Outreach Receives Grant for Doula Services Outreach – Center for Community Resources recently received $100,000 from the Highmark Foundation to support the postpartum doula program. In 2022, Outreach introduced its postpartum doula program as part of the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), funded through the Parents as Teachers® (PAT) program. The Outreach Doula program was expanded in 2023 with funding support from AllOne Charities and Maternal and Family Health Services. The Highmark Foundation grant funding will allow Outreach to add another full-time Doula to serve families with newborns in need of parenting support and educational services. Outreach doulas are certified by the Pennsylvania Certification Board as Certified Perinatal Doulas. The program follows the evidence-based PAT curriculum and consists of two to three home visits lasting up to three hours for ten to twelve weeks. Doulas provide critical support to parents during their pregnancy through their newborn’s earliest days. In fiscal year 2022-2023, Outreach served 20 parents and 21 infants through the doula program. The community has received the program very well. Outreach will continue to seek funding to expand these services to support families in need of this critical support.
Scranton Area Community Foundation Awards $2,000 Grant to Leadership Lackawanna Leadership Lackawanna, an affiliate organization to The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and a local nonprofit organization dedicated to community leadership and professional development, announces the support from the Scranton Area Community Foundation for its Welcome Scranton! program. In correlation with the Foundation’s Spring Grants cycle, Leadership Lackawanna received a $2,000 Community Needs Grant. The grant funds will be directly used in the support and delivery of Welcome Scranton!, a 2 ½ day program designed to give participants a quick, but thorough, understanding of Scranton and Lackawanna County, along with a revitalized sense of putting leadership into action. enrollment is open to everyone, from newcomers to area natives, from entry-level employees to executives. “Participating in Welcome Scranton gave me an insider look at so many unique places in and around Scranton. I learned more in 2 and a half days than in the 7 years I’ve lived here, and I connected with some wonderful people along the way! We’re so grateful that thanks to this grant, we’ll be able to continue to offer this one-of-a-kind program.” The benefits of the program encompass exploring our area’s hidden gems, enhancing your network of personal and professional connections, hearing inspirational stories from our business community, and gaining exposure to local leaders, issues and service and leadership opportunities. Applications are now being accepted for Welcome Scranton! which begins May 23rd. Interested parties should apply online at www.LeadershipLackawanna.com by May 2.
Wright Center Gets AI Grant The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education received a 2024 American Medical Association (AMA) Innovation Grant, one of only 14 medical teaching facilities nationwide to secure the prestigious $25,000 one-year education grant. As part of the grant, The Wright Center will join the AMA’s ChangeMedEd Consortium — a forward-thinking group committed to developing, implementing, and disseminating bold and innovative projects that promote systemic change to better train future physicians. Grant recipients will focus on the application of precision education across the medical education continuum — from medical school and residency to continuing medical education. The Wright Center’s project aims to make health care more personalized and equitable by leveraging data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) to tailor, and thereby improve, how family medicine residents learn about population behavioral health, aligning with medical standards and correlating their performance with patient outcomes in a community health center setting. There is potential for AI-enabled tools to support physician faculty in the education of resident and fellow trainees by analyzing performance and correlating it with practice and population health metrics. Ideally, the direct connection of trainee performance and these additional metrics will improve the education of physicians-in-training, which in turn will improve patients’ health, well-being, and experiences. Project leads for The Wright Center for Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike, and its affiliated entity, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, include Stephanie A. Gill, M.D., a board-certified family medicine physician and Family Medicine Residency program director, and Meaghan Ruddy, Ph.D., senior vice president of enterprise wellness and resiliency, assessment and advancement, and chief strategic research & development officer. “Through the integration of data analytics and artificial intelligence, there is opportunity to potentially revolutionize how family medicine residency faculty approach teaching interventions in behavioral health,” said Dr. Ruddy. “By aligning with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies and diving deeply into the social determinants of health, we aim to personalize education and assessment, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Our goal is not only to enhance individualized care but also to champion health equity through innovative, data-driven approaches in medical education.” As one of the largest U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education consortiums in the nation, The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, a physician-led nonprofit, offers comprehensive, community-focused residencies throughout Northeast Pennsylvania and the United States in three disciplines – family medicine, internal medicine, and physical medicine & rehabilitation, as well as fellowships in cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, and geriatrics. The residency and fellowship programs are accredited by the ACGME and train residents and fellows in a community-based, community-needs-responsive workforce development model to advance its shared mission with The Wright Center for Community Health to provide whole-person primary health services regardless of a patient’s insurance status, ZIP code, or ability to pay. Since its inception in 2013, the AMA’s ChangeMedEd Initiative, formerly known as the Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium, has engaged dozens of U.S. medical education institutions in developing innovative strategies to revolutionize medical education and training. The objective is to equip a new generation of physicians with the skills necessary to deliver exceptional care tailored to evolving patient demographics. Its Innovation Grant Program has awarded $1.5 million in grants since 2018. Additional 2024 Innovation Grant recipients include California University of Science and Medicine; Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania; Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Michigan State University College of Human Medicine; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Oregon Health and Science University; Thomas Jefferson University Hospital; University of California, Irvine School of Medicine; University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix; University of Colorado School of Medicine; University of Virginia School of Medicine; Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; and Wayne State University School of Medicine. Go to TheWrightCenter.org to learn more about how The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education’s physician workforce pipeline is educating and training the next generation of physicians and interprofessional providers.
Johnson College Receives FAA Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant Johnson College has been awarded a $423,754 Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The grant will support Johnson College’s efforts to expand the U.S. aviation maintenance technical workforce through student scholarships and new laboratory training equipment. Johnson College is the only Pennsylvania College to receive funding under this program. “The aviation technology industry is expected to have rapid-paced growth throughout the next decade,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, Johnson College’s President and CEO. “Through this grant, we will be able to provide our Aviation Technology students with elements needed to enhance their hands-on training and help them to successfully enter the workforce with a valuable skillset.” Johnson College’s two-year Aviation Technology Associates Degree program prepares students as entry-level technicians with the latest information on diagnosis, repair procedures, preventative maintenance, and necessary safety applications in aviation technology. Through a partnership with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, students will complete airframe and power plant instruction in a lab located at the airport. This opportunity will provide students with a very unique and hands-on learning experience in the Aviation industry. The grant objectives include the further development and implementation of an FAA-certificated associate degree Part 147 Airframe and Powerplant Aviation Technology program and the development of a robust and sustainable pipeline program for middle and high school students, stimulating interest in aviation technology careers. To learn more about Johnson College’s two-year Aviation Technology Associates Degree program, visit https://johnson.edu/divisions-of-study/transportation/aviation/
Greater Scranton YMCA Receives Grant from Local Foundation Funding will support the inclusion of STEM equipment and supplies in to the YMCA’s Early Childhood Education Department. In 2023, the Greater Scranton YMCA was awarded a $16,244 grant from AllOne Charities. Grant funding will support the inclusion of STEM equipment and educational materials in the YMCA’s Early Childhood Education Department. The addition of STEM equipment and activities into the Greater Scranton YMCA’s Early Childhood Education curriculum will allow staff to make a greater educational impact on the growing number of children we serve. Through exposing young children to STEM activities and initiatives early in life, the groundwork will begin being laid, helping children enter kindergarten with a broader knowledge base and the tools and resources needed for success. “We are so grateful to AllOne Charities for this generous grant award,” said Trish Fisher, President & CEO, Greater Scranton YMCA. “Enrollment in early learning programs continues to grow. We are so proud to provide the children in our care with access to daily opportunities to engage in STEM activities, as exposure to STEM initiatives is a critical component to academic success.” For more information about the Greater Scranton YMCA’s Early Childhood Education Department, contact Tressa Parker, Education Director, at tparker@gsymca.org or visit the YMCA online at www.greaterscrantonymca.org.
Jeannine Luby Presents Grant to Boys and Girls Clubs of NEPA The Humor Therapy Fund of the Scranton Area Foundation is a donor-advised fund that was initiated in 2006 by Jeannine Luby, owner of Laugh to Live, as part of a graduate project at Marywood University. The fund was created with the purpose of promoting therapeutic laughter and humor throughout the greater Scranton area, which Luby says is needed now more than ever. Each year a grant is dispersed to a local 501c3 nonprofit organization and this year that recipient is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania who will use the funding to bring in the award-winning ‘Josh and Gab’ kindness and bullying-awareness musical comedy program that focuses on healthy choices, creativity, and community. Pictured in photo from left are Angel, Tricia Thomas, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Jeannine Luby, owner of Laugh to Live & donor adviser of the Humor Therapy Fund of the Scranton Area Foundation, and Willow.
Keystone Mission Receives Grant In June 2023, Keystone Mission received a $1,000 grant from The Giant Company, supporting the ongoing food needs at the Transformation Center. This grant bolsters Keystone Mission’s Make a Meal Program.“Residents are given weekly responsibilities to cook meals, and we are seeing a positive impact on their mental and physical health. A healthy diet reduces the risk of chronic diseases and improves the chances of a sustainable lifestyle,” says Justin Behrens, CEO & Executive Director.Giant is one of Keystone Mission’s local partnerships that provides residents with the ability to shop locally and reap the benefits of healthy eating.
NeighborWorks NEPA Awards Home Improvement Grants NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania is pleased to partner with both the City of Scranton and the City of Carbondale to announce the block groups selected for funding in the 2023 Beautiful Blocks program cycle. With a total of 103 properties in Scranton and 34 properties in Carbondale being awarded grant funding, NeighborWorks staff and local officials expect to see a significant positive impact in neighborhoods where projects are set to take place. A full list of groups receiving funding is attached to this release. Beautiful Blocks is a home improvement program which provides matching grants of up to $1,000 per property to groups of residents to help them make exterior improvements to their homes. 2023 represents the fifth consecutive program cycle in Scranton for Beautiful Blocks, with the program entering its third consecutive cycle in Carbondale after launching in the Pioneer City in 2021. Members of selected groups have until November 1 to complete their individual exterior home improvement projects, with groups also eligible for a $500 stipend to conduct a community celebration or service project. According to NeighborWorks President & CEO Jesse Ergott, “Beautiful Blocks is all about bringing people together to improve the neighborhoods they call home. We are thrilled that the program is resonating with so many of our neighbors in both Scranton and Carbondale and are greatly appreciative of all of the funding partners who help to make it happen. We are looking forward to continued growth of this program in both communities as we facilitate both physical improvements to homes and strengthened connections between neighbors.” “It is so exciting to see our residents working as a team making improvements to their home and their neighborhoods,” said Michele Bannon, Carbondale City Clerk and former board chair for NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. “Year two of Beautiful Blocks has made a tremendous impact on the City. Each year the program is growing bringing more homeowners together. It’s amazing to see the impact of committed, empowered homeowners on our community.” Beautiful Blocks in Carbondale is made possible with support from Lackawanna County Commissioners Jerry Notarianni, Debi Domenick, Esq., and Chris Chermak; with additional support from Millennium Packaging, Coterra Energy, Gentex, and other local businesses. “It’s inspiring to see the improvements made to our neighborhoods thanks to Beautiful Blocksprogram and out community-minded residents,” said Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti.“We’re thankful to the team at NeighborWorks and their volunteers who work with us to makeScranton a beautiful place to live.” Beautiful Blocks in Scranton is made possible with support from the City of Scranton, withadditional support from Community Bank, NA, The Dime Bank, M&T Bank, and The HonesdaleNational Bank. Over the first four cycles of Beautiful Blocks in the City of Scranton, more than 340 individualprojects have been completed by Scranton residents, grouped into 45 block groups. More than$287,000 in grant funding has been distributed to as part of these projects, with participatingresidents contributing more than $735,000 in matching funds to improving their neighborhoods. In the first two years of the Beautiful Blocks program operating in Carbondale, seven groups ofneighbors have participated, with more than $37,000 in grant funding awarded. This grantfunding helped to leverage more than $66,000 in funds invested from participatinghomeowners. Residents of Scranton and Carbondale who are interested in participating in future cycles ofthe Beautiful Blocks program are encouraged to access more information by visiting theprogram homepage at https:// www.nwnepa.org/programs/beautiful-blocks.html. Moreinformation is also available by contacting Gerard Hetman, NeighborWorks NortheasternPennsylvania Community Development Specialist, at (570) 558-2490 orghetman@nwnepa.org.
Greater Scranton YMCA Receives Grant The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded the Greater Scranton YMCA a $ 3,000 grant to support its summer literacy program, Summer Scholars. This local grant is a part of the Foundation’s largest, one day literacy donation of more than $13 million throughout the 47 states in which Dollar General operates to support adult, family and summer literacy programs. The Greater Scranton YMCA’s Summer Scholars Program is a free research based and researchproven six week summer learning program with a goal to get elementary students on track toread at or above grade level by the start of their next school year. In summer 2023, the programwill serve rising first, second and third grade students attending the Dunmore School District. Participants’ days consist of 2.5 hours of literacy in the morning followed by lunch and enrichmentin the afternoon. Enrichment activities include field trips, as well as trips to the Greater ScrantonYMCA for use of the pools. The program is instructed by certified teachers and YMCA staff.
Outreach Center Gains Support from Robert H. Spitz Grant The Robert H. Spitz Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to support Outreach’s programs and services to the regional community. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers a variety of programs to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency Outreach improves the lives of over 4,500 adults and children each year with evidence-based family development programs supporting individuals as they navigate life’s challenges. This Robert H. Spitz Foundation 2022 grant supports Outreach family-serving programs and services that are being provided at the Center on Seventh Avenue, virtually, and through home visiting child-serving programs. The Robert H. Spitz Foundation provides operational support for Outreach to respond to the increased need being experienced in the community for early childhood education, workforce development, adult education, and family services. The Robert H. Spitz Foundation supports initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania. Robert H. Spitz was born in Scranton and was a 1955 graduate of Scranton Central High School and the University of Miami, Florida. Before retirement, Mr. Spitz had been employed by the U.S. Department of Labor and was also the owner of several local Arby’s restaurants. Since 2015, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation has provided over $4.6 million in funding to the community. The Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as the administrator of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation. In photo (left to right): Brittany Pagnotti, MBA, CFRE, Donor Relations and Communications, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Angela Seibert, Outreach – Center for Community Resources, Child and Family Programs Director, Cathy Fitzpatrick, Grants & Scholarship Manager, and Frank Caputo, Grants & Communications Coordinator, Scranton Area Community Foundation.
