Luthercare for Kids – Annville has launched its annual blanket drive in support of Blankets4Zane, collecting new, store-bought or handmade blankets to benefit children who are hospitalized.
Donations will be accepted at the early learning center, 40 S. King St., Annville, through November 10. The center hopes to collect 250 blankets this year.
The blanket drive is in memory of Zane Witmer, and Luthercare for Kids – Annville has a special connection to the Witmer family as Zane and his brother attended the center. The family operates the Zane A. Witmer Memorial Foundation and its annual Blankets4Zane drive, which donates blankets to children’s hospitals.
The Witmer family lost Zane, age 2-1/2, following a drowning accident in Florida in 2017, and today they work to advocate for water safety, education, and drowning prevention. Each year, as they approach his birthday, they collect and donate blankets as a way to celebrate and remember Zane. The blankets carry a heavy significance for the family, as each night he was hospitalized, they snuggled him into bed with a soft, cozy blanket that had been donated by generous and caring people through the Child Life program.
On November 21, what would have been Zane’s 8th birthday, the family will be traveling back to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida to deliver blankets, and their goal is to deliver 1,121 blankets – Zane’s birthdate.
Blanket donations can be dropped off at the Annville center between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Child Life requires all blankets to be new or unused if handmade. For more information, call the center at 717.867.4660. To learn more about Blankets4zane, visit www.BecauseofZane.org.
About Luthercare and Luthercare for Kids:
Founded in 1949, Luthercare, a social ministry organization affiliated with the Lower Susquehanna Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and a member of Lutheran Services in America, is a leading provider of independent, personal care and skilled care residences in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. Luthercare operates Luther Acres, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Lititz, Pa.; Spang Crest, a rehabilitation center, skilled nursing and personal care with memory support community in Lebanon, Pa.; and St. John’s Herr Estate, an independent living and personal care community in Columbia, Pa. Additionally, Luthercare operates PA Keystone Stars-accredited childcare and early learning centers in Annville and Reamstown. Luthercare, a pioneer in Childcare Programs, also offers a Mentoring Program, which aids home-based child care providers in Lebanon and Lancaster counties.