Good works don’t stop in Happy Valley
Obviously, one story has dominated headlines here of late. So, in case you missed it, here are some other news items that have happened in the past few months:
- More than 150 people participated in the YMCA of Centre County’s annual Polar Bear Plunge in December. The event raised $40,500 with proceeds going to benefit families who can’t afford a YMCA memberships.
- Right before Christmas, Interfaith Human Services was closing in on its goal of $20,000 for its Wishing Well Campaign, whose funds provide Centre County residents assistance for things such as prescriptions, mortgages, and utilities. IHS helped more than 1,4000 households last year.
- The Centre County Community Foundation, as part of its competitive granting, awarded nearly $45,000 to 13 local organizations. Some of the organizations that received money include Centre Volunteers in Medicine, ClearWater Conservancy, and Centre County Federation of Public Libraries.
- The Bob Perks Fund, which helps individuals and families affected by cancer in Centre, Blair, Clearfield, and Huntingdon counties, received more than $35,500 from Penn State’s chapter of Coaches vs. Cancer.
- More than 430 pounds of nonperishable food were donated to the State College Area Food Bank thanks to the Food For Fare day sponsored by the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA).
- And of course, there are the ongoing efforts to help child-abuse victims, from Penn State’s creating the Center for the Protection of Children to individuals’ and groups’ raising money for organizations such as RAINN, Prevent Child Abuse, and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
The amount of space here prohibits me from writing about the many other newsworthy good deeds that have happened here recently. The point is one that many have been making since that first weekend in November — that this region is much more than the alleged acts of one person or even a handful of people.
Town&Gown has always strived to shine the light on the goodness in the communities we cover — whether it’s a person, an organization, or a business. During this coming year, Town&Gown will continue to do that — and then some — while also dealing with the story that has engulfed this region.
A New Year’s resolution I’m making is to pay even more attention to the good things in Centre County and recognize where there are needs. They are the things that make most of us love this place so much and proudly call it home.
And I’m still proud to call it home. Thanks to this job and being involved with various groups and organizations, I have been able to meet many of you and hear about the work you do to make our communities better. That work is more important than ever, and it defines this region much more than what most of the rest of the country has seen and read about in the past couple of months.
It was heartwarming to recently receive a message from a woman who lives near Philadelphia. She wrote, “Just know that there are people outside of Happy Valley (me!) who think State College is a fantastic place, for a lot of reasons. We stand with you!”
Happy New Year!
David Pencek
Editorial Director
