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Our Blog | Giving Hope

What A Wonderful Difference Bench Mark Program Makes in Lancaster County!

5/19/2022

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Bench Mark Program was founded in 2014 to transform the way we serve our community’s most vulnerable, yet promising population: underserved youth. At that time, many young adults simply were not responding to traditional therapy, prevention programs, or even probation. To maximize their potential, we knew we needed to earn their trust through a common bond. Enter weightlifting. We started offering free personal training services to youth identified as “at-risk” by local high schools and community organizations. It wasn’t long before we learned that the gym was more than a place for physical exercise. It was a safe, positive space to teach hard work, goal setting, and grit. And because we established a strong foundation through weightlifting first, our students responded positively to our mentorship. Word spread quickly, and the Bench Mark Program family grew. From 4 to 30 to 150. The gym became their home away from home, a place where they found consistent, enduring support from mentors who treated them like adults. As the numbers of students grew, so too did our breadth of services. And student leadership development--a path for students to eventually become mentors themselves--became the overarching goal.  Fast forward all these years, and while the gym, the team, and the scope of impact have all expanded, the core of the organization remains the same: build our underserved youth into community leaders.

Bench Mark’s Student Leadership Program is the key to the organization’s long term success. Without support from GTGH, we wouldn’t have the critical funding that we need to provide stipends to our student leaders as they work alongside staff to operate our programs on a daily basis. Come visit Bench Mark and you’ll see young leaders working as peer mentors,  building that critical “first job experience.” The support that we raised through GTGH does more than just support student leader stipends, it is a vote of confidence in our young people, a message that reads loud and clear: “we believe in you, and we believe that you have leadership potential!”




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May 07th, 2022

5/7/2022

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All children, regardless of ability and disability should have the opportunity to engage in meaningful recreational activities with their peers. The child using a wheelchair, the child with a seizure disorder and the child who requires hand-over-hand assistance in completing all tasks can attend the programs offered at Aaron’s Acres. No child is ever turned away. Aaron’s Acres can accept everyone because it has nurses on staff as well as a low staff-to-child ratio (1:1 or 1:2). In addition, the supervisory staff is comprised of professionals (usually special education teachers) who have the knowledge and experience in working with this population. 

Monthly programs are held during the school year and a camp program is offered during the summer. Going to Hershey Park, bowling and miniature golfing are just a few of the outings that the older participants (ages 13-21) do during the school year. The younger group (ages 5-12) has dinner together, and then they participate in a variety of activities focusing on building and strengthening socialization and communication skills. Engaging in “typical” activities with their peers while having the appropriate support as needed is what Aaron’s Acres focuses on throughout the year. During the summer, participants visit a therapeutic riding center, participate in fitness activities, swim daily, create craft projects, partake in music therapy, and visit with a petting zoo, reptiles and watch an entertainer and a ventriloquist. 

The team at Aaron’s Acres often hears, “So, you run a summer camp for kids with disabilities… they must have so much fun!” Yes, Aaron’s Acres has an awesome summer camp program, but it also has monthly programming during the school year. And while the participants have fun, program is so much more!

Picture a child creating an art project using glue, pom-poms, construction paper, markers, pipe cleaners and googly eyes. Throughout this activity, the child is working on his fine motor skills. Running, jumping, and throwing or kicking a ball are all gross motor activities that participants do while they are having fun. Staff can support and assist each child’s ability to engage in these gross motor activities. For the child who doesn’t communicate verbally, he can participate in music therapy with the group and play a musical instrument or dance with a colorful streamer as the music plays along in the background. For the child who uses a wheelchair, staff might support the child on each side (when out of the wheelchair) and help her complete an obstacle course or assist in moving her legs and arms to complete the assigned exercises.  

One group that meets during the summer is A-TEAM. This group is comprised of adolescents, ages 13-21, with high functioning Autism. Their activities focus on team bonding and collaborative experiences. A few examples include building a boat out of cardboard and duct tape, going kayaking or learning how to scuba dive. Aaron’s Acres has the time, the patient staff, and the supportive environment to allow these experiences to result in positive memories for everyone! 

The Aaron’s Acres Acts of Kindness Program (AAAOK) allows older participants to engage in service projects within the local community. Giving back to others and knowing that each person can make a difference in someone’s life occurs during this program for our participants. Running an Alex’s Lemonade Stand or playing bingo with residents at a nursing home are just a few of the projects that this group has done in the past. The Acts of Kindness program often results in a sense of confidence and increased self-esteem as the participants are helping others, rather than being seen as recipients of services. 
 

Aaron’s Acres is most fortunate in that it has been involved with Gifts That Give Hope for quite some time. The support that it has received over the years has helped to fund programs and ensure that it can continue to provide meaningful programs to children and young adults with varying disabilities. In addition to receiving funds, GTGH events provide so many opportunities to network and interact with the community. Relationships and connections are made with other non-profit organizations as well as individuals and result in increased awareness of Aaron’s Acres. Aaron’s Acres loves sharing stories with families looking for volunteer opportunities; having a young person visit the table and ask about programs is one of the highlights of the day. Because this event is usually around the holidays, often families allow their children to decide which organization they would donate to after they have asked questions to several non-profits. This event educates young people (as well as adults) which benefits the entire community! The team at Aaron’s Acres is most grateful that this event exists within our community. 
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Learn more about Aaron’s Acres at aaronsacres.org. 
Visit the Aaron’s Acres blog at https://aaronsacres.org/news-events/blog/. ​
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North Star Initiative Against Sex Trafficking

4/18/2022

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It may be hard to believe that sex trafficking exists in the United States or that it could be as close to home as our state of Pennsylvania. However, the truth is that the horrific effects of sex-trafficking reach everywhere, including right here in Lancaster County. On March 24th, 2022, the newly launched Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force announced their very first successful operation, arresting 14 individuals associated with the trafficking ring. 

For every trafficking ring taken down, more and more women are freed. But they’re not really free. Homeless, traumatized, and addicted, most end up back on the streets.

They need immediate help, as well as long-term solutions. North Star Initiative provides restorative services to survivors of domestic sex trafficking by providing physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual care through a Christ-centered focus. Because we believe in the power of Jesus Christ and the effectiveness of restorative work, we own and operate The Harbor Restoration Program. 


In December 2017, we opened the doors of The Harbor, located in Lititz, PA, and became one of the few in the entire region and Lancaster County’s ONLY long-term restoration home for survivors of domestic sex-trafficking serving females ages 18-35. 

Trafficking literally and figuratively destroys these women, their identities, and their futures. The Harbor seeks to repair and restore what has been stolen, putting her on a path to find true freedom. The Harbor gives her a safe place to rest, and the support she needs to address her complex trauma. We provide her with the therapeutic tools and resources she needs to transition from victim to survivor. 
We also work with each survivor to re-establish their practical needs. We provide her with the necessary identification, education, job skills, and the life skills she needs to ensure a life of sustained independence. 
I want to share just how much of an impact our program has had on one of our graduate survivors. She says...

“The Harbor gave me a quiet, safe space to process the truth about the abuse I was subjected to and how it framed my worldview. The Harbor gave me all the time I needed to heal. They believed my truth when I didn’t even believe it myself. They loved me until I could learn to love myself again. They were my strength before I knew I could become strong. They truly were my rock, the soil where I learned to plant roots and trust God to water them again. I began to lose the fear of my sober consciousness there. I lost the fear of change and the fear of being alive all through the care and compassion the staff at North Star showed me. The opportunity to heal at this program is the greatest gift I have ever been given.” 
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We have had the opportunity to be a part of the GTGH fair for the last 3 years and have been blessed to be able to reach our community through this event. There are quite a few of our current donors who first heard about us just by coming to this gift fair and stopping by our table. Lancaster is a hub for sex trafficking, and the more our community hears about this important topic, the more they understand the need for an organization like North Star Initiative. We are so grateful to be a part of Lancaster’s annual Gifts that Give Hope Gift Fair and are excited to continue meeting our community members and educating them about the important work we do. Together, we CAN make a difference in the lives of sex trafficking survivors!

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My Fashion Chronicles

4/18/2022

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Ethical Fashion, Socially Conscious, Sustainable Fashion
By Luisa Tapia, founder of My Peruvian Treasures.

As a native Peruvian, I grew up in a culture with a great exposure to ancient textiles techniques and some of the best natural fibers you can find- such as Organic Pima Cotton and Alpaca Fiber.
Coming from a family of artisans of textiles, pottery and all sorts of handcrafted items, it was inherited in me that same appreciation for our traditions and our natural resources. I started to sew my own clothing at a very young age and my interest for the Art of Fashion grew when I was in High School. By the time I started college I knew I wanted to be part of the Slow Fashion Movement for the rest of my life. 
Back in those years, I visited a sweat shop outside of Lima for the first time and it finally hit me the impact Fast Fashion could have in the lives of young factory workers and our community.
During the 80's and 90's when terrorist groups were more violent around the country, many families mobilized out of the most dangerous areas; and some of us young individuals, even looked for new opportunities out of the country. 
Those were the years when most of the clothing factories with poor working conditions were booming and still now are part of our reality. 
Developing countries are the perfect incubators for these types of practices, where young women are desperate for job opportunities to feed their families, falling into exploitative factory hands.
In my case, after years of managing my family's small business and losing everything; I was left with no other choice than leaving my home in 1996 to be starting a new life in New York City. 
By myself with a strong desire to succeed for my family, all that I had with me was a Fashion Design Degree, $300- from pawning my own sewing machine, and a small suitcase filled with dreams.
A few weeks later, I was working during the day and attending school at night at FIT Graduate Program; with the help of a lady neighbor from childhood.
Due to my immigrant status, I was unable to get a fair wage job within my field, since undocumented immigrants also suffer exploitation as factory workers in the USA.
During those years I found joy working as a Nanny, helping families raising their children. Those children became then my family and I had to put on hold my dreams for a while.
It took me 10 years to finally legalize my status and travel back to Peru to seeing my parents and siblings again. And in the Summer of 2009 moving to Lancaster County - Pennsylvania brought me new opportunities. By the end of that year, I was making garments for a local theater company while starting collaborations with women artisans back in Peru.
On weekdays I had my theater job, and on weekends I was promoting our products at Artisan Markets; until 2015 when I took a leap of faith and left the company to fulfill my dreams of becoming a full-time social entrepreneur.
As Peruvian, I wanted to give back to my community by creating job opportunities and offering fair wages to artisan women. Also, I wanted to help on passing along our traditions to future generations. 
As American, having a small business focused on ethical practices and sustainable products that could make an impact not only to our local economy, but to the lives of consumers and the environment. I wanted to be a contributor to a greater good!
After the pandemic, with all the travel restrictions; I was unable to travel to Peru as I was accustomed. At the same time, I was experiencing a growing awareness for the needs of artisans in other Latin American countries and Asia. 
During those difficult times, I felt in my heart that against all odds I needed to reach out to these global connections and transform "My Peruvian Treasures" into a Peru and beyond journey. That's when new partnerships with organizations from Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, India, Indonesia and other countries started. And these partnerships have given me the opportunity to support different local and global social causes.  
Through these years as BIPOC and Social-preneur doors have opened to work with many local organizations including Lancaster Gifts that that Give Hope, by sharing with our neighbors about the benefits of Fair Trade, Ethically Made, Sustainability and more conscious consumer choices. 
From makers to consumers, the Fashion Revolution Movement is here to stay and transform the World of Fashion as we knew it. Would you be part of this movement?!



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