A thousand children

Paper people on the walls of Effort United Methodist Church related the success of this past weekend's 30-Hour Famine, as a fund-raiser for World Vision.Those paper persons helped tell the story of the church's youth raising over $1,300 by experiencing hunger for 30 hours, and overcoming temptations of food and snacks around them as enticement in several different settings, during the week end's activities. It included the good-smelling popcorn at the Sherman Theater which the 35+ group and advisers visited in support of the Rev. Deb Hoffman's musical involvement at an event there.It was hard, was a comment that several youth and even adult leaders shared during the church's worship services.Special music by the young participants, accompanied by Greg and Lisa Magill, and a candlelighting ceremony were part of the services, with each candle representing a child dying from hunger and related illnesses.However, the focus was on the positive, with the paper figures representing the over 1,300 children the youth were feeding for just one day for $1 and funds were still coming in and being collected.Lions speakerGuy Miller, coordinator of the Monroe County Emergency Management Center was the guest speaker at the Western Pocono Lions meeting last week.Miller spoke of response time for emergencies, the protocol for action and the need for recovery help. He related that for service clubs such as the Lions the main need is for support in the recovery efforts for those having suffered losses. He explained that emergency response is somewhat systematic and effective, but that once the emergency units leave there is still much to be done. That is where the extra manpower that service clubs can offer is needed.Special visitors to the club meeting, coming to learn more about Monroe's protocol, were Lion Alert Region Chairman Ken Mims and his wife, Lion Region Chairperson Angie Mims.The Lions are in the process of activating an area Alert Team to work in support and to aid emergency personnel in their efforts to serve the community.Lioness meetThe Western Pocono Lioness Club will meet at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 27, at the American Legion, Gilbert. The guest speaker is Barbara Loch from Eastern PA Animal Alliance.Blood pressure screeningFree blood pressure screenings are offered at the Chestnuthill Senior Center in Brodheadsville from 9 to 11 a.m., every second and fourth Wednesday. The next free screening is Wednesday, April 28.For more information call (570) 420-3746.Guest speakerLindsey Blundetto, director of music ministry at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, will be the featured guest at the April 29 breakfast meeting of the West End Rotary Club.The club meets at 7:30 a.m. at the Western Pocono Community Library.Special volunteeringFrom June 10-12, more than 2,500 Special Olympians and coaches will gather at Penn State's University Park campus for the annual Special Olympics Summer Games.Volunteers of all kinds are being sought, including competition officials, bowling lane monitors, athlete escorts, assistants for athlete evaluators and award presenters.Volunteers also help by making beds, driving water trucks and in various other ways.For more information, especially groups of volunteers, contact Jeff Smith at jjs27@outreach.psu.edu.Birthday greetingsFolks celebrating their birthday this coming week include: Cathy Wells, Paul Moran, Dillon Gower, Kaylee Winkler, April 27; Jamie Whiteway, Zachary DeBarry, Brittany Magner, Ryan Bailor, Emily Skutnik, April 28; Richard Zimmerman, Kasren Kestel, Anthony Sander, Luke Harrison, April 29; Dorothy Serfass, Michele Hannon, Arlene Johnson, April 30; Melina Elvin, Avryana Fuller, May 1; Ed Eilenberger, Elsa Kondratick, Loretta Daubert, May 2; Laura Churchill, Christopher Watkins, Taylor Pennington, May 3; Randy Snyder, Marianne Atherton, Vanesssa Hoover, Caitlyn Loch, May 4.