University of Scranton Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program The Nonprofit & Community Assistance Center is dedicated to strengthening and supporting Northeastern Pennsylvania’s nonprofit organizations and grantmakers in their service to our region.View as Webpage NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS: The University of Scranton 2023-2024 Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management has announced the launch of the 2023-2024 Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program application round for Cohort 4; a comprehensive, practitioner-focused program that tackles the pressing leadership challenges of high-potential nonprofit leaders throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Click on the following links to review a complete program overview, schedule, program flyer, and a list of previously completed organizational goals/capstone projects.
SACF Laura Ducceschi Named to City & State’s 2022 Nonprofit Power 100 List The Scranton Area Community Foundation today announced that President and CEO, Laura Ducceschi, has been named to City & State’s 2022 Nonprofit Power 100 List. The statewide nonprofit power list recognizes the most influential public officials, philanthropic leaders, and executives leading the sector throughout Pennsylvania over the past year. The inaugural list recognized Ducceschi and other nonprofit, philanthropic, and public officials who have had to “adapt, improvise, and overcome” to be able to effectively serve their clients and communities. City & State writes, “The organizations featured in 2022 Nonprofit Power 100 have triumphed in their efforts to provide everything from cash assistance to legal representation, food deliveries to waterways protection, despite the constraint on fundraisers, reduced government funding and declining philanthropic support.” Under Ducceschi’s leadership, the Scranton Area Community Foundation has nearly quadrupled its charitable assets under the Foundation’s management and has granted nearly $30 million in grant and scholarship funding. In addition, Laura led the foundation in the development of the COVID-19 Response Fund, one of the first in the country established by a community foundation, which quickly raised and distributed more than $1.4 million for nonprofit organizations; and NEPA Gives, which has raised nearly $3 million dollars for nonprofit organizations in only 72 hours. City & State cites, “As president and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, Laura Ducceschi oversees over 280 charitable funds and foundations with more than 90 million in assets. Under her leadership, the foundation distributes $6 million in annual grant making to support various quality-of-life programs throughout the Lackawanna County region. Ducceschi, who assumed the role 10 years ago, has spearheaded various initiatives, including a training center for nonprofit leaders, an animal welfare collaborative, and NEPA Gives, a regional fundraising partnership.” “I am honored to be named to City & State’s Power 100 Nonprofit list,” said Ducceschi. “This recognition is a testament to a visionary Board of Governors and the diligent work of the Scranton Area Community Foundation team. It is indicative of our deep respect for, and commitment to, the donors and the communities that we serve.” Ducceschi has also spearheaded Women in Philanthropy, NEPA Moves, the NEPA Learning Conference, NEPA Thrives, and other community initiatives. She also manages the NEPA Health Care Foundation and the Robert H Spitz Foundation. She has established multiple national partnerships throughout her tenure, which have brought additional resources and programs to Northeastern Pennsylvania. A trusted community partner since 1954, The Scranton Area Community Foundation works in partnership with donors to transform lives through organized philanthropy. In addition to the Scranton Area Community Foundation, other foundations included in the Power 100 Nonprofit list include William Penn, Philadelphia, Richard King Mellon, John Templeton, Pittsburgh, Delaware County, and GlaxoSmithKline, and as well as the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Heinz Endowments. A Northeastern Pennsylvania native, Ducceschi has an MBA in Organizational Management from Drexel University’s Lebow College of Business; and received a fellowship to pursue her MA in Communication from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania. She has a BA in Communication from the University of Scranton, where she graduated summa cum laude. Ducceschi is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) and a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE). She is Certified in Change Management from Cornell University, Design Thinking from Harvard Extension, Nonprofit Board Governance Consulting from BoardSource, and Lean Six Sigma. Ducceschi received the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals- NEPA Chapter; the Founder’s Award from Meals on Wheels; the Excellence in Diversity Award from Penn State University-Scranton; the Executive Mentorship Award from the Allan P Kirby Center at Wilkes University; and was recognized as a top 25 Women in Business from the NEPA Business Journal. She is a member of the Geisinger Advisory Board, a Trustee of the Schwartz-Mack Foundation, and a Trustee on the Scranton Life Board.
Circle Drive-In To Host Double Feature Event The Circle Drive-In is partnering with Independent Filmmakers to show their movies on the largest screen in NEPA this Friday evening for an exclusive one-night-only screening of “Turbo Cola” & “Hell House, LLC”. In addition to coming out to this double feature event, attendees will also get the chance to “Meet & Greet” some of the film’s production team & stars, including “Turbo Cola” Producer, Brandon Keeton, starting at 6:00 pm. “Turbo Cola”, the recent Best Director and Best Picture winner at the Red Rose film Festival in Lancaster, will begin at 7:00 pm. “Turbo Cola” tells the story of Austin Morris who is foregoing the biggest party of the year to work overtime at the Quality Mart, much to the chagrin of his new girlfriend, Mary Jane. What his friends don’t know, however, is that his true plan is the rob the store’s ATM with his stoner side-kick, SWEARSKY, so that he can be with the girl of his dreams. This New Year’s Eve…1999…will change everything. Directly following “Turbo Cola” the screening of 2015’s “Hell House, LLC”, a film written and directed by Scranton native, Stephen Cognetti, will begin. “Hell House, LLC” takes place five years after an unexplained malfunction causes the death of 15 tour-goers and staff on the opening night of a Halloween haunted house tour, a documentary crew travels back to the scene of the tragedy to find out what really happened. This exclusive double-feature screening is just the start of the Circle Drive-In’s partnership with local and national Independent Filmmakers to show their movies to NEPA residents and visitors alike. They expect to host many more exclusive Independent Film screening events with production and cast meet and greets in the 2023 season. Other events taking place at Circle Drive-In this weekend include “Black Adam” showing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and a classic Halloween Family Double Feature, “Corpse Bride” and “Beetlejuice” showing on Saturday and Sunday. Their haunted attraction “Circle of Screams” will be open this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening from 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm in addition to their weekly GIANT Flea Fair on Sunday from 6:00 am – 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at CircleDrive-In.com for all of this weekend’s events. You can also purchase your tickets for the ONE-NIGHT-ONLY screening of “Turbo Cola” and “Hell House, LLC” at the Circle Drive-In box office on Friday evening starting at 5:00 pm. Additional information, box office hours, & upcoming events can be found at CircleDrive-In.com or on Facebook @CircleDriveInTheatre and Instagram @CircleDriveIn.
Alleima Global Celebration Sandvik Materials Technology located in the Ivy Industrial Park just off I-81 in Clarks Summit recently changed names to Alleima on August 31, 2022 with a global celebration for all of its employees. Alleima and their fully-owned subsidiary, PEXCO, are premier producer of stainless steel tubing for some of the most technically demanding applications in the world from chemical plants to rocket engines and renewable fuels. Starting at their present location off Griffin Pond Road in 1971 and expanding multiple times over the past fifty-one years, we are thrilled to celebrate with them and their over 250 employees as they take this journey forward with a new name. The local plant continues to expand and grow, adding additional equipment and staff to support the growing needs of the North and South American market. Please share the new name with your friends and colleagues who may be seeking a new adventure. Current openings may be found at alleima.com/jobs Congratulations to the entire Alleima team!
Keystone Mission to Host RealTalk CEO & Executive Director Justin Behrens will be outside the Lackawanna County Courthouse to host the 3rd Annual 24-hour REAL TALK event starting October 25th. Each year, REAL TALK invites community members and leaders, local, state, and federal politicians, and church leaders to talk about how they can partner with Keystone Mission to better the men and women experiencing homelessness. Come have a conversation with Justin about what we can do to change homelessness in our local community!
SACF Charity Event Hosted by Brandon Matthews The second annual NEPA Invitational charity event, hosted by PGA TOUR player Brandon Matthews was held at the Country Club of Scranton on October 14 – 16, 2022 and raised $100,000. The NEPA Invitational is a pro-am golf tournament that brought together professionals, high-level amateurs, and golf aficionados alike. Proceeds from the 2022 NEPA Invitational will support Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and the William Lawler Scholarship Fund through the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Matthews was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A Pittston Area graduate, he established the NEPA Invitational Fund with a desire to give back to the community he grew up in. He partnered with the Scranton Area Community Foundation to help allocate the funds raised to local organizations in need. “The Scranton Area Community Foundation is honored that Brandon and the NEPA Invitational have partnered with us to carry out the charitable goals of this event,” stated Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “His desire to give back is truly making a difference right here in our communities.” “Being able to give back to the community that shaped me is something that I have always dreamed of and for that dream to currently be in the process of being realized is truly amazing. The support from the Northeastern Pennsylvania community for my career and this event is incredibly humbling and I will never forget where I came from,” stated Matthews. The 2nd Annual NEPA Invitational kicked off Friday, October 14, with a ‘Dinner with the Pros’ event at the Country Club of Scranton. Dinner, live entertainment, and a live auction were included. Forty-seven teams competed in a two-day event. “We rely on community partners to help us respond to the evolving needs of families across the region, and we’re grateful to Brandon Matthews and all the leadership and supporters of the NEPA Invitational,” stated Frank Maffei, MD, Geisinger Chair of Pediatrics. “This support helps Geisinger Pediatrics and the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital to deliver family-centered pediatric care that is driven by best practice, innovation and compassion.” To date, the NEPA Invitational Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation has provided $150,000 to support a variety of charities including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Children’s Advocacy Center of NEPA, Meals on Wheels of NEPA, Inc., Outreach, and United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, in addition to Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. Additionally, the NEPA Invitational and Matthews have worked closely with the Scranton Area Community Foundation to establish to William Lawler Scholarship, awarded to an NEPA area junior golfer who is going on to play collegiate golf.
NeighborWorks Welcomes PNC Bank as Fall Festival Presenting Sponsor NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NeighborWorks) is pleased to welcome PNC Bank as this year’s presenting sponsor for the West Scranton Fall Festival. In collaboration with the City of Scranton, the inaugural West Scranton Fall Festival will be a two-part event that is FREE to the public and will be held Saturday, Oct. 22. Rain date is Nov. 5. It will take place first at Clover Field, located at 400 W Locust St, in Scranton from noon to 3 p.m., and then at Allen Park at the corner of North Main Avenue and Price Street from 6-9 p.m. “Coming together to support local businesses and celebrate our community has never been more important than it is now,” said Pete Danchak, PNC regional president for Northeast PA. “As a National Main Street Bank, supporting the West Scranton Fall Festival as the inaugural presenting sponsor is simply the right thing to do – and fun!” From 3-6 p.m., attendees will be encouraged to check out local establishments within the West Scranton business corridor. For more information and future business promotion regarding the Fall Festival, please go to the Facebook event page here.
Scranton Tomorrow Salute to Soup Salute to soup! Nothing says fall like a hearty soup! As part of Scranton Tomorrow’s Fall into Downtown Scranton campaign, restaurants and cafes in the Downtown Scranton Business District are stirring up seasonal favorites for lunch, including soup’s to keep your warm on those chilly, fall days. Yum! Where to Dine Click here to visit our Downtown Scranton Dining Guide, featuring more than 60 restaurants, cafes and pubs offering indoor, curbside, takeout, and delivery options in the Downtown Scranton Business District.
