Octorara townlively.com
JANUARY 5, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXI • NO 45
Resolve To Volunteer In The New Year BY FRANCINE FULTON
As 2022 begins, representatives from local nonprofit organizations hope that people will list volunteering among their New Year’s resolutions. Among the agencies seeking
volunteer tutors to help individuals from other countries with their English language skills is the Adult Tutoring Program of Chester County Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). No experience is necessary, but volunteers must have a bachelor’s degree. See Resolve To Volunteer pg 4
Alison Mannetta’s kindergarten class at Octor- Unloading boxes for the Adopt a Solider Project at the ara Area Elementary School participated in the Parkesburg Post Office are (from left) Parkesburg Lions Adopt a Soldier Project. Club members Jim and Nancy Groff, Lions president Jane Rice, Lion Mike Rice and Kaden Salada.
Lions Provide Gifts From Home To Soliders Serving Overseas BY FRANCINE FULTON
ervicemen and women stationed overseas received a gift box from home this holiday season through the Adopt a Soldier Project, sponsored by the Parkesburg Lions Club. As part of the annual effort, club members collected boxes filled with gifts and personal care items, which they delivered to the Parkesburg Post Office on Dec. 13 so that they could be mailed out in time for Christmas. Past Lions district governor Nancy Gauthier, chair of the Pennsylvania Lions Adopt a Soldier Project, reported that 234 boxes were mailed out to soldiers in Egypt and Kuwait. “We started (the Adopt a Solider Project) five years ago (after) I read an article in the Lions magazine about a club that was doing something like this, but it was called ‘Shoeboxes for Soldiers,’” she said. Gauthier adapted the program to use flat rate boxes from the post office because shoeboxes come in different sizes. Along with the individual boxes that each solider received, an additional 10 boxes were sent overseas
received with the help of Jean Ann Curry from Customers Bank. Gauthier used the money to purchase items for the boxes. Among the other contributors was Lion Robin McKenna, a teacher at the Octorara Area Elementary School, who had her third- and fourth-grade classes make handmade cards to be placed inside the boxes. Alison Mannetta’s kindergarten class at Octorara also participated in the project by collecting enough supplies to fill three packages that included shampoo, lotion, socks, snacks, playing cards and DVDs. The students also included personal letters in the boxes. “I saw the Lions Club Facebook post about the solider collection, and I wanted to participate with my class,” Mannetta stated in a letter to Dr. Michele Orner, superintendent of the Octorara Area School District, who is also a member of the Lions Club. “We wrote each soldier a letter and colored pictures to include with the packages. It was a great experience for us. We included the school’s address in hopes to possibly hear back from one of the package recipients.”
Ed Meltzer (right), a volunteer with the OIC Adult Tutoring Program of Chester County, tutors Elena from Moldova, whose native language is Romanian.
Community Courier Pages Filled With Good News In 2021
INSIDE THIS ISSUE One Of The Few . . . . . . . .2 Community Calendar . . . .3 New Plant Slated To Open In Atglen . . . . . . .5 House Of Worship . . . . . . .5
BY FRANCINE FULTON
Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .6
In a year filled with the unexpected, one of the certainties of 2021 was that the Community Courier was filled with good news stories about people in the community, schools and local nonprofit organizations, as well as notable events that took place locally. See Good News pg 5
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containing leftover items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste. “I put a note in for the commander to divvy up the (extra) items as needed,” Gauthier said. Gauthier noted that the gift-giving program was a community effort and that many participants contributed to its success. Her daughter, Danielle Gauthier Salada, promoted it to the employees of J.D. Eckman, and they provided boxes as well as cash donations. Parkesburg resident Mike Camburn organized his friends to provide 25 boxes. Gauthier collected the boxes at her home in Parkesburg. Lions Club members, including Gauthier’s husband, Dave, prepared the boxes for shipping. “Several Lions spent many days with me packing boxes sometimes until late at night,” she noted. Those who provided assistance at the post office included Kaden Salada, Gauthier’s grandson; Christiana Lions Club president Jim Groff; Parkesburg Lions Club president Jane Rice; and Parkesburg Lion Mike Rice. Gauthier was aided in her effort with a $1,000 grant that the club