Page 16 - SUSQUEHANNA TIMES:
June 1, 1977
Tom Sheaffer: Big Brother
Tom Sheaffer has two
daughters, but no sons.
When he became a Big
Brother, it took some
adjusting.
“I had to learn all over
again just how boys think,”’
Tom told us. ‘It’s been a
while since I was a boy
myself, and girls are dif-
ferent —I couldn’t deal
with my Little Brothers the
same way | deal with my
daughters.”’
Tom, who manages the
First Federal Savings and
Loan in Mount Joy, became
a Big Brother about two
years ago. Tom and Hans
Wirsching, county director
of the Big Brother pro-
gram, are both members of
the Sertoma Club, and
Hans talked Tom into
trying it. Since then Tom
has become very active in
Big Brothers; he now has a
total of three Little
Brothers, all in Lancaster
(where Tom lives).
““There’s a need for
more Big Brothers in the
rural areas and in small
towns,”” says Tom. ‘‘The
program isn’t as well
known in these areas as it
is in Lancaster.”
What do Big Brothers
do? Ideally, they act as just
what the name implies, a
big brother. ‘‘You should
not try to be a father,
although it’s hard not to
act as one sometimes. The
boys range in age from 7 to
18, and they can’t join the
program unless their
fathers are absent due to
death, divorce, or deser-
tion.” Tom tries to teach
his Little Brothers polite-
ness, and encourages them
to avoid bad company and
drugs. He told us that he
enjoys watching them de-
velop.
One of Tom’s Little
Brothers told him not long
ago that he had walked
away from a group of boys
who were smoking mari-
juana. ‘I'd like to think
that 1 was partly respon-
sible for that,” Tom says.
The Big Brother organi-
zation asks only that a Big
Brother spend a certain
number of hours per week
(on an average) with his
boy or boys. Three hours
per week is a typical
number, although many
Big “Brothers spend more
time than that. Activities
range from fishing to
attending ball games and
amusement parks.
It’s not hard to become a
Big Brother. An interview,
three references, and a
check on your police record
are all that is required.
Hours are very flexible.
Tom Sheaffer told us that
the chief qualification is
simply the desire to spend
Memorial Day
in Maytown
The City of Lancaster
didn’t bother holding a
Memorial Day Parade this year, but the traditional
celebration was alive and well in Mount Joy, Marietta
and Maytown.
There were parades- big noisy parades with strutting
drum majors and horn-tooting fire trucks. And there
were solemn moments, in the cemeteries and at the war
monuments.
time with a boy. If you are
interested, call 1-387-7567
or write to Big Brothers,
630 Janet Ave., Lancaster,
PA 17601.
Loose
addresses
BPW
John W.W. Loose, chair-
man of the history and
social science departments
at Donegal High School
and president of the Lan-
caster County Historical
Society, was guest speaker
for the May session of the
Mount Joy Business and
Professional Women's
Club. The address, entitled
“Powder Puffs and Ballot
Boxes,”” was about wo-
men’s influence on politics.
Loose stated that 66,300
women are registered to
vote in Lancaster County
and that only 63,900 men
are registered. Women, he
stated, are more important
than men in politics for
they vote more regularly
than men. Women, Loose
said, are more practical,
more compassionate, and
better organized politically
than men.
Mrs. Hazel Zeller, chair-
man of the Civic Participa-
tion, introduced the speaker
and thanked members of
her committee who assisted
with the arrangements;
Jane Musser, Christine
Graham, Joyce Brown, La-
Jeanne Miller, Mary Book-
walter, Ethel Shoop, Chris-
tine Brown and Joann Zink.
Mrs. Lillian Fry, presiden?
conducted the business
session. Mrs. Anne Bell
introduced the girl of the
month, Hollis Baker and
her mother, Mrs. James
Baker.
The president announced
that the Mount Joy club
received a citation for its
article on the National
Business and Professional
Week observance at the
State Convention meeting
in Philadelphia. Reports on
the session were submitted
by Mrs. Yvonne Koser,
Mrs. Molly Hart and Mrs.
Dottie Wagner. District #7,
of which the local club is a
portion, sent 10 clubs with
100% representation.
District #7 theatre tickets
for ‘“‘South Pacific,’ to be
staged at the Fulton Opera
House, Lancaster, on Au-
gust 11, will be available at
$5.00.
Mrs. Mary Sarver was
congratulated by the club
for her ‘“Woman of the
Year’ recognition.
Board meeting will be
held June 13 at MaryJane
Hoffer’s home.
NY BA