At the age of 21, Ryan Smith, the son of Kimberly and Craig Smith, passed away on March 22, concluding his battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Ryan was a basketball standout at Lampeter-Strasburg High School (LSHS) and earned Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 MVP honors his senior year. He went on to play basketball at East Stroudsburg University, where he averaged 16.9 points and eight rebounds per game as a freshman. The Warriors made it to the PSAC semifinals and the NCAA Division II tournament in 2018-19. He was also named PSAC East Freshman of the Year and was recognized as a second-team All-PSAC East pick.

On Wednesday, July 21, from 1 to 6 p.m., the Mitzvah Moms will host an American Red Cross blood drive in honor of Ryan, an LSHS alumnus. The blood drive will take place in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church, 101 S. Decatur St., Strasburg. Preregistration is encouraged because walk-ins will not be guaranteed a time slot. To preregister, learn more about Ryan, or sign up to assist with the blood drive, visit https://bit.ly/SmithBloodDrive. Those who donate blood will be entered in a giveaway drawing for a chance to win prizes, such as gift cards to restaurants and local businesses.

Mitzvah Moms was created by Gina Krouse of Lampeter and Gena Harting of Strasburg in the fall of 2020. "Mitzvah" is a Hebrew word that means "good deed." Initially, Krouse and Harting focused on collecting items for the homeless and then shifted their mission to helping people affected by COVID-19. Now, the group helps those who are struggling with their phyrsical or mental health or are experiencing other challenges. When Mitzvah Moms leadership team member Heather Reynolds heard about Ryan's death, she asked Kimberly if the Mitzvah Moms could host a blood drive in Ryan's memory.

"Ryan has had such an impact on the community, so we decided to have this blood drive in his honor," stated Reynolds. "Mitzvah Moms is all about doing good deeds, and this is just one way we can help people."

For more information on Mitzvah Moms, readers may email mitzvahmomsrock@gmail.com, search for "Mitzvah Moms" on Facebook, or visit https://mitzvahmomsrock.weebly.com/.