same mission - different name
IN HONOR OF MEDARD KOWALSKI, JR. | SEPTEMBER 16, 1997 - DECEMBER 1, 2014
We are the organization many know as Medard's House
We are The Link 4 YOUth, the same organization with the same mission (and tax identification number) as Medard’s House. We changed our name in 2023 because Medard’s friends have graduated from high school, gone off to college, and are not served by the programs we offer.
The new generation of youth we are looking to attract were not fortunate enough to know Medard. Medard’s spirit is still here and honored in the new name, The Link 4 YOUth, representing the meaning of offering connection at a common place to unite as one that offers continuous opportunities to enrich lives and encourage youth to be their very best.
For those who don’t know our story about the passing of youth Medard and a dream inspired by our Executive Director, Saundra Colello, here is our story:
Medard Kowalski’s peers described him as “everyone’s best friend,” especially the group of approximately 35 teens who met informally after school in our Founder and Executive Director, Saundra Colello’s Camp Hill home. Colello’s house had no rhyme, reason, or formal program. Then, tragedy struck.
Medard Kowalski, Jr.–a member of this tight-knit group and an avid outdoorsman went missing. The community worked together to support the family and spent much time and effort trying to locate the missing teenager. During those dark months, however, there glowed a flickering light. It is that connection, that light, that has become a lasting beacon and Medard’s legacy. After three long months, Medard’s body was located. He had an accident on the river.
Saundra pursued her dream of making her passion a non-profit and found a home for Medard’s legacy in Medard’s House. Many years later, the organization has served youth and their families out of the doors in the Borough of New Cumberland.
As they continue to grow, serve more and more, and expand their services, The Link 4 YOUth will become “a thing” in 2023. The brand resonates with youth who want a place to come together and “link up,” the community it serves can find a place to volunteer and lead efforts that serve the community as a whole.
Keep following us on our website and social media to watch out for what is in store for 2024 and more!
After the tragedy, the Kowalski’s and Saundra Colello made it their mission to formalize the extended family model created by the community that came together in an act of love and sparked the foundation for Medard’s House now known as The Link Center 4 YOUth. It was created by a light, a love, and a community, to provide a web of supports to teens. Our goal is to enable youth to better cope with transitions and stressors during the critical life stage of adolescence. Since 2008, The Link has offered such support to teens wherever they could meet i.e., homes, parks, and rented community rooms.
The Link was formally designated in 2015 as a 501(c)(3) organization. In 2017, we moved into our permanent home, a donated church building in New Cumberland, where our program continues to serve the community and thrive.
The LInk believes that our youth should be able to directly find the support they need for life’s toughest challenges within their own community. We help teens to directly connect with resources in Cumberland County. We believe this can be accomplished through everyone’s help and prayers, but most of all through the power of God who has the power to transform lives.
