Led by Rockvale Outlets, in conjunction with media partners WGAL, 101 The Rose, WDAC and WJTL, Share the Blessing delivers holiday cheer to deserving local families.
In 2006, 1,000 families were nominated. More than $45,000 (up from $25,000 in 2005) was raised from community donations, making it the best year since the charity's 2004 inception. Gift cards worth at least $500 were given to 89 families, as compared to 55 in 2005.
People who benefited also included a woman whose husband died of a brain aneurysm, and then gave birth three weeks later to a child needing major surgery; and a woman recently diagnosed with breast cancer, who lost her 20-year-old son in a car accident.
‘SESAME STREET' MEMORIES
Shannon Hickey got a second chance 16 years ago this month.
Hickey, now a junior at Lancaster Catholic High School, survived an experimental living-donor liver transplant at the age of 7 months.
Since then, she has set out to celebrate her gift of life by giving to others. This month, the founder of Mychal’s Message, which has collected more than 100,000 items for the poor, spearheaded a special gift for kids.
On Jan. 5, Hickey and 100 Lancaster Catholic High School chaperones took 400 local city children, ages 4 and 5, to see "Sesame Street Live" in Hershey. She was able to get tickets at a reduced rate, and her fellow students raised more than $2,500. Giant Foods donated snacks. Hickey was also assisted by Ken Marzinko of the Homeless Student Project in the School District of Lancaster.
Ten buses departed from Fulton, Carter, MacRae and Wharton elementary schools and Lancaster Catholic High School. At the Giant Center in Hershey, Mary Shriver, a representative from Bishop Kevin Rhoades’ Harrisburg office, gave the children candy bars.
After the show, all students returned to Lancaster Catholic for lunch. They also received gift bags packaged by Hickey and her friends, containing a show poster, small bound storybook, autographed character photo and a snack.
“This will be a memory to last these children a lifetime,” Marzinko says.
People, Places & Things appears Fridays in Your Life. Send noteworthy items to Your Life, Lancaster New Era, P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608 or e-mail: yourlife@lnpnews.com.
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