Erdenheim Resident D’Amico Driving Force Behind CHOP Fundraiser

By

Paul D'Amico with student Kylee Zupkusky. Photo courtesy of Paul D'Amico.

Erdenheim resident Paul D’Amico, a math teacher at Philadelphia Academy Charter School, is used to giving important lessons, writes Len Lear of The Chestnut Hill Local.

However, the one he gave Saturday night, when he stepped in as a guest bartender at Halligan’s Pub on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown, may have been his most important one to date.

Halligan’s Pub agreed to donate 10 percent of all food sales from Saturday to the oncology wing of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. D’Amico, known affectionately as Paulie, is coordinating “Paulie’s CHOP Around the Block.” The CHOP fundraiser has raised $42,000 in almost four months, excluding the money raised Saturday night.

According to Lear, D’Amico’s fundraising efforts began last December, when he began walking long distances in his Springfield Township neighborhood in order to lose weight and get healthier. While walking, Paul would often stop to post selfies with neighbors.

“During one of his walks, Paul ran into a former student, struck up a conversation and discovered that the youngster was battling a diagnosis of cancer,” wrote Lear. “Paul decided then and there that he wanted to help in some way, so he wrote on his Facebook page that he would walk to area residents’ homes and pick up their checks if they would donate money to the oncology wing of CHOP.”

Click here to read more about Paul D’Amico’s fundraising efforts for CHOP.

Stay Connected, Stay Informed

Subscribe for great stories in your community!

"*" indicates required fields

Hidden
MT Yes
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Advertisement