Announcing the 2026 Lancaster County Weaver Award Winners
At a time when disconnection can feel increasingly common and when it might feel like everything is coming apart at the seams, there are neighbors across Lancaster County quietly doing the opposite: weaving people together.
If you take a look around, you’ll notice there are more people weaving the social fabric of our community together than people trying to unravel it. A weaver sees a need and invites their neighbors to pitch in and find a solution. They understand that a healthy community strengthens all of us, and create opportunities to build strong, lasting relationships. They know that deep connections happen in everyday places, so they build trust in their own back yards, on their blocks, at the park, or in a coffee shop.
“We know that finding solutions to Lancaster County’s biggest challenges starts with our ability to respect, talk with, and connect to others. The Weaver Awards highlight people already doing this work. By elevating the stories of everyday people identifying needs and inviting others to be part of the solution, we hope to inspire others to do the same,” Tracy Cutler, Executive Vice President, Lancaster County Community Foundation.
As Community Hosts in partnership with Weave: The Social Fabric at the Aspen Institute, The Lancaster County Community Foundation and Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund launched a four-year effort to find, support, and celebrate everyday neighbors who are building trust, nurturing belonging, and weaving the social fabric in our community. Out of 160 nominations, 20 local individuals or small organizations throughout Lancaster County were chosen to receive awards of $2,500 to grow their local impact and spark new connections.
Meet the first 20 Lancaster County Weaver Award Winners:
Richard Abate | Good Dads
Good Dads connects and supports Lancaster-area fathers who want to take an active role in parenting. The group creates opportunities for dads to build relationships, share experiences, and support one another while developing a stronger sense of community around engaged fatherhood.
Location: Lancaster County
Rachel Factor | Repair Fair
Repair Fair Lancaster hosts free, volunteer-led events that match people who have items in need of repair with neighbors who have the skills to mend them. The events use practical skill-sharing to reduce waste while creating opportunities for people across Lancaster County to meet, help, and learn from one another.
Location: Lancaster County
Jill Heine | New Holland Community Circles
New Holland Community Circles brings residents together to build connection and resilience through the Restorative Circle process. The gatherings create space for neighbors to listen to one another, share experiences, and develop relationships that strengthen connection within the New Holland community.
Location: New Holland
Ray Hurst | Sprouts for Peace Garden
Sprouts for Peace Garden grows fresh, nutritious food for children and families at the New Holland Mennonite Church Early Learning Center and for community food programs. The garden connects growing and service, engaging people in producing food that is shared with neighbors throughout the community.
Location: New Holland
David Kling | Terre Hill Area Senior Connections
Terre Hill Area Senior Connections brings older adults together for connection, learning, service, and community support across northeastern Lancaster County. The initiative creates opportunities for seniors to build relationships with one another while staying active and engaged in their communities.
Location: Northeastern Lancaster County
Joseph Landis | ReHome
ReHome brings community members together to help refugees establish safe, stable homes in Lancaster County. The initiative connects donated household resources and local support with newly arriving families while creating opportunities for neighbors to participate in welcoming them to the community.
Location: Ephrata, Lancaster City, and Lititz
Zoë Lens | SoWe Neighborhood Engagement
Jackie Linetty & Andrea Miller-Rodriguez | Lancaster Refuge
Lancaster Refuge is a volunteer organization formed to fill gaps in support of refugees when federal resettlement was paused. Organizers and volunteers work alongside newly arriving families to help them establish themselves in Lancaster, creating a community-based network of practical support and welcome.
Location: Akron and Lancaster City
Michael Mantooth | Conestoga-Susquehannock Tribe:
Michael’s work creates opportunities for Lancaster residents to learn about and connect with the living Conestoga-Susquehannock community. Through education and relationship-building, the project addresses misconceptions about the tribe’s continued presence and helps connect Indigenous history, culture, and contemporary community life.
Location: Lancaster County
Megan Martin | Friends of Reservoir Park
Friends of Reservoir Park brings neighbors and residents together around the care, preservation, and future of Lancaster’s Reservoir Park. The community group creates a shared way for people to connect with one another while caring for an important neighborhood gathering place.
Location: Lancaster City
Justice McNeil | Healing Through Hobbies Craft Club
Healing Through Hobbies Craft Club uses creativity as a way for people to reconnect with themselves and build relationships with others. The club creates welcoming opportunities for participants to gather, make things, and find connection through shared creative activity.
Location: Lancaster City
Libby Modern | Modern Art Peep Show
Modern Art Peep Show turns a storefront window in Lancaster’s west end into a rotating stage for creative experimentation. Each day for a month, a different artist takes over the space, creating an accessible neighborhood experience that connects artists, residents, and passersby through art.
Location: Lancaster City
Laura Pauls-Thomas | Ride, Roll & Stroll Lancaster
Ride, Roll & Stroll Lancaster is a young-adult-led, intergenerational community-building and transportation advocacy project. It brings residents, advocates, nonprofit leaders, and other community members together around safer streets and creates opportunities for people to connect while walking, biking, rolling, and advocating for their neighborhoods.
Location: Lancaster City
Keisha Scovens | Let’s Go 1-2-3
Let’s Go 1-2-3 brings southeast Lancaster residents together around outdoor experiences and the natural environment. The project uses education, conversation, and community engagement to help neighbors connect with one another and prepare for changes to the landscape in their neighborhoods.
Location: Lancaster City
Lee Shannon | Drink & Draw
Drink & Draw is a weekly, low-pressure gathering at West Art for artists, crafters, art enthusiasts, and anyone looking to bring more creativity into their lives. The recurring event gives people an informal place to create alongside one another and develop relationships around a shared interest.
Location: Lancaster City
Vincent Smith | Infamous Unstoppables Drill Team
The Infamous Unstoppables Drill Team gives young people a positive outlet to build confidence, leadership skills, teamwork, and discipline through the arts. The team creates a shared experience where young people can develop skills and relationships while participating in their community.
Location: Lancaster City, Columbia, and Holtwood
Phyllis Stuckey | Stitching for Hope Project
Stitching for Hope brings volunteers at Moravian Manor Communities together to create handmade comforters for people in need. The project builds relationships through sewing and service and extends that connection through intergenerational mentorship and partnerships with community organizations.
Location: Akron, Ephrata, and Lititz
Samantha Sweigert | Sunday Scaries Snail Mail Club
The Sunday Scaries Snail Mail Club brings people together through monthly gatherings, pen pals, and letter writing. The free, intergenerational club creates opportunities to meet new people, deepen friendships, share community activities, and engage with elected officials through postcards while celebrating an analog form of connection.
Location: Lancaster City
Jane Weigel | Neighborhood Fairy Garden
Jane created a fairy garden with her family and neighborhood children as a community gathering place. Weekly notes and surprises from the garden’s fairies give children and families a recurring reason to visit, interact, and build connection around a playful shared neighborhood tradition.
Location: Lampeter
Katie Williamson | Hey Neighbor
Hey Neighbor connects families who are new to Covenant Childcare Center with seasoned families who can offer support, practical insights, and encouragement during the transition to childcare. The program helps families build relationships, strengthen trust, and develop a greater sense of connection and belonging within the community.
Location: Lancaster City
Interested in The Weaver Awards?
Weave: The Social Fabric Project is an initiative of the Aspen Institute dedicated to strengthening trust, connection, and belonging in communities across the United States. Weave supports everyday weavers—neighbors who show up for others, bridge divides, and build community. Through storytelling, online learning, community-building programs, and the Weaver Awards, Weave works to repair America’s social fabric from the ground up and lift up the people who are already leading this work in their neighborhoods. Learn more at weavers.org.
Nominations for the next 20 Lancaster County Weaver Awards will open in 2027!
