Bennett and his girlfriend Tovah have a 4 month old daughter Layla Reese. He was working full time up until his diagnosis, although he was very sick. He has been told by the nephrologists at Jefferson that the kidney donor list is 2-5 years and that he will have to be on dialysis during that time. Eric won’t be able to work during this time and this will be a huge life change for Eric and his family. Eric is only 19 years old and the doctors are trying to figure out what has caused his kidneys to fail.

“My doctirs told me that my kidneys have not been properly functioning for a year and that they have had so much damage that I will need need a transplant,” said Bennett. “I was a little scared but the doctor told me that if I do what I need to I can get better, so I have been trying to feel positive and in good spirit.”

Eric is a former football player and wrestler at Milford High School and attended school in Milford his whole life. He planned to go into the Air Force or the Army, but since that will not be an option anymore, he wants to be a dialysis nurse. “This experience has led mw to do a lot of research to educate myself of what the process of dialysis will look like,” said Bennett. “As a nurse I can help others by telling my experience, show them that they are not alone.”

The nephrologists are telling Eric that they do not believe his kidneys will go back to normal function and he will need to be on dialysis until they can find a donor kidney when he is ready for transplant.

“We are Christians and we do believe in healing so we are praying for complete healing and prayers mean more to Eric and Tovah than anything,” said Anna Cohee, mother of Tovah.

Bennett is currently in dialysis three days a week, 4 hours a day. His doctors have told him that he cannot work and he cannot pick up his daughter once she reaches a certain weight. While Bennett has insurance, it more than likely will not cover all of his bills. His family is praying that Eric will be healed and that he will not need the transplant and that “God will do a miracle for Eric.” The family has set up a Go Fund Me campaign to help at https://www.gofundme.com/f/eric-bennetts-fearless-fight?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

“I have been staying positive by talking to a lot of people that have been through [dialysis] before and educating myself about the process. Talking with Dr. Saez a lot a he has given my hope for the future.”

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Downtown Milford is the place to be on the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Santa arrives atop a Carlisle Fire Company engine. Not only will children be able to provide Santa with their Christmas list, downtown merchants will celebrate Small Business Saturday, offering discounts and specials. Some will even provide tastes of their wares in order for visitors to learn of the many options available for shopping and entertainment in the downtown area.

“Our doors will be open even though we are not officially opening until New Year’s Eve,” Lisa Johnson of BenVenuto said. “On Small Business Saturday, for every $50 in gift cards purchased, another $10 will be added for free. There will also be a surprise for anyone who stops in on Small Business Saturday.” BenVenuto will open at 9 PM on  New Year’s Eve and their first official day open will be January 3, 2020. Reservations for both days are recommended as Johnson says she has taken many calls asking for reservations. BenVenuto is also offering specials and surprises during the Holiday Stroll on Friday, December 6.

Dolce will kick off a toy drive to benefit homeless students in the Milford School District on Small Business Saturday.

“Donations will be collected starting on Small Business Saturday and ending with Santa’s visit to Dolce on December 14^th,” Stephanie Tatman said. “These awesome kids receive many donations for the essentials but do not often receive toys. We’re adding the Dolce love with a toy-for-toy match for every toy collected. We are also debuting our limited edition, handcrafted coffee mugs made by local artists. These will make perfect gifts.”

Josephine Keir LTD will be open Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, offering discounts throughout the store. Irish Rose is offering 20 percent off total purchases during Small Business Saturday. In addition, weather permitting, Oliver Hansen Musicians will play Irish and modern music on the sidewalk in front of the store.

“Visit us on Small Business Saturday and claim a raffle ticket for the chance to win a My Sister’s Fault gift card, t-shirts and more with no purchase required,” Angie Robles said. “Anyone who purchases a $10 gift card will receive a free chicken or beef empanada. We will also have cheese dog empanadas on sale for just 75 cents each.”

Stores in the downtown area will be open from 8 AM until 5 PM on Small Business Saturday and Santa arrives around 11 AM. The day culminates with a tree lighting ceremony at 5 PM at City Hall. During the tree lighting, there will be caroling with the Milford Central Academy choral program students.

Small Business Saturday began in 2010, an initiative of American Express during the recession. The event was designed to encourage people to shop small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses. The first Small Business Saturday was such a success, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution in support of the day in 2011 and all 50 states participated. In 2013, more than 1,400 Neighborhood Champions were created to support events and activities on Small Business Saturday and, by 2018, there were more than 7,500.

According to American Express, for every dollar spent in a small business, approximately 67 cents stays in the local community which means shopping in downtown Milford on Small Business Saturday helps the economic growth of the Milford area.

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Angie and Rous Robles are well known in Milford for their cakes, baked goods, empanadas and other delicious food. The two sisters work many hours in their bakery, My Sister’s Fault, creating treats, even developing unique baked goods designed for those following low-carb diets. It should come as no surprise to anyone who has ever visited their store that the sisters were recently recognized by the Delaware Restaurant Association as “Rising Stars,” yet it came as a shock to Angie and Rous.

“We were shocked to be among so many excellent restaurant entrepreneurs,” Angie said. “I am still in shock. They actually called us small town pioneers and fearless entrepreneurs. It is such a great honor and we are thrilled to have gotten such a special recognition.”

The Delaware Restaurant Association recognized the two sisters at a ceremony on Monday, November 11 along with Robbie Jester of High 5 Hospitality & Full Circle Food, Matthew Kern of Heirloom, Holly Monaco of Big Fish Grill in Rehoboth as well as Scott Stein and Antimo DiMeo of Bardea Food & Drink.

“This was such a great honor and I don’t really know how it may impact our business,” Angie said. “I hope that more people will come and find us. We are so appreciative of the many people who support us. It means we must be doing something right and I can say that hard work and dedication definitely pays off!” Angie joked that she hoped if more customers came to their bakery on Southwest Front Street they did so after the rush hour, which for the sisters is after 3 PM.

My Sister’s Fault opened in December 2017, the culmination of a dream the two sisters had of providing the people of Milford with the delicious baked goods they grew up on in Puerto Rico. The name of the store was chosen because it best describes the relationship between the two sisters.

“My Sister’s Fault comes from us blaming ourselves not only for the mistakes but also for the successes,” Rous said. “We want the best for each other and we always rely on each other to make decisions, whether the results are good or bad, so it is always my sister’s fault.”

The sisters learned their cooking skills at the hand of their mother in Puerto Rico and both studied culinary arts at the University del Este. Rous is the baker and has called herself the “creative one, the dreamer, the one that always has the vision” while Angie is the cook, often calling herself the “savory sister.” She is the one that Rous gives the credit to for making their dream come true. Rous explained that Angie is the lead and does not allow her sister to settle for less than greatness and pushes the sisters to their limits.

My Sister’s Fault, located at 10 Southwest Front Street, is open Friday and Saturday from 8:30 AM until 7 PM.

To learn more about Downtown Milford, Inc, its committees, volunteer opportunities and events please contact Trish Gerken, Executive Director, at director@downtownmilford.org or 302-839-1180.

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As part of the initiative, Winner Subaru customers are invited to share messages of hope, and for every vehicle purchased, blankets and other items are donated to the Bayhealth Cancer Center. The purpose is to provide comfort and support to cancer patients.

“The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Delaware Chapter is honored to work with our local Subaru dealerships in support of cancer patients across the state. We are thrilled to be able to provide comfort and words of encouragement and hope to those receiving treatment at Bayhealth through the Subaru Loves to Care Initiative and look forward to working with Winner Subaru and the Bayhealth staff again next year,” said Vienna Perillo, campaign specialist, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Delaware Chapter.

Bayhealth Senior Director of Operations, Oncology Service Line and Executive Director of the Bayhealth Cancer Institute John Shevock, FACHE, FACMPE, said, “We appreciate the thoughtfulness and compassion of Winner Subaru to think of our patients during their cancer treatment journey.”

Photo Source: www.cityofmilford.com.

On Tuesday, November 12, Milford City Council held a workshop to discuss the possibility of live streaming meetings held at City Hall as well as options to allow the public additional options for interaction with Council. Over the next few weeks, Council will review options for live streaming to determine what may work for Milford.

“At our retreat, we talked about a 30, 60, 90 day review of this,” Councilman Todd Culotta said. “We wanted to take 30 days to review its feasibility, 60 days to determine what needed to be done to make it happy with implementation within 90 days. Other municipalities offer live streaming of meetings and I think it would greatly benefit the public to be able to view our meetings online.”

City Manager Eric Norenberg explained that there were many options available that would allow meetings to be live streamed. He stated that there were systems ranged from just one camera to those that were extremely technological. He also pointed out that the more technological the system, the higher the price. City Solicitor David Rutt suggested that staff discuss the process with the IT Department in Sussex County as they currently offer live streaming of their meetings.

Councilman Dan Marabello explained that he would like to see more options for the public to comment at meetings. He felt that people need to feel they have a voice and reminded Council that when he was Mayor, there was a portion of the meeting dedicated to comment.

“We did have public comment at one time,” Councilwoman Katrina Wilson explained. “At one time, it was open and we had people naming names, asking us about things we had no information about. The person whose name was mentioned was then angry because they were discussed and were not aware someone was going to be talking about them because it was not on the agenda. So the next meeting they would come in and voice their own concerns. Meetings were lasting until 10:30 or 11 at night and we were not accomplishing anything. I think we then switched it to it had to be something on the agenda.”

Councilman Michael Boyle pointed out that if someone said something that was inappropriate, they could be stopped. When asked who would control it, he said that he felt the Mayor should take control. He also suggested that it be explained prior to the public comment segment that Council could listen to the public’s concern, but could not respond or answer questions, that they would only note the constituent’s concerns in order to address the issue in the future. He felt those who spoke could be told that their concerns may appear on a future agenda.

“FOIA does not require you to have public comment,” Solicitor Rutt said. “However, if you do have public comment, you must follow some rules. You can have a sign in sheet and allow comment at the start of the meeting. Other municipalities allow comment on each agenda item. But whatever you do, you must be consistent and you must have rules.” Norenberg explained that the City had updated its public comment policy in 2017 to allow the public to comment on ordinances and resolutions that appeared on the agenda but Council made the decision not to allow comment on every agenda item.

Councilwoman Lisa Peel pointed out the school board currently has a policy where the public can speak at the beginning of the meeting on any topic they wish to bring to the board’s attention.

“The public is allowed to comment but the board cannot respond,” Councilwoman Peel said. “In my opinion, that makes people even more frustrated because they often want an answer when they address us. We may not be able to do that. That’s why I think implementing Town Hall meetings might be a better option.”

Town Hall meetings could be held in each ward with one or two Town Hall meetings held with the entire Council, Solicitor Rutt explained. There are requirements under FOIA such as minutes must be taken or there must be a recording that is available to the public.

“Public comment would work at official meetings only on agenda items,” Councilman Jason James said. “The Town Hall meetings would allow the public to specifically address Council. If there are no Town Hall meetings, there needs to be public comment. I just don’t see how hearing the public speak and us not being able to comment would be all that productive.” Councilman Peel agreed saying that there could be 15 issues with Council taking notes but nothing could be addressed.

Solicitor Rutt reminded Council that if they decided to have open public comment, they would need to set pretty rigid rules. Speakers should be limited to no more than three to five minutes and you could also limit how long the public comment section could last. In many municipalities, the limit is 15 minutes for all speakers. In addition, if the meeting is recorded and there will be no written minutes, each person who speaks would have to identify themselves prior to talking so the recording had documentation of who was speaking.

“If we gave everyone an outlet at a Town Hall meeting, that resolves this issue,” Councilman Culotta said. “Any issues brought up at the Town Hall could be added to a future agenda for us to address.” Councilwoman Wilson and Councilman James stated that several constituents in Ward 4 had asked them to hold Town Hall meetings. When asked if the meetings had to be held at City Hall, Solicitor Rutt explained that they did not, that they could be held at the fire hall, a church, the senior center or anywhere large enough for a group of citizens. Councilman James explained that a Town Hall meeting would have been beneficial prior to the decision on sidewalks and would be helpful for discussions about the new police station.

Councilman James asked City Clerk Terri Hudson and Solicitor Rutt to put together guidelines regarding the rules for Town Hall meetings under FOIA in order for Council to decide if they wanted to implement those types of meetings and when they could begin scheduling them.

“We work for the citizens and we should accommodate them as much as possible,” Councilman James said.

Over the past few weeks, members of the Milford Rotary Club visited Benjamin Banneker, Lulu M. Ross and Mispillion Elementary Schools in order to provide dictionaries to every third grader in Milford School District. According to Debbie O’Neill, a member of the Milford Rotary, this is a project she looks forward to each year.

“We have been doing this for around 12 years,” O’Neill said. “It is a project that I think is very important as these dictionaries are for the kids. They can take them home and use them when they go on to the Milford Central Academy, Milford High School and even when they go off to college.”

After handing out the books with the assistance of Bob Starkey, another Rotary Club member, O’Neill spoke to the students, showing them the various aspects of the dictionary. After showing the students that they could write their name on the first page of the book, she explained that one of the focuses of the Rotary Club was benevolence.

“Now, let’s use this dictionary to find out what benevolence means,” O’Neill said, helping the children spell the word and guiding them to the definition. “Remember that the words at the top of the page of the dictionary are guide words so we use them to locate the word benevolence. Benevolence means ‘a disposition to be good, an act of kindness, a generous gift. That is what we want to do as members of the Rotary, to bring goodwill and kindness to other people, to be charitable to others.” After helping the children look up other words, such as goodness, O’Neill showed the children other features of the book, including information about each state and sign language symbols.

At the end of her presentation, O’Neill told the students that the Milford Rotary Club offers several scholarships designed to help students go on to college and encouraged them to apply when they were ready to graduate from high school.

“Donations like this are important,” Cindy McKenzie, Principal of Lulu M. Ross Elementary School, said. “We use the dictionaries during writing time as a resource and a lot of the children use the glossary section to look up planets, the sign language information and other items. Many of them just enjoy having the dictionary in their hands. In today’s technologically driven world, it is important for us to continue teaching methods of research that do not involve a computer. Having their own dictionary that they can use at home is a great way to encourage them to develop good research skills.”

The Milford Rotary Club is the oldest service club in the town, organized on June 9, 1925. At the time, the Wilmington Rotary Club was becoming active. Milford businessmen R.A. “Buck” Derrickson and G. Marshall Townsend were close personal friends with the president of the Wilmington organization, Cornelius Garretson, leading Garretson to back the establishment of a Milford charter.

Derrickson served as the first president of the Milford club with Townsend serving as secretary. G.T. Reed, Sr. served as treasurer until his resignation in 1927. At that time, C.D. “Don” Holzmueller served as treasurer until his death in 1961.

Since it’s inception almost 100 years ago, the Milford Rotary Club has assisted many community fundraising efforts. Louder N. Hearn, a member of the Rotary, established a scholarship trust in his will that is managed through the Rotary. William G. Powder also left funds in his estate to establish a Rotary Scholarship while Daniel Hirsch created the Hirsch Fund which was designed to assist those who were temporarily without funds or employment. I.G. Burton initiated a drive within the club to purchase the second modern ambulance for Carlisle Fire Company.

Milford Memorial Hospital was established due to the efforts of another Milford Rotarian, DR. G. Layton Grier who worked tirelessly to create the hospital, giving freely of his time and money to gain the support of the community. In 1933, a garden contest resulted in the first town motto “Garden City of Twin Counties,” a submission by the Maag family.

The Milford Rotary Club was also a strong supporter of the Can-Do Playground on Airport Road in Milford and arrange for the Flags for Our Heroes display in Bicentennial Park each Memorial Day.

The Milford Rotary Club meets every Monday at 5:45 PM at the Rookery North Country Club on Rehoboth Boulevard. Guests are welcome at meetings and the club looks for civic-minded professionals who want to make a difference in the community.

Over the past month, Anchor Church partnered with the Greater Milford Boys and Girls Club as well as area businesses for Operation Christmas Child, a global project focused on bringing toys, hygiene products and school supplies to children around the world who are in need. The items donated are packed in shoeboxes and delivered as a Christmas gift.

“For many of these children, this is the first time they have the experience of opening a gift that is just for them,” Paul Bowman of Anchor Church explained. “The simple goal is to show children the love of God through the generosity of others and to meet very real needs in their lives.”

This was Anchor Church’s second year participating in the project, joining Calvary Church in Dover last year and acting as the Milford area drop of location. A drop off location serves as a central location for shoeboxes to be brought to and prepped for sending to a main processing center. Anchor Church partnered with the Boys and Girls Club, since that is where they currently meet for services, to provide the space during National Collection Week, which was November 18 through 25.

“We have several members who have helped champion this cause,” Bowman said. “Richard and Susie VanBuskirk have been instrumental in getting the shoeboxes out into the public so that they can be filled. Once we collect the boxes, they are processed through Operation Christmas Child and then are sent all over the world to children affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine and disease as well as children living on Native American reserves in the United States.”

Boxes were available at the Boys and Girls Club as well as locations throughout town, including My Sister’s Fault.

“The first time we heard about Pack a Shoebox from Susie VanBuskirk at church and heard all the stories about it, we knew this was something we had to do,” Angie Robles said. “We had a great turnout for the project. We want to do more for the community and even though these boxes will reach places outside the local community, doing things like this for others actually brings our community together.”

Bowman explained that Anchor Church felt they needed to do this again for a second year because they saw it as a wonderful way for anyone in the community to do something good for others.

“It is such a great thing to do, especially at this time of year, Bowman said. “It is also a great way of teaching children about the needs of kids around the world who are their age but living in very different circumstances. Our primary mission at Anchor Church is to bring hope to all people, and we felt this was a perfect way to do that during the Christmas season.”

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On Friday, November 22, China authorized poultry imports from 172 facilities in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The lifting of the ban earlier in the month was part of a trade negotiation taking place between the United States and China.

“This is an excellent opportunity for local chicken farmers,” James Fisher of the Delmarva Poultry Association said. “This is a positive development for the families who raise poultry as well as the thousands of employees of processing plants located in Delmarva. The fact that China has lifted this ban vouches for the safety and quality of chickens grown here in the United States. We offer a tasty product.”

In 2015, China banned the import of chicken grown in the United States due to an outbreak of the highly contagious avian influenza. China kept the prohibition in place even after all other nationwide bans were removed when the influenza outbreak was over.

“Before the ban, China imported some poultry from the United States, but not a lot,” Fisher said. “Currently, about 10 percent of the chicken grown here on Delmarva is exported to other countries. Most of what we grow is consumed by U.S. citizens. The opening of the Chinese market is an excellent opportunity for us to send even more poultry overseas to be enjoyed by their citizens as well.”

The Department of Agriculture reports that exports to China are expected to be more than $1 billion per year. At its peak, exports to the country were $722 million for chicken and $71 million for turkey. Currently, China is experiencing a reduction in available protein as a deadly pig disease is cutting port output. Although the disease does not affect humans, many of Chinese people have decided to switch to chicken.

In 2018, the Delmarva chicken industry produced 605 million birds and generated $3.4 billion in value. Thanks to improvements in bird health and processing efficiency, the total weight of chickens processed grew by one percent, according to the Delmarva Poultry Association. There are more than 20,400 chicken company employees and there are almost 1,400 growers.

Companies that have been approved to export into China include Perdue Farms, LLC and Tyson Foods Inc., both of which have processing plants on Delmarva.

“We are excited to hear that more of the poultry grown here on Delmarva could find its way to China,” Fisher said. “This could be a huge economic boost not only for farmers but for other industries related to poultry as well.”

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John Sisson, DTC’s Chief Executive Officer, stated “This was our 22nd year of “Stuff The Bus” and I’m proud of our employees, business partners, bus riders, and the community, whose generous donations will help out their fellow Delawareans in need of food assistance.”

Donations were received from the general public, as well as businesses, schools, organizations, and state agencies throughout the entire State, including the employees from DART, DMV and DelDOT, which filled three 30-foot buses full of non-perishable food. DART’s partners, Sharp Energy, ROUSH CleanTech, Chesapeake Utilities and Coach and Equipment donated a total of $6,000 worth of food, which was loaded onto a DART propane autogas paratransit bus. To see photos from the event, visit DART’s Facebook page.

Again this year, DART partnered with Delaware 105.9 FM, WAFL 97.7 FM and WNCL 101.3 FM, which are part of Forever Media, along with The Vault 103.5/106.1 FM, part of The Voice Radio Network stations. Thanks to staff and listeners from the radio stations, “Stuff The Bus” in Rehoboth, Milford and Dover was a great success. And thanks to our other partners from Forever Media, WSTW 93.7 FM and WDEL 101.7 FM, who brought out their listeners to the ShopRite in First State Plaza and Brandywine Commons. We also want to thank the staff and listeners from WJBR 99.5 FM, part of the Beasley Broadcasting Group, who helped to fill the bus in Rodney Square and ShopRite at Four Seasons.

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