In 2022, Penn State Brandywine honored three outstanding individuals or groups with the second annual Lion’s Heart Awards. Read more about each award below.
Dedicated Service & Leadership Award
This award recognizes a benefactor of Penn State Brandywine who demonstrates exceptional generosity, dedication, and civic vision on behalf of Brandywine students and the campus community. Recipients personify humanity, compassion, and the essence of philanthropy, while motivating and inspiring others to help advance the Brandywine mission.
2022 Honoree: David and Marjorie Rosenberg
David M. Rosenberg, Esq. graduated from Penn State at University Park in 1974 with a bachelor of science degree in health and human development, and received his juris doctor degree from the Howard University School of Law. Now retired from a career in environmental insurance, he devotes his time to philanthropic work. Marjorie Rosenberg received her bachelor of arts degree in marketing from Saint Joseph’s University, and embarked upon a career in banking. Marjorie also founded the nonprofit organization Care Squares, in which volunteers knit blankets for women transitioning from prison to society, as well as for babies and birth mothers working with Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia’s Open Arms Adoption Network. Together, they established The David and Marjorie Rosenberg Foundation to support a variety of nonprofits with a primary focus on the areas of character development and children and youth.
David and Marjorie have been investing in the outcome of a Brandywine education for more than 20 years. They have championed the Center for Social Impact from its genesis, and are vocal supporters of the Food Pantry, Student Retention, Educational Equity, Athletics, and the need for scholarships so that every Brandywine student can afford to complete their education. Ever the leader, David contacted Brandywine immediately after the pandemic shut down the campus to brainstorm about how to help the students during these unprecedented circumstances.
Additionally, David has served on our Penn State Brandywine Advisory Board for seven years and was a campaign chair for Brandywine’s recent record-breaking fundraising campaign, A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence. In addition to their dedication to Penn State Brandywine, David and Margie are also passionate in their service and support of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Special Olympics.
Anyone who has spent a moment of time with David and Marjorie know they care deeply, they inspire others to rise to their level of generosity, and their Penn State pride runs strong.
Community Partner Award
The Community Partner Award recognizes a local organization that has modeled partnership, philanthropy, and support of the Penn State Brandywine campus and our students.
2020 Honoree: Tyler Arboretum
The John J. Tyler Arboretum is a nonprofit arboretum located in Media, dating back to the time of William Penn. Tyler Arboretum serves Delaware County and the Greater Philadelphia region through horticulture, education, and the preservation of natural lands. Its 650 acres cover woodlands, wetlands, and meadows and provides high quality educational programs less than one mile from Penn State Brandywine.
They Tyler Arboretum has been a longtime partner with Penn State Brandywine. Faculty have invited Tyler Arboretum experts to present in their classrooms for the past 55 years. Brandywine has hosted their professionals at community events on campus over the years as well.
Tyler has also invited first-year Brandywine students to perform maintenance on their grounds to inspire community service and volunteerism in our students. Brandywine’s student Sustainability Club is connected to Tyler in myriad ways, including hosting sustainability activities during the Arboretum’s Pumpkin Days and launching Tyler Creative, an effort to showcase the creative efforts of the friends of Tyler Arboretum.
The importance of this relationship became clear during the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Tyler hosted Brandywine Alumni and students during our Homecoming event, due to the fact that the campus was not able to host events. Additionally, our faculty and Sustainability Club teamed with Tyler Arboretum experts to create a virtual podcast discussion club, featuring research scientists as well as Penn State students and alumni.
2022 Honoree: The Wilbur C. and Betty Lea Henderson Foundation
The Wilbur C. and Betty Lea Henderson Foundation was established by the late Wilbur C. Henderson, Jr., Founder and CEO of the Henderson Group commercial real estate development company in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Foundation honors the legacy of Wilbur and his wife, Betty Lea, through support for veterans, medical professionals, and community development in the Delaware County region.
The Henderson Foundation models partnership, philanthropy, and support of the Penn State Brandywine campus and our students. Examples of the Foundation’s generosity include sponsoring fundraising events like the Brandywine Ball; as well as making a gift to name the David Henderson Lobby in the Student Union Building in 2017, in honor of Wilbur and Betty Lea’s late son David, an enthusiastic supporter of the Brandywine campus and a former president of the Penn State Brandywine Advisory Board.
The Foundation recently endowed the Wilbur C. and Betty Lea Foundation Scholarship, the largest philanthropic gift from a Foundation in our campus history. This scholarship will support full-time, high-achieving Brandywine students, with a first preference for those who have served or are serving in the military, those who are enrolled in the ROTC program at Penn State Brandywine, or for their spouses, siblings, or children.
Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award recognizes a graduate of Penn State who completed their degree within the last 15 years and attended Brandywine for one semester or more, for their outstanding professional achievement, dedication to community service, and impact within the Penn State community.
2022 Honoree: Bobbi Caprice ‘13
Bobbi graduated from Penn State Brandywine in 2013 with a degree in Health and Family Studies. As a Brandywine student, Bobbi was a Lion Ambassador, a member of student government, and vice president of the Blue and White Society. She demonstrated a strong dedication to Brandywine Athletics, competing for the basketball, cross country, and volleyball teams. During her 4- year Brandywine Basketball career, Bobbi scored over 1,000 points.
Shortly after graduation, Bobbi joined the Brandywine Athletics staff. Since then, she has steadily advanced from the athletics recruitment coordinator to assistant athletics director, and finally to director of athletics in 2018. She currently served as chair of the staff advisory council from 2021-2022. She earned her master’s degree in education from West Chester University in 2015.
Bobbi cares about her student athletes and thinks of new ways to grow the program while keeping alumni engaged. She has a solid understanding of these students; she has stood in the rain to welcome championship teams home, and rallied for her teams’ needs. Notably, she has improved the department’s fundraising strategies to ensure her programs receive support ranging from new equipment for livestreaming home games, to appliances for washing team uniforms. During her tenure, the department established the Brandywine Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame, to showcase exceptional individuals, teams, and coaches who made outstanding contributions to the campus.
In Bobbi’s 9 years since graduation, she has demonstrated a healthy respect for our past glories on the field and court, with an eye on Brandywine Athletics’ future.