TS_CNG/SUBURBAN/PAGES [S01] | 02/27/19
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Abington The
FEBRUARY 28, 2019
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INSIDE
Cookie party at the library See page 10.
T H E VO I C E O F T H E A B I N G T O N S
AN EDITION OF THE TIMES-TRIBUNE • FREE • WWW.ABINGTONSUBURBAN.COM
A BUILDUP OF ENCOURAGEMENT Rebecca Haggerty’s legacy of kindness continues through BuildUp campaign By CLAyTON OvER STAFF WrITEr
SuBmITTEd PHOTO
Members of BuildUp recently spread their message at Marley's Mission's Blue Ribbon Gala. From left: Lilly Haggerty, Zoe Detter, Charlotte Haggerty, Judy Detter, Zoë Haggerty and Allie Detter.
“She was very quick to offer prayers or words of encouragement to other people. There’s a lot of good in the world and we have the power to spread that. We have the power to change someone’s day with kindness. I think she really wanted to impart that in us.” Zoë Haggerty, speaking of her mother, the late Rebecca Haggerty
A BuildUp sticky note message. Organizers chose lavender ink for the print on it because lavender was Rebecca Haggerty’s favorite color.
all got on board. The campaign started in September, when Rebecca Haggerty’s personal philosothe BuildUp crew stopped by The Church phy — “Build people up, don’t tear them of St. Gregory in Clarks Green. While padown” — lives on, one handwritten sticky rishioners attended Mass inside, they stuck note at a time. notes on the windows of the empty cars The Clarks Green woman’s message is the outside. Some of the messages were well inspiration behind BuildUp, a campaign to known inspirational quotes, including “Be spread kind words and positivity while hon- the change you wish to see in the world,” oring Haggerty’s memory, her friend Judy Zoë Haggerty said. Others offered personalDetter said. Once a month since September, ized positivity, simple reminders that “You members have chosen spots to leave upliftare awesome” or just wishes for a nice day. ing messages for people. In all, they figure The six discreetly waited nearby to see they’ve spread more than 1,000 of the notes, the reactions of the notes. People smiled Zoë Haggerty, Rebecca’s daughter, said. and laughed when they read the surprises. “We’re really hoping to spread it as far as Others snapped photos of the notes. we can, as many people as we can possibly Other stops included the Abington Comreach,” Zoë Haggerty said. munity Library, Abington Heights High The 20-year-old can remember her mother School and the Marley’s Mission annual teaching the lesson to her and her sisters Blue Ribbon Gala. Another time, the group from the time they were young. It was more went to Geisinger Community Medical than mere words, but an idea she embodied. Center and left messages on vehicles parked “She was very quick to offer prayers or there. That experience proved emotional for words of encouragement to other people,” the group. Her mother had received treatZoë Haggerty said. “There’s a lot of good in ment there, Zoë Haggerty said. Some nurses the world and we have the power to spread went to the group’s Facebook to tell them that. We have the power to change somehow the notes helped them after an espeone’s day with kindness. I think she really cially challenging day. wanted to impart that in us.” “To go there and leave a positive message When doctors diagnosed her mother for someone who might be going through a with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain dark time, that was really special to us,” Zoë cancer, in May 2017, her commitment to the Haggerty said. Moving forward, the group hopes to idea strengthened, Zoë Haggerty recalled, though surgery and medication affected Re- expand more and get involved in local schools. Their next stop, in March, is John becca Haggerty’s speech and forced an abF. Kennedy Elementary School in Scranton, breviation to her mantra. It became “build where they’ll leave notes for fourth and up” instead. After the diagnosis, Detter spent Wednes- fifth graders. For Zoë Haggerty and her sisters, BuildUp days with Rebecca Haggerty. As mothers, the conversation sometimes turned to social has proved cathartic and aided in the grieving process over the loss of their mother. media use in young people and concerns “I think its helped us find a way to honor that human interaction and connection had my mom in a way that reflected the way she become casualties of technology, Detter lived her entire life,” Zoë Haggerty said. “It said. Those talks and Rebecca Haggerty’s message prompted BuildUp’s birth after her puts a positive spin on things and we can sense she’s present with us as we’re spreaddeath in April. ing her message.” “‘Build people up, don’t tear them down’ still resonated with me and I thought that Contact the writer: cover@timesshamrock. com; 570-348-9144 x5363; @ClaytonOver was something we could do something on Twitter with,” Detter said. So she reached out to Zoë Haggerty with the idea of leaving handwritten positive Learn more messages on car windows once a month as To learn more about BuildUp or to a way to honor Rebecca Haggerty by spreadpurchase a BuildUp T-shirt or sticky ing positivity and offering reminders of the notepad to leave your own positive power of a kind word. Zoë Haggerty and her messages, visit the campaign’s sisters, Charlotte, 15, and Lilly, 13, plus DetFacebook page. ter and her daughters, Zoe, 15, and Allie, 14,
LINDA SCOTT | IN THE ABINGTONS
A country kitchen comes to town CLARKS SUMMIT — Lee Jamison dreamed of opening his own store to sell his homemade products. This dream was realized with the recent opening of Annie’s Country Kitchen, located at the rear of 400 South State St. Jamison previously used space at the Clarks Summit United Methodist Church and Countryside Community Church but outgrew it. “My aunt and uncle Ann and Warren Thompson started to make jam, salsa and pickles,” said Jamison. “My mother Florence Jamison also helped. I was working construction and got hurt on the job. My doctor told me I’d never go back to construction. I was never interested in cooking but no one was going to take over what they were doing. It was going to die on the vine. I took a food safety course at The University of Scranton and started cooking.” “My mother recently died,” said Jamison. “She helped me with the
prep work such as chopping and peeling. She was helpful to everyone and was a very hard worker.” Jamison’s daughter Christy Jamison helps with graphics for the business. For now, everything that is made is done on top of a stove. An industrial 80-gallon steel kettle was recently purchased. That will increase production. The business also added a cooling tunnel that will cool the glass jars before they are sealed and closed with a metal lid. Jamison makes four kinds of salsa: Baby Bear (mild), Mama Bear (medium), Papa Bear (hot) and Wild Bear (extra hot), along with seven varieties of jams and jellies. He also produces blueberry and strawberry syrup, marmalade, four types of cobbler filling and chili sauce. “I was visiting a veteran center and an ice cream truck was outside,” said Jamison. “I asked if he could add my cherry cobbler fill-
ELIZABETH BAUMEISTER Suburban Subplots
Uncle Charlie’s stories After all these years, I can still hear in my mind Uncle Charlie’s voice. Or I should say voices. Uncle Charlie used different ones when reading stories, switching back and forth between narrator and characters. And each voice was recognizable. Uncle Charlie is not my uncle; we’re not related at all. I’ve never even met him. But as a child, I knew him through the radio programming of Children’s Bible Hour, or CBH Ministries, which later became Keys for Kids Ministries. When I was a kid, my bedtime routine included tuning in to the Christian radio station, WPEL. After the first drama there was a shorter syndicated program, “Keys for Kids.” In that program, Charlie VanderMeer, known to his audience as “Uncle Charlie,” read object lesson stories that applied biblical principles to children’s everyday lives. Those stories came from back issues of the “Keys for Kids” children’s devotional booklet published every other month by the organization. Both the booklet and program are still being produced today but it’s been a long time – years – since I thought about Uncle Charlie and his “Keys for Kids.” It all came back to me Friday evening through a Facebook post. I noticed several of my friends all shared the same article, so I stopped scrolling to check it out. “‘Uncle Charlie’ from ‘Children’s Bible Hour’ dies,” read the headline. VanderMeer died Friday, Feb. 22 at age 84, according to several news outlets in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Keys for Kids Ministries is based. His biography on the Keys for Kids Ministries website states, “when he was nine years old, Charlie was picked out of a studio audience by then host, ‘Uncle Mel Johnson’ to participate in a live broadcast of Children’s Bible Hour. From there he went on to a regular spot in the program, reading from “Charlie’s Scrapbook,” reciting poems, helping in the dramatized stories and often serving as ‘junior emcee.’” He left the program at age 17 to attend college and returned in 1956 with a major in radio and television production. He filled various Please see STORIES, Page 12
What’s inside Calendar ........................ 2 Contest .......................... 3 Obituaries ....................... 4 Suburban Family ............. 6 Fitness spotlight ............. 6 Suburban Life ................. 7 Just for Fun .................... 8 Sports ............................ 9 EmmA BLACk / STAFF PHOTOS
Lee Jamison stands next to a Steam Kettle, a piece of equipment used to produce commercial-size batches. ing to the ice cream to make me a sundae. It was outstanding.” He gets his produce from area
farmers. Please see COUNTRY, Page 12
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