Penn Manor townlively.com
JUNE 25, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 9
Eshleman Student Wins Writing Award BY GEORGE DEIBEL
A
n adage for writers says, “If you have a good story to tell, tell it. If you don’t have a good story to tell, write it.” Liam Evans had a good story to tell, and he wrote it well. So well that Liam earned a firstplace award in the nonfiction category of the Hershey Story Museum’s annual contest with his work titled “Hero of Hericourt-sur-Therain, France.” Liam, who recently wrapped up his fifth-grade year at Eshleman Elementary School, was caught off-guard by the honor. “I came back from school one day, and my mom (Irita Evans) asked if I had heard any news, and I told her I didn’t,” he recalled. “She told me about the win on the way to acting club, and I was so excited. I couldn’t really believe it.” While Liam was surprised that he earned the award, his teacher, Mindy Swope, was not. “I was elated,” Swope said. “I knew that
he was always such a great writer during the school year that I was honestly not surprised. I knew that he had it in him, so I was very happy and proud of him.” Liam received $100, a oneyear membership to the Hershey Story Museum, two tickets to Hersheypark, a Hershey’s chocolate gift basket, and 30 Hershey’s chocolate bars to share with his classmates. The story was not a required assignment. Swope offered her students an opportunity to gain extra credit by participating, and eight of them accepted. Students had to complete the project on their own time, and Swope did not read the stories until after they had been submitted. Swope said Eshleman teachers encourage pupils to push themselves and experience new adventures. “I feel like our students know it’s OK to take risks, and if you make mistakes, you learn from them, and your teachers are there to back you up and support
you,” she said. Liam credits his teacher. “Mrs. Swope taught me all of the writing techniques and how to become a better writer,” he said. “Fifth grade is when I learned about word expansion and everything you can use to make your story work.” Liam’s passion for the craft is evident in his works. “I love to write,” he said. “It takes you into a whole new world. You can do whatever you want to do. There are no limits.” Liam conducted meticulous research and pored over mission reports. “I was just lucky to have a great story,” he said, humbly. “Hero of Hericourt-sur-Therain, France” begins, “June 7th, 1944, you’d think the Allied forces would be on top of the world! They just won a key battle in World War 2, D-Day. But that wasn’t the case for my grandpa’s cousin, Alfred Evans.” A day after the invasion of Normandy, Alfred, a fighter Award-winning writer Liam Evans (left) and his teacher, Mindy Swope. Photo by George Deibel
Play Flag Football the Aaron’s Acres Way
Foundation Provides Families With a Chance To Feel Normal BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Lynn Walker was worried. In 2013, after her son Caleb had undergone his third brain surgery, a friend sent the family away for an extended weekend trip to Ocean City, N.J. Caleb had been gone for more than two hours on a beach bike expedition, and Lynn was getting anxious. “Caleb comes bursting through the door and says, ‘I know what I’m going to do! I’m going to start a foundation!’” Lynn recalled.
Caleb explained that while biking by the ocean he had felt normal for the first time in four years. “He said, ‘When you get away from everything else, you get to feel normal. This is what I want to give people,’” said Lynn. For the last 11 years, the organization Caleb formed, A Week Away Foundation, has been providing families with weeklong vacations. “Our mission is to provide respite weeks for families that are battling a life-threatening illness, thereby enabling them Lynn Walker is the director of to come back refreshed from A Week Away Foundation. See A Week Away pg 4
BY JEFF FALK
There are touchdowns and first downs. There are offenses and defenses. There are teammates and opponents. It’s the same flag football game. The Chuckie Magee Flag Football and Cheerleading League just plays it a bit differently. “Our (participants) are more in it for the fun than the competition,” said Madison Heider, a program director at Aaron’s Acres and the league’s unofficial commissioner. “They just like to
Photo by George Deibel
hang out. We have some people already looking forward to it. No one wants to miss a game. We might be lax with the rules, but we have referees. Having fun is the only special rule.” Aaron’s Acres’ Chuckie Magee Flag Football and Cheerleading League is for individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 with intellectual and developmental disabilities is currently reforming and gearing up for another successful season. This year, games will be played in the gymnasium at Manheim Brethren in Christ See Flag Football pg 2
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