Local

On the first Tuesday of every month, grieving parents gather to talk, listen and heal from the loss of their children.
Janice Steele unexpectedly lost her 43-year-old daughter, Terri Ledbetter, two years ago this month. The loss devastated Steele, who wrestled daily with paralyzing pain.
“Right before last Christmas, it just hit me that there were other people going through pain just like me, and I thought: ‘We can help each other,’” Steele said.
In the meetings, parents talk freely about their children who have died.

Lancaster County First Steps will host a free concert on Saturday featuring children’s musician Roger Day.
The “Dream Big” concert is 10 a.m. at USC Lancaster’s Stevens Auditorium.
“We are excited to bring Roger Day to Lancaster, and we want to fill every seat,” said Lora Bryson, executive director of Lancaster County First Steps. “Our organization wants to make sure that hope lives on in the families of Lancaster County.”

The second-annual Give Local Lancaster got off to a fast start Tuesday, and just two-thirds of the way through its 24 hours of giving it had already topped its goal of $94,000.  
Susan DeVenney, president of the J. Marion Sims Foundation, said the online fundraising drive had received more than $63,000 in individual donations by 9 p.m.
“We have also received $42,000 in corporate donations, so we will pass last year’s total of $93,810,” she said at mid-afternoon.

Chances are you know at least one family member who is affected by autism. One in 88 children is diagnosed with autism each year in America.  
I am the mom of a handsome 28-year-old  young man, Corey Pope, who lives with this complex condition. I have been involved in the world of autism for nearly a quarter century, and I still have a lot to learn.
Living with Corey’s autism has brought me, my husband, Curt Sirk, and our daughter, Caylin, to a deep understanding of how his condition relates us all to God, family and friends.