Mediation Services of Adams County Helps Bring Peace to Our Community
Mary Kay Turner
October 2020
Mediation Services of Adams County (MSAC) provides low-cost conflict resolution assistance for people involved in conflicts, with sliding scale fees based on income. This is most helpful when communication has become difficult and it seems that people cannot resolve their differences. Mediators work to preserve the relationship between the people in conflict when relationships are important. Mediation can be helpful in resolving many kinds of conflicts: family, landlord/tenant, neighbors, workplace, church, and more. MSAC has created a procedure for mediating on Zoom in these times when it is often better to keep people apart.
Mediators explain the process, and the persons involved sign an agreement to speak respectfully to each other, to listen to each other, and to attack the problem, not a person. Each one has the opportunity to tell her/his story to the other person and the mediator/s without interruption, and to listen to the other individual’s story of the situation. The mediators may ask questions to be sure they understand the story and to stimulate thinking for creative ways to resolve the conflict. Mediators do not provide solutions; instead the persons involved build resolutions that work for them and their situation.
MSAC also provides Conflict Coaching which can help when one individual is not willing to mediate. The one ready to solve the conflict can meet with a neutral Conflict Coach to look at options to manage the conflict and design a way to discuss the conflict with the other person.
Mediation Services of Adams County usually plans a Mediation Training in the spring. MSAC has trained more than 50 people—lawyers, teachers, supervisors, pastors, social workers, professors, and others—to be mediators. Many of them have volunteered to help people resolve their conflicts.
Mediation Services of Adams County would appreciate your help. Because we keep our fees affordable, much of the money for operations comes from donations. MSAC is one of over 90 nonprofits and charitable funds that are part of the Adams County Community Foundation (ACCF) 2020 Giving Spree. If you donated earlier to one of these groups, you will likely receive a Donation Form with all the groups listed on it (MSAC is #66); you might receive more than one. Watch for the Donor List from ACCF in the Gettysburg Times 4 times before Nov.5.
You may donate in 3 ways. 1) Mail one check with a Donation Form completed with all the amounts to organizations totaled, directly to Adams County Community Foundation, 25 S 4th St, Gettysburg, PA 17325; it must be received by November 5, 2020 to qualify for matching funds. 2) Give directly online to the <ACCFGivingSpree.org> giving platform during the 24 hours 12:01AM-12 midnight on November 5, 2020. 3) Drop off gifts and completed Donation Form in person at our Giving Spree drive-through at the Gettysburg Area High School parking lot, 1130 Old Harrisburg Rd., from 1PM to 5 PM on November 5, 2020.
Check our website, http://mediateadams.org, email mediationac@yahoo.com, or call 717-334-7312. You can learn more about mediation or schedule a mediation for help in resolving conflicts. Fees are economical, based on income. Mary Kay Turner is a retired teacher, who is a board member, mediator, and trainer for MSAC.