If you have questions, please contact Emily Winslow with the Harrisburg Senators 717.231.4444 x 109 or ewinslow@senatorsbaseball.com

Posted by Steve Schwartz   (5/28/2013 4:09:55 PM | link)

Monday, May 27, 2013
2013 Spring Thaw Bike Tour Honors Moms Even in Wet Weather
 
It was a dark, drizzly day. It could have dampened our spirits, but a record 67 riders and volunteers would not let the weather get them down at the 8th annual Spring Thaw Bike Tour.

We were excited to host the event at Mount Wilson Church of the Brethren for the first time. The church's enthusiasm and close proximity to the Colebrook-Mount Gretna rail trail added new elements for families. And we inaugurated a 75 mile scooter loop designed by our Executive Director Steve Schwartz. We also debuted a new fundraiser website where you can track each rider and team and how much they've raised.

We were proud to be a host site for the 3,000 Miles For Peace fundraising effort in memory of Paul Zeigler. Overall, we weathered the weather to raise over $12,500 and still counting toward BHA's programs and On Earth Peace!

Here are some highlights:

This group of 50 kilometer loop riders, and some 25k trail riders, braved the weather to make the event a success

Spring Thaw Bike Tour founder Darrel Reinford (right) gets ready to head out on a long ride with his dad, Merle

Friends Jim Sears (left) and Scott Blouch look forward to their ride together

And they're off! On the first ever Spring Thaw Scooter Ride...75 miles around beautiful Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin counties...Steve and John-Luis Schwartz followed by Mike and Peggy Spellman

Abbey King and friends of our top fundraising team (Team Spokespeople) get ready for their rides

Team Spokespeople captain Susannah Bortner gets ready to ride with husband David Palmer and son Donovan

Noah Fitz leads the way to the rail trail

Abbey King and Susannah Bortner make their return trip on the rail trail

Joanna and Noah Fitz debut their bikes for the kid's bike decorating contest

Our Spring Thaw Bike Tour Windbreakers help keep the riders dry. Thanks ASK Foods!

(See more Spring Thaw Bike Tour pictures on BHA's Facebook page.)

Special thanks to our event sponsors and supporters!

LEAD SPONSOR

OTHER SPONSORS

Merle & Ruth Ann Reinford
Gibbel Insurance Agency
Klein Family Dentistry
Renaissance Chiropractic Center
Klick Lewis Auto
Keller Brothers Ford

CHURCHES PROVIDING FOOD & REST STOPS

Mount Wilson Church of the Brethren
Speedwell Heights Brethren in Christ Church
West Greentree Church of the Brethren

Businesses & Individuals Donating Goods and Services

Twin Kiss Colebrook
Sandi's Breads
Martin's Chips
Klein Family Dentistry
In Gear Cycling & Fitness
Hometown Family Restaurant
The Filling Station
3J's Coffee
Wally and Bonnie Landes
Dick's Sporting Goods
Red Robin
Rita's Italian Ice
GS Designs
PA Dept of Environmental Protection
The Hershey Company

Please remember to thank our sponsors for the support they gave and the wet fun they made possible.

VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO...our volunteers and Spring Thaw planning team:

• Pastor Jon Brenneman of Mount Wilson Church of the Brethren, our host
• Audrey and Randy Estep our West rest stoppers
• Kelly Harnish our East rest stopper
• Butch Eisenhour our bike mechanic extraordinaire
• Steven King our sag wagoneer
• Darrel Reinford our road painter
• George Snavely our trail liaison
• Wally Landes our local go-getter
• Abbey King our go-getter and kids activities organizer
• Kathy Flory our kids choraler
• Steve Schwartz our scooter router
• Scott Blouch our Midway planner
• Matt Hershey our route co-planner
• Amanda Murry, Jessica Yordy and Steph Brooks, our early-rising registrars

Posted by Chris Fitz   (5/27/2013 12:45:26 PM | link)

Saturday, May 25, 2013
2013 BHA Golf Tournament Brings Record Turnout
 
On May 10, a record 127 golfers gathered for the 11th annual BHA Golf Tournament at Par-line Golf Course in Elizabethtown. Together we raised more than $17,000 (at last count), including a record $4,045 that day from your generous donations, silent auction bids and mulligans!

Thanks to everyone's contributions, BHA can support a full slate of families this summer as they find stability, hope and dignity in our apartments and programs.

Here are some highlights from the day:

Jasmin and Javonte helped BHA Board President Josh Stroup with course set-up

Josh Stroup began the golf tournament with a bugle blast

TEAM TODD: Friends and family of Todd Martin, a long-time BHA Golf Tournament participant who passed away this past year, golfed in his memory

Kirk Yagel and Keith Fruchtl held their breath while John Bright putted for their team

Karla (left), Heather (rear), Hawley (right), Zyianna and Kuami also helped out on the course

Brad Shockey follows through on a shot that will surely help his team

Our winning golf team was (from left): Dave Reist, Ethan Gibbel, Jim McKenzie and Fran Strouse...they shot 12 under par!

Everybody loved the pork chops, including Jailani

(See more Golf Tournament pictures on BHA's Facebook page.)

SPECIAL THANKS...

...To our volunteer team who made this possible:
Diana Johnson, Event Chair
Ron Arris
Vince Myers
Josh Stroup

...The staff at Par-Line Golf Course who provided a beautiful course and delicious evening meal.

...To our sponsors who gave generously to make this event such a big success

LEAD SPONSORS

R.H. Getz Construction
QTS Performance Solutions
Anonymous

SPECIAL CONTEST SPONSORS

Ron Arris & The Good Ole Boys
(Putting Contest)
 
James and Bonnie Martin
(Longest Drive on Hole 16, In Memory of Todd Martin)

HOLE SPONSORS

ABC Fuel Oil
All American Termite & Pest Control
Allison Hill Fund
Ameriprise Financial—Dave Lyon
Fredericksburg Family Eyecare
Hess Agency, Inc
David and Julie Hickey
Jonestown Bank & Trust Company
Kettering Masonry & Concrete
Rhoads & Sinon LLP
Harold Taylor
David Teets—In Honor of Dorothy Teets & Eleanor Oellig

OTHER SPONSORS

Dr. Craig Anzur
L. B. Smith Ford
McKonly & Asbury LLP
RR Corporation
HB McClure Company

...The businesses and individuals who donated quality items and gift certificates for the silent auction or to be used as prizes. Below included a full list of contributors from this year's event and we hope you'll look it over and thank them personally.

DONORS OF PRIZES AND GIFTS

2 B Fit Personal Training
Alfred's Victorian
Angie's Family Restaurant
Armitage Golf Club
Arnold Palmer Enterprises
Bobby Rahal Automotive Group
Briarwood Golf Club, Inc.
Brownstone Café
Byler Golf Management, Inc.
Camp Hill Barber Shop
Capital Diner
Ciao Pizzeria
Costco Wholesale
Country Apple House Gift Shop
Country Meadows
Courtyard by Marriott
Crossgates Golf Club
Dauphin Highlands Golf Course
Deer Valley Golf Course
Dick's Sporting Goods
Ella's Place
Fabio's Restaurant
Foxchase Golf Club
Giant Foods
Gilligans Grill
Groff Meats
Harrisburg Senators Baseball Club
Hershey Golf Collection
Highlands of Donegal Golf Course
Hornung's Hardware
Hotel Hershey
Iron Valley Golf Course
Irving's Shoe Fly
Karns Quality Food
Kessler Foods, Inc.
LA Fitness
Larry French
Larry Lanni
Manada Golf Club
Mayapple Golf Club
Members 1st Federal Credit Union
Orkin
Overlook Golf Course
Patty Longenecker
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Pete Uballe
Pizza Sorrento
Progress Grill Restaurant
Range End Golf Club
Red Robin
Rich Valley Golf
Ron Splain Lawn Care
Spring Creek Golf Course
Starbucks Coffee
Sun Motor Cars
Sunset Golf Course
Susquehanna Bank Elizabethtown
Texas Roadhouse
TGI Friday's
The Hershey Story
The Home Depot
Trump Taj Mahal
Village Green Golf, Inc.

Overall, it was an excellent day honoring our mothers and the moms at BHA. Thanks, everyone!

Posted by Chris Fitz   (5/25/2013 11:00:06 PM | link)

Monday, April 01, 2013
I'm Calling You Out, JT!
 
ON NOTICE: Justin Timberlake

If you are like me, from the moment you heard about Justin Timberlake's new album, you suspected something was up.

In case you haven't heard, JT's new album is called: The 20/20 Experience. It was released--conveniently with that title--shortly after we announced that our three-year mature $2.25 million organizational expansion effort called the 20/20 Vision Campaign passed the $2.0 million dollar mark. Are you catching on yet?

At first I thought: is Justin Timberlake trying to ride our coattails to multi-platinum success? Is he jumping on the 20/20 Vision bandwagon that we've worked so hard to establish?

Then I thought: maybe its all a coincidence. But THEN I saw the cover art. And read the lyrics.

First, here is our 20/20 Vision Campaign Logo:
 

Now, look at JT's new album cover:
 

I mean, his doesn't have the high quality production value of our logo, but that is what you get when you are limited to photoshopping other people's work.

More Proof Of JT's Plagiarism

Goal: Raise $2.25 Million

To Allow Us To:

1. Serve more families
2. Restore our city block
3. Invest in youth

BHA's Slogan: Building A Future With Hope

I got a million reasons for clingin' to hope
I got 2 and a quarter reasons, no need to cope
I wanna serve more families. Yo family! You got served
I'm fixin' up da block and won't let it reverse
The children are our future, we should teach them well
For a future with hope, a hope you can't quell

Look, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. But when you see a random fact that can be stretched to fit something you believe to be true, it's hard to ignore.

So, Mr. Coattails, you are on notice. We know your game. And we're telling our friends about what you've been up to.

What do I want?

An apology would be nice. Sure, I'd love to join you on Jimmy Fallon to televise your apology nationwide.

But if that doesn't suit your schedule, Justin, maybe you could look at your budget and consider taking our 20/20 Challenge: giving $20/month for 20 months to help us complete our campaign. That would truly be a 20/20 Experience! Its spread out like that to make it doable for people like you...allowing time for your album sales to pick up.

Think about it. Your move.

Cordially,
Steve Schwartz
Executive Director
Brethren Housing Association

Posted by Steve Schwartz   (4/1/2013 12:31:23 PM | link)

Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Golf Tournament and Spring Thaw Bike Tour Unveiled!
 

Complete Details registration brochure (PDF 423k)	Complete Details registration brochure (PDF 497k)

Posted by Chris Fitz   (3/6/2013 5:56:16 PM | link)

Thursday, February 14, 2013
We're Launching a VS Program!
 
Brethren Housing Association is launching a full-time, residential Volunteer Service (VS) Program! Our VS House will be a hub of ministry in our community. The goal is to recruit 4-6 adult staff via Brethren Volunteer Service, Mennonite Voluntary Service, Americorps, Vista or other sources to live in and serve our neighborhood. Several of these VS staff would be dedicated to the ministry of BHA, but we hope to partner with other churches and ministries in our neighborhood by providing housing for VS staff, thereby opening this source of staffing to them as well.

To launch this vision, we are hiring a half-time Volunteer Coordinator to conduct the planning and coordination necessary in the coming year or so. This staff person will also help coordinate other volunteers including the management of work camps and day groups.

A full job description can be found on our Job Openings page. Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter by March 20, 2013.

Posted by Steve Schwartz   (2/14/2013 4:06:04 PM | link)

Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Faith and Finances Class Update
 
We just passed the halfway point of our inaugural Faith and Finances financial education curriculum. The curriculum was written specifically for low-income families by the team at the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, the same team that wrote the groundbreaking book When Helping Hurts.

Our Program Director Crystal Baxter and Case Manager Marilyn Bellesfield are members of the first class of trainers certified nationwide to be Faith and Finances educators. This past Monday night we covered lesson 6, Frugal Living. Below are some highlights from this week.

We're heading into the home stretch of the Faith and Finances curriculum

Case Manager Marilyn Bellesfield leads the group through an exercise in thinking how they could reduce their expenses

BHA Program Participants along with several Bagwashi Circle mentors are taking part in the course

The groups split into two sub-groups to brainstorm ways they could live more frugally

Each group filled the "Thrift Tree" with a wide variety of practical ideas

Posted by Steve Schwartz   (2/12/2013 6:13:24 PM | link)

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