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With Mickey’s Black Box, Rock Lititz puts its best foot forward BY JEFF FALK
Fitted with incredible workspaces and cutting-edge technology, Rock Lititz is a place where world-famous artists come to fine-tune their acts. Due to the nature of that work, the public is not privy to everything that goes on at Rock Lititz. But that’s where Mickey’s Black Box comes in. Of all the businesses that are open to the public there, few represent what Rock Lititz is all about more than Mickey’s Black Box.
Named for Australian Michael “Mickey” Tait, who helped Rock Lititz founders and brothers Roy and Gene Clair take their live-performance endeavor to new heights with his innovative staging and lighting techniques, Mickey’s Black Box is a world-class venue that’s offered to the public. Also available to the public at Rock Lititz, 100 Rock Lititz Blvd., Lititz, are Per Diem restaurant, Fetish Brewing Company, Hotel Rock Lititz and Lititz recROC. See Rock Lititz pg 4
North Star Initiative’s new survivor center provides an additional element of hope in the fight against human trafficking.
New Survivor Center grows North Star’s Mission BY JEFF FALK
new survivor center is a sign of progress for North Star Initiative (NSI). It also represents progress in the war on human trafficking. North Star Initiative, a local, faith-based nonprofit focused on rescuing young women who are survivors of human trafficking, continues to settle into its new survivor center. After North Star raised funds for the project in 2021, the construction of the new building began in January of 2022 and was completed at the end of last year. “Modern-day slavery is real,” said Janelle Esbenshade, North Star Initiative’s director of development. “It’s happening, and it’s happening in Lancaster County. It’s important to be educated in order to be able to help. Ultimately, we want to be able to help as many people as we can. We call them ‘survivors’ and don’t label them as ‘victims.’”
“We get asked all the time, ‘Why don’t people just leave?’” said Esbenshade. “Sometimes the victim falls in love with their trafficker.” Founded in 2010, North Star Initiative’s The Harbor is believed to be Lancaster County’s first restoration home for survivors of human trafficking. North Star Initiative, which is located in Lititz, created its own in-house curriculum based on human trafficking awareness, the teaching of coping skills and life skills training. “Without proper therapy, survivors aren’t really rescued; they’re not really freed,” said Esbenshade. “Human trafficking has been around for a long time, but only over the last 10 years has it been brought out and been talked about. The education piece is very important to us. Our survivors do have voices, and we want to make sure they use their voices in a positive way. But it takes healing and restoration.” For additional information on North Star Initiative, go to www.northstarinitiative.org.
Mickey’s Black Box is one of 30 businesses that operate at Rock Lititz.
Nearly half a million served Power Packs Project seeks volunteers BY ANN MEAD ASH
“There are similar programs, but to the best of our knowledge there is no one that does exactly what we do,” stated Brad Peterson, executive director with Power Packs Project, which delivers ingredients to make a nutritious meal to families in Lancaster, York, and Lebanon counties. Peterson noted that last year, the organization provided nearly half a million meals made up of more than 500,000 pounds of food. Power Packs was founded in 2009 by Joan Espenshade, who was volunteering at a Lancaster city
school when she saw some students lined up to get breakfast and others visiting the nurse’s office complaining of stomach aches because they had not had enough to eat over the weekend. “We give a recipe and all the ingredients for that recipe,” said Peterson, adding that the costs of the ingredients are included and that a recent meal cost $7.91 to make. “It’s part of our mission to empower families to show them they can create a healthy meal on a budget,” he said. The pack, which usually weighs 9 pounds or less, also includes staples such as cereal, canned goods, and fresh milk. See Power Packs pg 6
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The new survivor center will allow North Star Initiative to help more survivors, more completely. Built adjacent to North Star’s The Harbor, the survivor center houses North Star’s offices, administrative space, therapeutic areas and classrooms. The new building also allows The Harbor to concentrate more on the daily living needs of its survivors, increasing its resident capacity from 10 to 18. “We’d really like The Harbor to just be a safe space,” said Esbenshade. “But we also had a desire to increase our capacity. We want our survivors to be able to trust again, to become whole again.” North Star’s program takes three to 12 months to complete and is designed to support the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of trafficked women between the ages of 18 and 35. Esbenshade said that North Star serves young women from across the United States and that some of its current survivors are from Lancaster County.