OCTOBER 2025

Dear Friends,

Earlier this month, I enjoyed a beautiful fall weekend in (very!) rural central West Virginia, visiting one of my sons at the wonderful nonprofit organization where he lives and works. In the stairway up to their community space, I noticed a handmade wooden sign reading:

The future will be different if we make the present different.

I did a little research and learned that this is a quote from Peter Maurin, a French Catholic social activist, theologian, and De La Salle Brother. Maurin founded the Catholic Worker movement in 1933 with Dorothy Day, arising from their shared commitment to the dignity of every person.

This simple quote is at the core of LHM Foundation’s vision for its Horizons transitional housing program. By removing the fears of “where will I eat” and “where will I sleep” today; by providing case management and supportive programming today; and by creating an environment where love, compassion and grace are encouraged to shine bright today, we seek to empower others to break free from the grips of homelessness, writing a different tomorrow for themselves.

Thank you for joining us on this journey!

With gratitude,

Amy

Amy C. Foerster, CEO LHM Foundation

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The non-denominational chapel at the Horizons transitional housing facility will be a place for prayer, reflection and community. We want to create a space where program participants are encouraged to lean into their faith on the road from homelessness to housing security.

Supporting that effort, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Hershey donated furniture for our chapel earlier this month, including a lectern, an alter table, two credence tables, and twenty chairs! Thank you, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church!

LHM Foundation is deeply grateful to Michael Frick and Kathy Cerullo-Frick, and their family, for sponsoring this important area. As Kathy notes, “Giving helps create real change—one person, one family, one story at a time.”

Want to see the chapel and the rest of LHM Foundation’s transitional housing facility? Join us for an Open House on Thursday, November 20! Come learn more about transitional housing – how it works, who it serves, and why it matters to our community – and take a tour before we begin to welcome participants in January 2026!

OPEN HOUSE

Who: Open to the public

Where: 3251 Butler Street,
Harrisburg, PA 17103

When: 12:00 pm

Hope to see you then!

Mention LHM Foundation or our unique code (50322) when donating clothes at any CommunityAid store. LHM Foundation gets paid for every pound donated!

DID YOU KNOW?

WHAT DRIVES HOMELESSNESS?

What drives homelessness?

The National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Alliance to End Homelessness agree on the two most significant contributing factors:

A lack of affordable housing development and preservation, and
Economic factors, including inadequate rental assistance programs and persistently low incomes.

There are only 35 affordable rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households across the country. Misconceptions and stereotypes about homelessness can lead us to think of unhoused individuals as possessing some quality that the rest of us do not possess or lacking some quality that we do possess, but lack of affordable housing and poverty are the primary drivers of homelessness. In other words, many face the impossible choice between paying for housing and other necessities, like healthcare, food and clothing.

POWERED BY PARTNERS

THANK YOU, BUSINESS PARTNERS!

A sincere thank you to CommunityAid Foundation, which is sponsoring the CommunityAid Clothing Closet for LHM Foundation’s Horizons transitional housing program! This important resource will give our program participants (and their families) ready access to clothing needed for work, school and even play in a way that respects dignity and fosters confidence. Thank you, CommunityAid Foundation!

Speaking of CommunityAid… Thank you Saul Ewing LLP!

The Harrisburg office of Saul Ewing LLP recently held a CommunityAid clothing drive to benefit LHM Foundation. Look at that impressive carload of donations, which translates to direct financial benefit to LHM Foundation!

Hosting a clothing drive is a great way to support LHM Foundation (and clear some closet space!). Contact Ellen Abbott, Director of Development, and we’ll send you materials to promote a drive.

We need YOU!

Our Beam Team volunteers will be at the heart of our Horizons transitional housing program. They will be the warm “hello” at reception, the smile at mealtime and the friendly wave helping to keep our grounds beautiful.

Our reception volunteers will be the face of Horizons, taking calls, doing light office work, and greeting program participants, staff and volunteers as they enter the building. Reception shifts are available Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 10:30 pm. You can sign up NOW at www.lhm-foundation.org/volunteer. Contact Mel Cronin, Volunteer Coordinator, at mel.cronin@lhm-foundation.org or 717.460.6317 with questions.

If you are looking to build connections and impact our community, this is it! Amy Foerster, LHM Foundation CEO, recently discussed volunteer needs in a conversation with WHBG20, the City of Harrisburg’s government access cable TV channel. Please click to learn more!

Thank you, Beam Team volunteers!

Spot a lighthouse on your travels? Share it with us!

Although our work is depicted by the beam emanating from a lighthouse’s lamp, the entire lighthouse still holds a special place in our hearts! Ruth Karns Rudderow, a friend of LHM Foundation, spotted this beauty (and an equally beautiful “Horizon”!) in her recent travels to the Outer Banks.

The Ocracoke Lighthouse stands 65 feet tall on Ocracoke Island, on the southern end of the Outer Banks. Want to visit the island? Grab your life preserver, because it is only accessible by ferry! Constructed in 1823, after the federal government bought two acres of Ocracoke Island for $50, it is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the United States. Its beacon – which can be seen 14 miles out into the Atlantic – completes a rotation every 15 seconds!

Send us your lighthouse photos at info@lhm-foundation.org. Include the location and any information you wish to share!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
MEGAN MARO

Meet Megan Maro!

Megan is a Patient Accounts & Systems Coordinator for LHM Physical Therapy Institute. She also makes time to regularly volunteer with LHM Social Services Foundation’s Beam Teams!

Emphasizing the importance of volunteering in our communities, Megan notes that doing so helps her to stay connected with and gain perspective on the areas where services are needed. “I enjoy spending time out in the community,” says Megan. “A small effort on our part, out of our busy lives, makes a world of difference for others in need.”

Thank you, Megan! You truly are a bright light at LHM Foundation.