Warwick townlively.com
FEBRUARY 28, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 51
Bonnie Keller has perfect touch for baby cuddling BY JEFF FALK
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t explores and emphasizes the importance of human touch and human interaction. But what Bonnie Keller has discovered about baby cuddling is that it can be a symbiotic relationship. Yes, baby cuddling is a real thing, and it’s as heartwarming as it sounds. A resident of Manheim Township and a retired private adoption agency director, Keller performs her fascinating volunteer work in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Women & Babies Hospital, 690 Good Drive, Lancaster. “Most of them are little wee ones,” said Keller of the babies she snuggles. “The littlest people you’ve ever seen, and they need help to grow. It’s very comforting to see them grow every week. It’s very satisfying seeing the flower open up.” Keller is one of 60 volunteers who cuddle babies inside Women & Babies’ NICU - 52 women and eight men from all parts of Lancaster
Tired of the short, cold days? Suffering from a touch of cabin fever? Have you got the winter blahs? The Big, Big Jazz Band has the remedy. It involves tapping your feet, grooving to music, and leaving the house for a night out. “People want to get out of the house. By this time, people are tired of snow. We’re giving people a night on the town if they want to come out,” said Al Kernc, publicity manager for
the Big, Big Jazz Band. The Big, Big Jazz Band will present its 42nd annual Beat the Winter Blahs Ball on Friday, March 8, at the Lancaster Country Club, 1466 New Holland Pike, Lancaster. The music will start at 7:30 p.m., and the event involves a cash bar and a chef’s breakfast bar at 10:30 p.m. “It’s a really nice atmosphere,” Kernc continued. “There are tables surrounding the dance f loor. People sit and listen. When the band starts, people start dancing. We play a mix of
“Some are premature and can’t fight off infections,” said Margi Bowers, nurse manager of Women & Babies’ NICU. “There is research that shows infants who receive human touch have more positive outcomes, like gaining weight faster. Evidence shows that human touch increases the likelihood of trusting relationships later in life.” “It gives them a place in the world by looking into another person’s face,” said Keller. “Human
Young actors set to rock Warwick schoolhouse
BY JEFF FALK
Middle school is a grand time to explore. Drama is a great activity to discover. The cast and crew of Warwick Middle School’s “Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.” is made up of students who are relatively new to the genre of theater. But what they lack in experience they more than make up for with energy, enthusiasm and curiosity. “ Students in middle See “Schoolhouse Rock” pg 3 Members of Warwick Middle School’s cast for “Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.”
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See Winter blues pg 4
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BY JEFF FALK
“Human interaction is so important to development.”
interaction is so important to development. Human interaction helps them to eat better and sleep better. If we can be there when mom and dad can’t, that’s great.” “Sometimes mom is really sick,” said Bowers. “Giving birth isn’t easy. Some moms have other children at home or have to go back to work. Sometimes it’s teenage moms who have to go back to school. Moms and dads just aren’t here all the time.” The NICU’s baby cuddling program has a waiting list that the hospital reviews once a year. Before they are accepted into the program, baby cuddlers undergo a thorough background check and training. They work in threehour shifts, and a baby cuddler is on duty at the NICU 24/7. “We rock a lot of times,” said Keller. “We also do the classic rock back and forth while standing. The nurses swaddle the babies in blankets and cloth tightly, so they feel secure. They know someone is there. I hum songs to them, they lay on my chest, I’ll slightly See Baby cuddler pg 2
Bonnie Keller has been a baby cuddler for 10 years.
Dancing, music can chase winter blues away
County. The babies are also from everywhere in Lancaster County, infants as young as 22 weeks old and usually facing some type of health challenge. Typically, the babies’ stays in the NICU range from seven days to four months.
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