The CommUNITY Breakfast was dreamed up, at the end of a reception held at historic Radnor United Methodist Church, 930 Conestoga Road, Bryn Mawr, in Garrett Hill (now St. John AME Church, Bryn Mawr), which was hosted by Mrs. Janita Mahoney. The reception was held immediately following the rededication of Radnor’s 5th ward park as Bishop Richard Allen Park, located on Brook Street.
The late Mrs. Peggy Gaskins of Bethel AME Church, Bryn Mawr, Pastor Joe Di Paolo of Wayne United Methodist Church, Wayne and Anne Minicozzi of Villanova University along with Mahoney all agreed we missed seeing each other at the Radnor Township “Unity Breakfast” held each September from 2001 through 2008 at Villanova University. We agreed to try holding a “pay for your own breakfast” event once and to see what the response would be.
The rest is history. We held the first “Undoing Racism Day” the following September 21, 2011 at the University. Staffed by a steering committee of community volunteers, "The CommUNITY Breakfast" created a space where we can gather to celebrate unity while “embracing the difference.” Now a nonprofit 501(c)(3) which is staffed by an all-volunteer board of directors, the "CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative" goes a step further with a mission "to become the beloved community through civic engagement: Dialogue, Education, Networking, Prayer and Action."
Pictured from left to right in this photo taken June 1, 2010 at the Park are Rev. Carlos Bounds, then Pastor, Bethel AME Church, Bryn Mawr; Bishop Richard F. Norris; Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, PhD, Pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church, Philadelphia; and the late Mrs. Peggy Gaskins, Bethel AME Church, Bryn Mawr.
"Literally Speaking: Remembering Bishop Richard Allen and his time spent in Radnor" By Anne Minicozzi, May 12, 2010
Click here to read an article written by Anne Minicozzi for Main Line Suburban Life which provides some pre-story to the creation first of the the annual "Undoing Racism Day of the CommUNITY Breakfast steering committee, and then the nonprofit 501(c)(3) CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative. The PDF document is uploaded below.
ANNUAL WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDAY OF BISHOP RICHARD ALLEN: FEBRUARY 14th
Mild and sunny weather February 14, 2023 was enjoyed by attendees of the wreath-laying ceremony held to celebrate the 263rd birthday of Bishop Richard Allen. Rev. Carolyn Cavaness, Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Ardmore provided color print copies of the portrait of Richard Allen created by Stephanie Vance. The portrait commemorates the visit in 1784 to Radnor Township of the then itinerant preacher. Photo credit: Constance Short, Ardmore
DEDICATION OF HISTORICAL EDUCATIONAL PANEL AT THE PARK, SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2023
Click the button below to read more about Bishop Richard Allen, the histories of the properties and their owners, and the sources that made the text on the historic panel possible.
Pictured from left to right: Rev. Mark Kelly Tyler, PhD, Pastor, Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Philadelphia; Rev. Carolyn A. Cavaness, Pastor, Bethel AME Church, Ardmore and Vice-President of the CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative; and Rev. Glenn Shepherd, Pastor, Bethel AME Church, Bryn Mawr. Click the button below to view the Bishop Richard Allen Panel Dedication Recap.
The design for the original logo of the CommUNITY Breakfast: Embracing the Difference for the steering committee's first nine (9) "Undoing Racism Day" events was dreamed up by steering committee member Mrs. Peggy Gaskins, Bethel AME Church, Bryn Mawr. The logo was designed and drawn by then ninth-grader, Lucy Patricia Minicozzi-Wheeland, Radnor High School Class of 2015; Villanova University Class of 2019; Harvard University Class of 2022.
The design of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) CommUNITY Breakfast Collaborative logo was derived via a community contest. The winning logo was created by Lower Merion High School student Joanna Scherleubbe.