May fundraiser planned for new nonprofit organization

The question "What happens to a dream deferred?" is often quoted. Lenea DeTore is experiencing the opposite. "I wasn't planning on doing this right now," pointed out the 2016 Pequea Valley High School graduate. "I always wanted to start a coffee shop for people with disabilities (to work at), but I am a full-time occupational therapist working with children with disabilities, and I love it. So, I wasn't going to do this until I retired."

The Caring Cup, which Lenea hopes to open on a spot of land located near Hatville Road and Route 340 in Gordonville, will be focused on helping parents of children with special needs who have aged out of many forms of care and are looking for fulfilling work. "When the children age out, the parents don't know what to do," said Lenea, who noted that often an adult with a disability may require supervision. Lenea wants to bring a coffee shop that provides both supervision and employment to the Pequea Valley area. "It's a very caring community," she noted.

A few years ago, Lenea went to visit her great-aunt. Her second cousin was present, and when she told him about her dream, he mentioned the availability of the plot of land.

"That's what started it," recalled Lenea, who credits her husband, Nicholas, for encouraging and supporting her dream in myriad ways. "He said, 'Do it now,'" she recalled, adding, "He got me my logo and domain for Christmas (2023), and I cried." Lenea also noted that Nicholas filed her 501(c)(3) in early 2024. Not long after, that a fundraising opportunity presented itself. "Another cousin mentioned Sunrise Coffee, which is a local brewer in Intercourse," said Lenea, who is now selling the coffee at http://www.thecaringcup.com to raise funds for her organization. In addition to Lenea and Nicholas, The Caring Cup board includes Merv and Carol King, Lydia Petersheim, Sammy Riehl, Josh Riehl, Lena Riehl, Lena King, and Ron Becker.

Up next, Lenea is planning a spring fundraiser. When asked what the event would be called, Lenea said she needed to think up a fun name, and she responded enthusiastically to the suggestion to call it "Filling the Cup." The first Filling the Cup fundraiser will be held on Saturday, May 17, at King's Homestead, 3518 W. Newport Road, Ronks. Food trucks, which will include Danny's; Lapp Valley Ice Cream; and MS Catering, which will serve barbecue meals, will open at 5 p.m., and Paradise Road, a five-member Lancaster band that seeks to share the Gospel through music, will play at 6:30 p.m. Lenea said that the event, which is "bring your own seating," is free, but a freewill offering for The Caring Cup will be received. A silent auction will be held. Items that will be included in the silent auction are a pickleball net, a card table, an electric STIHL weed eater, two children's baskets, a coffee basket, two tickets to "Noah" at Sight & Sound, two tickets to the Turkey Hill Experience, and six tickets to a Lancaster Stormers game. Larger items that will be auctioned will include a Blackstone grill; one month of advertising on a virtual billboard on Route 30; a two-drill set; an Igloo cooler; golf for four at Stonewall Golf Course, including lunch, in Elverson; golf for a group of four at Honeybrook Golf Club; and hunting trips to New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina.

Lenea would love to see her fundraisers bring in a good portion of the $50,000 she needs to do land development at the construction site. "We are hoping to raise $30,000 to get that (land development) started," she said, noting that the funds will help cover permits, water runoff studies, and other essential costs.

Asked when she hopes to open The Caring Cup, Lenea replied, "Dreamfully, a year to a year and a half ... spring of 2027!" Lenea would like the shop to sell a variety of coffees and teas along with local pastries, be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week, and have a drive-through. She has already connected with the Clinic for Special Children and Community Care, both of which are adjacent to the land she hopes to build on, and she has drawings of the proposed building, which will feature seating inside and out.

The wonder of seeing pieces of her dream come true one at a time is obvious in Lenea's excitement about her progress, and, as with her husband, she is clear about where she believes credit is due. "It's a God thing," she stated. "It makes me feel like it's meant to be, and it's supposed to happen."