Dear Friends:

Putting on this year’s Rouse/Chamberlin Homes Strawberry Festival was like giving birth - rewarding, exhausting, and well worth every effort! On behalf of the board and staff of the Brandywine Health Foundation, we extend our warmest thanks to the hundreds of generous volunteers in the Greater Coatesville Area who volunteered their time before and at this year’s event, and to the many businesses who helped to generously underwrite the event including Rouse/Chamberlin Homes, Willow Financial Bank, Brandywine Hospital, Coatesville Savings Bank, and DNB First and Herr Foods, Inc.

The event went off flawlessly thanks in large part to the professionalism and preparedness of the Caln Township Police Department, the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company, and Washington Hose EMS and Minquas EMS. We would also like to acknowledge the work of the dedicated members of the 2007 Strawberry Festival committee who generously gave their time and support throughout the entire year to put together this fabulous event for our community. We applaud your efforts and thank you for your commitment!

This year’s Rouse Chamberlin Homes Strawberry Festival raised more than $80,000 in net income -- all to benefit our community through the Brandywine Health Foundation and our secondary beneficiaries, the Brandywine YMCA; Coatesville Rotary Club; Coatesville Public Library and the Thorndale Volunteer Fire Company. We are already planning for next year’s Festival and welcome new volunteers and supporters. Check back to this web site throughout the year for updated information about the 2008 event.

You’ll find a link to the foundation’s website here - www.brandywinefoundation.org - and learn more about the foundation’s signature project, the Brandywine Health & Housing Center. Currently under construction on the 700 block of East Lincoln Highway in the heart of Coatesville, the Center will provide a permanent home for health, dental and social services as well as affordable housing for our county’s senior citizens. We are closing in on our final campaign goal, and expect to have the building complete by the end of March, 2008.

Thank you again to all who made this year’s event a success and hold May 29 through June 1 for next year’s Rouse Chamberlin Homes Strawberry Festival!

Sincerely,

Judy Good,
Volunteer Chair
Rouse/Chamberlin Homes Strawberry Festival