One man is traveling far from home in an effort to raise money for a Philadelphia organization.
Thad Dickinson of Atlanta is traveling to Philadelphia to participate in the Philadelphia Marathon in order to raise money for Red Paw Emergency Relief Team.
“I’ve followed Red Paw on Facebook for a while, and then I thought about the Philly marathon,” Dickinson said. “But it was just a thought at first.”
Then, Dickinson says he heard the story of Short Rib, a kitten who was rescued by Red Paw after a house fire, but sadly did not survive. Dickinson says Short Rib’s story resonated with him and gave him the final push to sign up for the Philadelphia marathon, but not before he made a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the non-profit organization.
“I'm going to run 26.2 miles in Short Rib's memory and to raise funds in support of Red Paw as it continues to provide emergency assistance to injured and displaced pets like Short Rib,” Dickinson wrote on the page.
According to its website, Red Paw works together with the American Red Cross, the Philadelphia Fire Department, and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to provide “relief and recovery” for displaced pets and their owners, free of charge.
Red Paw was started in 2011 by Jen Leary, a former Philadelphia fire fighter who saw a gap in assistance following disasters.
UPDATE: Jacob was found dead Saturday afternoon
Online efforts to raise money for Jacob Marberger, the missing Maryland college student who may be armed, set off a discussion that brought out the good, bad and ugly in people — and shut down the gofundme page, at least for the moment.
The fundraising idea was launched Thursday by an alumni group at Washington College “to support Jacob’s needs when he returns,” the group explained. Their post on the school’s Facebook page sparked a heated debate — was it right to raise money for a student whose actions prompted the school to shut down for two weeks? Even though he never made a threat, wasn’t it clear he was a threat?
“I'm not sure this gesture, however well meant, is very well timed. And nowhere is it mentioned what "needs" Jacob will have when he, ah, returns.”
“How about raising money for students that rely on work studies to pay their tuition and for books?”
“Have you no compassion for his parents and family? Boohoo, you missed work. Chances are, they've lost a son.”
Washington College, a small private liberal arts school located in Chestertown, Maryland, went on lockdown Monday after a call from Marberger’s father, who said his son — distraught after a month of turmoil at the school — had come home abruptly overnight and left before dawn with a gun case and possibly a gun. Two days later, when the school found out Marberger bought a small case of ammunition from a Wal-Mart about halfway between his home and the school Monday morning, administrators took the unusual step of sending everyone home and canceling classes until Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving break.
“Maybe the money should be used to pay for overtime for public safety, police officers, and the dining hall staff.”
“How about if everyone stops arguing and starts praying for all of the WAC community, including Jacob and his parents?”
“To think of the parents who don’t know where their son is right now, it just takes your breath away,” Sotereas Pantazes, who helped organized the gofundme effort, said Friday. The 34-year-old father of two defended the idea as one that embodies the spirit of his alma mater’s community. “It goes hand in hand with the work we're trying to do and the message we're trying to get out there. . .If I could drive anything home, it’s to step in before anything really bad happens and address it.”
Someone flagged the gofundme page and the company took it down (standard policy) while they evaluate the complaint.
“What about the other people who are sick? Can they get money too?”
“The good thing is we were trying to raise $2,500 and in the 7 hours we were live, we raised $3,500 from over 40 donors,” Pantazes said. Donors will be refunded if gofundme doesn’t put the page back up. But Pantazes isn’t worried.
“I received a dozen phone calls and if gofundme decides to cancel everything, there are countless people who’ve said, ‘Forget gofundme. Give me your address. I’ll send you a check.’”
Whatever money the group ends up with will be used for Marberger’s medical and emotional assistance.
“Mental health is a big issue all across the country right now. And it needs to be addressed.” Pantazes, who served for a time as the alumni adviser for his fraternity says college kids don’t always realize they can hit the pause button.
“Many of us were foolish in our post-adolescence and did things we later regretted. In those times, we had people to turn to for help and support.”
“I used to tell them all the time, ‘When you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, there’s a lot of learning to be done.’ And when you’re someone like Jacob, who’s going through so many tough things, he needs to know there’s a pause button. If Jacob hits the pause button he can turn himself over, call his family, seek help and he’ll have a long, beautiful life ahead of him and that’s what we want to see.”
“Perhaps the funds raised could be used for a motivational speaker or some kind of symposium that would help the entire college community- recognizing anxiety, consequences and benefits of setting expectations of ourselves, where to go for help, etc. I would venture to say that Jacob is not the only student that is facing darkness and despair.”
Two people were hospitalized after a crash in Northeast Philadelphia early Saturday morning.
The crash happened about 12:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Roosevelt Boulevard at Adams Avenue.
The crash involved a sedan and a SUV.
Investigators say two occupants were taken to Aria Health Torresdale Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The inner lanes of the Boulevard were temporarily closed, but have since reopened.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
An 81-year-old woman was the victim of a home invasion in South Jersey early Saturday morning.
The crime happened about 12:50 a.m. at the White Oak Mobile Home Park in Pennsville, New Jersey.
According to Pennsville Police Chief AJ Cummings, the masked suspect forced his way into the trailer of the elderly victim.
Cummings said the suspect forced the victim out of her bed and demanded jewelry and cash.
Investigators say the 81-year-old gave the suspect jewelry and cash from her purse.
Before leaving the victim’s trailer, the suspect verbally threatened her.
The victim was not physically injured.
The suspect remains on the loose.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Pennsville Police Department.
As the hectic holiday travel season approaches, Pennsylvania State Police troopers want to make sure children are safe when riding in the car.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Pennsylvania State troopers will inspect car safety seats for free.
The inspection event is being held at the Chapman Ford dealership in the 9300 block of Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania State troopers will inspect the placement and operation of the car safety seats to ensure that the seats are accurately installed and working properly. The proper installation and use of child safety seats is critical to ensuring the child passenger’s safety in the event of a vehicle crash.
To make an appointment, you are asked to call Trooper Danea Durham at 215-452-5208 or visit the Chapman Ford website, www.chapmancars.com.
A pedestrian was struck and killed in front of a shopping center in Delaware late Friday night.
The deadly incident happened about 11:10 p.m. in front of the Governor’s Square Shopping Center on Pulaski Highway (US40) in Bear, Delaware.
Delaware State Police say a 36-year-old man was trying to cross the westbound lanes of Pulaski Highway when he was struck by a pickup truck.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity was not immediately released by police.
Investigators say the driver stopped at the scene.
The deadly incident remains under investigation.
A 22-year-old pregnant woman was stabbed to death in the Bronx and her baby girl surgically removed by the attacker, police said.
A local lawmaker said the woman's baby survived the attack, but has been hospitalized. The alleged attacker, who authorities said tried to claim the baby was hers, is in custody.
Police were called to the apartment in the Wakefield neighborhood of the Bronx Friday afternoon after receiving a call that an argument had turned physical. When officers arrived, they found the 22-year-old victim had been stabbed in the stomach multiple times.
The woman was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead, authorities said. Investigators were trying to determine how far along she was in her pregnancy and what touched off the bloody confrontation.
New York City Councilman Andy King, who was briefed by investigators about the case, told The Associated Press that the victim had been strangled and then stabbed. The unborn baby was then removed from the mother.
"It appeared the fetus of the 22-year-old woman was surgically removed by the suspect who is in custody right now," King said.
A 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody at the scene, authorities said. Charges against her were pending and it was not immediately clear whether the victim and suspect knew one another. When officers arrived, King, citing police sources, said the alleged killer tried to claim that the baby girl was hers, confusing the already gruesome investigation.
"When the cops arrived, the perp claimed it was her child and that she gave birth during the struggle," King said.
The baby survived and was taken to a local hospital, according to King. He said the suspect's boyfriend was also being questioned by investigators.
"I am very disturbed," King said. "This is a horrific incident."
Witness Diana Rivera told The New York Daily News that she saw the victim being brought out of the home on a stretcher.
"She was wrapped up and there was a lot of cops around her," she said. "She was bleeding. It looked like a lot of blood."
Police have not released the identification of the victim pending family notification.
With many of its friends stuck in grocery stores as Thanksgiving approaches, a wild turkey has been doing some window shopping in Northeast Philly.
The bird has been spotted over the last few days walking around Grant Plaza II in the Bustleton section of the city. Photographer Joe Kaczmarek took a few photos of the turkey outside the shopping center Saturday afternoon.
The bird didn't appear to be particularly cheerful in the pictures and understandably so. Thanksgiving is a pretty depressing holiday for turkeys.
Take a look at the photos above.
