This month we are introducing you to Matt and Sara Ralph and their two young children. When the couple was looking for their forever home, they were focused on finding a house in a good location. But it’s not just the short commute to their respective jobs that makes their home special. It’s a home filled with fond and exciting memories with only more to come.
Matt is originally from Kansas. His dad was a pastor and he, his mom and two brothers moved around a bit before settling in New Jersey. He attended Countryside School in Mt. Laurel, NJ and Glen Landing Middle School in Glendora, NJ. By the time he became a high school student at Triton Regional High School in Runnemede, NJ he had discovered a love of broadcasting and journalism, serving as the PA announcer for men’s basketball and football. After serving as the sports editor for three years, Matt became the Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper his senior year. Growing up, Matt attended Delanco Camp in Tabernacle, NJ where he later became a summer camp counselor and youth director.
Wanting to pursue a degree in English, Matt was looking for a small, liberal arts college to further his education. He found Lebanon Valley College to be a perfect fit and graduated in 2001. During his time there he wrote for the school’s paper, La Vie Collegian, as well as for the local daily newspaper – the Lebanon Daily News. He also hosted a campus radio show and was active in the school’s Christian ministry.
After college Matt honed his skills as a reporter, working for daily newspapers in south Jersey and southern Indiana. Today Matt can be found doing a variety of things in the communications field. He is currently the Assistant Director of Web Content and Digital Marketing at Delaware County Community College (DCCC) in Media. “I love working at an institution like DCCC that is open-door and provides so many opportunities for people in our area to get started in their higher education journey,” said Matt. “It’s inspiring to hear stories from scholarship recipients and graduates about how the college helped them to achieve their goals.”
Matt also owns a franchise called Snapology of Newtown Square, which provides STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) education programs for kids in the area. If that’s not enough to keep him busy, he also serves as the managing editor of Brotherly Game, a website that covers the Philadelphia Union and other soccer teams in the area. A huge soccer fan and player for many years, he also takes on freelance writing projects about soccer for various publications.
Soccer is a big part of Matt’s life whether it’s playing, watching or embracing life as a soccer dad. He’s currently on the board of Sporting Serotonin, a soccer nonprofit and a team he plays for that promotes mental health. When he’s not playing soccer you can probably find him playing with LEGOs, which he uses a lot in Snapology’s programming. Matt also makes sure he stays current with new releases in music and staying up-to-date on TV shows.
Matt’s wife Sara grew up in Annville, PA with her parents and sisters. She attended Henry Houck Elementary School and Annville-Cleona High School in Annville, PA. During high school she was active in the music department, played tennis and was a member of various other clubs. Outside of school she was active in her church’s youth group. She graduated from Eastern University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biblical Studies/Psychology.
While she was a student at Eastern one of her professors encouraged her to look at Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Despite its distance from Pennsylvania, Sara was impressed with the school’s program and the area, so she headed to Lexington, KY to pursue a Masters in Counseling. Now a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified counselor, Sara is the owner/founder of Summit Grove Counseling in Bryn Mawr where she provides counseling to women 18 and older who struggle with anxiety, depression, stress and relationships. “I love that we are able to provide counseling services to so many women in our area and throughout PA (via telehealth),” said Sara. Also an adjunct instructor at Eastern University and Lebanon Valley College, Sara enjoys working with college students and counselors. “It is a joy and a privilege for me to journey alongside both my clients and my students,” she added.
Although Matt lived in Sara’s hometown while he was a college student, the couple didn’t meet until 2006 after he graduated. Luckily a mutual friend of theirs was determined to get them to hang out. “I still can’t believe my luck meeting someone from the very small town where I went to college,” said Matt. And what were the chances she just happened to go to graduate school in the even smaller town where my brother was living at the time.
The couple married in Cleona, PA in 2008 with a reception at Fort Indiantown Gap, where Sara’s mom works. “It was fun to be back close to where I went to college, especially since I didn’t meet Sara when I lived there,” said Matt. They honeymooned in Montreal, a beautiful and romantic city that was unlike any place they’d ever been to together.
Early in their marriage they lived in Kentucky while Sara finished her master’s degree. “We lived in a pretty wonderful neighborhood in Louisville called the Highlands where we could walk to an Olmstead park and lived on the same block as an independent bookstore, a comedy club, a coffee shop and a grocery store that sold Ale81 (Kentucky soda),” Matt recalled fondly. “It was a pretty blissful intro to being married despite money being tight and Sara finishing up grad school. We made the most of our pre-kid years with unforgettable vacations, binge-watching shows and dinners out.”
After Sara earned her graduate degree, Matt and Sara spent three years living on campus at Eastern University where Sara was serving as the Assistant Dean of Students and a Resident Director. Ultimately Sara decided to leave her job there, and after they started a family they decided to move closer to Matt’s job at DCCC.
Sara and Matt have two children, Owen and Adeline. Seven-year-old Owen is a first grader at Delaware County Christian School in Newtown Square. Owen loves all of his school subjects but the thing his family hears most about is gaga ball. He loves to learn languages on Duolingo, learn about geography for fun and also loves to collect Pokemon and soccer cards, play Bakugan, board games and LEGOs. “He’s very much a renaissance man in the making,” said Matt. Owen is also a big fan of soccer and has been playing for the past couple of years for the Marple Soccer Association. His parents say he loves to laugh, has a great memory and is very observant.
Owen’s little sister Adeline turns five this month. Born on February 5, 2018, it wasn’t just the Eagles Superbowl win that caused excitement. Adeline came three weeks early and was born at home that night. “She came so quickly we did not have any time to get to the hospital,” explained Sara. “Luckily she was born healthy and without any complications.” “On a night when much of Philadelphia was celebrating the Eagles Super Bowl win, I didn’t care who won the game but I like to say that I was the happiest guy of all,” Matt added. Both Matt and Sara said that they were extremely grateful to the Marple EMS workers and police who arrived quickly and brought them to the hospital.
It’s no surprise with Adeline’s dramatic entrance into the world, that she has a big personality. “She loves to laugh and skips more than she stands still,” said Sara. When she’s not at preschool she can be found playing with baby dolls, unicorns, Peppa Pig and LEGOs.
The Ralph family moved to Broomall in the spring of 2016 when they bought their first house, a Cape Cod on a little dead end street near Russell Elementary School. The family said what is special about their house is there is very little traffic and it’s so safe for the kids to play. “This neighborhood got us through the pandemic,” said Matt. “It’s nice that the kids can play outside with neighbors and we don’t have to worry.”
Sara and Matt said that what makes their house even more special is the memory of their daughter being born right at home. “We like to joke that we can never move,” said Sara. “Adeline likes to remind us that she was born right here, so we can’t imagine living anywhere else!” added Matt.
Thank you Matt and Sara for sharing your story with us. Your Marple Friends & Neighbors wish you many more exciting memories in your Broomall home (well, maybe not too exciting!).