Conestoga Valley SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 13,770 HOMES
Family Needs Met Inside Unlocked Closet BY JEFF FALK
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ometimes, wonderful things can spring from places of hurt. When Chelsea Clark’s sons, Amir, now 9, and Adam, now 8, were initially adopted, a lack of support led to the cancellation of a baby shower for the boys. But Chelsea turned the negative into a positive. From a personal challenge, the Ephrata woman created a public nonprofit called Unlocked Closet. “I wanted to do what I could to have people not feel what I felt,” said Chelsea. “We started in a storage unit and quickly outgrew it. Where we’re going, I don’t know. I’m not in a rush to get there. I want to make sure whatever we do, we do well. Currently, we aren’t doing any fundraising, but we’re going to need to do it.”
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Chelsea Clark
BY JEFF FALK
Unlocked Closet, which is situated at 24 Orange St., Ephrata, is like a store for foster and adoptive families, except no money ever changes hands. Operated entirely by volunteers, Unlocked Closet consists of 1,200 square feet of donated items, but Chelsea performs many of the administrative chores for the organization at home and through a Facebook page. Unlocked Closet’s hours of operation vary from week to week, but they are posted regularly on its Facebook page. Typically, the nonprofit is open for two to five hours, five or six days a week. “‘Unlock’ means we want to unlock the positivity in kids,” said Chelsea. “When kids enter into foster care, they don’t come with anything. When they walk into the store, we want them to feel value. We have suitcases, See Unlocked Closet pg 6
For Auscultation Brass, Music Is Medicine
On the surface, there is no obvious connection between medicine and music. That is, until you realize that music goes with anything, or everything. Auscultation Brass is a collection of healing artists and a group of musical physicians. “I think there’s a part in our brains that, when music hits our ears, it becomes very soothing,” R128437
See Auscultation Brass pg 2
Members of Auscultation Brass
SUMMER RUNS BEGIN HERE Shop Anytime from Home at insidetrackpa.com
VOL LXII • NO 23
Scholarship Supports Students Following in Randy Royer’s Footsteps BY JEFF FALK
Randy Royer led a full, rich life. It was the kind of life worthy of a foundation and a scholarship. “He was always upbeat and outgoing,” said Denise Bender, who serves as a board member on the Randy Royer Memorial Foundation. “If you talked to him every day he would say, ‘Living the dream.’ At work, he got along with contractors and builders. He got things done. He was willing to help anyone.” The deadline to apply for this year’s edition of the Randy Royer Memorial Foundation scholarship is quickly approaching. Scholarship applications, which can be accessed at www .amesconstr uctioninc.com/ giving-back, must be received by Friday, June 1. The scholarships are designed for seniors from Ephrata, Cocalico, Warwick and Garden Spot high schools who are interested in the construction or building field or the automotive industry, and who will be attending a postsecondary institution in the fall of 2026. Included in the application is an essay portion. A graduate of Ephrata High School who was raised in Akron, Royer was a project manager at Ames Construction for 27 years before his sudden passing in October of 2016. “We’ve had a wide variety of recipients,” said Bender. “In the first year, an Ephrata student Randy had coached in youth soccer received it. Last year, See Scholarship pg 7
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