Elizabethtown townlively.com
OCTOBER 30, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Champions for butterflies BY CATHY MOLITORIS
VOL LXV • NO 38
Helping to spread the mission of Cornerstone BY CATHY MOLITORIS
I
t started with one milkweed plant. A few years ago, a neighbor ’s husband gave Kim Flenke a milkweed plant for her yard. From there, the plant grew - and so did Kim’s passion for butterflies, including the endangered monarchs that rely on milkweed for food. Since that first plant, Kim has expanded the garden around her Elizabethtown home to include hundreds of plants for the monarchs as well as dill and other host plants for Eastern black swallowtails.
Spend just a few minutes with Sammi Simmons, and you’ll notice something: Her enthusiasm is contagious. Simmons is bringing that passion and purpose to Cornerstone Youth Center, where she
came on board as development coordinator in September. “Sammi has an infectious personality. She’s very outgoing, very energetic, very relatable,” said Jim Bush, Cornerstone’s executive director. “I believe that she is going to be someone who communicates our message and See Cornerstone pg 5
It’s become a bit of an obsession, she said with a laugh, and it’s one she’s joined in by her daughter, Kelley Flenke. The duo spends hours each week caring for the plants and the butterfly chrysalises in caterpillar “hotels” Kim has in her yard. “Once you get into this process, it just spirals out of control,” Kim said. “I’m obsessed. I’m hooked. Every season, I look forward to how many butterflies we have.” After receiving that first milkweed plant, Kim began reading up on the deteriorating numbers of monarch butterflies. “I started researching what the eggs look like, what the caterpillars look like, and what I could do to help,” she said. “I knew the numbers are going down in the species, and I’ve been drawn to the idea of ‘What little part can I do to help improve the world?’ If all of us
Sammi Simmons
Butterfly enthusiasts Kim (left) and Kelley Flenke
did something we love in an area we love, everyone could just do a little bit to make a big change.” This year alone, Kim and Kelley released more than 50 monarchs and more than 60 Eastern black swallowtails. “Just a few weeks ago, someone in E-town told me they found some of the Eastern black swallowtails on their dill plant,” Kim said. For her part, Kelley is just as passionate about the project as her mom. “We both can’t wait to clock out at the end of our day jobs to run home and work on our caterpillars,” Kim shared. “It’s like a full-time job after our
full-time jobs.” Raising the butterflies requires daily work, including cleaning their hotels and supplying fresh food. As they got into the hobby, the mother-daughter pair reached out to Milkweed 4 Monarchs, an Elizabethtown-based organization that promotes support for the species. The organization is run by Cindy Leonard, who sells milkweed seeds all over the world. Leonard provided additional varieties of milkweed for Kim’s yard as well as advice. In doing her research, Kim has learned a lot about butterflies. “I found out that 90% or more of natural monarchs will not
Honored for a lifetime of service BY CATHY MOLITORIS
From an early age, Virginia Hall knew what she wanted to do with her life. In sixth grade, she decided she would become a doctor. “I grew up in a family of eight children in 11 years,” said the woman who serves as a volunteer physician for Hope Within Ministries Community Health, Counseling & Dental Center in Elizabethtown. “We had nothing. We didn’t get the medical care we needed when we were
younger, so I was set on making sure other people had the opportunities I didn’t.” Throughout her long medical career, Hall has dedicated herself to giving back to others, making a difference around the world. In September, Hall received the International Voluntary Service Award from the Pennsylvania Medical Society for her work in both Sierra Leone and India. “I had no idea I was nominated, so I was very surprised,” she recalled. “I don’t look at anything that I do as anything special. It’s See Service pg 9
R110959
See Butterflies pg 7
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“If all of us did something we love in an area we love, everyone could just do a little bit to make a big change.”