Mattie cannot wait to greet visitors to Caring Hearts, one of several centers in Lancaster and Lebanon counties that serve members of the Plain community with special needs. Mattie crosses the room to say hello with joy and exuberance. Another of the women brings a guest book to sign. Both are happy to welcome strangers in their midst.
Caring Hearts and the other centers - Special Hearts Circle, Sunbeam, Sunny Sunbeam, New Horizons, Upper Valley Workshop, Shady Hollow, and Sunnyside Specials - give a total of more than 80 students who attend a chance to learn, socialize, and take part in productive work.
To help support the centers, organizers hold a yearly bring-something, buy-something auction. The 16th annual will be held on Monday, July 4, at Fisher's Quality Dairy Sales, 3304 B Old Philadelphia Pike, Ronks. The auction will begin at 11 a.m., but a variety of foods will be offered for sale beginning at 5:30 a.m.
According to organizers, highlights of this year's auction will include items such as a carriage, a volleyball set, a grill, a Breeo fire pit, a flag croquet set, and a scooter. Large specialty items will be sold at 6 p.m. Swing sets and sheds will be sold, and a 26-by-28-foot garage, built on the highest bidder's site, will go up for auction. The building will have a concrete floor, two garage doors, and an attic with stairs.
Caring Hearts has a special connection to the auction because cross-stitched quilts made there will be sold at 4 p.m. Head teacher Anna Stoltzfus explained that the quilts are produced by having the female participants cross stitch items. "One of the mothers puts (the pieces) together, and we have it in a frame at the shop, and then mothers and friends come and quilt it," said Stoltzfus of the process.
Food that will be available for purchase at the auction includes breakfast items such as egg sandwiches, doughnuts, breakfast logs, and coffee. Lunch items will include cheesesteak sandwiches, barbecued chicken and ribs, sub sandwiches, ham and cheese sandwiches, fried shrimp, salad, fruit cups, french fries, blooming onions, and soft pretzels. The list of beverages offered will include smoothies and iced coffee. Ice cream, fry pies, and baked goods will be on the dessert menu. Food may be eaten on-site or taken out, and a drive-through food pickup will be available.
The centers offer a variety of activities for participants. Stoltzfus said the women are at Caring Hearts on Mondays and Wednesdays and that she has three helpers. On Tuesdays, male participants are at the center with a male teacher and aides. Stoltzfus opens the day with devotions, including hymns and a Bible study. Following devotions, the group members work on beaded items, including keychains and pacifier straps, as well as doll toys and items for baby gifts. Close to the middle of the day, they break for lunch, which each participant brings from home. After lunch, they work on more projects until it is time to go home.
Those who would like to donate items to the sale may call 717-768-8497, 717-354-2380, or 717-768-7417. On the day of the sale, individuals with questions may call 717-455-3987.
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