Crebilly Farm Update 10/18/22

Dear Friends,

So ironic how timing is everything.  The letter below was released exactly six years ago today, in Chadds Ford Live, October 18th, 2016.  It was the very first piece I wrote and read to the Westtown Township Planning Commission, my first plea to pretty much anyone who would listen-  stand up and fight for a better outcome for Crebilly Farm!  Little did I know it would be the first of many more to come, over six more years, in a very long awareness campaign I had no idea I was creating.  Never could I have imagined all that would follow.  And now, here we are all these years later, with the opportunity of a lifetime on the table, right in front of us:  permanent preservation of Crebilly Farm for generations to share and enjoy.  

Here is my old letter in case you would like to read it:  https://chaddsfordlive.com/2016/10/18/oped-crebilly-farm-merits-preservation-effort/

Westtown residents, thank you.  Thank you because I know you will take the time to make an informed decision so that when you vote November 8th, you have the confidence to vote for the only thing that makes sense:  YES! to the referendum.  I know you care about land, history and nature.  If you have questions regarding the ballot, what you are voting ‘YES!’ to and the average annual cost per household, please plan to attend the meeting next week where you can ask questions and get the answers straight from the horse’s mouth:  

MONDAY, OCTOBER 24TH, 7PM Rustin Bayard High School Auditorium, 1100 Shiloh Road, West Chester. 

*An informational question/answer meeting hosted by Westtown Township and Natural Lands

If you have questions concerning some incorrect information being shared regarding the annual cost per household, again, please bring your questions to the October 24th meeting at Rustin High School so you can get a straight and truthful answer from Westtown Township and Natural Lands.  I highlighted some of the discrepancies in my last update which you will find here:

https://crebillyfarmfriends.com/2022/09/14/crebilly-farm-update-9-14-22/

The ‘Vote Yes!’ group has been working very hard and is looking for volunteers the next three weekends to help promote the benefits of passing the referendum on November 8th in order to preserve Crebilly Farm.  They especially need volunteers to deliver literature this coming Saturday, October 22nd.  Thank you for getting involved and donating your time; you need not be a Westtown resident to help and you may sign up here:  https://forms.gle/u2g4dHyF536opnCk6

When I look back upon my time as a child, it wasn’t the amount of toys that made me happy.  Or the clothes I wore.  Or the TV shows I watched or the movies I went to see.  Or the shopping I did.  What grounded me and gave me a sense of self wasn’t anything money could buy.  I found it in nature.  I found it exploring in the woods.  Catching butterflies.  Riding my horse.  Spending time with animals.  I found it by learning to entertain myself without anyone else around me.  As a young girl, I learned that on Crebilly Farm.  It saved me.  It was my escape on my horse.  I learned to breathe.  I learned to be calm.  I learned to be independent and my own best friend.  I learned how nature has the ability to soothe the soul like nothing else can.  For me, that has never changed.  And during Covid, that is where I sought my comfort- land, open space, fresh air, the wind, the smell and the sounds and the colors of nature.  The preservation of Crebilly Farm will be the gift you give to your children, their children and all generations to come.  What on earth could possibly be more valuable?

Sincerely,

Mindy Rhodes