NRCI Board of Ambassadors Finalizes Spirit of Hope Celebration for November 12

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The Board of Ambassadors and Associate Board will host its ninth annual Spirit of Hope Celebration on Friday, November 12, 2021 from 7:00pm to 10:30pm at Mohegan Sun Pocono in the Keystone Grand Ballroom. 

The event features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, food stations, live music by The Exact Change, a super silent auction and a gift card guarantee.  Tickets are $130 each and can be purchased by calling the Cancer Institute at (570) 904-8808 or online at www.cancernepa.org or purchased at the door the night of the event. 

The Spirit of Hope Tribute to Courage honoree is Richard P. Conaboy Jr. Dick’s passion for helping others is remarkable. He has lost several family members to cancer, and he is also a cancer survivor and doing well. Despite the losses and pain Dick has faced related to cancer and his own addiction recovery, he has continued to give back to the local community through the Spirit of Hope Celebration Board of Ambassadors, the American Cancer Society, and other organizations near and dear to him.  

Dick is a graduate of Marywood University where he earned a B.S in Psychology. He has been in the field of addiction and recovery for over 20 years. He spent two decades working at Clearbrook Treatment Center where he over saw the day-to-day operations of the DDAP licensed and JACHO accredited residential treatment facilities as Vice President of Clinical Operations. He is currently the CEO of Lakeside NEPA Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center located in Scranton. Dick is well respected in the community as a speaker, educator, and advocate for those in the recovery community.

The Board of Ambassadors is a group of individuals and business leaders in northeast Pennsylvania who have come together to raise funds & awareness to fight cancer in the local community through their support and promotion of a gala event. 

The Spirit of Hope Celebration benefits the Cancer Institute’s Community-Based Cancer Screening Navigation Program. This program helps low income and un/underinsured individuals in northeast Pennsylvania get their recommended colorectal, breast, cervical, and lung cancer screenings. 

Front row, seated from left to right: Kristie Hynoski, Mohegan Sun Pocono, Traci Fosnot, Highmark, Inc., Marta Gomes, White House Black Market, Leo P. Vergnetti, chairmen of Board of Ambassadors, Meghan Gagorik, American Heart Association, and Jo Ann Romano Hallesky, Jo Ann Romano Hair Salon.  

Standing, from left to right: Amanda E. Marchegiani, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, Nevin Gerber, Gerber Associates, Karen M. Saunders, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, Nick Colangelo, John Heil, Patty Vergnetti, AARP Foundation, and Matt Beynon, BrabenderCox, LLC.  

Absent from photo:  Clarence Baltrusaitis, NET Credit Union, Thomas Blaskiewicz, McCarthy Tire, Dino Campitelli, Serenity Lodge, Trish Colangelo, Richard P. Conaboy, Jr., Thomas P. Cumming, Jr., Esq., Cummings Law, Thomas P. Cummings III, Esq., William Davis, Office of Rep. Kyle Mullins, Tom DePietro, DePietro’s Pharmacy, Mary Erwine, Erwine Home Health and Hospice, Joseph G. Ferguson, Esq., DBi Services, Greg Gagorik, James T. Gorman, BB&T Bank, Jennifer Heil, Charles C. Jefferson, Jefferson-Werner, LLC, Joe Mattioli, Paul McGolin, McGloin’s Flourish, Brian McQuestion, Pride Mobility Products Corp., Evie Rafalko McNulty, Lackwawanna County Recorder of Deeds, Philip Medico, Medico Industries, Inc., Dan Meuser, U.S. Representative, Chuck Morgan, David J. Nape, Centris Consulting, Inc., Christopher A. Peters, M.D., NRCI Board, Vito Pizzo, Pizzo Painting, Billy Rinaldi, Mark Construction Services, Inc., John P. Rodgers, Esq., Caverly, Shea, Phillips & Rodgers, LLC, Vince Scarpetta, Pure Green Consultants, LLC, P. Richard Scheller, Geo-Science Engineering & Testing, LLC, Patrick Sicilio, Kem-Tek Industrial Chemical Supplies, Eugene D. Sperazza, Esq. Law Offices of Eugene D. Sperazza, Melissa Stites, Hornbeck Chevrolet, Steven J. Szydlowski, Ph.D., University of Scranton, Joseph S. Tomko, Fidelity Bank, Joe Van Wie, JVW Inc., Dana Morris, Regional Hospital of Scranton, Linda-Marino Brooks, Jessica Ruddy, PennDot, Robin Long, and Vanessa Vergnetti, Premier.