The LuLac Edition #2754, October 19th, 2014

WHITE HOUSE HONORS AFFORDABLE CARE ACT “CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE”

On Monday he White House will honor "Champions of Change" who are leading local efforts to advance the goals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These Champions have distinguished themselves by raising awareness about ACA and helping countless Americans sign up for high-quality, affordable health insurance. The program will feature remarks from Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and other Administration officials.
The Champions of Change program was created as an opportunity for the White House to feature individuals doing extraordinary things to empower and inspire members of their communities. The event will be live-streamed on the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov/live. You can join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #WHChamps. To learn more about the White House Champions of Change program, visitwww.whitehouse.gov/champions.
A Pennsylvanian honored by the White House is:

Pat Halpin-Murphy, Ambler, PA

Pat Halpin-Murphy is the President and Founder of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC). A creative and effective women’s health advocate, Pat founded the PBCC in June 1993. The PBCC extends public awareness of breast cancer and works to increase public and private funding for research and high-quality screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Pat’s dedication to improving the lives of women has led to dramatic legislative changes in Pennsylvania, including mandatory insurance coverage for reconstructive surgery after mastectomy, mammograms for uninsured women between the ages of 40 and 49, and extension of Medicaid coverage to uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer. She is committed to educating the public about the Affordable Care Act and sharing the information with individuals and groups across the state.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This came via press release from The White House. This is actually one of the few things I can use from them. You would not believe how many fundraising e mails that come to all of my in boxes.

BACK AT THE ENGINE HOUSE

My dad (right front, hat and glasses) and his gang working the rails. This picture was taken in the summer. The story depicts my dad’s time in the winter as an employee of The Lehigh Valley Railroad.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I ran this on Face book the past weekend. I’m putting it up on LuLac for those not fully engaged in social media.

For the last 17 years the community of White Haven has been involved in turning a converted railroad facility once owned by the Lehigh Valley Railroad into a Library and Community Center. As District Consultant of the Wilkes Barre Library District Mrs. LuLac has been following this for many a year. Every fall we’d attend The Annual Taste of White Haven event as the town inched further and further towards its goal.
In 2013 the Library opened. The Engine House project is an adaptive reuse of a former Lehigh Valley Railroad engine repair shop into a community library and regional visitors’ center. As part of the railroad transportation system in the late 1800s and mid 1900s, the building was determined eligible for the National Registry of Historic Buildings. The structure is believed to be the only remaining repair shop of its kind in Pennsylvania.
For me it was very special because the original railroad engine house was where my father would work during horrible snow storms. He and a crew would clean track and would end up in White Haven in that repair show.
Snow days were never fun for me because it meant my dad was out in the cold during the brunt of the storm cleaning those tracks while I sat in a warm house wondering when he’d come home. Some days he’d be out for more than 18 hours straight.
The old engine house, now a restored Library and Community Center has given people the opportunity to buy a plaque and put it in the building.
Here’s the plaque that is now part of that building where my dad, as a laborer world work. Growing up in The Depression and being the oldest child of seven, I doubt he ever had the opportunity to even be inside a library as a youth. But he was the type of father who would always encourage his children to read and reach for our goals. I think it’s fitting that his memory is surrounded by books in a place where he worked for more than four decades.