Our Story
Approximately five years ago, Conestoga Valley school social worker, Katie Reiff, saw that specific needs were not being met for children and families and wanted to do something about it. She reached out to several people she knew personally, all with varying connections to the CV school district and all with a heartbeat for the CV community and those facing needs, and invited them to begin touring other local “hubs” in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. This group of 5-7 individuals spent about two years visiting the different hubs, meeting with their directors, touring their facilities, and really just asking lots and lots of questions, compiling information to best form the CV “hub.”
And then COVID hit, pausing any real forward movement for about a year.
In the Fall of 2021, the group relaunched, beginning to meet monthly, and at this time, they selected a core group of people to form their first board of directors: Michelle Kime (President), Kristen Hershey (Vice President), Katie Reiff (Secretary), Sue Orth (Treasurer), Sally Bredeman, Chris Lautsbaugh, and Dan Cloyd. Then in the Fall of 2022, SEEDS became an official 501c3 non-profit organization!
SEEDS was formed to cultivate a healthy, thriving Conestoga Valley community, focusing on three key areas: Health, Education, and Housing. We want to work smarter, not harder, building bridges and strong partnerships between SEEDS, the Conestoga Valley School District, the CV community, and other non-profit organizations who are already doing great work, all while bettering our community and the lives of all individuals who live in it. In September 2021, SEEDS began meeting monthly at Faith E.C. Church in Lancaster. And in October 2022, we launched our first program, Adult ESL Classes.
