Now in its fourth year of making a difference in the community in which it lives and serves, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Gallo Realty’s Gallo Gives Foundation awarded several of its 2020 second-quarter earnings donations to the Ronald McDonald House, Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation, Literacy Delaware, Ken Cicerale Memorial Music Fund, and Just Us Cat Rescue. The total donated for this series of giving was $9,000.
$3,000 was awarded to the Ronald McDonald House (RMHC). Its mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. RMHC provides more than 2.5 million overnight stays each year, helping families save over $930 million in hotel and meal expenses. To support and help the RMHC, visit rmhc.org.
$2,000 was dedicated to the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice (SDARJ). The alliance is a nonpartisan organization that educates, informs, and advocates for racial justice, equality, and fair opportunity. Some of its goals are to educate for change through knowledge and understanding of past and current racial issues and conditions, enrich cultural environment through multiracial collaboration, address racial and criminal injustice, and advocate for ways to improve the criminal justice system in Delaware, and promote positive change for the future of youth. To aid the SDARJ, visit sdarj.org.
$1,000 was donated to the Rehoboth Beach Film Society specifically for the Glenn C. Bowman Endowment Fund. Glenn was a board member whose love of independent film was amazing. Glenn’s untimely death in 2001 was a tremendous loss to the film society. As part of his estate, Glenn made a financial donation to the film society. The film society’s Board of Directors decided to establish the Glenn C. Bowman Endowment Fund in honor of his generosity. The fund supports community participation initiatives, primarily outreach efforts that Glenn saw as part of the film society’s mission. Part of the fund was used to support the creation of the Cinema Art Theater, a project that Glenn would think is a great outreach to the community. The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is a nonprofit arts organization that produces a major film festival each year and has since grown into an organization that sponsors a broad slate of wonderful film programs for a growing community. The society is an advocate for promoting cinematic arts and providing education, cultural enrichment, and opportunities for engagement for a diverse community and audience. To contribute to the film Society, visit, rehobothfilm.com.
$1,000 was given to the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation (DRBLHF). The foundation is dedicated to fostering, advocating, and participating in the preservation of historic Delaware River and Bay lighthouses and will demonstrate this commitment through the restoration and preservation of Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse. The DRBLHF strives to impact not only the Delaware River and Bay communities, but people of all ages and backgrounds in a manner that attains the highest levels of maritime education and cultural enrichment. The foundation regularly participates in community activities and provides presentations to other organized groups. To donate, visit, delawarebaylights.org.
$1,000 was awarded to Literacy Delaware, which assists adults reading at or below a fifth-grade reading level and/or adults who do not speak English to significantly improve their literacy skills. Members believe literacy has the power to “open minds and change lives.” Volunteer tutors receive 21 hours of training in which they learn a variety of techniques to assist clients. A tutor commits to a yearly 90 hours of tutoring. Many tutors have continued to teach long after completing their initial commitment. Literacy Delaware provides ongoing support and guidance to train tutors through in-service workshops and assistance from staff. Literacy Delaware is an accredited affiliate member of ProLiteracy, which provides research, training resources, and professional development for those in need. To support these efforts, visit, literacydelaware.org.
$500 was dedicated to the Ken Cicerale Memorial Music Fund. Ken Cicerale was synonymous with “intimate jazz.” A former student of legendary saxophonists Gerry Niewood and Frank Foster, Ken performed for many years as both leader and sideman with various jazz and pop ensembles in the greater New York area. Ken lived in southern Delaware and performed with the jazz group 5th Avenue, which featured Jeff Cooper on acoustic bass and Ken Schleifer on drums. 5th Avenue performed locally in Delaware as well as New York City and Washington, D.C. Ken’s family wished to establish an annual scholarship in his name for two jazz music students pursuing college. To donate to this fund, visit, delcf.org/donations/ken-cicerale-fund/.
$500 was awarded to the Just Us Cat Rescue, a charitable organization whose mission is to meet an immediate and long-range goal in cat rescue in the local community. As volunteers, they attempt to rescue and place adoptable cats and kittens as well as TNR programs (trap, neuter, and return) for feral cats and kittens. It offers education programs to local communities to assist, whenever possible, in solving cat issues. The rescue is a nonprofit organization that depends on donations (monetary, food, medicines, toys, and bedding). Just Us has paid for 356 spay/neuter surgeries for cats so far in 2020. To volunteer or donate, please call Kathy at (302) 228-1931.
