Susan Ryder

Susan Ryder

A freelance writer and communication professional, I tell people's stories, sometimes my own, in an effort to educate, inform, and move.


2020 1st Place, News Feature, Professional Keystone Media Awards
2021 Honorable Mention, Diversity, Professional Keystone Media Awards

TheBurg •

Stitch of Kindness: Area knitters remember, help the un-housed

“In 30 years or so, I’ve never had a reaction to a project that’s been this robust,” said Pat LaMarche of the Homeless Memorial Blanket Project. Knitters and crocheters from about 10 states are providing hand-knitted and crocheted blankets to be displayed at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Carlisle, as dusk descends on Dec. 21. The display commemorates National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, stirringly held on the longest night of the year, remembering those who have died while experiencing
TheBurg •

Past & Praise: Salem UCC celebrates its history, considers new ways to serve

In May 1787, delegates gathered, argued and debated in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention. At the same time, a log church was being built in Harrisburg, then a city of about 600 people, with land given to them by city founder John Harris Jr.—lot number 187 on Chestnut and 3rd streets. “They brought their faith with them, and they worked hard,” said Rev. Sue Schmidt, Salem United Church of Christ’s pastor. “It was a group of hard-working people.”
TheBurg •

GIFTS for Grandma: Harrisburg group assists, uplifts those raising their grandchildren

Seven years ago, Maryann Yeater and her husband took custody of their now-9-year-old granddaughter. “We’re glad we did what we did,” she said. “It may have changed our lives, but it was right to do.” Yeater is one of many Harrisburg-area grandparents who have found themselves in the position of raising their grandchildren. Fortunately, they don’t have to do so alone or in isolation.
TheBurg •

Off to a Good Start: Nurse Family Partnership offers a helping hand to first-time mothers

As a pregnant 19-year-old, one credit shy of finishing high school, Allison Pierre worked at a grocery store and saved money so that she and her baby’s father could move out of his grandmother’s house. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was a plan. She knew of a program called the UPMC Pinnacle Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) because her childhood friend’s mother was an NFP nurse, but she didn’t know if it was for her. And the thought was a little frightening.
theBurg •

"Out by Sunday": With a property sale, a homeless camp disbands and long-time residents wonder where to go next

On Sunday, his community will be gone. But, this past Tuesday, Enos Hake sat on his concrete patio in Harrisburg, listening to his radio. He greeted his neighbor, Dale, as he peddled by. He talked about his days as an ironworker, politics and hubbub about his neighbors. The property at 1001 Mulberry St. has been sold, and the 30-plus people who live there in the abandoned buildings and truck trailers have been told that they need to be out by Sunday.
theBurg •

Mission Accomplished: Each year, packed buses leave central PA and head out of town on the summer mission trip.

“Nana, papa, what happened to your house?” asked Kelli Williams’ grandson, when he saw the devastation Hurricane Florence had unleashed on her North Carolina home. Williams recounted this story to me as we stood in her kitchen amidst the sound of impact drivers, the smell of spackle, and the chatter of 20 people working to restore her home. I thought to myself, “This is why people go on mission trips!”
theBurg •

Promises Kept: Family Promise catches people before they fall.

“At any given day, any given moment, you could lose any and everything,” said Sandy Torres as she sat in the day center of Family Promise. Her bright-eyed, 2-year-old daughter Sofia joined the conversation, insisting that her mom put a diaper on the pearl-wearing doll she toted. As Torres helped her daughter, she explained how she, her partner and two children moved to Harrisburg from Massachusetts to be closer to extended family. The family moved in with Torres’s mother, but the landlord said
theBurg •

Heart & Hill: On Allison Hill, hard work, happiness and hope.

On a cool Saturday, Ben Countz, Serena Viera and Joanna Yoder prepared to battle trash. They loaded themselves into a van and trailer and ventured to Nectarine Street on Allison Hill to collect two couches and a dresser. Countz and Yoder manhandled the couch into the trailer then Countz navigated the narrow streets on the way to the incinerator. Back on 13th Street, Christina Herman wheeled her two daughters, ages 2 and 3, down the
theBurg •

Supplies of Smiles: Caitlin’s Smiles brings solace to hospitalized children.

A child sits on a hospital bed, away from home, sick and stressed. Someone gives her a bright, hand-colored bag holding Play–Doh, crayons and craft supplies. She smiles. That’s the goal of Caitlin’s Smiles—to provide comfort and plenty of smiles to chronically ill children. Located on N. 6th Street in Harrisburg, the organization and its army of volunteers create and distribute bags of craft supplies to children in more than 70 hospitals, from New York to South Carolina. Among the rustling of
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