One day, Jim Bland, executive director of Hands-On House, Children's Museum of Lancaster, posted on his social media network that he needed volunteers at the museum. Almost instantly, Bland received a message on Facebook from Melissa Paup, Mountville Elementary School teacher and mother of Hempfield High School (HHS) football player Tyler Paup. Tyler recruited 14 other HHS football players to volunteer at Hands-On House. Bland needed 144 seven-pound concrete blocks moved the length of a football field, several heavy picnic tables relocated, and a few dozen fifty-pound bags of rocks put into buckets to create a new rope maze. The football players finished all the tasks within an hour.
"When they were done, they simply asked, 'What else can we do?'" Bland recalled. "They were a great bunch of guys. When I asked how long they could stay, they said as long as I needed them." The team then spent another hour painting concrete blocks that would be used to build a nature trail and raking the playground mulch in the rope maze.
"You hear a lot about kids and their screens, but I didn't see a single phone," stated Bland. "They were focused on getting the job done, helping each other, and helping us."
This was not the first time Hands-On House received help from HHS. Several mornings over the past two months, the HHS Anchor Club tackled overgrown weeds and painted concrete blocks to create a walkabout board game for children.
Hands-On House is a nonprofit organization that provides learning through play for children ages 2 to 10. Operating for over 30 years, Hands-On House welcomes over 55,000 visitors per year and provides in-class programs to another 5,000 kids in schools throughout the region.
For any nonprofit, volunteers are essential. As a result of volunteer efforts, Hands-On House was able to increase summer camp scholarships. To date, the museum has issued more than a dozen camp scholarships to children. Scholarships have amounted to about $1,500 so far.
Summer camp registration is currently open. Camp will be held until Friday, July 30, for children ages 4 to 10. Each week has a different theme, so activities will vary daily. Camp will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with flexible pickup times. Families are encouraged to sign up for several weeks.
Bland and his team have been transforming Hands-On House for over a year by replacing 85% of the indoor exhibits and revitalizing the exterior space to become activity and learning centers for children. For more information about Hands-On House, to donate, or volunteer, visit http://www.handsonhouse.org or call Bland at 717-808-4950.
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