The Clinic for Special Children holds a series of benefit auctions each year to fund their operations. If you’re not familiar with it, the clinic was founded 30 years ago by Dr. Holmes Morton in Strasburg, PA (Lancaster County), to help treat children with rare genetic ailments.

Most of their patients are from the Amish and Mennonite communities, but they treat others as well. Here is a video on Dr. Morton and the work of the clinic:

I attended one of these auctions in Leola, PA about 10 years ago, and it was heavily attended by the local Plain population.

The auctions account for about a quarter of the clinic’s revenue, and are well-supported by the Amish and Mennonite populations. Here’s a description of the clinic building from their site:

Our clinic serves as a trusted medical home for families working to prevent and treat genetic illness in their children. Serving predominantly Amish and Mennonite families, the sturdy, timber-framed building was “raised” by the hands of those in the Anabaptist community outside of Strasburg, PA. Inside the clinic is filled with an array of high-tech gene sequencing that allows us to deliver state of the art care in a nurturing environment.

Amish and other Plain patients and their families appreciate the work of the clinic for making what would otherwise be very costly treatments affordable, and providing care in a local environment that is attuned to Plain values.

Clinic for Special Children Auction Schedule – 2019

Here are the dates of 7 auctions for 2019, in locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Missouri. You can find out more on each of these events at the Clinic for Special Children website. Hat tip to Danielle Farmer Malik for the idea for this post.

Union County Benefit Auction Flower Auction & Rib Dinner
May 31 @ 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Buffalo Valley Produce Auction
22 Violet Road
Mifflinburg, PA 17844

Union County Benefit Auction
June 1 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Buffalo Valley Produce Auction
22 Violet Road
Mifflinburg, PA 17844

Lancaster County Benefit Auction
June 15 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Leola Produce Auction
135 Brethren Church Road
Leola, PA 17540

Shippensburg Benefit Auction
June 22 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Cumberland Valley Produce Auction
101 Springfield Road
Shippensburg, PA 17257

Blooming Grove (Shiloh, OH) Benefit Auction
July 13 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Blooming Grove Auction Inc
1091 Free Road
Shiloh, OH 44878

Missouri Benefit Auction
August 17 @ 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Ed’s Machinery, 17920 US Hwy 136
Memphis, MO 63555

Blair County Benefit Auction
September 14 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
Morrison’s Cove Produce
174 Windy Acres Lane
Roaring Spring, PA 16673

If you have a chance to attend one of these, let us know!

You might also like:


Get the Amish in your inbox


    Question on the Amish? Get answers to 300+ questions in 41 categories at the Amish FAQ.