APRIL 2025

Dear Friends,

You might have seen the lighthouse in our logo and wondered, “Where are there any lighthouses in central Pennsylvania?” When you meet someone from LHM Foundation, you quickly learn that our message isn’t about the lighthouse itself, but about the bright beam emanating from its lamp. Our work is depicted by a lighthouse because our team strives to be that light, serving with love, compassion and grace.

During an Easter Sunday church service a couple weeks ago, the sermon got me thinking about the connection between light and another spirit-lifting resource… HOPE. The pastor said, “Hope is a wonderful thing. A gift from God that can be found in each one of us and can bring light to the darkest of places.”

Everyone has a light within them. Through our Horizons transitional housing program, we will walk alongside those whose light has been diminished by the threat of homelessness, helping to rekindle it into a strong, unwavering beam. We’ll do so by providing filling meals, safe housing, and programming intended to instill the tools necessary to overcome barriers to housing security. At its core, we’ll do so by rekindling the light that hope brings.

Thank you for joining us on this journey!

With gratitude,

Amy

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A perfect fit! The former senior living facility that will serve as the home of our Horizons transitional housing program feels as if it was built just for us.

With 58 resident units (each with a private bathroom), a commercial grade kitchen, and several common areas to foster community – all on almost 15 acres of greenspace – the property is exactly what we imagined when Horizons was only an early vision.

We are blessed that a generous supporter – LHM Foundation’s Board Chair, Luke Drayer – purchased the property and is donating its use to us, engaging Warfel Construction to renovate it to meet our program needs. And now those renovations have begun!

We are brightening up the lobby to create a welcoming environment for our program participants and volunteers. We are also creating a chapel and children’s playroom, installing ceiling lights in each of the resident units, and reconfiguring the dining area. Keep an eye out for our renovation updates!

In addition to partnering with us through the renovation process, Warfel is demonstrating its commitment to our communities by donating $10,000 to sponsor a resident unit in our Horizons program. Thank you to our generous friends at Warfel Construction!

Did you know? Medicare requires that Hospice providers offer bereavement services for at least one year following a patient’s passing. Our LHM Foundation bereavement team considers the honor of caring for patients’ families and other loved ones a gift. They provide that support through calls, cards, letters, flowers, events and more.

LHM Foundation hosts a semi-annual Celebration of Life in memory of our patients. Led by Betty, our chaplain, and Leann, our social worker, the event reunites families with our hospice caregivers, creating a space where all can share memories of those who have passed. As Betty explains, the Celebration of Life is a time “to share prayerful support, tears and laughter.” Recognizing the important impact patients have on our staff, Leann adds, “we are grateful that we have this time together to celebrate the lives of the patients for whom we had the privilege of caring.”

We look forward to reconnecting with our hospice families at our upcoming Celebration of Life on May 4.

Living the mission!

Eleven of our Beam Team volunteers recently spent time with our friends at Mission Central in Mechanicsburg. Mission Central is a wonderful organization that partners with more than 140 organizations to provide resources to groups doing humanitarian work locally, across the country, and around the world.

Several of our volunteers were stationed in Mission Central’s warehouse, packing buckets of supplies to be distributed to areas experiencing natural disasters. Others worked together to assemble bags of clothespins and N95 masks to be included with the cleaning buckets.

Thank you, Mission Central, for all you do!

INTRODUCING VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

MEL CRONIN

We are excited to share that Mel Cronin joined the LHM Foundation team in April as our Volunteer Coordinator! 

Originally from Mechanicsburg, PA, Mel lived in Pittsburgh for 14 years after graduating from James Madison University. There, she worked for nonprofit organizations primarily focused on addressing food insecurity – recruiting, training, scheduling, and supporting large volunteer corps. Mel has seen firsthand that volunteers are a social services organization’s most valuable resource. We are thrilled that Mel is bringing her experience back to central PA!

If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, please visit our website and complete a Volunteer Interest Form. We would love to have you! If you already volunteer with LHM Foundation, you do not need to take action as you’re already a valued part of the team.

Welcome, Mel!

To learn more about ways to support LHM Foundation's work, please contact:

Amy Foerster, CEO

717.219.3638

amy.foerster@lhm-foundation.org

Ellen Abbott, Dir. of Development 717.569.3807

ellen.abbott@lhm-foundation.org

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