Ruth Newcomer first came to the former Barnes Hall Juvenile Detention Center in 1980. Through her church, this 40-year organist from Lancaster Grace Evangelical Congregation wanted to reach out to delinquent youth being detained in Lancaster County. If you ask any previously detained youth who Grandma Ruth is, they’ll know for sure. Ruth came to the former Barnes Hall, now the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center, practically every Tuesday evening for about two hours, for 26 years. She volunteered 8-12 hours every month since she started. Ruth discussed life, how to change lives, and how to make the right decisions. These are all tools that many of our residents have taken with them as they returned to their communities to live productive, law-abiding, loving lives. She used her vast life experience and the words of the Bible to open the eyes of our residents and to inspire them to make positive changes and choices. Grandma Ruth also played various games with the residents and always brought a snack for the youth to enjoy. For over 26 years, our residents looked forward to her Tuesday night visits and the lessons that she shared. Many of our residents came from broken or abusive homes, and her presence would bring comfort, warmth, and a sense of caring that many of them desperately yearned for. Grandma Ruth always delivered. When Ruth looked into our residents’ and staff members’ eyes before she gave you a big hug, they all knew how much she cared. There was more to this wonderful volunteer though, which made her that much more special. During her time with us, Ruth battled some hurdles. She broke her hip twice and endured major surgeries because of the injuries. It was inspiring for her to constantly call to let us know that she would be back. She was motivated to recover in order to continue her volunteer work that she loved so much. Also throughout this time, Ruth coped with the difficult loving task of caring for her husband who had a major stroke in 1972. Ruth was his pillar of strength and caretaker until his passing in 1995. If there was any inclement weather that would cause a Tuesday night session to be canceled, Ruth was on the phone immediately with us to schedule a make-up session for the following Saturday. She never liked to miss her time with our residents. During her time with us, Grandma Ruth authored two books. One titled “Seasonal Parables” and the other “Special Parables”. These books have been a staple at our facility for years. She gave copies to our residents whenever she could. She was an amazing lady. In December of 2005, WGAL News 8 did a public interest story on Grandma Ruth so that the public could catch a glimpse of this special woman. She was named a Jefferson Award winner by WGAL and was honored with WGAL’s “Women Who Care” award. Ruth lived in Lititz, PA and has two children, six grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. Someone once told Ruth Newcomer that she was amazing. Her response was, “I’m not amazing. I’m just a determined old lady”. That she was, but we still think this wonderful super-volunteer was pretty amazing too!
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