82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2,1989
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This Is an artist’s sketch of the proposed Sunny Crest Home that will be built
near Morgantown. Hoover has donated two farms to be used forthe non-profit
facility that will offer both day and extended care for the physically and men-
Farmer Donates Two Farms For Sunny Crest Home
customers and with our helfl
Hoover said. Their efforts paid ottl
Business increased and the Hoov
ers continued to expand their oper
ation. They now have 200 hundred
BY LOU ANN GOOD
MORGANTOWN (Berks Co.)
—“When you have a handicapped
child, the severity of it hits you in
different ways and at different
stages,” Leroy Hoover, Morgan
town, said. “My low point was
when my second son was two
years-old."
That was when his wife needed
to go to the hospital to have their
third child. Because their son was
severally handicapped and suf
fered convulsions several times a
day. the Hoovers did not have any
one who could watch him.
Trying to manage the farm
chores and care for their son
caused Leroy to cry in frustration.
Hoover said, “My wife and / would ask, “Why
did it happen to us? Why did we have two hand
icapped children? We didn’t feel we deserved it.
We didn’t feel capable of coping with it.”
“God, if I ever make enough
money to build a day care center
for handicapped children, I will.”
That was in 19S8. The financial
possibility of fulfilling his pledge
to God seemed preposterous. He
was a struggling tenant farmer. But
recently. Hoover unveiled plans
for his proposed Sunny Crest
Homes to cost $2.5 million at com
pletion to be built on two Lancaster
Mike Shrelner, a teacherfrom Warwick Middle School, tutors Janelle Hurst, 14. Sun
ny Crest Home wllloffer training facilities for clients like Janelle, daughter of Leonard
and Laura Hurst. Leonard, co-owner of Binkley and Hurst, a farm equipment business
In Rothsvllle, Isj board mdfnber of the non-profit organization. He said that since he
also has two handicapped children, he Is aware of the needs the facility would serve.
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County farms that he has donated
to the project
The time between Hoover’s
pledge and the unveiling of the
plan were filled with many disap
pointments. frustrations and—
amazing accomplishments.
The Hoover’s handicapped son
required considerable expense for
weekly treatments. Despite the
best care, he died at six years of
age.
But the Hoover’s journey with
the crippling disease was far from
over. They had a daughter who
was also afflicted with cerebral
palsy."
Hoover said, “My wife and I
would ask, “Why did it happen to
us? Why did wc have two hand
icapped children? We didn’t feel
we deserved it. We didn’t feel cap
able of coping with it.”
Hoover’s wife, Anna Mary, per
sisted, “God gave us these children
for a purpose.”
Hoover remembered his vow to
God, but he did not tell his wife or
anyone else, for the possibility of
having enough finances to help
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tally handicapped. Services will Include helping each client obtain his or her
highest potential.
others when he couldn’t even pay
his own farm’s interest seemed
absurb.
Because they had had to move
off the farm where they were rent-
With expansion and overseeing the daily operation of both Farmer
Brown Country Markets, it would have been easy for Hoover to forget
about his pledge to build a home for the handicapped. But Hoover
said, “In 19841 realized God had answered my prayersfor wisdom and
finances and I needed to do what I had promised ”
ing, the Hoovers had purchased a
Morgantown farm. But $70,000
proved to be a substantial loan for
the fledging farmer. “We couldn’t
even pay the interest that first
year,” Hoover recalled.”
The Hoovers discovered that
their firstborn, who was then five
years old, was SO percent blind.
That required trips to Wills Eye
Hospital and Baltimore Children’s
Hospital.
In hopes of overcoming the
children’s handicaps, the Hoovers
took their two children through a
prescribed patterning program that
was to develop the brain and which
required 100 volunteers every two
weeks.
The expenses and work load
was heavy. “There seemed to be no
light,” Hoover recalled.
In addition to the struggles with
their handicapped children, the
Hoovers faced other difficulties
such as the time he broke his leg
and his wife needed to do the milk
ing for six weeks. Then Hoover’s
dad was killed in a farm accident.
“My dad was never able to help
me financially,” Hoover said, “but
he was a big source of encourage
ment and he helped with farm
chores. When he was killed, I
didn't see how I’d ever make it”
In 1965, the Hoovers opened up
a country milk store hoping to sell
milk, cheese and ice cream from
their farm and cut out the middle
man’s profits.
Hoover remembered his vow to God, but he did
not tell his wife or anyone else, for the possibility
of having enough finances to help others when
he couldn*t even pay his own farm y s interest
seemed absurb.
But the first years, showed no
profits and in desperation Hoover
tried to sell the store, hoping some
one would buy it and fix it up as a
residence. There were no bidders.
Because he couldn’t sell the
store, he continued the milk jug
ging operation. He hired a local
woman, Roberta Ayrs. “She was
very shy, but a hard worker,”
Hoover said, and I give her a lot of
credit for turning our profits
around. Whenever customers
asked for other items, Roberta
found places to buy them and
added them to our inventory.”
It was Roberta who taught
Hoover his most important lesson.
“Once a customer retuAed some
milk because it didn’t taste right. I
told her to tell the customer that the
bad taste came from turning the
cows out to pasture. The truth was
that we had over processed the
milk.”
She reprimanded me, “If you
can’t say the truth, don’t say any
thing at all.”
“That taught me the importance
of always being truthful with our
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people employed in their two Far
mer Brown Country Markets
located in Morgantown and in
Kutztown.
Because the Morgantown oper
ation is on a farm that sets both in
Berks and in Lancaster Counties
and is near Chester County, Hoov
er felt there wasn’t a newspaper
that suitably covered the area. > I
began the Tri-County Shopping
News.
“Within 10 years, we went from
poverty to being able to buy two
farms in one day,” Hoover said of
his financial status.
The operation still processes its
own milk but Hoover no longer
does the daily forming chores. He
likes to start young couples in
farming by offering them cheap
rent
With expansion and overseeing
the daily operation of both Farmer
Brown Country Markets, it woul |
have been easy for Hoover to
forget about his pledge to build a
home for the handicapped. But
Hoover said, “In 1984 I realized
God had answered my prayers for
wisdom and finances and I needed
to do what I had promised.”
Hoover began his search for a
suitable location for the home. It
needed to have traffic access, utili
ties, public sewer and quietness. It
led him to a nearby 86-acre form
where after lengthy and consider
able negotiations, he purchased the
property and an adjacent farm.
(Turn to Page B 3)