Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly.

David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

also, on the program.

More than a decade after the loss of 19-year-old Peyton Walker to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the foundation created in her name is saving lives across Pennsylvania and beyond.

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David Blankenhorn, a Harvard graduate and cofounder of Braver Angels, has stepped down after nine years as President of the nonprofit organization he helped launch in response to America’s growing political polarization.

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Americans get ready to celebrate Independence Day, the bald eagle—a powerful symbol of freedom and the nation itself—continues to be a soaring success story in Pennsylvania. Once nearly wiped out due to pesticide use, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback across the Commonwealth.

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In the heart of downtown Lancaster, a new museum is preparing to open its doors — one that highlights a powerful, and often overlooked, chapter of American history. The Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy is set to open next spring, led by LancasterHistory, the organization behind the museum's development.

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As temperatures soar and heatwaves become more common in Pennsylvania, health experts are urging people to understand the dangers of extreme heat — and how to protect themselves and others.

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Mount Gretna may be a small Pennsylvania town, but it’s home to something historically unique: the only remaining Chautauqua in the state. For more than 130 years, the Mount Gretna Chautauqua has championed the same four foundational pillars—arts and culture, education, religion, and recreation—that began with the movement’s founding in 1874.

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More than a decade after the loss of 19-year-old Peyton Walker to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), the foundation created in her name is saving lives across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Local educator, historian, and adventurer Adam Zurn has taken his passion for Pennsylvania’s hidden history from blog to bookshelf. In his debut children’s book Canassatego and His Six Arrows, Zurn tells the powerful story of unity shared by the Onondaga chief Canassatego during the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster—a message that helped shape America’s earliest ideas of governance.

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In the heart of downtown Harrisburg, Gamut Theatre Group is doing more than just putting on plays — it’s reimagining the way stories are told and connecting them to the community it calls home.

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As Congress considers what could be the most significant Medicaid cuts in U.S. history, experts are sounding the alarm about the far-reaching consequences—especially for small businesses and rural communities.

Also, on the program.

For children affected by parental incarceration, the trauma can be deep, isolating, and difficult to express. But in Lancaster, a unique nonprofit is helping those children find their voice — through music.

Scaling Walls a Note at a Time (SWAN) was founded in 2011 by violinist and educator Diana Vuolo to serve children impacted by the incarceration of a parent. The organization offers free music instruction, performance opportunities, Bible and trauma management classes, and immediate access to mental health care — all under one roof.

Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.