Conestoga Valley townlively.com
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 8
Snow Angels wield shovels of mercy BY JEFF FALK
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Snow angels Jennifer Jarvis (left) and Camden Thompson clear snow at a residence in Adamstown.
t has absolutely nothing to do with people lying on their backs in the snow and moving their arms and legs to create impromptu winter weather art. It’s more closely related to kindred spirits performing heavenly work here on Earth. These are different kinds of Snow Angels. “Before we had a formal name, the people who we were helping named us,” said Jennifer Jarvis, one of the founding members of the Lancaster Snow Angels. “They said to us, ‘You’re angels. We’re so thankful.’” The Snow Angels are an independent, community-oriented group of concerned citizens who travel around the Lancaster countryside shoveling and removing snow from the sidewalks, walkways and driveways of the elderly, the disabled and veterans - neighbors who can’t remove snow on their own. It began as a grassroots
It’s been said that getting older is a privilege and an honor; that it sure does beat the alternative. At the Lititz Senior Center, regular and semi-regular visitors seek to age gracefully, proactively, healthily - and together. “Our mission is to create family,” said Lucy Weaver, who’s been the Lititz Senior Center’s manager for 13 years. “My goal is for people to come here and feel like family. I think isolation is a disease. Just being able to
appointments, and they have direct-care nurses coming to their homes. If they don’t have families, or don’t have families who live nearby, who’s going to help them?” That’s where Lancaster Snow Angels come in. Persons in need of snow removal reach out to the Angels through phone calls, email
At LBC, Camden Hurst has been made to feel right at home BY JEFF FALK
It certainly hasn’t been the most direct route; few personal journeys are. But right now, it feels like Camden Hurst is exactly where he was meant to be. After an August transfer from Division II Mansfield University, the former Lancaster Mennonite star has made a splash during his first season on the men’s Lancaster Bible College sophomore basketball team at Lancaster Bible College (LBC). Camden Hurst lines up a free throw attempt.
“God’s always had a plan for me,” said Hurst. “I couldn’t see it right away. When I broke my hand (in high school), I was disappointed. When I was at Mansfield, I wasn’t enjoying it, and I asked, ‘Why did God put me here?’ Now I’m at LBC, and I’m enjoying it.” A six-foot-three-inch guard, Hurst is a key cog on an NCAA Division III LBC outfit that went 14-6 over its first 20 contests this season and 9-2 in the United East See Camden Hurst pg 9
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See Lititz Senior Center pg 2
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shine is important. I’m not sure what it would look like if these people were home alone without human contact. We all need each other.” Located in the Lititz United Methodist Church’s social hall at 201 E. Market St., the Lititz Senior Center is supported by the Lancaster County Office of Aging and staffed by Ephrata Area Rehab Services (EARS). The Lititz Senior Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the program is
“Wherever there’s a need, we fill it. Sometimes it takes three or four days to clear a substantial snow. But we get it done.”
and social media. The response may not be immediate, but no call for help ever goes unanswered. “It’s mostly individuals who can’t afford private snow removal,” said Jarvis, a resident of Terre Hill. “We’re a faith-based organization. We take everyone at their word. We haven’t really been taken advantage of at this point.” From modest origins during the pandemic, the Lancaster Snow Angels have grown in number to about 43 shovelers and snow removers - 35 adults and eight junior volunteers. The volunteers work together in teams or crews. “Most of us are doing it around full-time jobs,” said Jarvis. “Sometimes we call off, and our bosses know what we’re doing. We’re working around obligations. We have everyone prioritized.” “Shoveling snow is very taxing on your shoulders, arms and back,” Jarvis continued. “The first day after a storm, you’re no good to anyone. There’s a recovery period See Snow Angels pg 3
No one’s ever lonely at Lititz Senior Center BY JEFF FALK
movement in local neighborhoods, but the altruistic concept has gained traction and has now spread to nearly every corner of the county. “Our veterans and elderly shouldn’t have to deal with stress,” said Jarvis. “They have doctor’s