Elizabethtown townlively.com
OCTOBER 2, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXV • NO 34
Providing programs that promote positive choices
BY JEFF FALK
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
F
or 25 years, Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care (EACTC) has been working to improve the lives of others. The organization is going strong, serving even more people with programs for school-age children and youths i n t h e E l i z a b e t h to w n A re a School District. “This year it will be 25 years that Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care has brought programs, initiatives and partnerships into our Elizabethtown community that directly benefit our youth and their families and help them avoid the use of drugs and alcohol and other highrisk behaviors,” said executive director Gail Viscome. “The PA Youth Survey and our program outcomes help us monitor youth risky behaviors, social-emotional concerns and help us track our successes.” As times change, EACTC has pivoted, focusing on current needs. “The past several years have been especially hard for our students as they have had to face so many more challenges than expected, somewhat due to the ongoing lingering impact of COVID both academically and socially,” she shared. “Also, there continue to be lasting impacts of the opioid crisis in our community. … We have worked hard this year to continue to provide and expand our research-based programs and initiatives.” Viscome noted that EACTC hosts a mentoring and tutoring program called Homework Helpers for students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades who are struggling academically. In the fall
Some of the students honored with Do the Right Thing awards from Elizabethtown Area Communities That Care
of 2023, EACTC expanded the program to high-school students. EACTC has also expanded its Club Ophelia program for girls, adding new groups for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders to the middle school program that’s been running for 20 years. “We have also been running the Club Ophelia program at Bear Creek in the fall and spring and added a pilot program at Bear Creek for girls on navigating friendships on social media that is resulting in updated curriculum,” Viscome said. Additional programs of EACTC include the Paws and Think Social Norming Club, which disseminates information to help students make positive decisions regarding drugs and alcohol use, as well as PEP Club, a college-student-run after-school program at Bear Creek that provides fun
activities to promote friendship skills and teach positive ways to express emotions. EACTC also recognized 71 students this past year with Do the Right Thing awards, honoring them for random acts of kindness and other positive behavior, and recognized 69 students for improvement in grades, behavior or attitude at its Turn Around event in May. Additionally, EACTC coordinates the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) program, providing all ninth-grade students with tools to assist classmates with getting help to prevent suicide. In the greater community, EACTC expanded its prescription take back program to include an additional event. “EACTC partners with Northwest Regional Police at Giant for the National Prescription Take Back Days
to help advertise the events,” Viscome remarked. “In 2023, we collected over 345 pounds of prescription medication. A total of 3,936 pounds have been collected since the start of the program.” Although EACTC programs are supported by grants from several sources, the organization can always use financial help, Viscome said. “We are doing all these programs with much less grant funding than we have ever had,” she said. “We need to find community resources to take care of our community’s children. … We also are looking for community volunteers for our Homework Helpers program where we help students complete their work to prevent them from failing one or more classes.” Viscome said the services provided by EACTC are needed more
Every individual, every organization has a story to tell. Helping Other People Eternally (HOPE) International’s story is one of compassion and empowerment and the human spirit. It’s a story that continues to evolve, continues to change one whose final chapters have yet to be written. “I think some people do (know about HOPE International’s mission),” said Jeff Rutt, chief executive officer and founder of the organization. “I think more people need to know about the work God is doing through HOPE International. If we can share that with more people, hope can be restored in more lives. I’m always looking for ways to spread the word about the difference HOPE is making in the lives of families around the world. We need to be a voice for the voiceless.” Headquartered at 227 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, HOPE International is a Christian organization focused on helping individuals and families in poverty around the world to become financially stable. HOPE I n te r n at i o n a l p e rforms its work through small, low-interest loans; savings groups; financial education; microfinance services; housing programs; and agricultural initiatives. “When HOPE International was started, I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” said Rutt. “If you go to start a global organization, you don’t start out as an old dairy-farmer-turned-builder. But God knew the steps. My vision at the beginning was to help a few poor families in See HOPE pg 8
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See Choices pg 7
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HOPE International funding makes world go around