Garden Spot MARCH 4, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 11,290 HOMES
VOL LXII • NO 11
Literacy Council Linked to Improved Quality of Life BY JEFF FALK
Members of the Grassland FFA Club
Grassland FFA Provides Agricultural Opportunities BY JEFF FALK
T
hose who aren’t directly associated with it may not fully appreciate the value of agriculture. Not only do members of the Grassland FFA Club at Garden Spot High School (GSHS) understand the importance of agriculture and its byproducts, they embrace it.
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JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
“I think agriculture is important,” said Autumn Means, junior reporter in GSHS’ Grassland FFA Club. “It’s used in our everyday lives. It helps produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear and other products.” “You can’t live a single day without coming into contact with something related to agriculture,” said Zoey Houck, junior vice president of the
club. “For me, I love advocating as much as I possibly can. I think some people don’t know how things come into their lives.” An intracurricular program, Grassland FFA Club combines elements of the agriculture classroom and extracurricular activities. Grassland FFA Club meets every school day at GSHS for 30 minutes during an advisory period. See Grassland FFA pg 5
VOL LXI • NO 25
“Swing!” Will Connect Audiences With Their Mojo BY JEFF FALK
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 residents watch birds during a recent East Lampeter Township recreation department activity.
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
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Is Dennis Denenberg Schreiber’s Oldest Former Patient? BY JEFF FALK
Seventy-four years ago, Dennis Denenberg received services from the Society of Crippled Children a nd A d ul t s t h at pro fo u nd l y affected him and changed the course of his life. At the age of 4, Denenberg received speech therapy that turned a weakness into a strength.
It’s the kind of story that the organization, now known as Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development, has routinely authored over the last nine decades. “I really garbled my words; it wasn’t just a stutter,” said Denenberg, clearly and succinctly. “You could really not understand what I was saying. My time at Schreiber opened the door to a successful See Dennis Denenberg pg 8
Dennis Denenberg
See Literacy Council pg 2
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Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
In your mailbox & online BY JEFF FALK
Po v e r t y, c e r t i f i c a t i o n s , education, language skills, self-enrichment. All of those concepts and their implications are related and interrelated. All of those concepts and implications are relevant and intersect at the Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon. “I would add health to that list,” said Cheryl Hiester, who’s been the executive director of the Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon for 18 years. “There’s a correlation between literacy and health. The ability to read and write English and fully participate in today’s world can impact every single aspect of an adult’s life. You can’t be fully engaged in your child’s education if you don’t have those skills. Those are significant barriers.” The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, which is located at 407 Lafayette St., Lancaster, is dedicated to enriching lives and helping individuals reach their full potential through adult education. Not only does the local nonprofit promote the concept of lifelong learning, it embraces it. “We’re an agency who serves adults,” said Hiester. “They come to us to improve their basic skills. For many, they’re people who are new to the county and need to learn English. Anything you would’ve done in public education as a kid and didn’t get to do, you can do with us. We meet our clients where they are to make sure our instruction is meeting their needs, so they can take the next steps in their lives.” The Literacy Council of Lancaster-Lebanon, which works closely with Lancaster-Lebanon
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