by Len Lear

Erdenheim resident Paul D’Amico, a math teacher at Philadelphia Academy Charter School, taught a lesson even more important than math Saturday night when he stepped in as a “guest bartender” at Halligan’s Pub on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown.

Thanks to D’Amico’s efforts, Halligan’s Pub agreed to donate 10 percent of all food sales from Saturday to the oncology wing of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). D’Amico, known by friends as “Paulie,” is the driving force behind “Paulie’s CHOP Around the Block,” a fundraising effort for CHOP that raised $42,000 in almost four months, not counting the additional money that was raised Saturday night.

The genesis for this unusual humanitarian effort began last December, when Paul began walking long distances in his Springfield Township neighborhood in order to lose weight and get more healthy. In addition to the walking, Paul, a gregarious guy, would often stop to post selfies with neighbors.

During one of his walks, Paul ran into a former student, struck up a conversation and discovered that the youngster was battling a diagnosis of cancer. Paul decided then and there that he wanted to help in some way, so he wrote on his Facebook page that he would walk to area residents’ homes and pick up their checks if they would donate money to the oncology wing of CHOP.

“And it started to get the ball rolling,” Paul said in a local interview. “So I set up a schedule for my first walk, which was to Oreland. It was a nine-mile total walk, and I raised over $1200 on like the first night.”

Paul kept walking, regardless of the weather, even in two feet of snow. Before you know it, Paul had 130 selfies, and a steady rain of checks kept pouring in. A friend designed a t-shirt to sell, too, and some local businesses have hosted fundraising events like the one at Halligan’s Pub on Saturday. For example, a fundraiser at Clean Machine Car Wash in Glenside on March 26 garnered $8,500. Even the car wash employees, who are not awash in money themselves, donated the money in their tip jar.

“We were over $13,400 in about a month’s time,” Paul told CBS3 anchor Ukee Washington.

“Whoa! That’s amazing!” Ukee said.

Paul met with a representative of CHOP to let him know of his effort. “I’m small potatoes probably, compared to if the Eagles were to donate or something,” Paul said. “She goes, ‘Yeah, but you’re one man.’ She goes, ‘No one’s ever done this.'”

“How far can you go with this?” Ukee asked.

“I don’t know,” Paul said.

“What would you like to see?” Ukee asked.

“It would be great if it exploded and turned into one of these things that happened every year,” Paul said. “I’ve had people say ‘Hey, I’ll walk for you. I’ll be a Paulie CHOP Around the Block.’ That would be neat, too.”

Paul said that at the beginning he hoped to raise a couple hundred dollars, buy some teddy bears, drop them off at CHOP, and that would be that. But it has mushroomed beyond his most optimistic dreams. There were times when all the walking was beginning to get Paul down, but then he would think about the kids at CHOP and find the energy to go on.

When the amount raised reaches $50,000, Paul said, he will present a check in that amount to CHOP.

For more information, email halliganspub1619@gmail.com, or visit the Paulie’s CHOP Around the Block Facebook page.