(8/2019) As Adams
County Commissioner I frequently receive
invitations to attend various events. Many of
those events expose me to very worthy causes
such as the 4-H Livestock Auction, taking
place on August 3, beginning at 4 p.m. at the
South Mt. Fairgrounds. This auction deserves
our support for recognizing the commitment of
the young members of 4-H and Future Farmers of
America.
These young people
spend months raising livestock that they hope
will be a Grand Champion or Grand Reserve
Champion and that will garner a premium price
for their special efforts. All livestock that
is entered in the auction by the club members
is sold- champion and others. You can help our
young people by coming and bidding on their
animals. Bidder’s purchase of livestock helps
defray the cost of raising the animal and also
generates funds to support 4-H.
The high bidder does
not have to take ownership of the animal, but
rather he can choose to do a "buy back". This
option allows the livestock broker to purchase
the animal at his market price. By doing the
"buy back" the high bidder will then pay the
difference between the bid price and the
broker market price. This difference then
becomes a donation in the bidder’s name to
4-H.
The auction begins
with some items other than livestock (come see
what they are). It is generally a most
interesting opening to the auction. If you are
able, at least come to the beginning of the
auction, you may become hooked on staying
longer. One year I ended up with some
unanticipated purchases, but it did not matter
to me because it was helping the youth of
Adams County.
Speaking of the
participating youth, some belong to Future
Farmers of American. They have a motto;
"Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to
Live, Living to Serve". That is a powerful
model to live by. If I may, I would like to
add to that, "Serving to Support". The support
that we provide to our youth; whether it be
volunteering, financial giving, or both, could
be the turning point in their lives. That
being said, I would like to thank those that
volunteer their time and provide financial
support to our various youth programs.
Speaking of turning
points, numerous individuals in Adams County
have not achieved a turning point in their
lives, but need one for a better life. I am
referring to those dealing with addictions and
anxieties. Help is available without using
drug maintenance programs. This help is
available through a program known as Reformers
Unanimous, often referred to as RU. I mention
this because the county’s recovery house will
not be in operation for months and someone is
likely searching for help now.
Those that complete
the program have had over 80% success, no
relapse. The program includes a very strong
element that teaches individual
accountability. In personal conversations with
Secretary of Corrections, John Wetzel, he
stressed that individual accountability is at
the core of success.
The RU Program is
offered locally through Pastor Robert Gray.
The program meets every Friday evening, 7:00
pm at the Lighthouse Baptist Church, 80 Apple
Avenue, Gettysburg. The program has trained
leaders that work closely with those in the
program. RU has been a viable program for
years. In conversation with Pastor Gray, he is
sold on the program, having witnessed the
success. The program cost is minimal and so
minimal that it should not stop anyone from
joining the program. I have personally
examined the program and it is evident that it
contains years of wisdom and experience in its
development. The program and the leader can be
contact by calling the Lighthouse Baptist
Church, Gettysburg or going to
lighthousebaptistgettysburg.org.
By the time this
article is in your hands I will be preparing
to attend the County Commissioners Association
of Pennsylvania (CCAP) Annual Conference. To
expand my involvement in CCAP I have become a
member of the Resolutions Committee. This
committee solicits resolutions that can be
presented to our legislators to begin the
process to create or amend legislation.
The ultimate goal of
the committee is to facilitate the passage of
new legislation that will help counties
deliver more effective and efficient
governance. A prime example of successful
resolution action was the development of the
funding legislation to support county 911
emergency communication systems.
At our last CCAP
Resolutions Committee meeting in June, we
reviewed numerous resolutions and made
appropriate deletions or additions. Before we
can engage in this review, it requires hours
of studying proposed resolutions ahead of the
meeting. All resolutions’ final language to be
presented at the Annual CCAP Conference must
have received a majority vote of the committee
at our June meeting. This necessitated some
lengthy deliberations and debates before
committee passage could be achieved. This
exercise gives me greater appreciation for
policy experts and becomes a great learning
tool to expand my background and knowledge.
If re-elected this
fall, CCAP insurance pool has already started
to solicit me to chair their finance
committee. This gives me another opportunity
to expand my experiences to better serve the
residents of Adams County and other counties
across the state. I believe giving of myself
to participate in various committees’ work
adds value to who I am as your commissioner.
This vision then allows me to be more than a
one dimensional commissioner, but to be a
commissioner raising the bar of leadership
with each term in office.
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