New Penn and its employees at the New Penn corporate headquarters in Lebanon, Pa., provided their support to the L.E.E.K. Hunting & Mountain Preserve in Oswayo, Pa. with a $3,200 donation. The money was raised over the past year from purchases at a snack stand in the corporate offices. The donation will help L.E.E.K. fulfill its mission of providing hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational opportunities to recently returned wounded veterans. The Navy Club of Lebanon, Ship 91, had pledged to match the amount raised at New Penn, but in actuality donated $5,000. Colonel Edward Fisher accepted the check on behalf of the wounded veterans and volunteers at L.E.E.K. during their annual open house May 11, 2013.
Priscilla Ebright, Payroll Manager at New Penn, and her husband Barry visited L.E.E.K. during an open house in 2011. They learned about its mission and felt compelled to help L.E.E.K. assist our wounded veterans. Priscilla approached Steve Gast, New Penn president, with the idea of a snack stand at corporate headquarters where all proceeds would benefit L.E.E.K. He approved. “Every one of us owes a debt of gratitude to our fellow citizens in military service, and especially to those wounded in battle,” said Steve Gast, New Penn president. “They paid a tremendous price to secure our freedom. It is gratifying to have New Penn employees and others in our community play a role in helping these wounded warriors.”
The stand raised $2,500 in its first year of operation. Thus far New Penn employee snack stand contributions have totaled $5,700. An additional $400 from the stand was donated to purchase Christmas gifts and clothing for the families of deployed servicemen from the Pa. National Guard stationed at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, located in Lebanon County, Pa.
“The snack stand is a great way to raise funds for this wonderful organization dedicated to helping our wounded warriors,” said Priscilla Ebright. “We’re grateful to New Penn and its employees, the Navy Club of Lebanon, and many other organizations and individuals assisting L.E.E.K. to meet its goal of never denying a wounded warrior the opportunity to participate in the program. When you meet a 20-year-old who lost both legs in combat and see him fishing in the beautiful mountains of northern Pa., you are a changed person. We are proud to do what we can to help these veterans who’ve sacrificed so much for our country.”
L.E.E.K. provides a friendly handicap-accessible camp environment and therapeutic outdoor activities like hunting and fishing to encourage our wounded heroes to focus on their abilities, without compromising their current physical limitations. L.E.E.K. (an acronym for the names of the founders’ family members Lew, Elaine, Ed and Kate) is entirely volunteer-based. All donations go directly to providing housing, food, equipment and recreational opportunities for wounded veterans. Many of the participants arrive directly from medical facilities throughout the U.S. The program is designed to provide a therapeutic outdoor experience as the wounded veterans are introduced back into an accepting and appreciative society.
