Manheim Central SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
A piece of the past
Christian nonprofit pairs international students with caring homes
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
Christian nonprofit organization American Home Life International (AHLI) began decades ago with the dream of Marvin and Ruth Powers, a newlywed
couple from Lancaster that wished to serve side by side as missionaries overseas. Although their initial dream of evangelism abroad was never realized, Marvin and Ruth hosted their first international student in See AHLI pg 3
Sharry Theal (center) displays a broadsheet she had appraised at a Manheim Historical Society event.
and law offices at Vine and Queen streets in downtown Lancaster. It is named for the congressman and his confidante, a senior member of Stevens’ household. The museum is a project of LancasterHistory and is tentatively set to open in October of 2025. Theal has always been intere s te d i n h i s to r y, s h e s a i d , noting that her passion for the past began when she was a child after her mother completed extensive genealogy work. At 16, Theal gave the Gettysburg Address to an audience in Gettysburg as part of a Daughters of the American Revolution program. As an adult, she continued to love history, and she currently serves as secretary of the Manheim Historical Commission, an organization dedicated to restoring and preserving the history of Manheim.
“I give tours for the Manheim Historical Society on 1st Thursdays at the log homes,” she said, referencing the society’s Fasig and Keath houses on East High Street. “I do a half-hour tour around the area. I call it my ‘two-block tour.’” She also collects antique books and thinks she picked up the McKinley book at an auction in East Petersburg. “The book is a first edition from 1900,” she said, noting that she has read some of it but not all of it. “It’s a little on the fragile side.” She’s looking forward to seeing the broadsheet on display at the Thaddeus Stevens museum, and she hopes her discovery will inspire others to donate historical items. “If you have a local historical society, you can donate family items or things that pertain to the town,” she said. “They are always looking for donations.”
Nicole Bianchi (far left) and her children frequently host international students through Christian nonprofit American Home Life International.
MHALC wants to talk about mental health BY JEFF FALK
Mental Health America of Lancaster County (MHALC) is bringing attention to the importance of mental health, and much of its good work originates from simple conversations. “ We’ve come quite a long way from my generation of ‘suck it up’ and ‘you’ll be fine,’” said Dave Krahling, who’s been MHALC ’s program manager since November of 2023. “Now, we have more people talking about their mental health. We’re
shining a light on it, and it’s become more acceptable. The more we talk about it, the more we’re realizing we’re not alone.” Located at 245 Butler Ave., No. 204, Lancaster, MHALC is more of a facilitator, an advocate for mental health, than a hands-on treatment organization. MHALC performs its work through education, support and mental health screenings and by outreach programs at businesses, libraries and schools. “If you have a brain, you have mental health,” said Krahling. See MHALC pg 4
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arlier this year, Sharry Theal of Manheim was at home sorting books to donate to the library when she stumbled upon an unusual find. Tucked into the pages of “The Illustrious Life of William McKinley - Our Martyred President” was a folded piece of paper. Theal opened the paper to reveal a broadsheet advertisement detailing why people in Lancaster should not vote for Thaddeus Stevens, a Republican candidate for Congress. While the book Theal found the broadsheet in was published in the beginning of the 20th century, the document itself dates to 1862. It was written by Henry Clay, a Senator representing the Whig Party, and it’s addressed “To the people of Lancaster.” “It has a few facts about the history of Thaddeus Stevens and some sort of nasty words about him,” Theal said, noting that Clay refers to the abolitionist candidate as an “imbecile.” Wondering if she could find out more about the broadsheet, Theal took it to a recent antique appraisal event at the Manheim Historical Society, where she learned its value and other details. “This was something someone might have hung up in a window,” she said of the poster, which is printed on one side. “They think it might have been printed in Philly.” Theal remembered reading about a new Thaddeus Stevens museum coming to Lancaster, and she reached out to offer the piece for its collection. She met with Stephanie Townrow, the museum’s director of interpretation and exhibitions, earlier this month to donate the piece. The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy will be located at the site of Stevens’ home
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