Woodloch Resort Employees Provide Gifts to Local Children As the holiday season draws to a close and the New Year commences, Woodloch, a three-property resort in the Northern Poconos of Pennsylvania, embraces a tradition of giving that extends far beyond the holiday rush. For the past few years, the dedicated staff at Woodloch have championed their very own Angel Tree program, embodying the true spirit of the season by supporting those in need within the Woodloch community. Amidst the chaos of holiday preparations, the housekeeping team at The Lodge at Woodloch, the adults-only destination spa, found a unique way to make a lasting impact. Housekeeping Manager Linda Angermann recalls, “Before Christmas of 2022, I had a meeting with my team and proposed the idea of each team member contributing a dollar from their daily tips to adopt a child for Christmas. They all agreed and were excited to do so. We raised $150 to give a nice holiday to a child.” Inspired by this success, the team decided to continue their efforts year-round. Through their dedication and perseverance, the housekeeping team raised over $2,000 by the end of 2023. With these funds, they were able to bring the magic of Christmas to over 15 children, ensuring smiles and happiness well beyond the holiday season. Their efforts did not stop there. The team donated surplus funds to KidsPeace, an organization supporting behavioral and mental health needs in children, families, and communities. Across the Woodloch properties, 25 “angels” and numerous departments joined hands to brighten the holiday season for 50 local children. Angermann expressed her gratitude, stating, “My team shines with generosity all year round, but their spirit truly sparkles during the holidays. We’re excited to surpass the $2,000 mark for 2024!” The Woodloch Angel Tree program illuminates the true essence of the holiday season – a time for giving, spreading joy, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. It is a testament to the unwavering compassion of the Woodloch staff and comes as no surprise to C.E.O. and owner, Bradley Kiesendahl: “Our team is comprised of some of the most kind and caring individuals you will ever meet. Their heartfelt hospitality shines through in everything they do. They are heavily involved in the local community and very giving of their time and service, volunteering on community councils, in charitable organizations, schools and beyond. They never hesitate to support one another, particularly during times of adversity. We are immensely proud of and grateful for our exceptional team.”
Allied Services Receives $10,000 Donation for Pediatric Programs Crothall Healthcare closed out 2023 with a gift of $10,000 in support of Allied Services Pediatric Programs. Crothall Healthcare is a multi-decade partner of Allied Services, providing support services across the non-profit healthcare system. With over 30 years of healthcare experience, Crothall Healthcare is a premier provider of resident and patient-centered support services (EVS, Facilities Management, Healthcare Technology Solutions, Food and Nutrition Services, Patient Transportation, Sterile Processing, and Patient Observation) offering end-to-end solutions for a variety of care, including Acute Care, Long-Term Care, and Ambulatory settings. The generous year-end gift will support the delivery of specialized pediatric therapies to children, infants to 18 years, at Allied Services’ main Scranton and Wilkes-Barre campuses. “Being a partner of Allied Services since 1991 and understanding the positive impact that they have in their community and beyond, Crothall Healthcare is humbled to play a part in helping to support these much-needed pediatric services that Allied Services provides. It is a tremendous program that Allied Services is passionate about, and we are excited that we can participate with them in this endeavor!” said Tom Cuthbertson, Senior Regional Director of Operations at Crothall Healthcare. Annually, Allied Services delivers more than 24,000 therapy sessions to children in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania. The Pediatric Programs provide comprehensive and specialized physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy for children from infant to 18 years with a variety of diagnoses.
Marion Munley Honored With the 2023 “Mel Award” Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys announced that truck accident lawyer Marion Munley was awarded the 2023 “Mel Award” by the Melvin M. Belli Society. The Mel Award, named after famed litigator Melvin M. Belli, is given to an attorney “who made a significant contribution to the practice of trial law in America.” The Melvin M. Belli Society is an international group of trial lawyers dedicated to preserving and enhancing the Belli legal legacy ofpromoting courtroom excellence. Marion is the past president of the Society. Widely recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s most prominent and widely respected truck accident lawyers, Marion is Triple Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy in Civil Trial, Civil Practice, and Truck Law. Marion has earned an AV-Preeminent designation from Martindale-Hubbell, the industry’s highest ethical and client satisfaction rating. A leader in the legal community, Marion is an active member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and currently serves as its Treasurer. Marion was the first woman to become Chair of the AAJ Trucking Litigation Group in 2018 and is a past chair of the AAJ Women Trial Lawyers Caucus. Marion is the second woman in Pennsylvania to become Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Among her other professional affiliations are the American Board of Trial Advocates, the International Society of Barristers, and the Summit Council, anexclusive group of today’s top civil justice attorneys committed to the highest levels of trial advocacy, to obtaining justice for individuals and families who have been hurt by corporate wrongdoing, and to the protection of the civil justice system. During her career, Marion has received some of the highest honors a lawyer can receive. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2012, Marion has been named the 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She has also been recognized as Best Lawyers® 2022 and 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs in Northeastern Pennsylvania and 2021 “Lawyer of the Year” for Personal Injury-Plaintiffs for the Allentown metro area. Marion has also been selected to the list of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for the last 18 years and was recently named to the 2023 “Top 10” Pennsylvania Super Lawyers List. A graduate of Temple University School of Law (J.D., 1986), Marion received her undergraduate degree from Scranton University in 1983.
Keystone College Receives Funding for Veteran Program Keystone College has received funding from a local charitable foundation to improve the lives of the men and women who have served their country through military service. Keystone has received a $5,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation to help implement the Keystone College Veterans Success Program. The program will provide targeted information and guidance on emerging educational opportunities and customize services for veterans, including financial aid, scholarships, and vocational training programs. The goal of the initiative is to empower veterans with the knowledge, resources, and educational training they need to enhance their careers and improve their lives. Administered by the Scranton Area Foundation, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation primarily awards grants to registered nonprofit organizations that support initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania. “We are very grateful to the Robert H. Spitz Foundation and the Scranton Area Foundation for helping Keystone in this important initiative to assist our nation’s military veterans,” said Keystone College President John F. Pullo, Sr. “Keystone has a long and proud history of serving those who have given so much to defend and support our nation’s freedom. This focused initiative continues that tradition.” For the second consecutive year, Keystone has been listed as a school which is “Best for Vets” by Military Times Magazine, a national publication which serves veterans and active military members. Keystone’s selection was compiled through the magazine’s extensive research, including data from the federal Department of Education and Department of Veterans Affairs, to determine those schools which best serve veterans through educational opportunities, financial assistance, and services. In previous years, Keystone has also been listed as a top school for veterans by other national military and veterans publications. Founded in 1868, with a commitment to providing an education to Civil War veterans and their families, Keystone is home to the Elmer Hawk ’48 Veterans Center, which serves as the headquarters for the Keystone Armed Services Club. The Veterans Center offers a comfortable and convenient meeting place for this special group of Keystone students who have given so much to their country. Students can meet with each other, complete their school assignments, or simply relax, read, visit with friends and family members, or watch television while waiting for their next class. Recognized as one of the best educational values in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Keystone offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science-based programs in business, communications, education, natural science, environmental science, and social sciences. Located on a beautiful 276-acre campus 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, research, and community involvement.
The Honesdale National Bank Announces Promotion of Sharon Smith Thomas E. Sheridan Jr., President, and CEO of The Honesdale National Bank, announced Sharon Smith has been promoted to Branch Manager at the Lackawaxen Office. In making the statement, Sheridan noted, “We are pleased extend this opportunity to Sharon as she grows her career at HNB.” He continued, “She has been proactive in our Lackawaxen community and eager to assist customers with their banking needs which is vital to the HNB & me experience.” Originally from Queens, NY, Smith moved to the area in her teenage years, graduating from Honesdale High School, and has since received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Management from East Stroudsburg University. She has then pursued over 20 years in retail management at the Dollar Tree in Honesdale and has now spent 2 years in the financial Industry. As Branch Manager, Smith is responsible for serving the Lackawaxen community by upholding HNB’s strong values and superior service. On top of managing the operations of the office, she will assist customers as they visit for their personal and business banking needs. In mentioning her new role with HNB, Smith said, “I am glad to be a part of an organization that encourages professional growth and values support for our customers, employees, and communities.” She continued, “I am happiest when I am assisting customers with their banking needs and building relationships within this community and beyond.” Since 2022, she has been a volunteer on the Board of Directors for Victims’ Intervention Program of Wayne and Pike Counties. She is also a volunteer/member for the Honesdale High School Band Parents Organization. Outside of the bank, she enjoys spending time with her family. The Honesdale National Bank, established in 1836, holds the distinction of being the area’s oldest independent community bank headquartered in Northeastern PA, with offices in Wayne, Pike, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, and Luzerne Counties. The Honesdale National Bank offers personal banking, business banking and wealth solutions. For more information on HNB’s products and services, visit www.hnbbank.bank.
Sprint Marketing Products Raises $1,000 to Benefit Northeast Regional Cancer Institute Sprint Print hosted an October fundraiser to support the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute (NRCI). A portion of their October promotional sales were designated to support NRCI during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Through their efforts, they raised $1,000 to help ease the burden of cancer in northeast Pennsylvania. All funds will stay local and support NRCI’s community programming and services.
Wright Center Internal Medicine Resident Continues Cancer Research Wright Center Internal Medicine resident Dr. Lekha Yadukumar presented scholarly research in December on the demographics and disparities in Large Granular Lymphocyte (LGL) Leukemia at the American Society of Hematology’s 65th Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California. The third-year resident, who plans to pursue a career in hematology-oncology, worked with a University of Nebraska Medical Center hematology-oncology fellow to perform a retrospective cohort study of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database for patients diagnosed with the rare blood cancer from 2000-2020. They analyzed statistics on patient demographics, year of diagnosis, and timeline of treatment. Dr. Nirali Patel, core faculty with The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Internal Medicine Residency and associate program director of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s Geriatrics Fellowship,served as the study’s faculty mentor. The study examined statistics from 2,589 patients, with a median age of 67 years and 52.7% being men. In addition, 81.5% were Caucasians, 9.6% were African Americans, and 5.3% were Asians/Pacific Islanders, followed by 2% Hispanics and 1.5% American Indians. Nearly 92% of those included in the study were diagnosed after 2010, leading Yadukumar to note the increasing incidence over the last decade. “Younger age groups, females, and marital status have improved outcomes. Caucasians have better prognosis compared to other races,” said the Bangalore, India, native, adding that the findings spotlight the need for better representation of other races in clinical trials and to further investigate the tumor biology of the cancer. “The conference was a great opportunity, as I got to present my work to the leaders in this field,” Yadukumar said. “Next year, I am headed to the University of Iowa for my hematology-oncology fellowship, and the conference was a good platform for me.” The findings will also be published in “Blood,” a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Society of Hematology. Yadukumar’s first time exploring racial disparities in cancer research. She served as the lead researcher in a study that found Black men were diagnosed with breast cancer at a later age and had a higher mortality rate compared to white men. The findings were presented in a research poster at the May 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology Breast Cancer Annual Congress in Berlin, Germany. She worked on that study with several other doctors, including fellow Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education Internal Medicine Resident Dr. Amninder Singh. The study’s findings drew media attention, including an article in MD Edge, an online magazine dedicated to hematology and oncology news. Additionally, Yadukumar was inspired to study esophageal cancer hospitalizations in the transgender population after meeting a patient at The Wright Center for Community Health’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Clinic. She utilized the national inpatient sample database from 2015-2020 for her study. Together with Wright Center Cardiovascular Disease Fellow Dr. Yaser Khalid and several other doctors and resident physicians from across the country, Yadukumar analyzed mortality, length of hospital stays, and total hospital costs for 212,425 patients, including 97,950 transgender patients. The research team presented their findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology’s World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer in Barcelona, Spain. “Our study showed transgender patients had a 5.1 times increased risk of death. They had increased total hospital costs and longer length of stays compared to the general population,” she said. “Our takeaway was that there is a significant difference in outcomes when we compare transgender people to the general population. While cis-gender differences in cancer prevalence and outcomes are well investigated, there is a need to study transgender populations to understand the existing disparities in their outcomes.” Through her research on this project, Yadukumar found the option to document a patient as transgender is not available in most cancer databases. “The health care system is truly biased against this population in our community, and there is a need to actively work on bridging this gap from a clinician perspective, as well as with research,” she added. For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, visit TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
Outreach- Center for Community Resources Receives Community Needs Grant Outreach – Center for Community Resources received a grant for $12,000 from the Scranton Area Community Foundation in June of this year for Outreach Evidence-based Early Childhood Education as part of the 2023 Spring Community Needs Grant Cycle. Outreach offers evidence-based home visiting programs for parents and their children. The early childhood education programs focus on child development and school readiness for families with children prenatal to age 3. Services focus on positive parent-child interactions, school readiness, and overall family well-being. Outreach Family Development Specialists visit the homes of the parents and their children weekly. The Outreach home visitors and parents plan ways to help the child learn using parent-child interactions, daily routines, and household materials. Outreach child-serving programs aim to improve school readiness through high-quality activities that enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Outreach parenting programs allow parents to gain the skills to implement positive parenting techniques that result in improved behavioral outcomes for their children and connect them to a social network of other parents. Outreach is very grateful to the Scranton Area Community Foundation for its continued support of the family-serving programs we provide for the regional community. This funding has helped Outreach advance its mission to assist families in achieving stability and economic self-sufficiency. The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been serving the Northeastern Pennsylvania region for over 65 years as a steward, a grant-maker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change and growth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was established as a community trust in 1954 by the Scranton Family, whose initial gift was the seed that has grown into a permanent vehicle for donors to accomplish their philanthropic goals while helping to support positive change within our community. Today the Scranton Area Community Foundation holds and manages a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, the Foundation responds to community needs and has provided grants to support regional nonprofits.
