Conestoga Valley AUGUST 6, 2025
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 13,770 HOMES
SEEDS Is Sprouting a New Branch BY JEFF FALK
I
t’s true, Conestoga Valley SEEDS (Selfless Love, Empowerment, Equity, Deliberate Partnership, Stewardship) is moving. But the local nonprofit is also moving on, moving up and moving forward. Change is good, and SEEDS’ new location is not only part of its natural evolution; it will provide for greater opportunities to execute its mission. “As an organization, we have goals and dreams, and one was to have our own location,” said Conestoga Valley SEEDS co-executive director Kristen Hershey. “It breaks down barriers. This opportunity sort of landed in our laps. We prayed about it, and it seemed like a wise move.” “It’s about the availability of deeper connections when you have a spot to come to,” said Conestoga Valley SEEDS co-executive director Michelle Kime. “This is our community space. That’s super exciting
townlively.com
JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Conestoga Valley SEEDS co-executive directors Kristen Hershey (left) and Michelle Kime
for us. We want to walk alongside advocates and promotes education, and care for our community.” health care and housing for all local Conestoga Valley SEEDS, which residents, is moving its operations See CV SEEDS pg 3
VOL LXI • NO 25
“Swing!” Will Connect Audiences With Their Mojo Swing music. And the performers of Servant Stage. What possesses the power to “Swing originated in the 1920s bring a tap to your toes, to put and was popular in the 1930s and a bounce in your step, to bring a ’40s,” said Johnathan Bauer, who snap to your fingers? founded Servant Stage in 2013. See “Swing!” pg 8
Local Recreation Promotes Healthy Work-Life Balance
ast Lampeter Township is 12 months into its grand recreation exper iment. Time for an update. While results have been mostly mixed, some positive and quantifiable progress has been realized. But much work remains in the new recreation department’s mission to get the word out and provide activities that appeal to a majority of East Lampeter Township residents. “I always feel like we can be doing more and reaching more people,” said Lisa Cleveland, who as recreation director makes up East Lampeter Township’s one-person recreation department. “Growth
is not resting. Am I happy where we are in the time we got here? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes. The opportunities are endless, so there are always things that are going to be new.” Since officials made the commitment to provide recreational opportunities to the township’s citizens on May 28, 2024, by hiring Cleveland as recreation director, the newly formed East Lampeter Township Recreation Department has instituted a number of programs and activities, some of which have been well received. The department has provided community events like movie nights, a fall festival and an Easter egg hunt; youth events like Hero Hang-Out, Touch-a-Truck
and a summer playground program; fitness and yoga programs; and educational programs like a bird walk and Exploring the Night Sky. This spring, the department introduced a community gardens program that allows individuals and families to rent plots of land at Community Park for growing vegetables, plants and flowers. Twelve of the 16 available plots are currently being utilized. The recreation department has also placed a strong emphasis on promoting and utilizing township facilities like Community Park, Flory Park, Lafayette-Tower Park and Gibbons Park at Nolt’s Mill, as well as fostering relationships with like-minded community partners.
LCWG Is Made Up of a Bunch of Do-Gooders
BY JEFF FALK
Good is universal, timeless and objective. Because it mirrors God, good is good. The Lancaster County Women for Good (LCWG) group knows some things about the concept of doing good. It’s part of the all-volunteer organization’s mission, purpose and reason for existing. “We use that word a lot, ‘good,’” said Anna Horst, the chairperson of the five-member board that oversees LCWG’s operations. “It’s
in our name. I think it’s safe to say our connections and providing nonprofits with resources is part of the good we aim to do. I think there are a number of nonprofits in Lancaster County who have amazing missions. They’re real people trying to help real people. They are problems that a majority of us would agree need to be solved. Maybe we need to be more clear by what we mean by ‘good.’” LCWG, which does not operate from a physical office or building, conducts more than 15 membership events each year, including
See Recreation Department pg 4
See LCWG pg 9
Sweet Deals
(717)656-7077
on flooring & area rugs... you’ll eat them up!
ONE NIGHT ONLY THURSDAY JUNE 19TH
40 Glenbrook Rd, (Rt 772) Leola M, T, W, F 8–4, Th 8–7, Sat 8-Noon
Special Event Hours: 4 – 8 pm
Present this ad for a FREE piece of homemade strawberry shortcake!
#PA033474
www.florhaus.com
R118432
CON
E
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER JUN. 11, 2025
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
R120434
HMS Continues To Experience Organic Growth BY JEFF FALK
Nothing major. A minor restoration, a freshening up, a modest facelift. Simply cosmetic. Hinkletown Mennonite School (HMS) is ready for a 45th year of providing a quality, faith-based education
option for families in the East Earl Township area and beyond. “Our mission is to serve families and students, academically, emotionally and spiritually,” said Megan Chambers, HMS’ director of enrollment. “We try to teach from a Christ-centered focus. A laborer works on a wall during Hinkletown
See Hinkletown Mennonite School pg 8 Mennonite School’s maintenance project.
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER AUG. 6, 2025
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
CON
Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
In your mailbox & online BY JEFF FALK
Nurture at North Appeals to Kids’ Inquisitive Nature BY JEFF FALK
BY JEFF FALK
Local residents watch birds during a recent East Lampeter Township recreation department activity.
VOL LXI • NO 33
If children are our future and we focus on their futures, what’s created is an environment where everyone prospers. That simple equation sort of sums up the North Museum of Nature and Science’s new kids’ program. It’s the kind of forward thinking that has made the North Museum a cornerstone in our local education community. “You see that spark of curiosity come out,” said Kate Wilson, the North Museum’s senior manager of visitors’ services. “I just enjoy seeing (kids) come alive with wonder and get excited about the world around them. I love seeing kids learn but having fun with it. We don’t want them to worry that they don’t know things. Science changes. Seeing a kid make a mistake or having a happy accident is an opportunity to teach. That’s what science is.” Located at 400 College Ave., Lancaster, the North Museum of Nature and Science has a new venture into the world of education called Nurture at North. The drop-off program is STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) based and geared toward budding learners between the ages of 3 and 6. Following a trial run this winter, Nurture at North was launched in the early days of June. The second session of the program, which offers half-day and full-day rates, will conclude on Friday, Aug. 29, and a decision See Nurture at North pg 6
R120399