Allied Services Receives Patient Satisfaction Award for Second Consecutive Year Allied Services has been recognized as a Superior Performer for achieving an overall family satisfaction score that ranked in the top 20% of all eligible SHP clients. The annual SHPBest™ award program was created to acknowledge home health agencies that consistently provide high-quality service to their patients and hospice providers that consistently provide high-quality service to families and caregivers of patients receiving hospice care. The 2022 award recipients were determined by reviewing and ranking the overall HHCAHPS survey satisfaction score for more than 2,500 home health providers and the overall CAHPS Hospice survey satisfaction score for more than 1,000 hospice providers. Assistant Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care at Allied Services, Laura Marion, said, “These awards are so meaningful to our team because they are the result of feedback from our patients, caregivers, and families. To know that they see and value the quality and compassion of the care we deliver is the greatest reward.” Allied Services Hospice has served the community since 2015, providing care to more than 4,200 individuals and families in that time. Today, Allied Services’ hospice professionals provide compassionate end-of-life care in homes around Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, and at their Hospice Centers in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. The Allied Services Hospice staff is very proud to achieve this honor for the second time. They were previously recognized as a ‘Premier Performer’ in 2021. With the largest HHCAHPS benchmark and CAHPS Hospice benchmarks in the nation, SHP is in a unique position to identify and recognize home health organizations that have made patient satisfaction a priority and hospice organizations that have made family and caregiver satisfaction a priority. Read more about the SHPBest awards program, including methodology and recipient lists at www.shpdata.com/hospice/shpbest-caps-hospice.
The Chamber Announces Promotion of Employee The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, the region’s premier member-based business organization, is pleased to announce the promotion of Stephanie Juarez-Ventura to manager, content and strategic communications. Juarez-Ventura will continue working closely with the director of marketing and communications to generate and maintain The Chamber and its affiliate organization’s print and digital content. Expanding on her previous role as communications manager, Juarez-Ventura will train and mentor the communications interns, create and manage content calendars for social media and the monthly Momentum Magazine, and develop content and strategies to increase community engagement and awareness of The Chamber and its affiliates. The new title reflects the additional responsibilities Juarez-Ventura acquired last fall. Juarez-Ventura joined the Chamber’s marketing and communications team as an intern in January 2020. Amidst the global pandemic, Juarez-Ventura assisted in gathering and creating resources to support the business community, including written and graphic content for social media, Chamber and member eBlast, and Momentum Magazine. Originally from Washington State, Juarez-Ventura is a graduate of Marywood University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts double majoring in graphic design and advertising and public relations, and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University.
Chamber Names New Board and Office Administrator The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce Amanda Byron as its board and office administrator, a newly established position within The Chamber. As the board and office administrator, Byron will be the point of contact between The Chamber and its affiliate boards and committees. Her responsibilities encompass board management, communication, and reporting. In addition, Byron will provide essential administrative support to The Chamber office and affiliate organizations, Skills in Scranton and Leadership Lackawanna. Byron received an associate degree in paralegal studies from Lackawanna College. She also served as a litigation paralegal at multiple law firms, worked as an insurance customer service representative, and later as a customer care office manager, where she managed a team, handled finances, and enhanced customer satisfaction. With previous experience in office management and legal affairs, coupled with her understanding of the unique needs of organizations like Skills in Scranton and Leadership Lackawanna, Byron brings a wealth of experience to The Chamber.
Update Your Chamber Business Profile! One of the many benefits of Chamber membership is your listing in our online and printed Membership Directory. To ensure we have accurate member information for our 2024 Membership Directory, we are asking you to log in and update your business information. Click this link to Update Your Profile: view, add employees, and make changes to your membership account. STEP #1 – CREATE BILLING CONTACT To make sure the correct person/department receives invoices, a billing contact must be added to your account. Under “EDITABLE PROFILES,” choose ONE employee listed or “ADD NEW PROFILE” as your billing contact and check the “BILLING CONTACT” option and “SAVE RELATIONSHIPS”. STEP #2 – BUSINESS/ORGANIZATION PROFILE UPDATE Click the “PROFILE UPDATE” link (located in the middle column, second bullet). Click the “EDIT MY PROFILE” button. Please review each tab in the shaded section to the left to update your business information. Note the “DIRECTORY LISTING” section to be sure you are listed in your desired and proper “CATEGORY”. You may also add keywords and phrases to distinguish your business from others. Make sure to “SAVE AND SUBMIT” when completed, and you will be returned to your “PROFILE” screen. Please make all updates by Wednesday, October 25, to ensure your information is listed correctly in the 2024 Membership Directory. If you have any questions, please contact Tina Bechaver at tbechaver@scrantonchamber.com or (570) 342-7711, extension 132.
RailRider Announce Player and Pitcher Of The Month Award News from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Minor League Baseball has announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for September in each of the 11 full-season leagues in Major League Baseball’s player development system. RailRiders right-hander Will Warren was tabbed as the International League’s top pitcher for the final month of the 2023 regular season. Warren went 1-0 with a 0.63 ERA in five appearances, including three starts, allowing just two earned runs over a league-best 28.2 innings. He led the International League in strikeouts (36) and was second in average against (.152) and WHIP (0.91). His two earned runs allowed were the fewest by a pitcher with more than 14.1 innings of work. Warren was selected by the Yankees in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Southeastern Louisiana University. He made his Triple-A debut in May and went 7-4 with a 3.61 earned run average for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over 21 appearances, striking out 110 batters over 99.2 innings of work. Between the RailRiders and Somerset Patriots this season, the 24-year-old compiled a 10-4 record with a 3.35 ERA, totaling 149 strikeouts and 59 walks over 129.0 innings pitched. Warren is the sixth player in franchise history to earn a monthly honor from Minor League Baseball, joining Brandon Duckworth (Pitcher- July 2001), Jose Pirela (Player- June 2014), Aaron Judge (Player- June 2016), Jake Cave (Player- July 2017) and Michael King (Pitcher- August 2018). Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s 2024 season begins on March 29. Season tickets for the home schedule are on sale now. Please visit swbrailriders.com or contact a ticket sales representative at (570) 969-2255.
Dick’s House of Sport Spooktacular October Events Climb for a Cure – All Month long. Climb For A Cure is your chance to conquer the wall while making a meaningful contribution to the fight against breast cancer. In partnership with the American Cancer Society of NEPA, 50% of the proceeds from EVERY climb in the month of October will be donated to the organization. Half of the proceeds go to American Cancer Society Price: $10.00 per climb October 11th, 18th, 25th – Home School PE Every Wednesday! Our Home School PE program is designed for young, homeschooled athletes that want to further their healthy and active lifestyle. Each week (Sept – Oct) your athlete will learn a new unit instructed by one of our trained teammates! Units will range from rock climbing, team sports, golf, outdoor games and more! October 13th Friday the 13th Bingo – Includes Prizes! Celebrate this (un)lucky day by joining us for Friday the 13th Bingo! All athletes will receive a spooky themed bingo card and will have to walk around the store to find our teammates who associate with each bingo square. Once you get Bingo, return it back to us and you will receive a prize! FREE event October 16th National Sports Trivia Night – Get your Trivia On! – Includes Prizes! Show us what you got! Gather your buddies and join us for our first Trivia Night! In celebration of National Sports Day, our theme is, you guessed it, SPORTS! There will be prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams! Teams must be at least 2 people. Price: $10.00 per team October 17thYoga Meets Baseball/Softball Yoga benefits every athlete! This yoga session will focus on different sports each month. This month, we will be focusing on yoga for Baseball and Softball players! This class will be taught by Chelsea Manganaro, founder of NearMe Yoga. Chelsea will demonstrate the most beneficial yoga stretches you can do as an athlete. Afterwards, participants will get to sample some delicious smoothies from NearMe Cafe and take some swing in our Multi-Sport Cage! There will be 2 sessions to this class, one specifically for Softball and one for Baseball. Each will be 40 min. Please make sure to select your correct time when booking! SOFTBALL: 6:00-6:40PM BASEBALL: 7:00-7:40PM Price: $10.00 per person October 20th Halloween Paint Night with Spirited Art! Join us for a Halloween painting class instructed by Spirited Art Scranton! This class is recommended for children 6 years of age and older, however, everyone is welcome! All paint supplies will be provided and every athlete can take their painting home with them! Price: $30.00 October 27th – Halloweekend – Pumpkin Painting Join us for Halloween Events ALL WEEKEND! Crafts, Halloween Games, and more will be FREE to everyone, however, there are a few premium events that participants MUST need wristbands for. DAY 1: PUMPKIN PAINTING All athletes will receive a mini pumpkin which they can paint themselves and take home! All painting supplies will be provided. Athlete MUST have a wristband for this event. Check In at the Rock Wall. Price: $10.00 October 28th – Halloweekend – Trick or Treat & Costume Party Join us for Halloween Events ALL WEEKEND! Crafts, Halloween Games, and more will be FREE to everyone, however, there are a few premium events that participants MUST need wristbands for. DAY 2: Costume Contest Dress to impress and enter our costume contest! Each athlete will get their photo taken in their costume and hang it up on our photo wall! We will have a staff vote and select a winner at the end of the night. Winner will be contacted and they will receive a gift card! ALL Athletes will be able to participate in our in-store Trick or Treat event! Visit each department and collect candy along the way! Athlete MUST have a wristband for this event. Check In at the Rock Wall. Price: $10.00 October 29th – Halloweekend – Scavenger hunt, Doggy Trick or Treat & Costume Party! Doggy Trick or Treat & Costume Party Join us for Halloween Events ALL WEEKEND! Crafts, Halloween Games, and more will be FREE to everyone, however, there are a few premium events that participants MUST need wristbands for. DAY 3: Doggy Trick-Or-Treat & Costume Contest Celebrate Howl-O-Ween by bringing your pup to Trick-Or-Treat around the store. Our staff will have different dog treats at each department! There may be some doggy vendors along the way as well. Also, enter your spooky doggo in our costume contest! Each dog will get their picture taken and hung up on our photo wall. Staff will vote for the winners of various categories. Winners will be contacted and receive a prize! Price: $5.00 per dog PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE: There WILL be other dogs throughout the store. PLEASE only bring your dog if they are friendly! DICK’S House of Sport is not responsible for the owners or dog’s actions. Scavenger Hunt Join us for Halloween Events ALL WEEKEND! Crafts, Halloween Games, and more will be FREE to everyone, however, there are a few premium events that participants MUST need wristbands for. DAY 3: Halloween Scavenger Hunt All athletes will receive a treasure map guiding them throughout the store to find some spooky goodies! Athlete MUST have a wristband for this event. Check In at the Rock Wall.
Your Beautiful Flowers Handing Out Flower Petals at Courthouse Square Your Beautiful Flowers will be hitting the streets of Scranton at Courthouse Square on Wednesday, October 18, handing out hundreds of flowers to busy commuters to help brighten up their week, as part of the ‘Petal it Forward’ program, in partnership with the Society of American Florists (SAF), of which Your Beautiful Flowers is a member. Your Beautiful Flowers is joining hundreds of florists across the country in Petal It Forward. This random-acts-of-kindness effort is in response to the release of data by SAF showing the positive emotional benefits of flowers. University research reveals that flowers have an immediate impact on happiness and a long-term positive effect on moods. Now, a survey has found that, when it comes to flowers, it’s just as good to give as it is to receive. With this data in mind, the Petal It Forward team is not only spreading happiness to lucky Scranton residents who receive the flowers, but arming these recipients with the tools they need to Petal it Forward and spread happiness to others: An extra flower bouquet to share with a loved one, coworker or even a stranger. “We see the positive impact day in and day out when we make our flower deliveries,” said John Kennedy of Your Beautiful Flowers “People love to get flowers ‘just because’ so we wanted to create random smiles today and give people a chance to do the same for someone else.” A survey by SAF illustrates the impact of flowers. The results reveal the many benefits of flowers, including their positive effects on one’s emotions and happiness, and back up previous research studies on flowers conducted by Rutgers, Harvard and Texas A&M. (See www.aboutflowers.com/research more information on the university studies.) The following are highlights from SAF’s survey results: When it comes to happiness, it’s just as good to give flowers as it is to receive: 88 percent of Americans report that giving flowers makes them feel happy, while 80 percent reported that receiving flowers makes them feel happy. Just being around flowers improves your mood: 76 percent of Americans agree that having flowers in their home or office improves their mood. The best reason to receive flowers is “just because”: Women (92 percent) are more likely to agree with this, but the majority of men (three in four) also share this sentiment. Florists to the rescue! Nearly four in 10 Americans indicate florists have helped them in a past or current relationship; most frequently to say, “I love you,” or schedule a surprise delivery. “The impact of giving or receiving flowers is powerful and memorable,” said Kennedy “It can turn an ordinary day into an extraordinary one.” Aimee and the Petal It Forward Team will give away hundreds of bouquets to people on the street. After receiving their flowers, recipients are asked to spread the happiness by gifting their extra flower bouquet and sharing their happiness on social media using #petalitforward. For more information on the benefits of flowers, visit www.aboutflowers.com and www.aboutflowersblog.com
The Rotary Club of Scranton Hosts World Polio Day The Rotary Club of Scranton will hold an evening panel discussion on World Polio Day, this Tuesday, October 24, 2023. The event will be held at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) located at 525 Pine Street, Scranton. The panel discussion will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with the last half hour reserved for public questions. Panelists will include world, national and regional leaders from the fields of healthcare, higher education and government. Serving on the panel is Michael K. McGovern who, as Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee, is at the forefront of the battle to eradicate polio throughout the world. Topics of discussion will include pandemic preparedness, immunization/vaccine accessibility, critical first response issues and current global polio eradication efforts. Joseph A. Riccardo, Jr., Foundation Chair of the Rotary Club of Scranton joined Scranton Rotary a few years ago and is very proud of Rotary’s international mission to eradicate polio. “Similar to 1980 when smallpox was finally eradicated, I have a desire to be part of what would be only the second time in history to accomplish something of this magnitude. I am honored to be a part of a great mission, working with wonderfully driven people who are all pressing toward a common goal for the human race, in making this world a healthier, better place. So much has already been done toward this goal. I believe we are at the last mile of making this a reality. I like that Rotary is working together on an international level to eradicate polio. We are people of action,” he said. In addition to the evening panel discussion, Joseph initiated bringing two hundred high school students to the medical school on World Polio Day as part of a young leaders public health summit. “Our goal is for this to not be limited to polio, but rather to involve motivated high school students who are interested in STEM topics to create a young leaders’ laboratory of sorts. The students will be presented with issues of local and global impact, to engage in problem-solving discussions and model exercises that place them in the roles of public health officials, private researchers and community leaders. We hope it is a call to action within the community,” said Joseph. Contact Joe A. Riccardo, Jr., at 570-904-0166 or by email at joericcardo@yahoo.com for more information about World Polio Day. www.scrantonrotary.org
The Settlers Inn Hosts Storytelling Dinner Tantalizing food. Glowing jack-o’-lanterns. Captivating tales. The annual Storytelling Dinner at The Settlers Inn, October 27 and 28, has all the elements for a spooktacular evening of thrills and chills. The event features Clay Mcleod Chapman, a prolific horror novel and comic book author. Chapman enthralls guests with yarns ranging from supernatural and psychological to the macabre. The Brooklyn, NY based author penned multiple novels, comic books and children’s books, as well as scripts for film and television. His horror novels include “The Remaking,” “Whisper Down the Lane,” and “Ghost Eaters.” Chapman also co-wrote “Quiet Part Loud,” a horror podcast produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw for Spotify. In comics, Chapman is the writer of the ongoing Marvel series, “Scream: Curse of Carnage.” He also co-wrote “Wendell & Wild,” which was adapted into an animated movie streaming on Netflix and featuring the voices of Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Angela Bassett. Storytelling Dinner has been a staple of the fall season at The Settlers Inn since 1987. The event unfolds for two consecutive evenings in The Undercroft illuminated by over 100 pumpkins hand carved especially for the occasion. Many of the carved pumpkins boast elaborate, detailed designs. The Settlers Inn Founder Grant Genzlinger and friend David Dunsmore lead a team of carvers in a day long effort. Together they create everything from life-size pumpkin people to miniature scenes. Each jack-o’-lantern is unique and imbued with its own characteristics. Live music and a delectable farm-to-table meal round out the festivities. Reservations are required for The Storytelling Dinner, which costs $85 per person. Call 570-226-2993.
