The Downtown Glenside Foundation (DGF) has shared their newsletter’s Summer 2023 issue, the sixth of its kind.
The issue includes updates and details on the upcoming Food Trust Festival on September 7, a feature on Rocky’s Deli Style Restaurant, and a feature of Maiya Groff, a student at Arcadia University.
The newsletter also chronicles a “Blast from the Past” history lesson about Glenside:
Glenside was created in 1683 as part of Cheltenham Township which became part of the County of Philadelphia a year later. On 10th September 1695, Philadelphia County was dissolved and Montgomery County was formed instead. So Glenside came to be identified as part of Montgomery County with Cheltenham becoming the smallest township in the area. Much of the development in Glenside was as a result of the efforts of William Penn when he deeded land grant to a group of 15 fellow Englishmen. Each was given a parcel of land within Philadelphia and its surroundings comprising of 100 to 500 acres. This covered much of the Glenside and Cheltenham Township.
For more history, you can visit the Downtown Glenside Foundation’s website.
Last, but not least, the issue features Gina Burke (pictured above), owner of TreVi and the Vice President of the DGF:
Gina is a mother of three, grandmother of six, business owner, and vital member of the Downtown Glenside Foundation. She is a co-owner of TreVi, a family owned and run Italian restaurant and winery located at 21 East Glenside Avenue. Her son, Joe Burke, is the chef and graduate of Ancillae Assumpta Academy and Bishop McDevitt. TreVi is a limited winery, making their own wine in-house while also serving as a BYOB. Gina is an active member of the Downtown Glenside community and a supporter of the many small businesses in the area, with some of her favorite local spots being Dovetail Artisans and Sweet Magnolia.
As Vice President of the Downtown Glenside Foundation, Gina works closely with the Foundation’s president to brainstorm and execute ideas that build the feeling of community in the area. She fulfills several roles for the Foundation, including organizing and carrying out meetings, finding ways to fill vacant spaces, and especially helping to garner the involvement of the many local businesses and community members. Gina particularly strives to bring the Downtown Glenside residents, student life, and businesses together for the better of the town!
One of Gina’s notable contributions to the Downtown Glenside area is the beloved Food Truck Festival! She and a fellow commissioner came up with the idea to host the festival, and, despite it originally being a small event, it immediately blossomed into the large community gathering it has become today. Gina loves seeing the neighborhood together with their families participating in the festival. She also notes the importance of strengthening the feeling of unity within the town as well as the connection between the Arcadia population and the local residents.
When asked about her dreams for the future of Downtown Glenside, Gina recounts the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic had on all the local businesses. She would love to see all who were affected reach a full recovery and an even more prosperous future. She expresses a large amount of gratitude for the support system she has been able to find in the Downtown Glenside community. She sees her involvement in the Foundation as a means of giving back to the neighborhood that has always been there to support.
“If it wasn’t for the Glenside community, who were really supportive throughout the pandemic, I wouldn’t be standing here today. I am involved with DGF because of the people who live in the community. If it wasn’t for them, my business wouldn’t have survived. I do it to give back. Hopefully, it grows bigger and better! And it is!”
To sign up for the DGF newsletter, you can click here. To lend financial support for the DGF’s mission, you can click here.
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