HANOVER, Pa. — Give Local York, a day of philanthropy designed to support the nonprofits helping people right in your own community, will take place from May 2 to 3.
As the event draws nearer, FOX43 will highlight some of the nonprofits that will benefit from the donations.
Mount Olivet Cemetery, located at 725 Baltimore Street in Hanover, is one of those organizations.
The historical cemetery has been in operation for 165 years. It is a non-sectarian community cemetery that was founded in 1859 as a nonprofit and is governed by an elected Board of Managers.
"We have a lot of figureheads that built up this area," Travis Cook, director of operations at the cemetery, said. "A lot of names, the founder of Hanover, and it's just people that we shouldn't forget. They spent a lot of time and effort building the community, and they're still there."
Some of the cemetery's most notable residents include:
- Col. Richard McAllister (1725-1795): Founder of Hanover, Revolutionary War veteran
- Mary Shaw Leader (1835-1913): Female journalist who reported on President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
- John Luther Long (1855-1927): Distinguished lawyer, playwright, novelist; creator of the short story that was the inspiration for "Madame Butterfly"
Donations from Give Local York will go towards resetting and restoring headstones in the historic section and repairing the roads.
Those who would like to support the cemetery but can't donate are invited to volunteer in a number of positions, including headstone cleaning, fundraising/events and gardening. Anyone interested in lending their time can fill out this online form or connect with Friends of Mount Olivet Cemetery on Facebook.
For more details on what Give Local York is all about, instructions on how to make a donation and the full list of nonprofits that will benefit, click here.