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Community Corner

5K Run and 1 Mile Dog Walk Slated for August 18

Events honor former Maple Glen resident and support local animal welfare organizations

(MAPLE GLEN, Pa) - The Maple Glen Community Association's Shirley’s Run and Dog Walk will take place in Maple Glen on Sunday morning, August 18th.  The event will honor the memory of Shirley Schriftman, a long time resident of the neighborhood, animal lover and an active member of the community.

The 5K Run will take place at 8:30 a.m. and travel on the roads of Maple Glen.  Maple Manor Swim Club has generously provided their parking lot for the event. “This is the course I have been running for 47 years since my family moved into my home on Dillon Road in 1964.” Schriftman said. “It is a challenging but fast course with rolling hills and flats.”

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The dog walk is a one mile event which will start at 9:15 a.m.  Prizes for both the runners and dogs will follow at 10:00 a.m.  The first 100 runners to finish will receive a commemorative mug.  The first 100 dogs to be signed up will receive a commemorative bandana.  For the run, trophies will be awarded to the first male and female open and master’s winners and medals will be given to the first 3 places in each age group.

Shirley's Run raises funds for the Shirley Schriftman Fund for Animals; a donor advised fund of the Montgomery County Foundation.  The fund makes grants to animal rescue and service animal training organizations in the Greater Philadelphia area.

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“This is a unique event as we have both a run and a dog walk” said Ross Schriftman, Shirley’s son and director of Shirley's Run. "People who wish to participate in both events will get a special rate and a copy of My Million Dollar Mom; the book I wrote that chronicles my mother's life."

Local businesses and organizations have contributed sponsorships for the event to help with the costs.  “I am so grateful to everyone for their support.” Schriftman said.

Mrs. Schriftman served for many years as a Democratic Committeewoman in Maple Glen and ran for District Justice for Ambler and Upper Dublin in 1975.  She also taught English as a Second Language at Upper Dublin Adult School and in her home.  She worked for many years at Univac Corporation in Blue Bell and helped organize the Bucks/Mont Chapter of Parents without Partners. She also enjoyed going to running races and watching her son Ross compete.  She died from Alzheimer’s disease in October of 2009.  She remained in her home until the end of her life.

Animal rescue organizations have been invited to attend an expo that will take place during the event in the Maple Manor Swim Club parking lot.  Pets are expected to be available for adoption.

For more information and to participate or volunteer go towww.shirleysrun.org or call Ross Schriftman at 215-682-7075

About Shirley’s Run: 
The Shirley’s Run 5K is an out and back course on gradual rolling hills and flats traveling on neighborhood roads in Maple Glen. Starting at the Maple Manor Swim Club on Dillon Road and going out to Howe Lane at Welsh Road and returning, it is a great course for top runners to have a challenging but fast opportunity to achieve a personal best as well as for first timers to experience a 5K run.

Shirley Schriftman was born in Springfield, MA in 1925. From an early age she had a great love of animals. Her favorite childhood book was Mr. Jolly’s Hotel for Dogs. She decided that when she grew up she would rescue animals. During her long life she had many dogs and several cats that were her companions. 

During her 84 year life, Mrs. Schriftman had many achievements. She grew up in Brookline, MA. During World War II she was a Spanish translator for the State Department. She was a USO Hostess and visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. She married Herbert Schriftman of Brooklyn, NY and they raised four sons; Roy, Ross, Lee and Barry whom she was very proud of. She also was a grandmother six times and a great grandmother six times. 

During her working career she was Assistant to the Dean of College Affairs at Temple University, a foreign language aide at the North Campus of Abington High School and a documentation specialist for Univac Corporation. Her interest in language led her to teach Adult Education courses at Upper Dublin High School and English as a Second Language to immigrants to the United States. She was also active in International Training in Communications at Univac. 

She became active in Parents Without Partners and organized the Bucks/Mont Chapter. She was active in her Synagogue and chaired efforts to get the release of Jews from the Soviet Union and helped them settle in the Philadelphia area. 

Mrs. Schriftman loved dancing, singing, flowers, children, her family and her animals. After the Katrina Hurricane, she adopted an abandoned dog and blind cat. She was a movie buff with a large collection which she spent cataloging in her later years. 

Shirley Schriftman was also a big supporter of running attending many races that her sons Ross and Lee participated in over the years. 

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