Conestoga Valley townlively.com
DECEMBER 11, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LX • NO 51
Weekend Blessings seeks to silence the growl of empty tummies BY JEFF FALK
Members of the PIAA Class A boys’ soccer champion Lancaster Mennonite Blazers
During magical run, Blazers turned challenges into opportunities Lancaster Mennonite head coach Fred Winey. “We weren’t a real lay enough games in a long deep team, and we had a number season and athletic teams in injuries. We were relying on are bound to face adversity. people stepping up and making Success in sports doesn’t come from avoiding adversity; it comes from managing it and from the "I’m just really proud methods derived to handle it. of the effort the The Lancaster Mennonite boys’ soccer team’s historic fall season team gave. Everyone could serve as a poster child for was there making dealing with adversity. Instead sacrifices.” of imploding or pointing fingers when they faced adversity, the Blazers turned it around and transformed it into positive adjustments. But in doing that, it energy. helped galvanize us as a team. You “One of the things that helped go through adversity, but looking get us where we were was some back it helped us develop a certain of the adversity we faced,” said toughness. We definitely learned
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a lot along the way.” On Nov. 15 at Cumberland Valley’s Eagle View Middle School in Mechanicsburg, in their 26th match of the fall season, the Blazers edged District Seven champion Bentworth 1-0 in overtime to capture the PIAA Class A championship. Msafirii Amisi scored the state-title-winning, golden goal nine minutes into the OT session for the Blazers on a well-placed left-footed free kick from the top of the box. “It was a really evenly matched game,” said Winey. “Both teams defended really well. It was a game between the boxes, and there weren’t a lot of chances for either team. It was a back-and-forth game. (Bentworth) came in having
See Weekend Blessings pg 8
Christmas concert will whisk listeners away on wings of music BY JEFF FALK
The Lititz Area Community Choir’s upcoming presentation of “A Celtic Christmas” promises to be an event worth singing about. “We’re trying to present festive, holiday music that is familiar to audience members,” said Debbie Kline-Smith, the choir’s director. “(The concert) takes them on a journey of another style of music, which is very popular right now.
See State champions pg 4
People seem to enjoy that style of music, and I thought it would be great to bring a different style of music to Lititz. We’re doing it in English, but this style of music makes it a different feel for the holidays. I think people will leave there feeling ready for Christmas.” The Lititz Area Community Choir, Warwick Alumni and Friends will perform “A Celtic Christmas” at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22, at a new venue, Warwick See Christmas concert pg 5
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BY JEFF FALK
The struggle is very real. The issue is too important. The stakes are way too high. In Conestoga Valley, childhood nutrition can’t be a par t- time pursuit. Through its Weekend Blessings pro gram, Cones toga Valley Christi an Communit y Ser vices (CVCCS) wants to fill gaps in CVCCS volunteer Rose Kennel prepares food for food security and the Weekend Blessings program. ensure that no local kid ever basic element in that. If kids are hungry, it’s going to affect them goes hungry. “Children are made in the image in every way. You can’t fix every of God, they’re special and they problem. But this is a small way to deserve an opportunity to thrive attack (the child food insecurity) in life,” said CVCCS executive problem. We want to help in a director Jon Barrett. “Food is a tangible way, with food. A lot of