Thumbs up: Dana Kushla understands the pain of losing a child, and now she's turned her grief into a volunteer organization to help other parents going through the same horrible experience.

Kushla's 24-year-old son, Levi Gladfelter lost control of his vehicle while driving in Jackson Township. He died at the scene, leaving behind two daughters and a wife.

Kushla quickly realized how expensive Gladfelter's funeral would be.

"I panicked. I'm like, 'Where am I going to get the money?," she said. "Nobody ever educated us on what to do if you lose a child."

The national average cost of a funeral ranges from $7,000 to $10,000 -- and that doesn't include things like flowers or a grave, according to Kushla.

Nearly three years after the death of her son, Kushla and friends have founded a new group that aims to help families in similar situations.

The goal of Heaven's Children is to help families defray funeral and burial costs after the death of a young person. The cause of death is irrelevant, Kushla said.

The group, which got started a few months ago, will donate as much as $2,000 to a York County or Adams County family that loses a member 28 years old or younger, Kushla said.

Heaven's Children held its first fundraiser last weekend, an "American Idol"-type talent show that raised $2,513.

The group is made up of volunteers, the majority of whom have lost a child, said Kushla.

"If you haven't lost a child, don't say, 'I know how you feel,'" she advised. "Say 'I'm sorry for your loss' and leave it at that."

Thumbs up: Volunteers also were out last weekend re-establishing Prospect Hill Cemetery's Afghanistan War Flag Memorial.

They placed 1,936 miniature American flags on cemetery grounds in memory of the American soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan.

Also during Saturday's event, a banner featuring U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Zerbe was unveiled for the cemetery's Fallen Hero Banner display.

The display -- which has 19 other banners -- honors soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan and were either York County residents, buried in the county or have relatives living in the county.

Zerbe, 28, was among 30 armed services personnel to die in an Aug. 6, 2011, helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan. He was a 2001 graduate of Red Lion Area Senior High School.