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VisionCorps Slates Rappeling Fundraiser
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They call themselves “Misfits.” But that is not a complete representation of who they are and what they are all about. T hey could also call themselves “Supporters,” “Heroes” or “Sympathizers.” “We are a group of people who have been impacted by cancer in some way, either as caregivers, survivors, or we have friends who have gone through the fight,” said Sharon Groff, the Misfits on
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,” said Dr. Jerry Rothacker, the scheduler and main contact for Auscultation Brass. “For years, when I did surgery, I didn’t allow music in the operating room. I didn’t want it to be a distraction. But at one point, I told my staff, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to play classical music.’ What I found was that it wasn’t a distraction; it helped people concentrate. “What I was listening to wasn’t what my staff was listening to when they were driving home,” he added. “That’s the beauty of music.” Auscultation Brass is a Lancasterbased band made up of medical professionals - nurses and mostly doctors. Medicine is their profession, and music is their interest, but they are passionate about both. “Auscultation means to listen,” said Rothacker, a retired orthopedic surgeon and a tuba-playing resident of East Hempfield. “It’s like a doctor listening to your lungs and heart with a stethoscope. That’s Auscultation. We had a little discussion when the band was first formed. Someone came up with Auscultation, and we said, ‘That’s it.’”
See Relay pg 8
See Music pg 6
You Too Can Be a “Misfit on a Mission” BY JEFF FALK
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Participants at last year’s Relay for Life of Lancaster County walk to raise money to fight cancer.
For Auscultation Brass, Music Is Medicine BY JEFF FALK
See Fundraiser pg 5 Dick Coyne was ready to rappel during Eye Drop 2025.
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isionCorps will host Eye Drop 2026 on Friday, June 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Lancaster, 26 E. Chestnut St., Lancaster. The rappelling event aims to raise awareness and funding to support the organization, which is celebrating 100 years of service. VisionCorps is a nonprofit with a goal of empowering people of all ages who are blind or vision impaired, allowing them to attain independence. Headquartered in downtown Lancaster since its founding, VisionCorps serves almost 2,000 individuals, providing services in five counties: Adams, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York. The organization also offers prevention of blindness services, including KidSight screenings for more than 12,000 preschoolers each year. VisionCorps also provides employment opportunities. Eye Drop 2026 will feature about 100 participants, each raising a minimum of $1,000 for the chance to rappel from the roof of the Holiday Inn Lancaster to the ground. Spectators are welcome to watch and cheer on participants. Events will take place in Ewell Plaza, 123 N. Queen St.; at the Lancaster Public Library, 151 N. Queen St.; and on the terrace level of the Holiday Inn Lancaster. Included in this year’s 100th anniversary edition of Eye Drop will be 10 stories of impact about VisionCorps’
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