Penn Manor townlively.com
FEBRUARY 19, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 43
Conestoga Elementary School students learn value of giving BY GEORGE DEIBEL
C
onestoga Elementar y School students are learning the value of getting nothing tangible in exchange for their hard work. This school year, counselor Meridith Eckroat started the Conesto ga GIVE S pro gram. GIVES is an acronym for Giving Is Valued, Encouraged, and Supportive. “It was a brainchild of mine,” Eckroat said. “I was a fifth-grade teacher here for 10 years. Through that, I know in the wintertime a lot of kids would not want to go outside. I thought, ‘What’s something we can do that would give them an alternate activity on some days, but also at the same time, would be them doing something for someone else?’ It’s not, ‘I’m going to come down here
and make something for myself to take home.’ It’s twofold. Let’s teach students to give of their time, and they’re not going to get something in return.” Eckroat approached principal Scott Keddie, who was supportive of the idea. Then Eckroat went to the school’s PTO and the group offered its assistance. Conestoga Elementary School PTO president Christine Snyder suggested Eckroat look into Art of Recycle, located in Ephrata. Teachers or others affiliated with a school can get supplies from Art of Recycle for free. Otterbein United Methodist Church has donated all the copy paper the school needs. Conestoga GIVES began in December when students made more than 200 holiday cards for recipients of Meals on Wheels. “We brainstormed ideas,” said Eckroat.
Conestoga Elementary School students (from left) Weston Martin, Justin Hayden, and Arlo Pikolas work on cards for first responders.
“Most had no idea there was an organization called Meals on Wheels or know what they do. It was an opportunity to teach them about what the organization can do for our older population.” A representative of Meals on
Wheels told Eckroat, “It has been so long since somebody has made cards for us.” “She was so excited to get them,” Eckroat said. “It’s an opportunity for the kids to realize it’s easy to do something nice for somebody
else and not getting anything in return except for feeling good about yourself.” On Jan. 31, students created thank you/Valentine’s Day cards for first responders. “It makes me feel happy,” said second-grader See Conestoga GIVES pg 6
BY JEFF FALK
Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects how some people conduct themselves, gain knowledge, speak and listen and relate to others. It’s a disorder that we continue to learn about and one that might be more prevalent than first realized. NeurAbilities Healthcare of L ancaster approaches autism from both clinical and
behavioral perspectives. Two of the organization’s main goals are to enhance the lives of people and families affected by the disorder and to integrate those individuals into society. “People are often coming to us because they are struggling to support their family members,” said Adriana Neumann, NeurAbilities’ senior director for applied behavior analysis clinical services. “There’s something they’re struggling to manage. They want their child to learn, to See NeurAbilities pg 5
Feed My Starving Children event planned for March 28 to 30 BY GEORGE DEIBEL
The seeds for the annual Lancaster County Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) event were planted in 2013 when pediatrician Dr. Lora Mangus Wenger and her family visited Haiti with members of Willow Street Mennonite Church as part of a Mission of Hope mission trip. “At that time, (Mission of Hope) was feeding 50,000 children a day by distributing meals to their school, other schools, See FMSC pg 2 Volunteers from last year’s Feed My Starving Children MobilePack
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