Donegal townlively.com
NOVEMBER 3, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 39
Tail-Wagging Fun BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Inspiration struck Lynn McCleary when she was on vacation in 2006. “I took my dogs to a dog park. … They took off running, and I could see how happy they were,” she recalled. “I said, ‘We need one of these at home.’” Fast forward 10 years and thanks
to McCleary and a committee of volunteers, Dog Park Mount Joy opened on Nov. 1, 2016. The journey from idea to fruition was a difficult one, she noted. Obstacles included finding the right location, getting township permission and coming up with the $220,000 needed to create and open the park. See Dog Park pg 5
Executive director Cristina Paden (fourth from left) joins students in after-school fun at REYS.
Reaching Students In Christian Love BY CATHY MOLITORIS
on’t tell Cristina Paden that she can’t do something. No matter the obstacles coming her way, the executive director of Rainbow ’s End Youth Services (REYS) will find a way to make a difference in the lives of students in the Mount Joy area. “This past year has felt like shifting sand,” she said of trying to navigate ever-changing COVID regulations, facing staffing issues and just trying to get her bearings in the role she assumed just over a year ago. “I don’t think I can say I’ve had a ‘normal’ month yet.” But despite these challenges, Paden said there’s no place she’d rather be. “I love working with the students,” she commented, noting that her background includes serving as a campus minister as well as a volunteer youth ministry director for her church. “I love mentoring them and teaching them. My desire is to see them flourish, and I love building relationships.” REYS, located at 105 Fairview St., Mount Joy, serves students in grades one through 12, providing free after-school programs with a
here. I was them,” she said. “It meant the world to me when someone saw me, when someone was willing to teach me, to mentor me and to share their tools for success. I want to pass that along to others.” As a nonprofit, REYS depends on community support to keep its doors open. The organization will participate in the Extraordinary Give on Friday, Nov. 19, and has set a fundraising goal of $100,000 for the 24-hour event. “Money raised by the Extraordinary Give is used to fund student programs for the following year,” Paden explained. It’s also used to fund a backpack giveaway REYS holds each fall as well as general operating expenses. In a typical year, REYS holds a fundraising banquet, but that was replaced this year with the REYS Summer Challenge. “We met and exceeded our goal for that,” Paden noted. “There is so much support in the community for what we do. The buy-in is truly genuine. I don’t have to twist somebody’s arm or sell them on REYS. They believe what we’re doing here is important work.” For more information on REYS, visit https://reys.org.
Members of Dog Park Mount Joy and their dogs
Enjoy A Free Homecooked Thanksgiving Dinner
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Keeping Their Love Of Trains On Track . . . . . . . . .2 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Last year, more than 600 people enjoyed a free, homecooked Thanksgiving meal courtesy of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Mount Joy. This year, the church plans to continue the tradition and will offer its 17th annual community Thanksgiving Day dinner on Thursday, Nov. 25.
“Blackbird” Tackles A Difficult Topic . . . . . . . .14 Business Directory . . . . .14 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . .17 House Of Worship . . . . . .20
See Thanksgiving Dinner pg 3
R075010
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER NOV. 3, 2021
Postal Patron
DON
D
Christian focus. “Students in our community need a safe space where they can come for love, friendship and community,” Paden remarked. “When they come to REYS, they receive that support.” On a typical day, REYS staff members serve snacks or a meal to the students, offer recreational opportunities, provide academic assistance and teach life lessons. One-on-one piano lessons and martial arts lessons are also offered, as well as field trips to places including Hersheypark. REYS serves about 100 students a week, who come from Mount Joy and surrounding areas. “Donegal School District partners with us to provide transportation, but we also have students who are homeschooled or who attend schools in other districts,” Paden noted. “We have an open-door policy. Anyone in grades one through 12 can come as long as a parent or guardian has signed a permission slip.” When Paden came to REYS in July of 2020, she knew she had found her new home. “This job is important to me because I was in the shoes of the kids who come