Former Valley resident opening animal sanctuary
By Matt Petras
For the MV Independent
The need to make an unexpected career change prompted Mon Valley native Gina Geffert Beck to start an animal sanctuary.
She learned in 2015 that she has Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare affliction that attacks the central nervous system.
That condition affected her work as a sexual assault response coordinator for the Pennsylvania National Guard. She switched to working part-time, but eventually stopped because of her illness.
A Donora native who now lives in Hummelstown, Pa., Gina is starting a farm with her husband, Jerry Beck. So far, they have set up some barns and a chicken run, an outside space for chickens. The couple has already begun work on the sanctuary, which they plan to complete in August and open by fall.
