126052177_web1_Column-head-2

Beyond the Byline: This light will shine forever

126070234_web1_126070234-acc3c4fb1e4b4f5f906b40f819cb11ae

With no action by Washington, states race to offer virus aid

LARKSVILLE &mdash; Lana Eiden got out of her mom&rsquo;s vehicle and ran to the window at the Larksville Borough Municipal Building on Friday afternoon.
				Cupping her hands around her eyes, Lana, 7, wanted to see if any toy donations were placed in the two collecting bins she placed in the lobby of the municipal building.
				There were none.
				But that didn&rsquo;t get Lana down.
				Lana, the daughter of Bessie O&rsquo;Brien and Christopher Seigle, said she expects people donate to her cause.
				&ldquo;My mommy said we have a lot of toys, but there are a lot of children who don&rsquo;t have any,&rdquo; Lana said. &ldquo;So I got this great idea to help families get nice toys for their children so they have a Merry Christmas.&rdquo;
				Bessie O&rsquo;Brien said Lana is in her second year of &ldquo;Daisy&rdquo; with the Girl Scouts Unit 331.
				&ldquo;In Girl Scouts, we learn how to help people out,&rdquo; Bessie said. &ldquo;This has been a difficult year. We wanted to do what we could to help.&rdquo;
				Bessie said she and her husband teach their kids to never take for granted what they have..
				&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need help this year,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But there are many families with children that do need help.&rdquo;
				Bessie has set up a Facebook page for the organization &mdash; Families Helping Families Out <ins>&mdash; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1548257348678366" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/groups/1548257348678366</a></ins>.
				Lana said the two collection bins will be at the Larksville Borough Municipal Building through Dec. 13. The lobby is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
				Lana said she asks people to donate new toys that will be given to the families in time for Christmas.
				Bessie said she has reached out to local churches to help identify families in need. She said many families also need clothes for their children.
				Bessie and Christopher O&rsquo;Brien have three children: Lana, 7; Alijah, 3 1/2; and Nevaeh, 2.
				On the Families Helping Families Out Organization Facebook page, it states:
				&ldquo;This little Girl Scout is back at it again. She wants to help families for Christmas so she is doing a toy drive. You can drop off your donations at Larksville Municipal Building. We have our bin there now. Toys for any age boy or girl. Thank you for your help.
				&rdquo;This group is for families in need of help with clothes and stuff for babies, like toys. We do this with donations from people. We are collecting kids clothes in any sizes and up. Also we will be collecting toys for kids of all ages, as will as baby items to help families that are in need.&rdquo;
				Bessie then said, &ldquo;We do this because the need is out there.&rdquo;

Lana Eiden, 7, asks for help for her ‘great idea’