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The RoundUp: SEPTA Police K-9 unit embraces pink leashes, ‘Escape the Workshop School’ returns for third year

Locals who make us proud.

SEPTA Police K9 officer Kevin Dougherty poses with his partner in crime-busting, K9 Bentley, who specializes in TSA explosive-detection.
SEPTA Police K9 officer Kevin Dougherty poses with his partner in crime-busting, K9 Bentley, who specializes in TSA explosive-detection.Read moreCOURTESY OF THROW AWAY DOGS PROJECT

Pink Patrol. This month, 11 of the 15 canines in SEPTA Police’s K-9 unit have been sporting fashionable pink leashes as part of Project Pink Leash, a nationwide call for K-9 handlers to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The program is the brainchild of Throw Away Dogs, a Montgomery County-based nonprofit that transforms rescued dogs into capable K-9 officers and donates them to police departments around the country. The organization has donated five service dogs to the SEPTA Police. The pink patrol leashes, which are embroidered with each pup’s name and made by Longstroke Leads in Williamstown, grace more than 40 dogs nationwide, from Texas to Washington. Carol Skaziak, CEO and founder of the nonprofit, said $10 from every sale of the $50 leashes are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Skaziak expects to donate about $450 to the foundation this year. For more information visit throwawaydogsproject.com.

Spread the word. On Sept. 30, Mighty Writers opened its new Kennett Square outpost, the nonprofit’s first Chester County location. Programming will focus on the heavily migrant, mushroom-farming population in southern Chester County, offering a variety of free, bilingual reading and writing classes for children and their families. Mighty Writers has six branches in Philadelphia and one in Camden. The group plans to expand into three Ronald McDonald Houses in the Philadelphia area. For more information, visit mightywriters.org.

Escape the Workshop. On Nov. 14, the Workshop School will host its third annual escape room-style fund-raiser, “Escape the Workshop School.” The event raises money for the West Philadelphia high school, which offers students a project-based curriculum. Students spent 10 weeks scheming and planning before transforming six classrooms into puzzling adventures. Participants are broken into groups of six to 10 people and locked into a uniquely themed room. They have one hour to solve the room’s mystery and escape. Tickets are free, but the school is accepting pay-as-you-wish donations. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2nvOqT0.

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