersey. He has judged parades in New York and New Jersey.

“He and a couple of his friends have stepped up and offered to judge the parade this year. We’re excited for them to be here this year. We just thought we would try something new this year, and Bob was more than willing to step up and judge.”

The event will be emceed by Brian K. Hall, who will be stationed by Dollar General on Main Street.

The parade will be closed out by Santa Claus, who will then meet with children at Santa’s House, in the open lot next to Dairy Queen on Main Street.

“I have it on good authority that Mrs. Claus will be making a reappearance this year,” added Simmons.

For those who want to visit Santa on another night, Santa will open his house on Dec. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m., Dec. 5 from 3 to 5 p.m., Dec. 12 from 3 to 5 p.m., Dec. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m., Dec. 19 from 3 to 5 p.m., and Dec. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Simmons said she hopes the public will visit downtown Millsboro next Wednesday to enjoy an evening of holiday fun.

“We’re sure it’s going to be a little cool — hopefully, not too cold. We’re just hoping for a nice turnout.”

Dagsboro parade

The second annual Dagsboro Christmas Parade will take place on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. (The rain date is Dec. 11.)

Parade-goers can enjoy fire trucks, floats, marching units and Dagsboro’s own Indian River High School marching band. Last year’s parade ended with Santa Claus himself atop a Dagsboro fire engine.

After almost 30 years, people were happy to see Dagsboro’s parade return in 2014.

“Last year was kind of getting our feet wet,” said Brian Baull, organizer and vice-mayor. “We’re the newest parade on the block. … We’re looking to grow it every year.”

The parade starts at Indian River High School on Main Street, marching north, then turning west on Clayton Street to the Dagsboro Fire Hall. The Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Department and its Auxiliary will host a holiday gathering there.

“Santa will be right there, handing out candy canes, meeting kids,” and providing a free holiday photo-op for families.

Guests can also get silly at the AECOM photo booth. And, in planning for the future, the Town of Dagsboro and AECOM will invite people to complete surveys to help design a downtown development district plan. Residents and anyone who visits Dagsboro are welcome to give input on what they’d like to see in Dagsboro’s future.

“We’ll light the town up. People can see what cool things we have to offer,” Baull said. “Again, [it’s] a nice family-friendly thing that doesn’t cost a thing.”

To learn more, contact Dagsboro Town Hall at (302) 732-3777 or www.dagsboro.delaware.gov.

As Baull said, “How can you not enjoy a parade?”