Lackawanna College Towanda Center Invites Transfer Students to Special Event

The Lackawanna College Towanda Center will host its Transfer Week from Aug. 9-13 to welcome students looking to transfer college credits to Lackawanna. The event takes place at the center, 1024 S. Main St., Towanda, daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Students will meet one-on-one with an enrollment specialist and receive help with their financial aid and registering for classes. A cookout will also be provided by the College.  

Perks of enrolling at the Lackawanna College Towanda Center include affordable tuition, a location close to home, and easily transferrable credits. “Students especially enjoy the small class sizes, which rarely exceed eight students per section,” Center Director Brad Reid said. “It is significantly less overwhelming than some of the larger state school class sizes, and instructors can get to know the students and provide more individualized attention. The low tuition combined with finances saved on room and board gives students a better opportunity to save money for the next step in their career or education.” 

The Towanda Center offers the most affordable Clinical Medical Assistant certificate program in Northeastern Pennsylvania along with certificate programs for Phlebotomy Technician, Medical Administrative Assistant, and Medical Billing & Coding.  

Associate degrees are offered in majors including Accounting, Agribusiness, Business Administration, Business Studies, Criminal Justice, Cyber Security, Human Services, Pre-Allied Health, Professional Studies, and Sports Management. Human Service majors, who can obtain an associate or bachelor’s degree at Lackawanna, may find job placements close to home with Northern Tier Counseling. One of the center’s largest programs, Pre-Allied Health, offers many readily transferrable credits that open an umbrella of career opportunities in the medical field.  

Students may also spend two semesters at the Towanda Center to start their coursework in Hospitality Management or Petroleum and Natural Gas Business Administration before finishing their degree at the Scranton Campus or the brand-new Tunkhannock Center. Students who begin their major coursework at the Towanda Center can also finish their bachelor’s degrees online in Business, Criminal Justice, Human Services, Restaurant & Foodservice Management, and RN-to-BSN. 

The Transfer Week event welcomes walk-in or pre-registered students. For more information, please visit www.lackawanna.edu/towandatransfer, call (570) 265-3449, or email towanda@lackawanna.edu.

NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative to Host 2nd Mobile Spay/Neuter Event

The NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative, an initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, will sponsor its second mobile spay/neuter event in partnership with Eastern PA Animal Alliance (EPAA), on Thursday, July 29, 2021, beginning at 8:00 a.m. in Luzerne County at 588 Hazel Street in Wilkes Barre.

This is the second of three mobile spay/neuter events to take place this year based on overwhelming need, sponsored by the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative. During the first event, which took place on July 22, 2021, in Lackawanna County, 51 pre-registered applicants brought their domestic or feral cats to receive spay/neuter services at a low cost ($5 for feral cats and $10 for domestic cats). Cats also received rabies and distemper vaccines as needed.

This event aims to provide assistance to pet owners who may be facing economic challenges to help control the pet population across the region.

“This is the second of three spay/ neuter events sponsored by the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative, the first of which resulted in over 50 cats being spayed, neutered and vaccinated in one day,” stated Scranton Area Community Foundation President and CEO, Laura Ducceschi. “These mobile events are so important because they help to reduce the numbers of homeless animals and give people a very affordable option.  We’re grateful to EPAA for making these services available.”

Due to the high demand and the maximum capacity reached for this event, the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative is unable to take any additional applications for appointments for the scheduled mobile spay/neuter events at this time.

Reporters and members of the media are invited to attend to cover the event.

A project of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative works on initiatives aimed at ensuring animals in Northeastern Pennsylvania can achieve a happy and healthy life, free from abuse and neglect. The Collaborative is composed of over 40 individuals and organizations in the animal shelter, rescue, sanctuary, and welfare community including Griffin Pond, In Pursuit of Grace, Indraloka Animal Sanctuary, and others.

To learn more about the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative or to become involved, please visit the Collaborative’s website, nepaawc.org, or follow the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative on Facebook.

For more information about these mobile spay/neuter events, please contact Brittany Pagnotti, Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Communications Manager at 570-347-6203.

Donations to the NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative are accepted online at safdn.org or by check made payable to the Scranton Area Foundation indicating “NEPA Animal Welfare Collaborative Fund” in the memo mailed to the Scranton Area Community Foundation, 615 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102, Scranton, PA 18510.

Hospice of the Sacred Heart Hosts Camp Healing Hearts

Hospice of the Sacred Heart holds Camp Healing Hearts made possible by a $20,000 Community Impact Grant given by New York Life’s Northeastern Pennsylvania General Office.

This event is a five-day camp experience to provide grief education to children ages 8 to 14 who have experienced the death of a loved one. Children work with trained bereavement counselors and members of the regional arts community to help them progress towards acceptance of the loss and use the arts as a means of self-expression. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Camp Healing Hearts will be conducted safely via Zoom Video Conferencing. Jennifer Seechock, Hospice of the Sacred Heart Director of Counseling Services, will be available throughout the week for media interviews.

The five-day camp is free and is made up of two back to back 60-minute instructional sessions each day to provide a sense of routine, consistency and ultimately closure for the entire process. Each session utilizes a different theme explored through the arts. Bereavement counselors will be available throughout the week if any campers or family members require individual support.

Community volunteers lend their time to campers with artistic projects in painting, writing, yoga, dance, singing and cooking/baking. Friday’s session will be held in person at Montage Mountain Waterpark. Social distancing will be observed.

A video retrospective of Camp Healing Hearts will be presented before the feature film at the Circle Drive-In, 1911 Scranton Carbondale Highway, Dickson City, on a date to be determined in late August.

WHEN: Monday through Friday, August 9 through 13
9:30 – 11:30 AM

WHERE: Monday through Thursday via Zoom Video Conferencing
Friday in person at Montage Mountain Waterpark
1000 Montage Mountain Road, Scranton, PA 18507

Billy Strings Extends Headline Tour Through December

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Billy Strings will continue his extensive headline tour through the end of the year including a newly confirmed show at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Friday, November 19th at 8:30pm. Tickets for the Wilkes-Barre show go on-sale this Friday, July 16th at 10:00am at Ticketmaster.com and in person at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena. Full details can be found at billystrings.com/tour.

The new dates add to a landmark year for Strings, who was recently named Breakthrough Artist of the Pandemic at the 2021 Pollstar Awards after continuing to perform consistently, both in-person and virtually. Reflecting on his recent shows, Pollstar declares, “The hottest hand in jamgrass mastered pandemic touring…in a fraught year, Strings and those around him parlayed that fervor into the rare pandemic success story, blazing trails in livestreaming, drive-in touring and socially distanced podded shows while remaining true to their core values of authenticity and fan engagement.” Additionally, Relix featured Strings on the cover of their April/May issue praising, “Strings’ exuberance speaks to the boundless, resourceful spirit of his music…beyond his technical mastery, it’s his authenticity that continues to animate his music and, in turn, the fans who are drawn to that music.”

Furthering his recent success, Strings taped his PBS “Austin City Limits” debut last week, which will appear as part of the legendary program’s upcoming 47th season, and recently released two new collaborations: “Wargasm” featuring special guest RMR, and a new version of Bill Monroe favorite, “Midnight on the Stormy Deep,” with bluegrass legend Del McCoury, of which Jambands praises, “Their live performance swells with fine mandolin and guitar runs, as the 82-year-old and 28-year-old harmonize their respective high tenor and soulful euphonious voices.” Adding to an already triumphant career, Strings won Best Bluegrass Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards forhisacclaimed 2019 record, Home. Released on Rounder Records, Home was produced by Glenn Brown and furthers Strings’ reputation as “one of string music’s most dynamic young stars” (Rolling Stone). Of the album, The Associated Press proclaims, “it is his creative musical storytelling, paired with solid vocals on Home that should seal the deal, pleasing fans of the genre and creating some new ones…the perfect blend of pure talent and pluck,” while The Wall Street Journal praises, “Billy Strings has clearly emerged as a premier guitar flatpicker of this era.” Strings and the album also topped Billboard’s 2020 year-end chart in both Bluegrass categories: Top Bluegrass Artists and Top Bluegrass Albums

Michigan-born and now Nashville-based, Strings arrived on the music scene as one of the most compelling new artists with the release of his 2017 debut LP, Turmoil & Tinfoil. Since his debut, Strings has been awarded Guitar Player of the Year and New Artist of the Year at the 2019 International Bluegrass Music Awards, selected as one of Rolling Stone’s 2017 “New Country Artists to Know” and performed on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and PBS’ “Bluegrass Underground.” Often playing over 200 shows per year, Strings keeps the improvisational tradition of bluegrass alive while incorporating elements of several diverse genres. WXPN’s World Café declares, “a bona fide phenom…with his virtuosic guitar playing front and center, Strings fuses bluegrass to psych rock, country and jam music, without fussing over what bluegrass should be.

NET Credit Union Sponsors Local Event

NET Credit Union is the event sponsor for The Lackawanna Historical Society’s “Afternoon Tea” event on July 31st.  The Lackawanna Historical Society will host the event on the Caitlin House’s front porch with Fiddlesticks Tea Company, a tea company located in Odessa, NY.

Founded in 1886, The Lackawanna Historical Society provides the community with local history through its museums, libraries, exhibits and programs. The Lackawanna Historical Society is located in the Caitlin House, which is the former residence of early Scranton financier and his wife, George H. and Helen Caitlin.  The Caitlin House is one of Scranton’s architectural treasures.

To learn more about the “Afternoon Tea” event and The Lackawanna Historical Society, please contact 570-344-3841, email lackawannahistory@gmail.com or visit http://www.lackawannahistory.org/