We Give Back
O’Rourke & Sons is dedicated to giving back to the community that is so important to us. We support organizations that bring a positive change to West Chester and its surrounding areas!
West Chester Area Senior Center
“Founded in 1975, the West Chester Area Senior Center is an independent non-profit organization chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Center is managed by a small staff partnering with a volunteer board of directors from all parts of the West Chester area who share an interest in providing services to seniors.”
Last spring, when the pandemic hit, the Senior Center had to close its doors but they didn’t stop working to improve the lives of seniors in the West Chester area. Instead, they began giving out meals, along with produce and dairy items, to what has grown to more than 700 seniors each week. The Senior Center has given out over 170,000 meals since March, 2020 and that number is still growing.
Distributing these meals required a lot of manual labor. O’Rourke & Sons was able to show our support by fabricating a custom cart to streamline their distribution. This cart is a prototype of the fleet we are going to build for their storage facility. The cart has been affectionately named the “O’Cart” by the Senior Center volunteers.
The Senior Center has big plans to add a food pantry, where seniors can shop, in their facility. Be sure to visit their website at http://wcseniors.org/ to learn more about this wonderful organization!
“The O’Rourke Family, and the business and team they’ve so successfully built over these many years, all have something very special that runs through the very fabric of who they are. They are not only most generous to our local nonprofit community, but their community spirit is evident in all they do and appreciated deeply by all of us.”
St. Agnes’s Thomas Patrick Hall
We are honored to have been able to donate the “Tree of Life” and “Pelican” sculptures to St. Agnes’s Thomas Patrick Hall. The sculptor and blacksmith, Greg Leavitt, is responsible for many beautiful sculptures across the country including Lincoln Park in Chicago.
These pieces were hand-hammered by Leavitt. The Tree of Life is made of carbon steel. The Pelican is made of copper and bronze! Be sure to visit www.gregleavitt.com to see more of Leavitt’s beautiful work.
Freedoms Foundation
Freedoms Foundation educates about American rights and responsibilities, honors acts of civic virtue, and challenges all to serve a cause greater than themselves.
Our miscellaneous shop fabricated a galvanized steel bridge to replace a decaying wooden footbridge leading to the Medal of Honor Grove. This new bridge requires no upkeep and allows those dependent on wheelchairs or walking aids to take part in community events!
“We found the O’Rourke & Sons team to be consummate professionals who wanted to understand what we needed and provide the best options available.
Freedoms Foundation would certainly recommend O’Rourke & Sons for their professionalism, expertise, and craftsmanship. We would also recommend them as friends and good neighbors.”
— Jason Raia (Executive Vice President of Freedoms Foundation)
Historic Yellow Springs
Historic Yellow Springs shares, preserves, and celebrates the unique living village of Yellow Springs. Focusing on history, arts, and education, HYS enriches the lives of all who come. They offer year-round fine art & ceramic/ clay classes and display artwork for over 200 artists.
We donated a steel grate for over the Iron Spring and a lid on the Village’s septic pump tank system. We also fabricated an ADA compliant steel railing for the steps of The Washington. The High Fire Steel Pavilion donation helped establish the Chester Springs Art Studio’s wood kiln program as a significant destination for professional and student potters in the region.
“Their genuine interest in the project and its positive impact on the village made working with them a pleasure. We enjoyed having them at our historic site. ”
— Eileen McMonagle (Prior Exec. Director) and Karen Walters (Current Exec. Director of Historic Yellow Springs)
The Melton Center
The Melton Center is a place for personal, professional, cultural, and spiritual growth for the entire community in downtown West Chester. They offer educational and athletic programs, as well as event space available for rent.
We donated a railing to make the space more accessible for the elderly and those with disabilities. We also contributed a scoreboard for the indoor basketball court and a grill for the culinary programs offered through The Melton Center.
“ O’Rourke and Sons has always been a philanthropic partner of the Melton Center.”
— Kenneth D. Winston, M. Ed. (Executive Director of Charles A. Melton Arts and Education Center)