GHEEK IT OUT! ®4$ EXPANDED “WClassified Section € Money-Saving Coupons ry £2 wy 50 Cents * SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS & LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS Vol. 112. No. 8 Dallas, Pennsylvania February 21 to February 27, 2001 Pen pals find they have much | By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS - The pictures really do tell the story. The wisdom of age and the innocence of youth came together at the Meadows Manor last week as Mr. Traver's 4th grade class from Dallas Elementary School and the residents of the Meadows Manor As- sisted Living group met in person for the very first time. A stroll around the room with Mr. Traver offered an opportunity to meet some of the students and to hear what they had to say to their pen pals. “She’s really nice,” said Ashley Zer- foss, describing Eleanor Cooper, one of her three pen pals at the Meadows. And Helen Gavigon was delighted with the Valentine's card made for her by Julie Manorek. “He has three pen pals,” said Mr. Traver about John Prater. “Yes,” said Gertrude Pishnock, “I got a very nice letter from him.” Tristan Bethel was clearly in his element sitting between his two pen pals, Jeanne Gallagher and Marion King. They listened in- iN COMMON jut tently to every word he said. Prior to the Christmas holidays, Tom Traver had an idea for his nine and 10-year-old fourth graders to en- gage in a project that would help them gain an appreciation for anoth- POST PHOTO/SANDY PEOPLES Ashley Zerfoss, right, a fourth grader in Mr. Travers class at Dallas Elementary School, shared a hug with Eleanor Cooper, a resident of the Meadows Manor Assisted Living facility in Dallas. Students in Mr. Travers class have been exchanging mes- sages with residents for several months, and met recently for the first time. er generation. He and Marcia Lan- ders, the Activities Director at the Meadows, compared lists to match each student with one or more resident pen pals. The students from Dallas Elemen- tary School who are participating in the pen pal program are: Tristan Bethel, Katelyn Confer, Steven Esopi, Michele Harvey, Konrad Kraszewski, Wesley Landers, Maria Maas, Julie Manorek, James McAndrew, Alyssa McEntee, Michael Moore, Erica Mor- gan, Kara Musto, Shauna Phillips, John Prater, Keith Roberts, Edward Stredny, Christian Szot, Taylor Trud- gen, Thomas Youells and Ashley Zer- foss. “Our children began the relation- ships by sending Christmas cards,” Traver said. “Then in January, they each wrote letters to their pen pals and promptly received letters back from the residents. Today the kids brought valentines, which they made by hand. They are studying the eastern half of the United States now, so we asked them to bring five objects from their chosen state and place them in their mystery bag to share with their pen pal. They also had the option to bring their favorite toy.” Traver and Landers had several goals in mind for the children and resi- dents during the time they would spend together. They wanted both groups to share experiences and to get to know each other. Landers prepared the residents ahead of time to tell the children what it was like being a child in their day. Traver asked the children to tell their senior counterparts what See PEN PALS, pg 3 * Visitors do what they can in Haiti Grant will help fight brush fires By M.B. GILLIGAN Post Correspondent JACKSON TWP. - State Senator Charles D. Lemmond, Jr. was on hand last week to present a $2525 Rural Community Fire - Protection (RCFP) grant to the Jackson Township Volun- teer Fire Department. This matching grant program is made possible through the PA Department of Conser- vation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Forestry, through the Feder- al Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. “This grant program is one of the best things we do because these volun- teers serve us so well,” said Lemmond. “We just marvel at these men and women who come out to help.” The cost-share grant program pro- vides funds to qualifying fire depart- ments to pay for things like training, fire prevention and detection and fire suppression equipment. “It might not be a lot of money but it is just amazing how much equipment they can buy with it,” said Senator Lemmond. The grant helped Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Dept. purchase a chain saw, 16 pairs of Nomex coveralls, five Nomex hoods, three Indian tanks, 500 feet of hose and nozzle, three bunker pants, five pairs of gloves and three pairs of boots. “This equipment will really help us in fighting brush fires,” said Butch Manzoni, president of the fire department. “That hose can just snake through the trees so easily. The regular size hose gets caught up on everything.” The Indian tanks are bright yellow backpacks that hold five gallons of wa- ter and weigh 41.7 pounds. The tank has a hand pump nozzle for spraying brush fires. “The water will go pretty far,” said Manzoni. “It depends on how much force you use.” Fighting brush fires demonstrates the reason for the Bureau of Forestry See BRUSH FIRES, pg 8 By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent DALLAS - Three years ago Father Jack Lambert of Gate of Heaven Church in Dallas had an experience that changed his life for- ever. He went on a mission trip to Haiti. “I was overwhelmed by the poverty,” he said, “and so moved by the complete lack of every- @ hing. The needs of the people are so basic. It is the second poorest nation to India and the worst in the Western Hemisphere.” Since then, Father Lambert has made the plight of the Haitian people a mission in his own life and the life of the church. He recent- ly made his third trip to Haiti, and upon his return, reflected on the week he had spent there with six members from his parish. They are Sister Marilyn Karas, Jack Calla- : ©1an. Paulette Zerfoss, Kathy Lewis, Dr. Kurt Moody and Dr. John Tomedi. “When I came home I was again both re- lieved and frustrated,” he said. “I have a new Taking aim Stephen Cornia lined up a shot during the “Boxing o Ball” game held last week at Lehman-Jackson Elementary School. The game was an end-of-year party for the grade 5-6 basketball program that is run by the school PTA. More photos on page 5. sense of gratitude in my own life, and have a great deal of compassion for their human predicament. I feel deeply connected to the people there, and with the help of the other participants, I want to tell their story.” “I was still struck by the lack of structure in the government and the total lack of infra- structure in the economy,” he said. “There is no railroad, no highway system, no mail de- livery, no sewage system, no garbage collec- tion, no education system, no health care, and no reliable source of power. The people live in cinder block homes with tin roofs and use charcoal for cooking.” Five percent of the population is rich, but the other 95 percent are very poor. There is no foundation for people to want to invest in business or create jobs to sustain the pgpu- lation. “We were fortunate to have two doctors go this year to help Father Tom Hagan, the See HAITI, pg 8 Cafe Decadence - more than just a coflee shop By SANDY PEOPLES Post Correspondent Dr. Kurt Moody examined the eyes of a Haitian man during a recent visit to the island nation, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. easy going place,” said Allen, “where people could come in and enjoy deli- DALLAS - If you love the wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee and homemade muffins in the morning, you will enjoy visiting Cafe Deca- dence any time of the day. tomers. This unique coffee house September. “I had an idea for a comfortable, Lori Allen, the owner and manager of Cafe Decadence, has created a ca- sual, airy atmosphere for her cus- 1156 Memorial Highway in the Twin Stacks Center in Dallas opened last cious coffees, teas, soups, salads, wraps, and sandwich- es. I did a lot of research in north- east Pennsylvania and found some great coffee shops in Clarks Summit. The Back Mountain didn’t have any similar places. I tasted coffee every- where and found a mellow blend to serve to our customers.” at Customers don’t have to conform to Allen’s tastes, though. “Coffee is a very personal thing with people,” said Allen. “That's why we set up a bar with several blends just the way they like it.” bakery items, cino, are homemade muffins of coffee so people can fix their own They also serve espresso, cappuc- cafe mocha and cafe latte. Their hot chocolate is made with Ghiardelli chocolate, whole milk and whipped cream. And you haven't lived until you've tasted chai, a de- lightful blend of black tea, honey, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. The bakery specialties of the house in many tasty fruit flavors. They also offer See CAFE, pg 3 16 Pages, 2 Section Calendar CALL 675-5211 FOR HOME DELIVERY, NEWS OR ADVERTISING E-mail: dalpost@ epix.net Please enclose this label with any address changes, and mail to The Dallas Post, P.O. Box 366., Dallas, PA 18612
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