Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne 1st Responders Honored At Hometown Heroes Event

BRYN MAWR-GLADWYNE, PA — Several first responders in Bryn Mawr and Gladwyne 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.

Bryn Mawr and Gladwyne honorees and scholarship recipients are:

• Benjamin Abt, Gladwyne Fire Company
• William Clarkin, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Sophia Crossan, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Gabriel Leskusky, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Erin Madden, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Sean Meals, Gladwyne Fire Company
• Sophia Pellechia, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Samuel Shaffer, Gladwyne Fire Company

Several 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 Company
• Lindsay Baker, Llanerch Fire Company
• Elise Bermingham, Berwyn Fire Company
• Jermaine Brinkley, Merion Fire Company
• Miles Carr, East Whiteland Fire Company
• William Clarkin, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Sophia Crossan, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Kevin Dillard, Union Fire Association
• Weena Doyle, Narberth Ambulance
• Thomas Flynn, East Whiteland Fire Company
• Brian Friend, Brookline Volunteer Fire Company
• Jacob Haury, Manoa Fire Department
• Angela Khoudary, Narberth Ambulance
• Gabriel Leskusky, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Jordan Lichy, Berwyn Fire Company
• Erin Madden, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Ryan Marsh, Merion Fire Company of Ardmore
• Alexis McElhone, Bon Air Fire Company
• Sean Meals, Gladwyne Fire Company
• Yookang Nam, Rocky Run Fire Company
• Emily Nudy, Berwyn Fire Company
• Jack Nudy, Berwyn Fire Company
• Sophia Pellechia, Bryn Mawr Fire Company
• Wendy Qu, VMSC Lower Merion & Narberth
• Sean Righter, Glenolden Fire Company
• Alexander Rudnicki, Narberth Fire Company
• Lucas Sampson, Rocky Run Fire Company
• Benjamin Schmid, Penn Wynne Fire Company
• Samuel Shaffer, Gladwyne Fire Company
• Regina Solecki, Thorndale Fire Company
• Nicholas Sondergaard, Berwyn Fire Company
• Ethan Tartaglio, Berwyn Fire Company
• Kyle Vaughn, Malvern Fire Company
• Devora Weintraub, VMSC Lower Merion & Narberth
• Tague 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 the
contributions of all our volunteer emergency responders," said Bernard Dagenais, president of
the Foundation and CEO of The Main Line Chamber of Commerce. "These volunteers serve
on the front lines and their tight-knit community has been deeply affected by lives lost in the
line of duty over the past year. Through these scholarships, the business community and
residents come together to honor and thank men and women who show up to help their fellow
human beings in times of need."