As Glenside emerges from a lockdown-lifestyle, the Downtown Glenside Foundation (DGF) is ready to pick up the pieces.

“We’re growing,” Maureen Haff, DGF’s President and founding member, said. “Glenside needs it now more than ever coming out of Covid. We want to be that little town that people are comfortable in. We’re a walking college town, and we want to bridge it all together, the neighborhood, the businesses, the train, and the college.”

The Foundation, now in its second decade of existence, is led by Maureen of Sweet Magnolia, Gina Burke of Trevi, Laura Baldwin of Arcadia, area resident Nancy Bower, Deb Campbell of DC Interiors, and Jerry Clarke of Clarke & Associates.

“During the pandemic we hosted multiple Zoom meetings about the direction of the Foundation,” Gina said. “We came up with new ideas and developed our mission statement. We didn’t miss a beat. When we finally came out of it we were much more prepared.”

Laurie Hawkins of Allined Books wrote the 501(c)(3) to get the DGF approved as a nonprofit entity.

“She really turned a page for us,” Maureen said. “We were lucky to get her.”

2022 saw the beginning of a partnership with 1853 Communications, a PR firm run by Arcadia students, to launch DGF’s quarterly newsletter.

Events are the Foundation’s bread and butter. The DGF got its start in April 2013 with the now-annual spring Arts Festival. The Food Truck Festival, Business Bingo and Winterfest, a brainchild of Maureen and former Cheltenham commissioner Drew Sharkey, came next. The Howl-O-Ween Promenade was launched in the fall of 2022.

“We’re trying to grow that. We want to figure out what the next one is because events bring the neighborhood out,” Gina said.

This year’s Arts Festival is scheduled for April 22, and the Food Truck Festival is set for September 7.

A music festival, which will involve folks from The Royal, is in the works for June.

Marlo Delsordo, a longtime member and volunteer, recently stepped down from her role as a social media manager due to the demands of a new job, and the DGF is currently seeking someone to take over in her absence.

“It’d be great to attract new volunteers who haven’t been traditionally involved with the DGF,” Marlo said. “We have a lot of talented residents who have backgrounds in volunteering. Kathy is an example of that. That would be significant to move things forward.”

Kathy Phillips has taken over community outreach responsibilities as a new arm of the Foundation.

“They’ve always been around, and they’ve been extremely active recently,” Matt Areman, Cheltenham’s Ward 1 commissioner, said. “They support small businesses who are seeking to open. They reach out to new businesses and help them navigate the murkier parts of opening.”

If you’re interested in volunteering with the DGF, you can reach out to dgcp19038@gmail.com. The Foundation is always looking for ways to include residents in its efforts.

For more on the DGF’s plans, events, and background, you can visit their Facebook page and website.