July 4 is National Hop-a-Park Day – nearby parks to visit

~ Book Club Mom ~ Leave a comment
A view from Marsh Creek State Park

Saturday, July 4 is National Hop-a-Park Day. Take advantage of the warm weather and spend some time outdoors this holiday weekend. These local parks are open for visitors, so pack your sneakers, your masks, and maybe a blanket and book to read! Some COVID-19 restrictions and building closures may apply so be sure to check their websites for hours and additional information.

If you’re looking for smaller parks and trails, explore this partial list of township sites:

For additional information visit https://www.chesco.org/178/Parks. And remember these COVID-19 requirements:

Virtual KClub Meeting

~ rmanuel191 ~ Leave a comment

Need a new hobby to keep your spirits up while we’re all social distancing?  Been watching K-Dramas for years and want to meet new K-Drama lovers?  Love BTS but don’t know much about Korean television?  Break out the kimchi and join us to watch an episode of one the hottest Korean shows, then pop onto a Zoom call to chat about the show, the newest Korean music, and Korean culture – all from the comfort of our own homes.

On July 25, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm, we will be watching the pilot episode of “Live Up To Your Name”.  Part modern part historical drama, this show flips the typical K-Drama time travel trope on its head. Heo Im, a practitioner of traditional medicine from the Joseon period, falls into a river and comes up in modern day Seoul where he meets Choi Yeon-kyung, a cardiothoracic surgeon who only believes in modern medicine.

Ages 16+

Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and viewing instructions.  Register on the event calendar here.

For questions, please email us at: ccljtc@ccls.org.

Library Reopening Update

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Per the Governor’s phased reopening plan, Chester County moved to the Green Phase on Friday, June 26. Although the Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch remain closed to the public, we are now offering curbside pickup of holds. We are also preparing the buildings for reopening by moving furniture and workstations and designating traffic patterns to ensure social distancing. Please know that we are doing everything we can to help ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and patrons, and we ask that you continue to be patient while we work toward reopening.

Please visit our July 2 Library Reopening Update on our website for a list of our current hours and services.

Virtual Hankin Whodunits Book Club – Thurs, July 16 at 1 pm

~ Book Club Mom ~ Leave a comment

The Hankin Whodunits Book Club will meet via Zoom on Thursday, July 16 at 1:00 pm. We will discuss Force of Nature by Jane Harper. Learn more about this thrilling mystery below:

Five women go on a hike. Only four return. Jane Harper, the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry, asks: How well do you really know the people you work with?

When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path.

But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened.

Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?

“Force of Nature bristles with wit; it crackles with suspense; it radiates atmosphere. An astonishing book from an astonishing writer.”
—A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window

Print copies of Force of Nature are on reserve at the Henrietta Hankin Branch. Register here to attend and arrange for curbisde pickup of a copy.

This program supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy.

Rent & Mortgage Relief

~ lshupp13 ~ Leave a comment

Renters and homeowners who were financially impacted by COVID-19 can access applications for rent and mortgage relief starting June 29. The applications will be available by clicking on a red CARES banner on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) website at https://www.phfa.org/pacares/.

Renters can receive up to $750 a month, homeowners $1,000 a month, for six months, during the timeframe from March through November 2020.

Must provide documentation that income fell 30%, or documentation from applying for unemployment, and must fall below very generous income thresholds.

CARES financial assistance for renters and homeowners:   Applications are available starting June 29.Completed applications can be submitted for review starting July 6.  

PHFA is partnering with organizations in all 67 counties to help process the large number of rent relief applications anticipated.
Bucks County: Bucks County Opportunity Council, 100 Doyle St., Doylestown, PA 18901
Chester County: Housing Authority of the County of Chester, 30 W. Barnard St., Suite 2, West Chester, PA 19382
Delaware County: Delaware County Human Services, 20 S. 69th St., Upper Darby, PA 19082
Montgomery County: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services / Office of Housing and Community Development, P.O. Box 311, Norristown, PA 19404-0311  

Renters and landlords Cares Rent Relief Program (RRP) at https://www.phfa.org/pacares/rent.aspx. Renters will submit their applications and supporting paperwork to the partner organization in their county for review.  

Homeowners CARES Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program (PMAP) at https://www.phfa.org/pacares/mortgage.aspx  

Homeowners seeking help with payment of past-due mortgage will apply directly to PHFA: online, orprint and mail to the agency.   The Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in March, provided $3.9 billion for Pennsylvania and is intended to help people hurt economically during the pandemic. In late May, the General Assembly directed $175 million of these CARES dollars to PHFA to provide assistance for struggling renters and homeowners. The portion for rent assistance is at least $150 million, and $25 million was set aside for mortgage assistance.  

The PHFA call center will be open weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to answer questions about the programs, at 1-855-U-Are-Home (827-3466). Listen for the prompt mentioning CARES assistance for renters and homeowners.   The county organizations to which CARES applications are submitted will also have webpages offering useful information. 

CARES funding for renters and homeowners must be completely distributed by Nov. 30, 2020, although it is expected the assistance will be exhausted before the deadline.

The PHFA works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs.  

Sign up for Summer Reading, Win Prizes!

~ Jamie ~ Leave a comment
Image from https://www.cslpreads.org/

It’s easier than ever to track your summer reading with the library! For the first time, we are using READsquared for our Summer Reading program. There are separate programs for Children, Teens, and Adults within the app, so everyone can participate! Earn points for reading, attending virtual programs, playing games, and completing “missions.” Earning points will enter you to win prizes. You can find more information about each program here: https://chescolibraries.org/news/summer-reading-2020.

Virtual Program: Yoga Nidra

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Join us for Yoga Nidra, Tuesday, July 7, 21, and 28, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.

Yoga Nidra, which literally translates into yoga sleep, is a 45 minute guided relaxation class. The class is intended to put you into a hypnagogic state in which you are neither asleep nor fully conscious. There is no required equipment but you should try to find a comfortable location where you can lay quietly for the entire time. You may wish to have a blanket or pillow to allow yourself to be comfortable. This class is being offered again on July 21th and 28th.  Take the class once or multiple times.

Please register for the program: Tuesday, July 7, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. and/or

Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. and/or Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts.  Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link.  You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.

PA Small Business Loan Assistance now open

~ Sam Bardarik ~ Leave a comment

A short time ago, the application for grants to offset lost revenue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown order became available. The COVID-19 Relief Pennsylvania Statewide Small Business Assistance program will provide grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to small businesses that have been economically impacted by COVID-19.

The application requires you to apply through one of the members of the Pennsylvania CDFI Network, a coalition of 17 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) that are participating in this program. The application will be identical no matter through which CDFI you apply and all applications will be entered into one “pool” for a competitive review. There are a number of CDFIs that identify Chester County as a service area. The Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) has worked with these three in the past:

To view the full list of CDFIs that service Chester County and to start your application, CLICK HERE.

Please note that this is not a first-come, first-served program and that there will be multiple rounds of application windows. The application window for the first round of funding will remain open for 10 business days. Please visit https://pabusinessgrants.com/ to stay apprised of news and updates.