The Spark

ExtraGive in Lancaster is a day-long giving event that supports the work of nonprofit organizations in Lancaster County. ExtraGive is the region’s largest day of online giving, presented by Lancaster County Community Foundation and supported by High Foundation and Murry Foundation. It benefits more than 400 participating nonprofits that support issues and causes ranging from children and families to health and affordable housing, environmental and farmland preservation to arts and culture, and much more.

Asia Tabb, the host of The Spark, interviewed Patrick Morrison, Director of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Cori Jackson, Communications Manager of the Ware Center, Brook Lenker, Executive Director of Keystone Trails Association, and Sam Bressi and Tracy Cutler Executive Vice President of the Lancaster County Community Foundation for their involvement participating in Lancaster's ExtraGive.

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Around this time next week, many people will be preparing to eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day. The Edge Farms is located in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. The Farm offers tours, educational programs, a live turkey farm and more. Black Edmonds of the Edge Farms shared what goes into day to day raising a turkey.

“Turkeys are very, very social animals. So, one of the things we have to do is make sure that the space that they're in is well contained. So, we generally use electric fences because we move our turkeys and they move very regularly over pastureland, “said Edmonds.

Alexandria Ferris of the Edge Farms says there are many benefits of purchasing poultry straight some the producer of the food.

“Turkeys are often one of the most antibiotic filled foods that is in the grocery store, you know, across the industry. Yes. And so, again, with accountability, you want to know how the animal was raised. Our animals are all raised on pasture, and they are not given antibiotics, you know, broad spectrum or, you know, except in specific cases where an individual animal has an individual need and then they're often, you know, we separate them out because there are people who say, I don't want any antibiotics if they're not needed. And that's just something to keep in mind because many times if you grab an industrially produced turkey off of the shelf at the grocery store, if you were to test it right then and there, there would be antibiotics present in its meat “said Ferris.

CLICK HERE or listen to the podcast to learn more about The Edge Farms.

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Remember the inmate who “crab-walked” over a fence at the Chester County Prison in the summer of 2023, capturing the nation’s attention as he remained on the run for 2 weeks?  Local schools and businesses were forced to close, and people remained off the streets. Journalist and author of “A Killer At the Door,” Bruce Mowday sat down with The Spark host Asia Tabb to share more in depth about the dramatic escape and eventual recapture of convicted murderer Danilo Cavalcante.

Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation.

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Grammy and Tony Award winner Leslie Odom Jr. is ushering in the holiday season on The Christmas Tour, which he will be performing at the Hershey Theatre Dec 17.

He will be performing holiday classics, and selections from his Christmas album Simply Christmas and The Christmas Album.

For Odom Jr. Christmas is one of his favorite holidays and he’s hoping to share that experience with the audience during his tour.

“Christmas means family. Christmas means rest. You know, as Americans, we work. We work hard. And there's something about Christmas, too, Like a day or two after New Year. That's like the only time as Americans that we really allow ourselves to rest and push the pause button. People are not expecting you to answer your email right away, your text messages right away. So, it means pushing the pause button, you know, and focusing on family.”

Leslie is a Pennsylvania native and is looking forward to performing in Hershey.

“It's been a long time. You know, Pennsylvania holds such dear memories for me. I grew up in Philadelphia, of course, I went to college in Pittsburgh. My summer job was to intern on the House floor. You know, I was a page on the House floor in Harrisburg, so you know it. I am looking forward, as usual, to touching down in Pennsylvania and to having those that those rush of memories. I've got dear friends coming to the show in Hershey, and I want those memories around me at the holiday time. You know, it's really special.”

CLICK HERE to see more about Leslie Odom Jr.’s upcoming tour.

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The Central Pennsylvania region may have experienced some rain, however it has not been enough to get out of the current drought watch. According to ABC 27 Meteorologist Dan Tomaso, the region is just a quarter of an inch of rain for the entire month.

“We're just over a quarter inch of rain for the entire month, which is pretty insanely low or approaching the last ten days of the month that we haven't even gotten to a half inch yet. That will begin to change later tonight into tomorrow. So the first kind of phase of this week was the mild weather from Monday through now. When I say mild temperatures approaching the 60s in the afternoon, sunshine, but also mild at night with temperatures only dropping to their lowest in the 40s.”

The temperature for the month of November has been warm compared to previous years. The area may also see snow on Friday and Saturday of this week.

“There will be a line of showers, maybe in a few thunderstorms sometime after 8 p.m.. So, depending on where you are in the Midstate, it'll go from west to east. That rain will be heavy at times and it's the first time, I think at least in over a month and a half that I mean, we'll say it's a legitimate chance of getting over a half inch of rain, which is not a lot of rain in the grand scheme of things, but it may be the heaviest rain we've had since the beginning of October. If it all pans out the way we expect. And as that storm exits, it actually forms a coastal low, which will bring some snow to interior New England because there's cool air coming in behind this storm night. Once that happens and the cooler air settles in for Friday, we may see snow showers here locally. Now, it will likely not accumulate because temperatures won't be at or below freezing in the ground. But you heard it here first, perhaps.”

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The Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children in Dauphin County has sworn in eight new volunteers.  Nearly 400 children are in foster care in Dauphin County, and the advocates work to ensure the safety of abused and neglected children in the county.

Now that the new volunteers have been sworn in, the program in Dauphin County has 40 advocates. Will Foster, Executive Director of the CASA Program in Dauphin County says this will positively impact the youth in foster care.

“It's really wonderful. Our program in a very short amount of time has gotten to the 40 mark for volunteers. And as I said earlier, it's a 1 to 1. So that means at least 40 children in our system are having a 1 to 1 experience. And that impact goes even beyond that, because some of our counselors have 2 or 3 kids, one has four. But that's the special circumstance that just gives a few more kids an extra set of eyes and ears that that can help them, “said Foster.

Maurice Knight is a newly sworn volunteer with CASA. He has served 23 years in the Military and during a National Night Out event in Lower Paxton Township, he spoke with someone within the program and wanted to give back to the community.

I like to see the fruits of the labor, so I'm looking forward to meeting the child or teenager that I'll be paired with and then watching them get through and hopefully, you know, lead to a successful life, “said Knight.

CLICK here to apply to be a volunteer.

CASA in Dauphin County is also asking for donations for their virtual giving tree which will benefit the children in foster care. The virtual giving tree is the agency's one and only annual fundraiser.

"They can donate a certain amount of money or however much money that they would like to donate and they can put a little message up or a picture up and then people can go on and read the stories. And it's pretty a pretty amazing fundraising event that we do, "said Foster.

CLICK here to donate to the virtual giving tree.

 

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A new law now allows college athletes and even some in high school to benefit financially by allowing the use of the athlete’s name, image, or likeness (NIL). Phillip Petrina, an associate with the law firm McNees, Wallace & Nurick spoke with The Spark host Asia Tabb about the emergence of those deals.

While a college athlete can earn compensation through NIL deals, the NCAA has outlined it does not include pay to play.

“So, the athlete is going to perform a service in exchange for that compensation. And the compensation, again, cannot be tied to their athletic performance or their attendance at a particular university. So that compensation by law, most state laws, Pennsylvania isn't one of them, but most state laws require that the compensation be commensurate with the student's fair market value.”

Student athletes are not allowed to enter into any NIL agreements that promote alcohol, tobacco, gambling, sports betting, or adult entertainment services. Students must report their NIL agreements to the university.

“So, in Pennsylvania, within seven days of executing an aisle agreement, students must disclose that to the university. And the reason for that is, one, so that the university can, and the athletics department of that particular school can monitor whether or not it complies with the state law and the NCAA regulations, but also the endorsement agreements cannot conflict. With any college or university agreements.”

 

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Many people look forward to celebrations during the holidays, however it is also a time when some people are more likely to drink beyond their limits and other times of the year. Kelly Primus is the Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. She joined the spark to share how the holidays can affect those dealing with alcoholism.

“This this time of year, it's filled with lots of different holidays and celebrations and parties, which is wonderful. And while we are spending special times with family and friends, those very same times can be overwhelming for people who have a substance use disorder. And that includes people who are actively using it in addition to people who are recovering. So, if you find that the stress and the pressure of the holidays is taking its toll on people on you, for example, you can surround yourself with people that you trust.”

The holidays can be stressful for everyone including those who deal with substance abuse disorders. For those of us who know a person that is struggling, we should be very mindful during these festive functions.

“Family and friends who are not drinking alcohol and help them by. If you are hosting an event, make sure that there are certainly nonalcoholic drinks available for people and make sure that any kind of festivities are not only focused around alcohol. This can include also offering mocktails. We know that the Internet has tons of recipes for mocktails that might be appropriate for people who are having who are actively in substance use disorders, but also people in recovery. They're also great for people who are designated drivers, which are hoping that any kind of festivity that has alcohol engages in in that kind of safety and prevention opportunity. You can still have fun. You can still go out and you can people can reach out to family and friends if they have a sponsor, call a sponsor. And so, it's really communicating and working together and understanding. If a person doesn't want to attend a party or festivity because of alcohol being served or that they may need to leave early if it becomes too much.”

 

 

 

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The World Affairs Council of Harrisburg is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting global education and cultural exchange in our region. Several members of the council traveled to D.C. for the Prague Forum 2000. In this episode of The Spark, WACH President and CEO Dr. Joyce Davis, Community Outreach Ambassador Cole Goodman, ad Board member Hagir Elsheikh shared about their experience.

During the conference, Elsheikh shared her experience as a Sudanese refugee at a panel discussion during the conference. Listen to the podcast to hear her story, and more about WACH.

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The Doherty Petri School of Irish has over 100 students that has danced in over 200 performances locally in Pennsylvania and as far as Ireland. The mission of the school is to help everyone reach their highest potential ass an Irish Dancer no matter what age, level of natural ability, or level of commitment.

Six Irish dancers who train at the Doherty Petri School of Irish in Lancaster will join the group Riverdance to perform at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. 17-year-old Isaiah Pujol is one of those six students that will be seen in front of millions of people.

“My gosh. I'm so happy because I don't think I've ever been in anything as big as this. And to be able to get the opportunity to do something well as big as the Macy's Day Parade is just something fantastic to me, especially with Riverdance as well, “said Pujol.

Jase Lawrence has been performing since he was 3.5 years old. He will also be performing with Riverdance for the parade. He shares how he has been preparing for the parade.

“Basically, the parade is a show. It's not a competition you're not repeating for first place. So, you still are working very, very hard to lead up to it. But it's. It's not, it's not the same as you would do for a competition like in a show. You would like you would like to be practicing like your dancers, trying to keep your arms in and like, true your feet keeping that turn at all. And in competitions you would try to do like all of them. But in shows you're not doing like you're dancing; you're doing the dancing like they have for you. So, you're preparing differently, but the preparing going up to it is a little stressful. But once you get into the groove of things, you really just like go straight forward, attack it, right it, “said Lawrence.

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