Correction — United Way of Lancaster County saw a 30 percent increase in the number of volunteers and a 23 percent increase in the number of people donating items for holiday programs. A story posted on LancasterOnline Thursday didn't note that the increases concerned holiday programs. Overall, the local United Way 2008 campaign is up 2 percent from 2007, a United Way official said.

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From meals for the hungry to cards for the sick, Lancaster County has turned out its share of kindness over the rocky course of 2008.

And that's not all. The year just past has had plenty of bad news and sad occurrences, but there have been lots of uplifting moments, too.

Take, for instance, the January retirement of 72-year-old Gail Stump, director for 34 years of Lancaster/Lampeter Meals on Wheels.

Stump coordinated the delivery of more than 6 million meals to senior citizens and never took a single sick day. That's a big "wow."

Another "wow" moment came in February, when naturalist and educator Lisa Sanchez returned to work for the county parks system.

Sanchez's dismissal from her post six weeks earlier might have passed unremarked if it wasn't for the groundswell of support from residents, who crammed into meetings of the Lancaster County commissioners and flooded local newspapers with letters.

One of the biggest floods of mail in recent history was on behalf of Hannah Garman, a 4-year-old Lititz girl with an inoperable brain tumor.

Hannah's Christmas wish was simply for cards — and her plea touched the hearts of people near and far. The overwhelming response numbered in the tens of thousands and included a parade of more than 50 fire and other emergency-response vehicles in her honor.

"It's really overwhelming," Hannah's father, Darin Garman, said. "It's amazing how much love and Christmas spirit there is."

Charity was in full swing in 2008. Even as requests for aid increased, the Lancaster County branch of United Way saw a 30 percent increase in the number of volunteers and a 23 percent increase in the number of people making donations.

That's just one of many examples — stretching from elementary school classrooms to the offices of local businesses and government — of people raising money, contributing time and needed items and reaching out to lend a hand.

To give something back, 18-year-old Shannon Hickey in March treated more than 250 Lancaster kindergartners to dinner and a show at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre to celebrate her successful liver transplant 17 years before.

Hickey's efforts to help the homeless through Mychal's Message — an agency founded by Hickey in 2002 that has collected and distributed more than 135,000 new items to the homeless and poor — earned her the Lancaster Sertoma Club's 2008 Service to Mankind Award and a letter from former first lady Barbara Bush.

Similarly, Doris Manning Otto — who was never able to thank the anonymous donor who made her own dream of becoming a nurse come true — passed the gift on to the next generation in May with a one-time nursing scholarship to Penn Manor senior Justy L. Bleacher.

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It was also a year for heroes. Take Mark Sellers, a West Lampeter Township man who in December received a Carnegie Medal for heroism for pulling a teenager from a burning car in November 2007.

Jason Harrington, a former Pennsylvania Army National Guard specialist now living in Manheim Township, received a Silver Star for bravery in combat and saving lives in Iraq, and Lt. Col. Ward Quinn, formerly of Lancaster, was given a Bronze Star for his efforts commanding troops in a combat zone.

Paul Pinkerton of Manheim, a Vietnam War veteran, received the international Samaritan Medal for Humanitarian Achievement and Peace in November for his work with Vietnamese children through his charity, Paul's Kids.

Greg Blackburn became an inspiration by competing in the Marathon of the Palm Beaches — no easy feat in the best circumstances, but much harder considering that Blackburn, a former Marine, had his right leg amputated in 2006 after a service-related injury.

A forwarded e-mail message in September likely saved the life of a Columbia man when he remembered its advice on surviving a stroke.

Just four days after receiving the e-mail from pal Frank Doutrich, Fred Abendschein recognized the symptoms of a stroke and was able to get swift treatment. He was out of the hospital in three days — thanks to what some folks would consider "spam."

For Lancaster County residents, 2008 was a year to cheer two local athletes who competed in the summer Olympics in Beijing: Dana Sensenig, who graduated from Cocalico High School in 2003 and played on the U.S. Women's Field Hockey team, and volleyball star Kim Glass, who graduated in 2002 from Conestoga Valley and helped her team win a silver medal.

It also was a year to cheer on a varied stable of presidential candidates, many of whom actively courted Lancaster's vote. Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both made appearances in the county, as did Republican candidate John McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin.

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There were some significant local benchmarks, too.

Lancaster Bible College concluded its 75th year of teaching, while the Lancaster County Academy marked 15 years of helping students avoid the stigma of dropping out of high school.

The Lancaster County Planning Commission in April marked 50 years of mapping the growth of the region, while the Agricultural Preserve Board in October celebrated protecting 1,000 local farms — that's about one in five farms here, more than any other county in the country.

In January, first lady Laura Bush designated the county a "Preserve America Community" for its efforts at heritage preservation.

The year also saw several transitional moments for the city.

The Pennsylvania Academy of Music, a tangible symbol of the resurgence of cultural arts in Lancaster, concluded a $25 million construction on Prince Street and opened to rave reviews in June.

The arts flourished as new shows opened along Gallery Row, also on Prince, and other key city locations, while South Duke Street was heralded as a new downtown following extensive improvements.

In October, the final beam was lifted into place at the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Lancaster Hotel at Penn Square, which is scheduled to open in April.

And, following tenacious research, a stigma haunting the Fulton Opera House was lightened with some happy news.

The Fulton stands on the remains of Lancaster's old jailhouse, where in 1763 the last surviving Conestoga Indians were slaughtered.

Balance that with news unearthed by historic preservation consultant Randy Harris, who in 2008 earned special recognition for the Fulton as a site significant to the Underground Railroad. In 1835, Harris learned, local sheriff and jailer Dave Miller helped two women — both fugitive slaves — escape to freedom.

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In an inspiring story of compassion, the pastor and congregation of Wakefield Bible Church, Fulton Township, publicly forgave a pair of teens accused in February accused of ransacking rooms, defacing religious paintings, setting fire to a hymnal on the pulpit and spray-painting satanic slogans and symbols in the sanctuary.

The Rev. Phillip Towles led a hasty cleanup in the church. That Sunday, he preached forgiveness.

"We truly and honestly don't harbor any bitterness toward them," he said.

A September highlight was the grand opening of Daniel's Den Playground at 530 Central Manor Road.

The playground, designed for use by children with disabilities, was the culmination of a two-year campaign by Centerville resident Denise Haldeman.

Haldeman, whose 5-year-old son Daniel has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, emphasized the playground is open to all children, not just those with disabilities. The realization of her dream involved the help of more than 2,000 volunteers and raised funds of $375,000 to get the job done.

E-mail: tknapp@lnpnews.com