Party of the Summer!

The temps may have been low, but we didn’t let that get in the way of our Staff Appreciation Summer Party. Residents and Staff spent the morning engaged in a friendly, but serious competition on the All-Star volleyball court. The pressure for a W was high as the smell of Chick-Fil-A filled the room. Not even the promise of a crunchy kale salad, creamy mac and cheese, and a crispy chicken finger could deter these game faces.

After fueling up at lunch, the Residents took to the All-Star Patio for some target practice. The targets? PD Staff brave enough to get DUNK'D! Tony, Sean, and our new Aquatic Specialist, Kira, were all great sports and made the dunk tank the place to be.

Thank you to our Staff; your hard work and dedication to MCC Resident’s and their needs is something to be to be proud of. You make MCC the warm and welcoming home that it is.

Dunktastic Dude

"Beach" Volleyball

Thank you to all MCC Residents and Staff for another fabulous Summer Bash!

IN THE HOUSE

Stamp Your Mark

Much of August was spent preparing for the 44th Annual Charmie Welch Invitational hosted on September 8, 2025, at The DuPont Country Club. As you can imagine, there are many moving parts that go into planning an all-day event like The Charmie. One of those very important parts are the many items The Center puts up for auction.

At its core, The Charmie is about the Residents. The annual tournament is the largest and longest running fundraiser supporting The Mary Campbell Center. With this in mind, The Center is always looking for new ways to involve the Residents in the event. In addition to having Resident greeters and Hole-in-One chance pickers at the tournament, we added Resident "autographed" artwork to the tournament's silent auction this year!

Residents can be seen below stamping their mark on each Zot Artz notecard they helped create in July when artist, Dwayne Szot, visited The Center.

Resident Leadership

Resident, Tara Graver, led an educational presentation for the participants of our Children & Youth program on The Franklin Institute this past month. Tara worked with Jonaye Wallace of the MCC education team to tailor the presentation for the Children & Youth group on what to expect during their visit to The Franklin Institue. Tara presented on the history of the museum as well as its many engaging features and exhibits. Like many talented speakers, Tara closed the session with a question to the audience. This allowed for an open discussion on The Institute and what Children & Youth was most excited to see and/or learn more about on their visit.

Great job, Tara!

Quiz Masters

The MCC Education team is responsible for creating and managing programs that foster Resident engagement and of course, education. One of their staple programs is a daily morning presentation in The All-Star Room called, 'Good Morning MCC'. 'Good Morning MCC' is led by various Education and Activities team leaders and touches on historical events, national holidays, the weather, and more.

In an effort to provide more morning programming options, the education team worked with Residents to create 'Quiz Masters'. This trivia focused gathering is led by a different Resident every two weeks. The Resident works closely with the Education team to select a topic of their choice and create Jeopardy formatted questions for contestants. Most recently, Resident, Miss Grimaldi, hosted the trivia enthusiast group for a heated match of '50s themed Jeopardy!

Way to go, Missy!

Community Reinvestment

In July 2025, The Mary Campbell Center was awarded a generous grant from the state of Delaware through the Community Reinvestment Fund.

The grant is being used to fund the replacement of two boilers responsible for heating the EZee Street portion of the building. This update is an integral preventative maintenance effort to ensure consistent heat in the cold months ahead. Below you’ll see some snapshots of the ongoing project in action.

Continuing Education

On Wednesday, August 20, a representative from Wilmington University visited The Center. The University rep. provided information on the school's programs designed with working adults in mind.

The partnership MCC has built with Wilmington University allows employees to achieve a degree 100% online while working full or part time. It also provides MCC Staff with a 10% tuition discount for all programs of study.

ON THE ROAD

Engaging the Next Generation

The Larc Norcross School in Bellmawr, New Jersey has been serving Students with Developmental Disabilities since 1968. Through monthly volunteer visits to the school, MCC Residents have worked to develop and nurture meaningful connections with Students and Staff. During their most recent visit, Residents assisted Students in an interactive lesson about the differences and similarities between farm animals and zoo animals. Both the Residents and Students utilized several switch-adapted items including, a switch adapted spinner and a Cosmo disc that activated songs during the program. Following the activity, it was time for the Residents and Students to enjoy some quality time with local farm animals who stopped by to say hello!

Philadelphia Phandom

Philly Phandom runs deep here at The Mary Campbell Center. If a Philly mascot is spotted, whether live or in statue-form, a picture must be taken. Steve Slotkin and Brian Moore paused for a quick photo-op with the Philly Phanatic at a recent Phillies game. And a few weeks later, Swoop was spotted at the second Eagles pre-season game vs the Cleveland Browns. This was Charlie Sileo's first ever Eagles game! Charlie and Brian Moore are pictured below with Eagles mascot, Swoop.

Let's Get Outside

Residents made the most of the beautiful August weather. Finally, a break from the humidity! Many ventured out into the community to visit outdoor attractions while others enjoyed assisted walks on MCC grounds.

One Resident in particular has one thing on her mind when it comes to spending time in the great outdoors, and that is the adaptive bicycle custom built by Freedom Concepts Inc. Thanks to the company name, the bike has earned the nickname amongst MCC Residents as 'The Freedom Bike' a.k.a. Julia Harding's favorite mode of transportation on a sunny day.

The 'About Us' page on Freedom Concepts' website explains, "Freedom Concepts custom-builds adaptive tricycles, Chill-Out Chairs, and other early intervention devices. Our products provide mobility and therapeutic benefits to thousands of individuals throughout Canada, the United States, and globally.

Working with medical professionals, therapists, and families, all Freedom Concepts products have been thoughtfully designed to accommodate the needs of individuals living with limited mobility due to cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, visual impairment, and many others."

Learn more about Freedom Concepts and their adaptive products here.

On the Road in Pictures

August brought the end of another Fun Friday season. Residents and Staff spent the final Fun Fridays of sum at Sesame Place, Delaware Park Casino, Tanger Outlets, Wilmington Riverfront, and Old New Castle.