By: Lindsay Ward
DUBOIS, Pa. -- A church in a gated community just outside of DuBois, Clearfield County, is not just a place to pray, but to play ball. It may sound odd at first, but the Treasure Lake Church is hoping it's new addition will bring the community closer together. Although this week's Making a Difference will explain how sports are playing a role at the church, it's also about a woman who helped make that addition a reality.
The $4 million addition that includes a gym, childcare and an exercise room at the Treasure Lake Church at first was more of a dream, but thanks to Charlotte Bushong, it's a reality.
"It is a wonderful thing that we've had happen to us here," Pastor Richard Whitaker said.
"It could accomplish was needed to be done," Bushong said.
Her $2.2 million donation helped make that dream come true.
So why did she do it? Well, let's start from the beginning.
In October 2012, Bushong received devastating news that she had cancer, and only had four months left to life.
"Most people would that are told they had caner take a defeatous attitude, but I've taken it that I know it's there, but it's not gonna get me," Bushong said.
Soon after her diagnosis, she attended a church meeting discussing the possibility of adding on a gym and outreach center.
Whitaker was there, too.
"And then the next day she asked me to go out to breakfast with her. She said she wanted to give us $2 million to make that dream come true," Whitaker said.
Shocked and feeling incredibly blessed, Whitaker was speechless.
"I thought, "wow.' I'm not even sure I thanked her, I think I did," Whitaker said. "I was really blown away and it just took my breath away."
With money the church already raised along with Bushong's generous donation, movement on the project went quickly.
Ground was broken last March.
"I thought, well, this money is given to make a place possible for the people to get off the streets," Bushong said.
And Bushong was there for it all, clearly surpassing the few months she was told she had left.
"How you use your mind and how you think is how your life goes on from there," Bushong said.
"She would stop by, we would watch the trees go down, the walls come up, the dirt being dug," Cathy Donahue said.
The center is called "The Charlotte Walford Fritts Bushong Family Life Center." The long title honors her two late husbands who she said were very money savvy.
"I had known there was a lot of money available through annuities and so forth, and over the years it had build up," Bushong said.
Knowing that the center was about helping today's youth, and never having children herself, Bushong said the decision to put millions into the center is a decision she won't regret.
"'Cause I shouldn't be here," Bushong said.
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