Several members of the Toni & Rich Memorial Fund Committee gather for a photo at the Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. Pictured, from left, is Olivia Johnson, Matt Frangiosa, Nicole Nave, Charlie Narciso, Jennifer Fuchs, Theresa Frangiosa, Lillian O’Donnell, and Steve Szakal. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Conti)
Community members fundraising for a playground at the Elmwood Park Zoo inch closer to reaching the $100,000 goal, having raised more than $75,000 so far.
For Matt Frangiosa, originally from Plymouth Township, it’s an opportunity to honor the memory of his sister and childhood friend, who died four months apart in 2022, both at the age of 51.
Frangiosa underscored the testament the memorial playground will have to not only Toni Ann Narciso and Richard Nave, but others within the greater Norristown area.
“It’s being named in their honor. It’s a memorial for them, but it represents everyone who left this world too soon who had a commitment to their community,” Frangiosa told The Times Herald.
Frangiosa initially intended to fundraise revitalization efforts at a playground near Norris Hills, where Nave was raised and their friends used to play. Frangiosa put in a call to Norristown Fire Chief Tom O’Donnell, whose wife Lillian was best friends with Narciso, to inquire about the park, only to learn that renovations had already been done to the space. Frangiosa said that O’Donnell then connected him with Elmwood Park Zoo Chief Executive Officer Al Zone, who shared an opportunity to honor Narciso and Nave as part of the zoo’s ongoing expansion efforts.\
“This is going to be at the Elmwood Park Zoo where they get a million visitors a year,” Frangiosa said.
A comprehensive $150 million master plan for the zoo was drafted to transform significant acreage on the zoo’s land by constructing three new exhibits, new infrastructure and public amenities. Officials unveiled a welcome center and the veterinary hospital last spring, with future exhibits slated to cover Asia, as well as North and South America.
“What the Elmwood Park Zoo is doing with this expansion is just absolutely incredible for the area,” Frangiosa said.
The zoo’s master plan included a “nature play” area within the North America exhibit, according to the Elmwood Park Zoo.
Located across Stoney Creek, the project’s initial phase is slated to have “nature-themed play areas” and will “be freely open to the public,” according to a zoo spokesperson. Further developments will include the installation of a “barn where visitors can touch and pet the animals.”
Frangiosa hoped the zoo would be a place that family and friends could return and visit the space featuring Narciso and Nave’s names.
Members of the Toni and Rich Memorial Fund Committee include Michelle Calcagni, Matt Frangiosa, Theresa Frangiosa, Jennifer Fuchs, Patrick Gallagher, Olivia Johnson, Michael Murray, Charlie Narciso, Nicole Nave, Lillian and Tom O’Donnell, Steve Szakal, and Damien Troilo. Fundraising efforts have been ongoing with the hopes of meeting the $100,000 goal.
Organizers have held a formal event, a raffle and have been securing additional donations. Additionally, the Montco CAC and an anonymous donor have signed on to match donations. Frangiosa expressed interest in also having photos and biographies of Narciso and Nave displayed.
The fundraising campaign continues through Sunday, Aug. 31 and the playground is expected to open sometime between 2026 and 2027, according to the Elmwood Park Zoo.
Contribution levels for patrons were represented in the form of a tree, Frangiosa said, noting those who donate $250 would be acknowledged with a small leaf, $500 with a large leaf and $1,000 with a branch. The name of a friend of Nave’s who donated $10,000 will be inscribed on a portion of the trunk.
“We’ve been keeping track of people giving donations so that they can get recognized,” he said.
When asked what Narciso and Nave would think of the idea to honor their memory in this way, Frangiosa responded candidly. “They would absolutely love it.”
He remembered them fondly. Nave, of Collegeville, was a 25-year veteran employee at the Montgomery County Health Department who “had more friends than I can count.”
“He was the life of the party,” he said of Nave.
“Toni was the opposite in that way. She had a handful of really close friends,” Frangiosa said of his beloved sister, adding that “she loved doing things for her community, but in a quiet way.”
Frangiosa stressed her steadfast involvement with nonprofits and charitable organizations in Norristown. He recalled her being the “hostess with the mostess,” hosting Christmas holidays and Sunday dinners. Narciso, of West Norriton Township, battled pancreatic cancer and died in February 2022.
“When she left this world, she left this void within our family,” he said.
Those interested in donating can visit the Elmwood Park Zoo’s website. Frangiosa anticipates that once completed, he anticipated “it’s going to have a wonderful impact” on area residents and visitors.
“I think it’s going to show the community that … there are people out there who deserve to be remembered because of what they did,” he said. “Now these aren’t the Elon Musk[s] or Steve Jobs of the world. They are people who were … the spark within their community, and they lived for family and community.”
Visit elmwoodparkzoo.org/support/nature-play-playground/ to donate and learn more.
