For the past seven years, dozens of families or individuals have graced our Friends & Neighbors magazine covers. From lifelong Broomall residents to newlyweds who just planted roots here, these neighbors have helped fulfill our mission of Bringing People Together! Our covers have featured teachers, first responders, judges, entrepreneurs, coaches, artists and veterans, and so many others who make a difference in our community.
Being featured on the cover of Marple Friends & Neighbors magazine is an exciting and memorable experience for any family or individual. As far as selecting our Resident Feature and Community Feature stories, each one is unique. Many times, the recommendations come from you, our valued readers. Community members often recognize a family’s positive impact and involvement in the neighborhood.
Once chosen, the family participates in a friendly interview where they share their story, values and interests, often highlighting community connections, hobbies and achievements. At the draft stage, families and individuals have the chance to review the article before publication. Families often say how much they appreciate the ability to verify ages, dates, names, etc., before it goes to print! After a round or two of edits, the article is ready to go and is submitted to our Designer. The process is simple and easy, and the families and individuals remark what a fun and memorable experience it is!
The Lain Family was one of our first cover families in 2018. Liz and Matt both went to Cardinal O’Hara and are raising their five children here in Marple. “We had so much fun being part of the magazine. It was a great way to share our family story with the community that we love being a part of,” said Matt. “We are blessed to have our kids grow up in the same neighborhoods we walked and rode our bikes in as kids! Marple Township will always be “home.”
The Homel family, Lauren, Stewart, Derek and Elliot, were featured on the cover of our April 2020 issue. We were excited to highlight the Homel’s involvement in the community, which was extensive and inspiring. “We enjoyed being interviewed and telling our story,” said Lauren. “It was a fun experience for us to talk about who we are, where we came from and what we love about being in Marple.”
The Homel’s issue appeared right in the thick of the Covid lockdown. “It was a great way to ‘connect’ with people during a time when we all felt very isolated and disconnected,” added Lauren. We asked the Homels how they enjoyed their “15 minutes of fame” in our community. “Of course, my teens
were not thrilled with all the publicity that came with it at the time,” said Lauren, whose boys were then 13 and 11. “I know that now we cherish having that issue as a tangible memory of a really fun experience!”
In addition to a questionnaire and interview, a professional photoshoot follows with one of our professional photographers. During the family photoshoot, our photographer captures authentic moments and portraits to showcase on the magazine cover and inside feature. The end result is a beautifully designed publication that celebrates the family while strengthening local community bonds. “The photo shoot was a great perk, “ added Lauren. “And, lucky for us, we got that done in the nick of time before the country shut down due to Covid.”
One of our contributing photographers, Chelsea Lupica, is a Marple Newtown High School graduate and owner of Photography by Chelsea Leigh. “It’s such a joy and an honor to photograph so many incredible families,” she said. “Every shoot is more than just a picture—it’s a chance to meet new faces, hear their stories, and capture the love that makes this community so special.”
Photoshoots can not only be done in a family’s own home or backyard, but many of our covers feature community places like churches, parks, swim clubs and more. Crissy Everhart has been one of our (and our sister publication, Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors) contributing photographers for the past few years. A mom of two boys, Crissy knows and understands how to help families relax in front of the camera. She is well-versed in lighting and posing to make everyone look their best. Crissy is also full of silly faces, has a library full of funny jokes for the young kids and plenty of sarcastic comments for the adults to move you through your photoshoot with ease.
The Boon family: Kristina, Brent, Corrinne, and Colin were our May 2021 cover family. Kristina recalled that being in the issue during the pandemic years was interesting. “Despite not being able to be too close to people during that time, the photographer did an amazing job of capturing our little family,” said Kristina. “She highlighted our front porch where we still spend a lot of time together. My favorite part of being on the cover was seeing my late grandmother (“Gramz” ) telling everyone that we were on the cover and collecting copies from friends for our family to hold on to.”
Our beautiful covers have even caught the eye of Best Version Media’s (BVM) marketing team. Each month they award Captivating Covers, featuring them on their social media platforms, so make sure to follow BVM on Facebook and Instagram.
Best Version Media (BVM) publications have been connecting local communities since 2007. It started with a small handful of magazines in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area for five years before expanding the business in 2012. BVM is now one of the fastest-growing companies in the print and digital media industry, and now serves residents and local businesses across the United States and Canada with over 1,000 community maga-
zines in print.
Our Publisher, Bob Blaisse, launched separate hometown magazines for both Marple and Newtown townships in 2018, and Newtown Edgmont Friends & Neighbors followed just a few years later. Thanks to Bob, we’ve been able to bring you stories that we hope inform, inspire and connect you to the Marple community.
Ever since we launched Marple Friends & Neighbors, readers have told us how reading our magazine is like meeting new neighbors in the community they did not know well. “Every month, our Marple Friends & Neighbors magazine combines the best elements of social media and print by sharing positive, family-friendly stories, which are Bringing People Together through hometown pride,” said Bob.
Each June, we honor a local individual or organization with our Friend & Neighbor of the Year issue. In June 2023, we turned our attention to the Broomall Fire Company (BFC). For the past 100 years, the all-volunteer BFC has been answering emergency calls and keeping the Marple community safe and protected. Many of these volunteers are our neighbors, friends, coworkers or relatives, and we were proud to honor them as our 2023 Marple Friends & Neighbors of The Year!
We also like to revisit some of our cover families with our Catching Up With feature. It’s a fun way to check back in with cover families to see what’s new. In many cases, it means new careers, new homes and even new additions to the family! Last summer we caught up with the Barry-Cottones, who were on our cover back in September 2019. Brigit and Michael shared with us what was special to them about being featured in our monthly hometown magazine. “We love reading all of the articles,” said Brigit. “It’s a great way to connect with new people. If I meet someone who I saw featured in the magazine, I love to mention it. It’s the perfect icebreaker!”
Marple Friends & Neighbors, a free monthly publication, is made possible only by the funding from our advertising Sponsors, whose decision to advertise in our hometown magazine reveals just how vital Marple residents are to the success of that business. We rightfully show our gratitude to our Sponsors by showing our loyalty to them and choosing to do business with them first.
What makes this 7th anniversary even more special is not just the number but the ongoing relevance it maintains in a digital age. Our Marple Friends & Neighbors magazine combines the best elements of social media and print by sharing positive, family-friendly stories, Bringing People Together through hometown pride. Visit MarpleMag.com to join us as we look back at the past seven years.
As we head into our eighth year in print, I hope seeing these neighbors gives you a sense of hometown pride, as these individuals and families are giving back to our Marple community. We look forward to sharing more of your stories, so please continue to submit your nominations. We are also excited to offer you more Expert content and feature families, individuals and organizations that are bringing us together. Thanks for reading!
Do you know a Marple family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming
feature articles by emailing your ideas to Holly Stupak at HStupak@BestVersionMedia.com.