The mission of Manheim Community Cares is to solve community problems, and now the nonprofit needs your help. The organization is looked for people to join workgroups to tackle two specific issues within the Manheim School District area: alcohol offenses and disorderly conduct, along with vaping among youths.

Both issues were identified through the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), which is conducted every two years, explained Dave Clark, director/coordinator for Manheim Community Cares.

"The idea is that the community members are the ones who are coming up with solutions and getting together to solve problems," Clark said. "The issues have been identified through the survey, and now we're looking for ways to facilitate problem-solving among community members."

Clark said Manheim Community Cares is looking for people to join one of four workgroups. The public relations and community outreach workgroup will work with the media and social media outlets, identify opportunities to educate and involve the community, maintain contact with stakeholders, and more. Responsibilities of the funding workgroup will include identifying resources to aid the process, developing a strategic funding plan, and writing or facilitating the writing of grants. Members of the data collection and assessment workgroup will be charged with collecting the public data and preparing it for review, analyzing the data to generate a community assessment, and more. The fourth group, the action planning workgroup, will be responsible for determining the action steps needed to implement the activities and strategies to reduce overall alcohol offenses and disorderly conduct as well as vaping among youths.

The workgroups will provide people with the opportunity to make a difference in Manheim, Clark noted. "We're looking for people that are stakeholders, anybody that has an interest in the community and wants to help," he explained.

Real change on the local level will come from the people who live locally, he emphasized. "If you want change to happen in your community, it has to come from you," he stated. "You are the community."

Workgroups will begin meeting later this spring. Meet-and-greets for more information will be held on Tuesday, April 4, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Artifice Ales & Mead, 55 N. Main St., Manheim, where refreshments and appetizers will be served, as well as from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, at The Shack, 662 S. Oak St., Manheim, where shaved ice will be served. People may contact info@manheimcommunitycares.org or call 717-482-5250 for additional information.