WVIA Conversations for the Common Good: Trust in Our Elections WVIA Free Event September 19th, at 6:30 PM at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Fair and secure elections are the bedrock of our democracy. However, many members of our community have little information about what happens after they cast their ballots. As we head into the general election in November, WVIA, and Keep Our Republic invite you to attend this informative, nonpartisan event dedicated to fostering a deeper understanding of the 2024 election process and equipping our community to combat misinformation surrounding election integrity. At this event, experts from across the state and from our community will talk about what’s new for Pennsylvania’s elections in 2024, how votes are counted, certified, and audited, and answer questions on topics like mail-in ballots, the role of the courts and media in elections, how technology impacts election security, and what federal, state, and local governments are doing to combat election interference. This event will provide valuable insights to help you stay informed for the upcoming November 5th election. We hope to see you there. REGISTER HERE
The Honesdale National Bank to Host Ribbon Cutting The Honesdale National Bank (HNB) will be making a summer splash in Moscow to celebrate the opening of its new location at 330 N Main Street. To celebrate the expansion of banking services to this Lackawanna County community, all are invited to join in the fun. Attendees may open accounts, win prizes, and most importantly – raise money for local nonprofits. $10 will be donated to the non-profits noted below for each account opened as well as each time a banker is dunked into the Summe Splash Dunk Tank. Benefiting Non-Profits: North Pocono Area Council of PTA • North Pocono Public Library • North Pocono Moscow Rotary Club • Moscow Volunteer Fire & Hose Company • Spring Brook Volunteer Fire Company • Elmhurst-Roaring Brook Fire Department Covington Fire Company • Jefferson Township Volunteer Fire Company • Madisonville Fire Company When: Friday, August 9, 20224 – RAIN OR SHINE 11:00am – 1:00pm Grand Opening Festivities11:30am Ribbon Cutting Location: HNB Moscow Office 330 N Main Street, Moscow, PA 18444 Photo Ops & B-Roll Opportunities: Ribbon Cutting with bank executives, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and local dignitaries Summer Splash Dunk Tank: Watch an HNB team member be dunked into the dunk tank by community members looking to earn $10 donations per dunk for local non-profits Blu the Mascot showcasing that the best investments we make are in the communities we serve.
Johnson College Enrolling for 285 Computer Numerical Control Course Johnson College is now enrolling for its 285 Computer Numerical Control (CNC) course at its Scranton campus. The course will run Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 10:15 p.m. beginning September 3, 2024, and ending November 25, 2024. The 285-hour non-credit certificate Computer Numerical Control training is designed for individuals looking to enter the high-demand machining field. The course covers the theory and hands-on practice of both conventional and computer numerical control machining fields. In addition to math for machinists, emphasis on the use of metals and the stresses placed upon them will be taught. The total cost of the course is $4,200. Participants must have a GED or high school diploma. To learn more or to enroll, visit https://johnson.edu/continuing-ed/285-computer-numerical-control-cnc/ or contact the Continuing Education Department at 570-702-8979 or continuinged@johnson.edu.
Keystone Mission Hosts Grand Opening for Seeds of Hope Community Garden The Scranton Chamber of Commerce spread the ribbon on Keystone Mission’s opening ceremony for the Seeds of Hope Community Garden behind their Scranton Innovation Center. The idea of a community garden sprung to life in April 2023 and is designed to facilitate the development of life and vocational skills for guests at the Mission. The initiative engages Center guests, staff, and the local community to actively participate in planning, growing, and harvesting of fresh produce. After a successful summer of harvesting a variety of vegetables and spices, the garden received a handcrafted sign to commemorate the many hands that played a vital role in planning and upkeeping the garden. “This coming-together of staff, guests of our Pathfinder’s Program, many community organizations, and local residents is a true testament to what can be accomplished when we come together,” says Danielle O. Keith-Alexandre, CEO & Executive Director. “This project is now a reality, and it is wonderful to experience the foliage and fresh produce from the garden. We hope that community members will stop by and enjoy the scenery that exudes from the ambience of our Seeds of Hope Community Garden!” Keystone Mission recognizes the many hands that made this possible such as the Pathfinder’s Program, The Scranton Area Community Foundation, Michael McAllister, Scranton Counseling Center, Mr. Mulch, The Hughes Family, and the Klee Family. Keystone Mission gives special recognition to Mitchell Hreha and his company, 3VKG, for donating time and material to build a handcrafted Seeds of Hope Sign. To find out more about how you can participate or benefit from the Community Garden, please visit www.KeystoneMission.org/seeds-of-hope/.
United Neighborhood Centers to Celebrate National Farmers Market Week United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC) year-round; every Thursday, Carbondale Farmers Market invites you to our National Farmers Market Week Celebration event. Join us this Thursday, August 8, 2024, during our market hours, 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on the grounds of UNC’s Fallbrook Senior Community Center at 185 Fallbrook Street in Carbondale. The market will feature woodfire pizza from Lupo Russo Pizza Truck, ice cream from Handel’s Ice Cream Truck, Authentic Puerto Rican food from Amor de Mami, raffle baskets to giveaway, and more! Stop by all the vendors, sit, and relax to the music provided by UNC. What about fresh local produce and meats? Stop by Kim and Andrew’s Farm Market for all your homegrown produce, farm-fresh salad dressing, sauces, and maple syrup. Winola Farms brings all the protein you need with its assortment of pasture-raised beef, pork, and chicken. And there are more vendors to come! UNC Farmers Markets accepts SNAP/EBT, and all benefit holders can receive an extra $2.00 for every $4.00 spent while shopping. For more information about SNAP/EBT, Food Bucks, or to become a vendor or cooking demonstrator, contact Taylor Burdick, UNC Carbondale Farmers Market Manager, at tburdick@uncnepa.org. UNC’s Carbondale Farmers Market is generously funded by the Moses Taylor Foundation. Like us on Facebook to learn about upcoming demonstrations and programs.
Marywood to Host 2nd Annual Cruisin’ for a Cause Car Show Marywood University will host its second annual Cruisin’ for a Cause Car Show on Sunday, September 22, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., in the Nazareth Student Center parking lot on Adams Avenue on the university’s campus. If needed, a rain date has been set for Sunday, September 29, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Various student and alumni groups, spearheaded by Marywood’s SOUL (Students Organized to Uphold Life), are collaborating with both the Pharoahs Car Club and the Coal Crackers Car Club, two of the largest in NEPA, for the event. All proceeds from the car show will benefit St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton. Last year’s inaugural event successfully raised $1,050 for St. Joseph’s. More than 75 cars and unique hot rods from all different generations will be featured at the family-friendly event, which also will feature a bake sale, music, raffles, and more. For more details, contact Kevin Farrell, Associate Vice President for the Student Experience, at kfarrell@marywood.edu or 570-340-6016.
Marywood University Sets Fall Open Houses Marywood University will hold two undergraduate open house events this fall for high school students and their parents. The October Open House is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, and the November Open House is set for Saturday, November 16. Both events will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Registration for each open house begins at 8:30 a.m. in the Fireplace Lounge at the Nazareth Student Center on the University’s campus, and the last campus tour departs at 1:45 p.m. A complimentary continental breakfast and lunch are included in the fall open houses. The open houses will give prospective students the opportunity to walk through a student services & organizations fair to find out how Marywood students fit in and have fun on campus. In addition, students will be able to explore various majors at an academic fair, learn more about the admissions process, visit an academic department of their choice and spend some time with faculty, as well as chat with varsity coaches and tour Marywood’s campus. For more information and to register for Marywood University’s fall open houses, visit marywood.edu/openhouse, email YourFuture@marywood.edu, or call Marywood’s admissions office at (570) 348-6234.
The University of Scranton to Host Annual Volunteer Fair The University of Scranton has planned a fair on Tuesday Sept. 10 for area nonprofit organizations seeking college students as volunteers. Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer & Service Fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, on campus. The fair offers University students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives from nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers. To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429. The deadline to register for the fair is Friday, Sept. 6.
The Wright Center to Observe National Health Center Week The Wright Center for Community Health will host a week of activities aimed at improving the health and well-being of communities in Northeast Pennsylvania as part of National Health Center Week from Aug. 4-10. The Wright Center, one of nearly 1,400 community health centers in the country, served more than 35,400 unique patients in fiscal year 2023-24. Community health centers represent the largest primary care network in the nation, delivering care to more than 30 million people annually, or one in 11 people nationwide. Of those served, one in three people live in poverty and one in five are uninsured, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers, which organizes National Health Center Week. This year’s National Health Center Week theme is “Powering our communities Through Caring Connections,” an important reminder of the critical role that community health centers play in strengthening the delivery of responsive and inclusive whole-person primary health services to underserved populations across the nation. The Wright Center will kick off National Health Center Week a day early by offering vaccinations, dental screenings, free backpacks and school supplies for children, Narcan kits, and more at the second annual NEPA’s Latino Fiesta on Saturday, Aug. 3, from noon to 6 p.m. at Nay Aug Park, 500 Arthur Ave., Scranton. Other National Health Center events organized by The Wright Center include: Monday, Aug. 5: Distributing care packages for people experiencing homelessness from 5-7 p.m., at Keystone Mission, 90 E. Union St., Wilkes-Barre. Monday, Aug. 5: Distributing coloring books, crayons, vaccine information, and more from noon to 3 p.m. at the Co-op Farmers Market, 900 Barring Ave., Scranton. Tuesday, Aug. 6: Distributing backpacks and school supplies for children, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center in Hawley, 103 Spruce St. Wednesday, Aug. 7: Serving lunch and distributing backpacks and school supplies for children, noon to 2 p.m., at The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center in Wilkes-Barre, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Thursday, Aug. 8: Distributing backpacks and school supplies for children, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center in South Abington Township, 1145 Northern Blvd. Friday, Aug. 9: Distributing backpacks and school supplies for children, 3-4:30 p.m., at the Carbondale Public Library, 5 N. Main St. Saturday, Aug. 10: Distributing backpacks, school supplies, and dental kits for children, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at The Wright Center’s Teaching Health Center in Jermyn, 5 S. Washington Ave. The Wright Center, headquartered in Scranton, has a growing network of 10 Teaching Health Centers in Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Wayne counties, including a mobile medical and dental unit called Driving Better Health. Its locations offer affordable, high-quality, nondiscriminatory, whole-person primary health services to people of all ages regardless of their insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. Patients typically have the convenience of going to a single location to access integrated medical, dental, and behavioral health care, as well as community-based addiction treatment and recovery services. For more information, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-230-0019.
