Organizer

Question: My wife and I have a son who is almost 8. He is sooo fun to be with - a happy kid who loves mud holes, being barefoot, playing drums wildly, and goofing around with his friends (and he has gobs of them). He's always up for an adventure with us, his friends, or by himself. This kid has gusto. My question is this: He doesn't want to be in sports, or any kind of lessons, or theater - nothing! He just wants to go at life freestyle. Are we (stinky) parents for not enrolling him in, like, anything extracurricular?

Since the NHL doesn't appear to be returning to the Delaware Valley anytime soon, Scott Hartnell is bringing a slew of NHL players to Atlantic City next Saturday night. Hartnell has helped organize a charity game, dubbed "Operation Hat Trick," to benefit victims of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey and New York. The game will be played at Boardwalk Hall on Nov. 24 at 7 o'clock. Tickets priced from $20 to $100 will go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. on Ticketmaster.com. Hartnell will captain one team and be opposed by Rangers star Brad Richards.

They're not quite a union - not yet, and maybe not ever, but the adjunct faculty at St. Joseph's University are beginning to act like one. They have formed a group, held meetings with the university administration, and managed to win a pay raise along with a handful of professional perks important to academics. "We've made a lot of noise, and we are in the process of making a lot of noise, and I'm making a lot of noise myself," said Caroline Meline, an instructor in the philosophy department who earns $3,780 per three-credit course.

When Charlie Strange lost his son Michael, a member of an elite Navy SEAL team, in combat 15 months ago, he initially had trouble finding comfort in therapy. "I went to a grief therapist recommended by the military, and although she was a great lady, I just didn't find her helpful for me," Strange said. "She didn't really have any experience in dealing with what I was going through at the time. " After doing some research, Strange tried a group called Vets Journey Home and decided to attend a retreat in Maryland.

Francis Barnes got the call on his cellphone - power was already out - at 10:16 p.m., with Hurricane Sandy at its peak. His 16-month wait for a new liver was over. All he had to do was get to the hospital in West Philadelphia from his home on a gravel cul-de-sac in rural Upper Bucks County. "I said, sure," he said. "My adrenaline was pumping. " Barnes soon got stopped by a tree too big to move, and turned around. Another tree; he backed up. A third, then a fourth. He dialed transplant coordinator Nicole Platt.

Elizabeth Johnson, 67, formerly of Haddonfield, a retired community organizer for Philadelphia Green who helped plant seeds of neighborhood rebirth throughout the city in the 1990s, died Tuesday, Oct. 2, of a brain fungus at New Hanover Hospital in Wilmington, N.C., near her home. Mrs. Johnson, known as Betsy, went to work for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 1988 following 17 years at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as administrative assistant to Stella Kramrisch, curator of Indian art. Leaving the galleries behind, Mrs. Johnson immersed herself in dirt, leading crews that shoveled out trash-covered lots and laying the groundwork for the community gardens that have been Philadelphia Green's purpose for three decades.

Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees Here is a look at Thursday's other inductees to the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. For more information, go to www.phillyhall.org . Dan Baker (Legacy of Excellence award): The longtime Phillies public-address announcer also served as executive director of the Big Five. Debbie Black: The all-time leader in steals and assists at St. Joseph's, she also played in three women's professional basketball leagues. Doug Collins: A four-time NBA all-star during an injury-stunted 76ers career, the current 76ers coach, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 draft.

They call him "Uncle Joe," which is both a reference to his age - 73 - and his laid-back style. Mob boss Joe Ligambi is old school, a make-money-not-headlines crime boss who has had a surprisingly long and relatively peaceful run as Philadelphia's Mafia don. But that run may be over. In jail for the last 17 months, Ligambi and six codefendants begin a legal fight for their lives this week when opening arguments are expected in the city's latest organized-crime trial. Ligambi and the others are facing racketeering conspiracy charges built around allegations of illegal gambling, loan-sharking, and extortion that extend back to 1999.

FEED the Children, an organization known for aiding kids around the world, will provide school supplies and hygiene products to Philadelphia's homeless and impoverished students on Wednesday. The organization will hand out about 850 backpacks - each containing a spiral notebook, ruler, No. 2 pencils, pencil sharpener, pens, crayons, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste and shampoo - to school staff, homeless-service providers and community organizations. About 4,600 homeless students were served by the district in 2011-12, said Al Quarles, the district's coordinator of homeless and emergency services.

Buzz: Hey Marnie, I saw a wine bottle in the store yesterday that said it was made from organic grapes. Why not call it organic wine? Marnie: Because they mean different things, Buzz. Grapes grown naturally, without chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides, have been shown to make better wine. They have an inherent advantage in quality potential, flavor and a wine's ability to age gracefully. Organic winemaking is far more problematic; it creates a major quality control issue that leads to an inconsistent product and premature spoilage.