AllOne Foundation & Charities Announces Staff Expansion AllOne Foundation & Charities is excited to announce a staff expansion to further support innovative programs and projects, broaden philanthropic collaboration, and continue to improve the health and welfare of the people of Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. Jesse J. Ergott will serve as Chief Advancement Officer and Nora Kern as Program Officer. Jesse J. Ergott, Chief Advancement Officer Prior to joining AllOne Foundation & Charities, Jesse served as President and CEO at NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. In this role, Jesse oversaw a strategic rebranding from Neighborhood Housing Services of Lackawanna County to NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, expanding the organization’s geographical footprint from one to six counties and its four-member staff to a dedicated team of twenty-one. During Jesse’s sixteen-year tenure, NeighborWorks led the response to the region’s mortgage foreclosure crisis, launched a volunteer program that provided approximately 90,000 hours in small home repairs and other services to neighbors who needed a helping hand, assisted approximately 1,000 residents with purchasing their first home, and developed an aging in place program that aided hundreds of seniors with home renovations and accessibility improvements. Jesse also operationalized the organization’s community development work, leading to significant investments in blight reduction and neighborhood beautification. Prior to joining NeighborWorks, Jesse served as Chief Operations Officer for the Lackawanna Heritage Valley State and National Heritage Area. Jesse has served on many local, state, and national boards and as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Scranton’s Kania School of Business where he helps lead the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.In his role as Chief Advancement Officer, Jesse will drive the operational and strategic direction of AllOne Foundation & Charities to advance the mission and vision of the organization. Nora Kern, Program Officer Prior to joining AllOne Foundation & Charities, Nora served as Advancement Manager at the Scranton Area Community Foundation where she advanced the message of the Foundation by providing content for all forms of communication. She also contributed to developing the Foundation through grant writing and donor relations.Nora has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2009, starting as a Development Director at Trehab Community Action Agency in Montrose, Pennsylvania. At Trehab she focused on affordable housing, renewable energy, and emergency food, shelter, and utility programs. She then joined the Admissions and Marketing Department at Kendal, a nonprofit continuing care retirement community in Ithaca, NY where she focused on building relationships. As Program Officer, Nora will assist with grant management, community events and nonprofit partnerships.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to Partner with the County of Lackawanna Transit System The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are pleased to partner with COLTS, the County of Lackawanna Transit System, to help provide a new option for fans attending games at PNC Field this season. COLTS will now offer service from five locations to PNC Field.Three trips to and from the following stops will run Tuesday through Saturday, both before and after the game COLTS will run service from the Transit Station, the DeNaples Center at the University of Scranton, Moosic at South Webster, Valley View and Hill Top. Service will leave PNC Field at three different times nightly with return stops at each location.“COLTS considers transit to be an essential part of our community and its success,” stated Timothy McGrath, Executive Director for the County of Lackawanna Transit System. “Whether you are going to school, healthcare or work, we are here to get you there safely. Our mission is to enhance mobility for all citizens of Lackawanna County by offering affordable, reliable and safe transportation. Everyone should have the opportunity to get to where they need to, and we are honored to expand our service to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The Game Day Express should be a home run, and we hope you enjoy the game with COLTS!”First pitch for games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday is at 6:35 P.M. Saturday games begin at 6:05 P.M.“We are thrilled to partner with COLTS to provide this new transportation option to PNC Field,” said Katie Beekman, the General Manager of the RailRiders. “The ballpark has been a part of the fabric of our community for decades and we are truly excited for the new option to assist all fans wanting to attend games.”Scranton/Wilkes-Barre begins the second half of the 2024 season this evening at PNC Field. The RailRiders host the Worcester Red Sox starting at 6:35 P.M. tonight. For tickets or upcoming promotional information, visit swbrailriders.com or call (570) 969-2255.
Geisinger Hosting Monthly PA Health Talks Geisinger will host PA Health Talk events to discuss movement disorders and treatment from noon to 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month in the Geisinger Medical Center Hospital for Advanced Medicine Community Room. The informal discussions will be led by David Ferrone, M.D., Geisinger neurosurgeon, who will explain how deep brain stimulation (DBS) can improve life for people with movement disorders. The sessions will explore: How DBS can treat essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease and dystonia Which patients qualify for DBS Expected results of DBS therapy The first dates are: July 9 Aug. 13 Sept. 10 Oct. 8 People of any age can have essential tremor, but it’s most common after age 40. The condition is often hereditary. Men are more likely to have Parkinson’s disease, and diagnoses increase with age. The talks include a Q&A session. Lunch will be provided. Online registration is available. For more information, call 570-271-7321.
Johnson College to Host Open House Johnson College will hold an on-campus Open House on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, from 5 to 7 p.m. on its Scranton campus. To register to attend the Open House, visit Johnson.edu/openhouse or contact Johnson College’s Enrollment Department at 570-702-8856 or enroll@johnson.edu. The Open House will include discussions about the admissions process, information about financial aid for those who qualify, and student services such as student life, student support, and career services. Plus, same-day acceptance will be available for many programs if students bring their high school or college transcripts. Tours of each technical area will be conducted, and program directors and instructors will be available to review the specifics of their programs.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity Announces PA ABLE Website Treasurer Stacy Garrity today announced the launch of the redesigned PA ABLE Savings Program website, paable.gov. The new website makes it easier for individuals to learn about the many benefits of PA ABLE, open a new account, and access their existing PA ABLE account. “With the launch of our new PA ABLE website, we’re making it easier than ever for people to learn about, and access, this amazing program,” Garrity said. “Making sure every Pennsylvanian with a disability knows about PA ABLE is the first step to helping them live more independently. Revamping our resources to make them as accessible as possible is just one way we’re helping more Pennsylvanians save for a secure future.” The new paable.gov was built from the ground up. It streamlines navigation and content, integrates frequently asked questions within relevant pages, and includes changes that make it easier and more convenient for account owners and prospective account owners to find the information they need about PA ABLE. It also gives users the ability to easily translate every page on the new site to Spanish. This feature is powered by Google Translate. More than 9,000 PA ABLE accounts are open with over $120 million in assets. PA ABLE gives individuals with qualifying disabilities a tax-free way to save and invest without impacting important benefits. All federal benefits are protected, including Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and, with some limitations, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, as are many Pennsylvania state benefits. As savings earn interest or returns over time, neither federal nor Pennsylvania income tax is owed – and, when a withdrawal including that growth is taken, no income tax is owed as long as the withdrawal is used to pay for qualified disability expenses. PA ABLE offers seven different investment options, including an interest-bearing checking account. Account owners, along with family members and friends, can contribute up to $18,000 per year to a PA ABLE account. Contributions can be deducted on Pennsylvania state income taxes. Currently, to be eligible to save with PA ABLE, a person’s disability must onset prior to their 26th birthday – but the age limit will increase to 46 starting on Jan. 1, 2026. This is thanks to the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, which will expand ABLE eligibility to millions more Americans including one million Veterans. PA ABLE is one of the largest ABLE programs in the country and the largest program in the 19-member National ABLE Alliance, accounting for more than 25% of total Alliance assets. Since taking office, Treasurer Garrity has reduced fees three times for PA ABLE account owners. She is the inaugural chair of the National ABLE Savings Plans Network, a part of the National Association of State Treasurers dedicated to growing awareness, engagement and growth of ABLE Plans nationally. To learn more, visit paable.gov or call (855) 529-2253.
The Wright Center Welcomes Medical Students The Wright Center welcomed four medical students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), who will complete rotations at The Wright Center’s community health centers and other locations throughout the region. This year marks the launch of the partnership between The Wright Center and LECOM, which is open to third- and fourth-year medical students. “The goal is to train these medical students in underserved communities, and hopefully, they will stay in Northeast Pennsylvania to complete their medical residencies after graduation,” said Carla Blakeslee, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s clerkships coordinator. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine students, from left, are Sulav Shrestha, Tazeen Malik, Katherine Weir, and Elena Myalo.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity Announces Upgrades to Transparency Portal Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced today that new features have been added to Treasury’s award-winning Transparency Portal, improving access to state budget and spending details. Users can now, for the first time ever, easily compare current revenue received in the current budget year with that received in previous years. The new features also include the ability to dive deeper into both total and federal funds, and to more easily navigate the portal on both desktop and mobile devices, including quick links to budget details, revenue comparisons, and federal funds. “Transparency must always be a central goal of government, especially when it comes to how taxpayer dollars are being spent,” Treasurer Garrity said. “As a fiscal watchdog, I’m always focused on increasing transparency, and Treasury’s Transparency Portal is a vital part of that work. These new updates make it easier than ever for Commonwealth residents to see where their money is going and to hold their government accountable.” The new Transparency Portal updates include: Revenue Comparison – Users can compare revenue received in the current fiscal year with revenue received in previous years back to FY 2018-19. Federal Funds – Users can see funds received from the federal government and how they are used by the Commonwealth. Easy Access to Fund Details – A dropdown menu allows users to easily review the status of a specific fund (such as the General Fund, the Motor License Fund and the Lottery Fund). More Options – When reviewing fund details, users can choose to display data over 1 year, 3 years and 5 years (in addition to 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, year-to-date, and all available). Improved homepage navigation. The Transparency Portal also includes tools to review state budget details, the Fiscal Health Scorecard, which presents financial data comparing Pennsylvania with similar states, and the Treasury Checkbook that discloses payments made by Treasury to its vendors. The Contracts e-Library allows anyone to review more than 500,000 state agency contracts, purchase orders, and amendments valued at $5,000 or more. Treasury’s Transparency Portal includes data back to 2014. Since taking office, Treasurer Garrity has added numerous features to the site, including access to Ledger 5, which tracks unappropriated expenses, and the ability to see county- and state-level data about Pennsylvania’s unclaimed property program, the PA 529 College and Career Savings Program, Keystone Scholars, and the PA ABLE Savings Program. Treasury’s Transparency Portal has won numerous awards, including the 2022 Government Experience Project Award from the Center for Digital Government, the 2018 CIO 100 Award, a Digital Edge 50 Award, and the 2017 PA Excellence in Technology Award. It was a finalist for the NASCIO 2018 Data Management and Analytics Award. Visit Treasury’s Transparency Portal at patreasury.gov/transparency.
Space Time® Mead & Cider Works Takes Platinum at the Cidercraft Awards Space Time® Mead & Cidery Work’s “Leap Year” Cider was awarded Platinum by CiderCraft Magazine in the Natural Cider Category. Space Time® Mead & Cider Works has received several national and international awards for their meads (honey wines) but this is the first major award for their ciders. “I am just overjoyed for the recognition of this wonderful cider made using apples sourced from our local orchard, Miller’s Orchards Farm Market, and made in our ‘shoe box size’ of an urban winery in Dunmore”, said cider maker Dan Schreffler. In 2022 Dan traveled to France to learn from world-class cider makers in Normandy and Brittany. “We took their cider-making skills and philosophy home,” said Dan. “We were very hopeful that we could create worldclass cider from locally sourced fruit given the care and passion of our local growers and the cider-making skills we cultivated.” Leap Year is available for pick up or shipping from the winery at 419 S. Blakely St. in Dunmore (spacetimemeadworks.com) and a future special release at Sabatini’s Bottle Shop and Bar in Exeter.
Kalahari Resorts to Host Wedding Expo Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in the Pocono Mountains is calling all brides-to-be! Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 11, 2024, and join us for the 2024 Wedding Expo. Grab your presale tickets now through July 11 for FREE admission. Standard admission will be $5 per person starting July 12. From expert event planning and stunning décor to glamorous hair & makeup and rocking DJ & lighting, get ready to mingle with the areas top local wedding vendors.Plus, you’ll also have the chance to win amazing prizes and giveaways to help make your wedding day even more special! So gather your bridal party, grab your wedding planner, and get ready for an unforgettable day of wedding planning.
