Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau Local Business Alert Two national championships will be held in Lackawanna County. The visitor’s bureau alerts local businesses of an increase in visitors to the area the weekend of September 11. The National Beard Championship will be held at Montage Mountain. The Northeast Regional Ladies Ball will be held in Downtown Scranton.
Nominations open for Mohegan Sun Arena’s “Salute to Service” Suite Ticket Promotion The ASM Global-managed Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Twp., along with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, are once again proud to honor local military personnel and first responders throughout the upcoming season by donating the usage of an arena luxury suite for those that served their country and community. Since the beginning of the 2015-16 event season, Mohegan Sun Arena and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins donated nearly 2,500 tickets as part of the “Salute to Service” Suite promotion. The venue’s “Salute to Service” Suite is decorated in Penguins military and first responder jerseys, and each recipient is recognized during the game. Nominations are now open for this promotion from the general public online at Mohegan Sun Arena’s website at https://mohegansunarenapa.com/salutetoservice/. Recipients of the award will be chosen at random and each recipient will receive 12 tickets to the “Salute to Service” Suite for a Penguins game along with three VIP Parking passes and a complimentary snack package. In addition, all active and retired military and first responders including police, firefighters and EMT’s will continue to receive 25% off select concessions items at permanent ASM Global/SAVOR managed concessions stands by showing their ID at all Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins games, as well as for concerts and family shows. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are offering special ticket pricing for active military by showing their Military ID card at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena. Active military can get Red Zone tickets for $23.75 and Gold or Blue Zone seats for just $13.75. Individual game tickets for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins regular season will go on sale soon. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton season ticket packages, including full season memberships, 22-game, 12-game and Flexbook plans, are available by contacting the Penguins directly at (570) 208-7367. Luxury suite rentals for most Mohegan Sun Arena events are available by calling the arena at (570) 970-3506. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza is owned by the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority, a government body appointed by Luzerne County. The arena is managed by ASM Global with catering and concessions services provided by SAVOR… at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Johnson College Receives Grant Johnson College has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Health Care Foundation. The grant will support the College’s “Widening the Pipeline for a Trained Healthcare Workforce” project designed to increase the pool of qualified, well-trained health care workers for our area. Johnson College will establish a mobile training laboratory to provide a hands-on experience for potential students to see and feel what it is like to work in the health care field. This positive and highly visible project will provide an interactive way to share career information. With a focus on engaging non-traditional students, Johnson College will show participants various paths to meet their educational training needs. Johnson College offers pathways to health care careers with associate degree programs such as physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, and biomedical equipment technology as well as continuing education programs.. Regionally, there are several successful STEM-related pipeline programs serving middle and high school students. With this new program, Johnson College will widen that pipeline to include non-traditional students who represent diverse age, economic, educational, and cultural backgrounds. These potential students include displaced workers due to COVID-19, non-English speaking individuals, those who want/need to return to the workforce post-retirement or family, and those dissatisfied with their current career path. “We are excited to offer this new experience and information to people from all around NEPA and beyond, and to bring it directly to them,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO of Johnson College. “Our goal with the mobile lab is to show the region that a career in health care is attainable no matter who you are or what your current situation may be. We want to give people a taste of what hands-on education at Johnson College is like. We continuously strive to be the leaders in hands-on education and meet the workforce needs of NEPA.” For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.
Lackawanna College Receives PA GOAL Grants Lackawanna College was recently awarded four grants from PA GOAL (Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning). PA GOAL supports student success by offering mini-grants to create open and affordable learning projects at a diverse range of institutions across Pennsylvania, through funding provided by the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) by the state Department of Education (PDE) through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries (OCL), and managed by PALCI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization. The funding will support the redesign of the institution’s American Government (HIS 118), Introduction to Psychology (PSY 105), Helping Skills (HSV 310), and Business Law (MGT 240) courses to utilize open educational resource (OER) materials. Dr. Gopu Kiron, Lackawanna College Associate Dean of eLearning and Information Literacy, identified a need to replace textbooks with cost-free eBooks and other resources. By utilizing freely available learning materials via OER in these courses, traditional textbook expenses will be eliminated. This shift will help to bridge the socio-economic gap and improve the accessibility of the College’s programs. “Obtaining this grant means that we can continue to further the mission of Lackawanna College, which is to provide a quality education to all persons who seek to improve their lives and better the communities in which they live,” said Dr. Kiron. “Implementing OER materials will help students to save money and will support the principles of equity, inclusion, and accessibility at our main campus and across our six satellite centers.” Dr. Kiron will lead a team of instructors, faculty, and staff in implementing structured course content based on OER materials that will be implemented during the 2021-2022 academic year. For more information on these grants managed by PALCI, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization, visit PA GOAL’s website, pagoal.org.
Tobyhanna Employee Services Center Offers Short-Term Counseling, Resources for Workforce When employees at Tobyhanna Army Depot experience a mental health issue, they don’t need to look far for help. The depot’s Employee Services Center (ESC) is available to provide short-term counseling and support for a variety of issues. The ESC mission focuses on prevention, education, training and short-term counseling in the areas of substance abuse, suicide, sexual assault, and employee work/life well-being. All services are confidential and take place on post. Brittany Anderson, the ESC’s Community Support Advocate, is a board-certified clinical counselor who specializes in family situations as well as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She outlined the distinction between ESC services and the traditional mental health care model. “Our services are not intended for long-term mental health treatment. Instead, we offer members of Team Tobyhanna brief, solution-focused counseling. During sessions, we work with clients to help them balance their stress and create a foundation for their next steps,” she said, adding that clients with issues that require long-term treatment are referred out to therapists and/or services in the community which are tailored to meet employee needs. But ESC support doesn’t stop once a referral is made. “Even after referral, we maintain contact and offer follow-ups to ensure Tobyhanna Army Depot is an environment that supports employees during their times of need. We want to ensure employees know that we’re here as they move on to the next step of their journey,” Anderson said. “At the end of counseling, we hope our clients leave with an improved quality of life and the ability to address their challenge. Team Tobyhanna – if you need help, please reach out. We will never turn anyone away.” The ESC is led by Tobyhanna newcomer Ricardo Horn. Horn is a licensed social worker who earned his Master’s Degree from the Marywood University School of Social Work, where he continues to provide support as an adjunct professor. As the Chief of the ESC, he oversees formal programs such as the Employee Assistance Program, Army Substance Abuse Program, and the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response Program. Horn also joins Anderson in providing mental health care to depot employees – a growing mission for the ESC team, one Horn says he hopes more people utilize in the future. “Despite the prevalence of mental illness in America, the stigma associated with counseling still prevents many people from getting the help they need,” said Horn. “Mental health awareness is important because it brings attention, focusing on the potential for recovery.” He adds, “Seeking help is a sign of courage and should never be viewed as a weakness or personal shortcoming.” According to the World Health Organization, one in four people worldwide is affected by a mental health issue or disorder. The services of the ESC are available to all Department of Defense employees and their immediate family members. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the ESC office at (570) 615-8873. If you or a loved one are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or the ESC Hotline at (570) 615-5591.
Lackawanna College Announces School of Petroleum & Natural Gas Sponsor Lackawanna College announced Williams as an official sponsor of the School of Petroleum and Natural Gas with their sponsorship of a 4,500-square-foot teaching lab located in the new Tunkhannock Center as part of a three-year partnership. “We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Williams,” said Susan Gumble, program director for the College’s School of Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG). “Through their sponsorship, we can continue to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience that will fill in-demand positions in the oil and gas industry.” As part of the sponsorship, Williams will receive naming rights to a teaching lab that houses compressors, engines, and other industry equipment. Funds from the partnership will be used to support the School of PNG degree and certificate programs. “Williams is thrilled to support the School of Petroleum & Natural Gas,” said Mike Atchie, director, Community and Project Outreach. “We’ve hired more than 70 graduates over the years, and they are a critical part of our operations workforce both in the Tunkhannock area and other parts of our enterprise. We also are pleased to support an endowed scholarship at the school, enabling even more students to enter an industry that is adapting to a clean energy future.” Lackawanna College offers associate degree programs in petroleum and natural gas business administration and technology along with certificate programs in natural gas technician and compressor/engine mechanic. For more information on Lackawanna College School of Petroleum and Natural Gas programs, visit Lackawanna.edu.
PennDOT District 4 Hiring Event The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is hiring for over 100 positions. A hiring event is being held September 9 from 1:00 PM-4:00 PM at the Luzerne County PA CareerLink office located at 32 East Union Street, Wilkes Barre, PA. Applicants unable to attend the hiring event can apply by going to www.employment.pa.gov.The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce. The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law. All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply. Follow local PennDOT news on Twitter and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
AAA North Penn Presents Four Diamond Rating AAA North Penn recently presented The French Manor with the impressive Four Diamond Award. For the past 18 years, The French Manor has maintained their Four Diamond ranking for two categories, Lodging and Dining. For more than 80 years, the AAA team of professional inspectors have conducted unannounced, independent, in-person property inspections across 26,000 hotel properties in North America. Hotels at this level are committed to providing every guest with a high degree of hospitality, with attentive service in upscale surroundings, according to AAA. They typically offer an extensive array of amenities and guest services. AAA’s 62 million members book more than 31% of all paid room nights in North America, and they rely on the assurance that every Diamond-designated property has met the AAA standards for guest quality, cleanliness and condition. A Four Diamond restaurant is characterized with distinctive fine dining, well-serviced amid upscale ambience. Restaurants must pass an on-site evaluation with 13 minimum requirements to be approved as a Diamond property. There are 57 elements included in the score that determines a property’s Diamond level. The French Manor inn is fashioned after a stone chateau in the south of France. Built in the 1930s as a hunting lodge by teams of European craftsmen, the property was taken over by the current owners at the beginning of the present century. In the rear of the hotel there is an electric car charging station that can accommodate a Tesla, among others. An herb garden is on a hill behind the hotel along with a graciously appointed spa. There are wine tastings on some weekends. The in-house restaurant is a real gem, and personalized service make this property a top pick.
