‘We all shine on’

In the chorus of his 1970 song “Instant Karma,” John Lennon captured a belief that every person holds inherent value and light with the lyrics “we all shine on, like the moon, and the stars, and the sun.” The song makes a statement about spiritual and social awareness, and how efforts by ordinary people are instantly reflected back on life. Positive intentions bring good karma – the cosmic scorekeeper seeking consequence and morality.

Our community thrives on positive actions, many quietly taken but nonetheless rewarded with drops of passing karma. Other actions are more visible and recognized by larger audiences, where karma spreads energy to everyone who adds to and believes in the positive intention.

The Swarthmore Farmers Market is a perfect example. It provides good intentions, good consequences, wonderful offerings, and healthy community sentiment, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

Since getting involved in 2016, Pat Francher has helped to coordinate, curate, and manage the Farmers Market into what has become an anchor to many. Now, after six years at the helm, he has handed the leadership role to the Market’s next generation.

Humble, thoughtful, and collaborative, Pat will give credit for the success of the market to anyone but himself. Since 2006, people including Jack Cavanaugh, Andy Rosen, Marty Spiegel, and countless volunteers have helped to hydrate the market’s roots and foster its growth.

Small steps over many years became the norm instead of the exception, like seeking a garden variety of ethnicities at the vendor level and harnessing motivations that enable market patrons to experience culturally diverse music and other live events.

The Farmers Market is an award-winning event running Saturdays from May through November, now in its 21st year of continuous operation, partnering with nearly 20 vendors every week, where volunteers are known to set up and break down the market’s maze of goodness spanning from artisans to zucchinis.

Those looking to stock their cocktail cabinet can also find a distiller or two set up in the Borough, which Pat nurtured under the Swarthmore21 movement that eliminated our local prohibition statute. And if you look hard enough, you just might be able to find a special sale on vintage Swarthmore Beer Company t-shirts.

“Swarthmore21 was vital to Swarthmore’s ability to sustain itself. Since the referendum passed, and eventually once the litigation subsided, our Co-op was able to help stabilize its business model and build on a new infusion of life,” Francher explained. “Many people might not realize the Co-op was in deeply serious financial straits and was able to turn itself into a more competitive market through enhanced offerings. Since Swarthmore21 passed, local meeting places and restaurant menus have given new life to [the] Town Center, and will continue to into the future.”

Pat has worked to foster inclusion for decades, and not out of obligation or for personal gain, but for the purpose of building pathways for people to meet on level ground. Many moons ago, Pat’s discipline of Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from Syracuse University led to his instigating the structural and curricular expansions of a New York State community college that was moved to guarantee accessibility for students with disabilities and differences, both physical and learning.

Once a year, the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation’s Shine-ALight program recognizes a community member or organization who has made Swarthmore a more diverse, equitable and inclusive place to visit and live.

Pat Francher came into the spotlight this year for many more reasons than those described in this article, and if you know of his personal to-do list, then you know what that all entails. He’d summarize it all by saying “the goal for tomorrow is one step beyond.”

Let’s all share in the karma, and Pat, shine on, my friend.