Tuesday, May 20, 2025
48 ° Clear
48 ° Clear
The April meeting of the Makefield Women’s Association (MWA) is the organization’s most exciting gathering of the year. Each year, through a nominating and voting process, MWA members select a group of local nonprofits as annual beneficiaries. The MWA hosts fundraising events and collects donations for the year and each April, the proceeds are distributed to the beneficiaries to support their continued service to the community. This year, they awarded $24,000 to these local organizations.
The 2025 recipients are A Woman’s Place; Family Service Association, Bucks County Homeless Shelter; Bucks County Housing Group: Penndel Community Food Pantry and Yardley-Makefield Fire Company.
In addition, Pennsbury students Gauri Barot and Rosemarie Reeves received scholarships.
A Woman’s Place is Bucks County’s only domestic violence shelter. “Some of the things that we offer is shelter, so people can stay there and they are provided with clothing, food, toiletries and anything else that’s needed,” said Laura Malick-Glaudel, who represented A Woman’s Place at the meeting. “We help them find new housing and we have many clients who need other services such as counseling for adults and children, legal services, and we provide education and outreach programs. “We absolutely could not serve the community without the community, and we’re so grateful for groups like this one who chose us from all of the other really worthy causes, and we really appreciate this.”
Family Service Association (FSA), Bucks County Homeless Shelter is based in Levittown and provides homeless families with critical services. In addition to the homeless shelter, the FSA has an office in Langhorne which provides outpatient mental health and substance abuse services, as well as outpatient counseling. There is also a food pantry, a pet pantry, and a diaper pantry. “We are one of the only 24/7 emergency homeless shelters in the county and we’ve been able to restructure so we are now able to have up to 90 people at a time,” said Anne Marie Richards, the community relations and development manager for the FSA. “The sad part of that is that about half of those people are children. “The fact that we have groups like the Makefield Women’s Association who are willing to step in and support us really makes a difference.”
Bucks County Housing Group: Penndel Community Food Pantry serves our most vulnerable population. “We want to thank the association for this generous donation,” said Steven Keller, who represented the organization. “Without organizations like this one, without private donations, we would never be able to do what we do. “It’s a very humbling experience to be working here and I’m very happy and grateful to be serving the community.
He added, “We have two food pantries in Bucks County; one is in Penndel and one in Doylestown. We serve about 300 families, which translates into about 1,000 people. We also have low income housing all over Bucks County.”
The Yardley-Makefield Fire Company is the sole provider of fire protection for the businesses and residents of Lower Makefield and Yardley Borough and is completely composed of volunteers. The company was represented by president Larry Newman and firefighter/EMT Lt. MacKennzie Crain. “This organization has been so good to us, and we are very grateful,” Newman said.
The fire company recently acquired a high water rescue truck which is capable of driving in standing water up to four feet high. “The money that we receive is going to help us equip this rescue truck,” Newman said. “This will help us to save lives and we just can’t thank you enough.”
Scholarship recipient, Gauri Barot, will be attending Rutgers University next year and plans to pursue a PharmD degree. She is the co-founder of Falcons for Homeless, organizing fundraisers and essential care packages for the homeless in Philadelphia. She has also been involved in helping Pennsbury students obtain prom attire through Cinderella’s Closet; participating in Falcons for Orphans, a club that brings care to orphans; and through Futures for Families she has helped families find homes.
In addition, during COVID, she co-founded the All Smiles Club, a program that provided activities to entertain youth. Since that time, they have shifted to in-person activities such as swim lessons and tennis. “I love helping the community and I’m very honored to receive this scholarship, and very grateful,” she said.
Rosemarie Reeves, also a scholarship recipient, was unable to attend the event but is described by teachers and peers as determined, kind and focused. She has a passion for musical theatre and acting and has been a board historian for the drama club, and a concert choir representative on the Choir Council. She is also active in her community youth group.
MWA meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 pm at the Lower Makefield Community Center, 1550 Oxford Valley Rd. in Yardley, and invites any woman in the area to join them in serving the community. To attend a meeting or for more information, email them at president@makefieldwomensassociation.org.
