Sixty-two homeless students attend Penn Manor School District (PMSD) and 42% of students in the district qualify for free or reduced-cost lunches. Program supplies for the Career and Technology Center (CTC) cost an average of $333 per student, college application fees cost seniors more than $40 per application, and Advanced Placement exams cost between $94 and $142 each. Together, the Penn Manor community can address these needs and others by supporting the mission of the Penn Manor Education Foundation (PMEF).

For the past 24 years, the PMEF has supported teachers, students, and residents of the PMSD. PMEF offers more than 40 different scholarships to graduating Penn Manor High School seniors every winter before graduation, which total more than $70,000. In addition to scholarships, the foundation provides venture grants to support and enhance classroom instruction at schools within the PMSD and assists Penn Manor families in need through its Strong & Healthy Families grant program. These are only a few of the ways in which PMEF assists teachers, students, and residents.

As a nonprofit organization, PMEF relies on community support. On Sunday, Sept. 19, PMEF will host its annual dinner fundraising gala. The event will take place outdoors at Drumore Estate, 331 Red Hill Road, Pequea, and will begin at 5:30 p.m. The ticket cost will provide attendees with hors d'oeuvres, refreshments, and dinner. The gala will include a pre-dinner reception featuring giveaways and a silent auction with items donated by the community, such as sporting packages, tickets to local entertainment, and handcrafted artisan items. A live auction will take place during the outdoor dinner program under the tent. Items that will be featured in the live auction include a vacation getaway, a surf and turf dinner party, a night-on-the-town package that includes transportation, and tickets to several sporting events. The PMEF board, the administration, and the gala committee will stock a beach-themed wagon with libations as a live auction item, which is usually popular among returning guests. The master of ceremonies for the evening will be Kristy Aurand of Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County. Aurand and her family also live in the PMSD. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about PMEF and connect with other members of the community.

"I'm all about relations, so if we can connect new people to each other at the event and have them mutually benefit from attending, then I will be super happy," said gala co-chair Jerissa Warfel.

"Being in a beautiful venue with familiar faces and new faces will be very exciting for our guests," stated PMEF executive director Jan Mindish.

To purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/PMEFgala. For more information, contact Warfel at 717-203-5817 or Nicki Nafziger at 717-823-0066. To learn more about PMEF, visit https://pennmanoredfoundation.org.