Being part of a community comes with certain responsibilities. Being part of a community fosters various types of relationships. Being part of a community results in specific perks.

Steps to Success plays an important role in the Conestoga Valley community. Not only is the local nonprofit's upcoming Trunk or Treat and book fair event a celebration of the CV community, but it's also Steps to Success' way of celebrating being part of that community.

"We've definitely become more prominent in the community," said Adriana Witman, who's been Steps to Success' early education administrative director for the past year. "We might be a child care center, but we really take our position in the community seriously. We want to be the voice for kids. This event provides just a small glimpse into the amazing things we do every day."

While Steps to Success does conduct fundraisers to support its mission of providing affordable child care, the Trunk or Treat and Scholastic book fair is the only community-wide outreach event it conducts each year. This year's edition, the fourth annual, will be staged on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Zion Lutheran Church, 18 Quarry Road, Leola.

The event is free to attend, and the fair will offer Scholastic books for purchase.

"It's a lot of fun," said Witman. "Everybody's having a really good time. It's a lot of community. It's very busy. There's a lot to do. It's very high energy, and there's a lot of engagement."

The event will feature up to 40 vehicle trunks decorated for the Halloween season. Children may visit the trunks to receive candies, goodies and snacks. Prizes will be awarded for the best decorated trunk and the best costume.

The event will also feature bounce houses, hot dogs, drinks, information booths hosted by community partners and food trucks.

Individuals seeking to host trunks can register at http://www.stepstosuccessinc.com/trunkortreat.

"You can come and have fun for free," said Witman. "My favorite thing is seeing kids have fun, but I also like seeing our community partners. It's more than the usual interaction. I just love the coming together."

Up to 300 members of young families and members of the CV community and beyond are expected to attend.

"The event used to be a trick-or-treat parade," said Witman. "We wanted to have an event where kids could come out, spend time with each other and have a good time. Kids get a chance to see their teachers outside of their normal element. We really make a big deal out of it. I think every year we try to make it more exciting than the year before."

Steps to Success, which was founded by Michelle Harbaugh in 1993, currently serves 365 kids living in the Conestoga Valley and Donegal school districts. The organization employs 47 workers on a full-time basis, as well as 20 part-timers.

"We want to provide quality care and education to our community while also being a role model in the community," said Witman. "We've really made a name for ourselves over the last couple of years. In 2022, we expanded beyond the Conestoga Valley area to the Mount Joy and Marietta areas."