Vol.122 No.7 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 April 3-9, 2011 ‘DALLAS PosT. AN EDITION OF THE TIMES LEADER | www.mydallaspost.com Cabaret raises $99 for theater By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com You might think a musical as magical as “Cinderella,” being performed by the Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School The- ater group next weekend, would be as easy to coordinate as the flick of a fairy godmother’s wand. You would be wrong. The group has hosted dozens f fundraisers throughout the “show, including a cabaret/talent show held in the school’s audito- rium on March 25. Gina Major Ackerman, direc- tor of the theater program at Lake-Lehman, has given her stu- dents the reigns in raising funds, and she puts the need for bake sales and other efforts bluntly. “There is no budget for thea- ter,” she said. The two-hour cabaret show featured 30 student acts and the event, combined with the bake sale outside the auditorium, raised nearly $500 for the upcom- pring to offset the costs of the What: Rogers and Hammerstein's “Cinderella” Who: The Lake-Lehman Junior/ Senior High School Theater Group When: 7 p.m. on Friday, April 8 and Saturday, April 9; 2 p.m. on Sun- day, April 10 Where: Lake-Lehman Junior/ Senior High School auditorium Tickets: General admission tickets are priced at $6 and $8 and may be obtained by calling the box office at 675-1761.Tickets can also be purchased from any cast mem- ber. ing musical. The show was orga- nized by eighth-grader Ronnie Ziomek, who said pulling the tal- ent show together was “probably the hardest thing” he’s ever done. It took the 14-year-old from Lehman about three weeks to put the show together, including auditioning the acts and getting a piano player to accompany some of the performances. “I just like planning and I think ; CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Jake Sedorchuk tunes up for his part in a cabaret evening to benefit the Lake-Lehman High School Theatre Troupe. Sam Lindley, of Hunlock Creek, grabs a cupcake at a bake sale held during a benefit cabaret evening for the Lake-Lehman High School Theatre Troupe. I'm very organized,” said Zio- mek, who will play the town her- ald in “Cinderella.” Major Ackerman said it was difficult to have a cabaret show two weeks before the “Cinderel- la” production takes the stage, but the students were passionate about organizing the event that will help pay for sets and other expenses of the Rogers and Ham- merstein musical. “Four hundred dollars — that’s a set piece,” she said. She said the students have held weekly bake sales and also See CABARET, Page 11 Award garnered for exam Ining Life After Death By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Theresa Heintz was just 13 at the time of her father’s suicide. Although the sting of that expe- rience is still with her, Theresa, now 21, wanted closure for her family. The York College of Pennsyl- vania senior turned to a video production class assignment to capture the healing process for her family after her father’s 2003 death. The resulting docu- mentary, “Life After Death,” re- cently won an award. Dr. James J. Heintz, a Wilkes- Barre orthopedic surgeon, was a marathon runner and triath- lete dealing with injuries sus- tained from a bicycle training accident at the time of his sud- den passing. While Theresa said the fam- ily still has difficult days, the film she created has shown the positive growth her family has endured. The film won an honorable mention from the Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts for the short film, which Heintz will receive this month at the association’s na- tional conference in Las Vegas, Nev. Her assignment was to docu- ment a “lived experience,” and Theresa felt it was a good op- portunity to work through the issues her family dealt with af- ter her father’s death. Rather than working with a partner, Theresa chose to work alone on the 12-minute film to ensure her family’s comfort and honesty. “I decided on working by my- self because I didn’t want to do another story,” she said. “This would be a great chance to talk to my family and kind of maybe get closure out of the whole thing. If I worked with someone else, it just wouldn’t have been as personal.” Theresa said she, her mother and two sisters have been through so much together since 2003, and she wanted the docu- mentary to reflect how they felt then and where they are, emo- tionally, now. “They all were just so sup- portive,” she said of her family. “That’s when I decided to just BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dallas resident Theresa Heintz, a senior at York Col- lege, poses with a photo of herself and her late father, Dr. James Heintz. interview the three of them ... I wanted that to capture how per- sonal the story is and how close we had become because of it.” The documentary features segments with Theresa's sis- ters, Katrina, 20, and Elizabeth, 23, and her mother Marian, who were interviewed separate- ly for the film. “When we all talk about it, we all have mixed opinions,” Theresa said. “Sometimes were mad, sometimes we un- derstand, we're happy because he was (relieved of) pain (when he died), sometimes we're very sad.” Theresa said that, because she was the one behind the cam- era, her family members felt more comfortable expressing their true emotions on tape. “I didn’t know some of the an- swers when I asked the ques- tions,” she said of interviewing her family. “Because the camera was there, and I was behind it, they could answer it truthfully, so a lot of that was captured, like the realness of what they were saying and what they were feeling.” Theresa estimates she spent more than 200 hours on the vid- eo, from production to direct- ing to shooting to editing. Stu- dents had the entire semester to work on their projects, and Theresa said she often came See AWARD, Page 11 High-heeled men struggle but walk to help women in need By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com About 30 men and women donned high-heels for “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” an event to raise money for an organization that helps women in Africa, on March 26 at Misericordia Univer- sity. & The fundraiser supported the Panzi Foundation USA, a non- profit organization that aids vic- tims of sexual violence treated at the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Con- 680981512007 9% 19 go. Amanda Caleb, professor of his- tory and an organizer of the event, said the walk raised more than $2,000 for the foundation, which she said will pay for eight fistula operations for women. “Fistula occurs when a woman is raped and the trauma is so great, it causes leakage from her bladder,” said Caleb. “The wom- en are already considered out- casts and if they’re leaking urine, it’s a double whammy. This (sur- gery) gives them a better chance to go back to communities.” Caleb and two other Misericor- dia professors — Rebecca Stein- berger, English department chair- person, and Amanda Van Lanen, a history professor —received a stra- tegic initiative grant to raise awareness of Women’s History Month on campus. Lee Ann de Re- us of the Panzi Foundation spoke physical difficulty,” was so moved by the talk she wanted to show the Misericordia community that sexual violence is a global problem. The “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event is not unique - the event is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. It began in California by Frank Baird to raise awareness about women who are victims of violence. “One of the big things is that there are so many events going on, and this stands out,” said Ca- leb. “It’s certainly a challenge, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is taken literally, so it’s kind of different.” Glenn Bozinski, director of ad- missions at Misericordia, was happy to put on a pair of pumps in support of a good cause. “You know, it was a little intimi- dating at first, but I think it was worse in my mind, in terms of he said, See WALK, Page fn laughing. “I won't say it wasn’t painful. It was tough on the toes.” Bozinski even spotted a pro- spective student being led around campus by a university coach, and he made a point to wave while walking in his bright red heels. “I got a text from (the coach) that night and he asked me how my feet were doing,” said Bozin- ski. While Caleb said she heard some complaining during the event from some of the men, she said the event exceeded her ex- pectations and she’s looking for- ward to next year’s event. “I think we psyched ourselves up more in our minds than any- thing,” said Bozinski. “I'm real happy the Misericordia commu- nity came out to support a great cause, and the guys put aside the fear of how they'd be perceived AIMEE DILGER/ THE DALLAS POST Glenn Bozinski, director of admissions at Misericordia University, tries on a pair of heels before participating in “A Walk in Her Shoes" fundraiser.
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