Little, blonde-haired Melissa Balmer has a big smile... and a warm hug.

She has the constant-motion energy so typical of a second-grader, but she lives in a setting quite atypical for a child.

When people see the Masonic Homes' sprawling Elizabethtown campus, most think of retirement living. And most countians don't realize the site is shared by 40 children like Melissa who call the campus their home through the Masonic Children's Home program.

Melissa and her three sisters used to live in Middletown with their father and his girlfriend, she says. But three years ago, the girls moved to the Children's Home, and they live among the cozy hilltop cottages on the sprawling, tree-lined campus.

Although Melissa admits she was a little scared when she came to the residential program at age 5, she says she now has some special friends. Helped by weekly visits with her father, Melissa and her sisters seem at home.

"We have scooters," the 8-year-old exclaims suddenly. "I ride down that hill," she says, pointing to a bicycle path. "I don't really put the brake on."

The children's program, which began about 88 years ago, was established to help the children and grandchildren of Freemasons, a charitable, international fraternity.

The original residents probably were orphans, says Gilson Cash, the program's director. Initially, all were related to Masons. But by-law changes eventually opened the program to any child living in the state.

Cash says the children at the home come from families unable to cope with the complexities of child-rearing. The children are chosen based on need and personal interviews, he says. The need can be financial, emotional or environmental.

Children in such situations may come with a lot of emotional baggage, Cash conceded. Some adjust to the program and others do not. Those who cannot are referred to programs more appropriate for them, he explains.

The Elizabethtown program is the only one like it in the state. Similar Masonic programs exist in California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Nebraska. All of the Pennsylvania children are sponsored by Masonic lodges across the Commonwealth.

"I have never known a (Masonic) lodge to turn down an opportunity to sponsor a child," Cash says.

He adds that while the program is monitored "soup to nuts" by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, no public monies are used to operate it. He says families incur no cost when their children are admitted.

On Friday, the Masonic Homes will honor its children with its annual Youth Appreciation Day. All of the children will be guests at a luncheon that will be attended by the board of directors, the Children's Home staff and parents.

Awards will be given to the children for their achievements and activities. One student, Justin Raihl, will be graduating from high school and saying goodbye. At the end of the day, the children will gather in an area behind the cottages to plant a dogwood tree. It is an exciting event for them all, co-assistant director Ginny Migrala says.

One person who arrived at the home carrying a heavy load of emotional baggage years ago was the Rev. A. Preston Van Deursen, now director of pastoral care for Masonic Homes.

"I came here at age 8 in 1963 from northeast Philadelphia," he says in a calm, straight-forward manner. "I was heading for big trouble. I stole from stores, and I was smoking cigarettes at 8 years old."

Van Deursen's mother, who had an unstable marriage and problems with alcohol, he says, was unable to cope with raising her five children. His grandfather, a Mason, placed him and his four sisters in the Elizabethtown Masonic Homes program after his mother disappeared for a while.

Van Deursen doesn't remember being afraid of moving to the home. He only recalls being "in awe of how large the place was. It was almost in one sense like a paradise. ...You had your own swimming pool. It was how the rich people lived."

He also remembers the program being much more regimented in those days.

"It was like being in military school," he says. "You did everything by a buzzer. We did chores. We had to clean. It was very organized but perfunctory."

"After a while, this became home," he says. "I was never angry about being here. I always felt I was in a better place. I was always thankful for being able to come here. ...Coming here was the gateway for being able to put my life together in a totally different direction."

After he went to divinity school and became a pastor at a Lutheran church in Ohio, he returned to the Masonic Homes "to pay back the people who took care of me," he says.

"I'm sure God wants me to be here," he says. "When I was here, I don't remember being able to go to someone to cry. I was pretty much on my own since the fourth grade."

For that reason, he takes care to be especially available to the children in times of crisis, such as last year when a beloved house parent died unexpectedly.

"It had big impact on the children," he says.

Much about the children's program has changed in the years since Van Deursen lived there, he acknowledges. Regular psychological assistance is available for the young residents.

Additionally, the program has been moved out of the massive, stone dormitory buildings where he lived into today's modern cottages. The program also urges the children to continue their education in college or trade school.

"When I left here, it was like 'see you later,'" Van Deursen recalls. "That was the toughest thing. I didn't have anybody. I just had a few hundred dollars from what I earned working at (the YMCA's) Camp Shand.

"Now, they work with you to support you in every way they can (with continuing education)."

Today, the children attend classes in the Elizabethtown Area School District or in the county's vocational-technical system. Since 40 children get involved in a lot of activities, a fleet of drivers waits every day to transport them to team sports, music lessons, friend's homes, volunteer work and part-time employment. Many of the volunteers are from Elizabethtown College.

"We have great kids here," Migrala says with affection and pride. Despite the unusual circumstances, she says, life at the Children's Home is pretty much like life anywhere.

Todd Cook, who lives in the older boys' cottage, is a very outgoing teen. He exemplifies what Migrala describes. He arrived from Pittsburgh at age 10. Now 16, he is active on the Masonic campus and in school and is enthusiastic about exploring a career in "business or maybe politics."

Perhaps, he adds quickly, he will become a pharmaceutical salesman. Life obviously holds a lot of choices for him. But things were not always this peachy.

"When I first came to visit, I was crying," he admits. "It freaked me out. But I moved around a lot when I was younger, and there are a lot better educational opportunities here."

Todd sees his mother about twice a month and speaks to her and his older sister throughout the week. He finds life at the Children's Home to be quite decent.

"The guys around here get along pretty well," he says. "We don't hold grudges. We just go out and play basketball."

Todd says he feels he has "really benefited" by living at the home.

Many children, Migrala says, retain their ties with the home long after they leave. Some, like Van Deursen, even return there to work.

As with any large family, Migrala notes, some offspring stay close by, while others strike out for more distant territory. But, also as in most families, a link remains.

"Our children tend to stay in touch," she says. "The kids come back. They bring their own children. They like to say, 'This is where I grew up.'"

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