NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania Holds SafetyWorks Week for Seniors

NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania (NWNEPA) will serve 30 older adult homeowners in West Scranton with much needed interior and exterior painting and small repairs throughout Lackawanna County as part of SafetyWorks Week for Seniors, July 3th – 7th, 2023.

More than 200 volunteers will be coming from all over the northern portion of the United States through a partnership between NeighborWorks and Group Mission Trips, Inc. to make the weeklong event possible. As NeighborWorks has recently kicked off West Side Scranton’s ten-year plan to increase livability in the area, the focus of the volunteer work for the week will be the West Scranton community.

Throughout the week volunteers will provide exterior painting to whole homes, window frames and porches and steps. Interior painting of kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms will spruce up older homes adding value and increasing the quality of life for older adults who can no longer tend to their homes safely.

NeighborWorks has hosted Group Mission Trips, Inc. volunteers for seven previous workcamps, mobilizing 2,158 volunteers, equating to approximately 50,000 hours of volunteer labor (worth over $1.4 million) to make needed repairs to over 320 separate properties in Lackawanna County. This year Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, along with Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging, donated funds to provide the materials for the volunteers to use while serving the older adults in Scranton.

Commonwealth of PA Holds Community Meeting to Discuss the Region’s Access to the Internet

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce’s government affairs and advocacy committee is committed to representing and being a voice for the business community to the local, state, and federal legislators. A priority for The Chamber’s government committee is access to broadband internet across the Wyoming Valley for its residents and businesses.

On Tuesday, July 11, at 11 a.m., The PA Broadband Development Authority (PBDA) is holding a community meeting to hear from the general public’s experience with internet access. The community meeting will be at the Lackawanna County Center for Public Safety in Jessup, PA.

Sign-up!

Scrantastic Spectacular

On Monday, July 3, Lackawanna County will hold the 2023 Scrantastic Spectacular

Courthouse Square in Scranton comes alive as Lehigh Valley Hospital Dickson City Presents the Lackawanna County Scrantastic Spectacular!

Bring the family and enjoy great foods, games and bounce houses for the kids, local bands on The Scranton Recycling Side Stage, and a LIVE performance from Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic Brass and Percussion Members beginning at 8 PM. Then sit back and enjoy the best fireworks display in NEPA sponsored in part by Alleima!

NOTE: Fireworks launch location is now at the Linden St. Garage above Catch 21. See the map for the best viewing locations.

Information provided by https://www.scrantasticspectacular.com/

This event is sponsored in part by Scranton Tomorrow, the Lackawanna County Commissioners, The City of Scranton, and Audacy Pennsylvania.

Lackawanna Winter Market – Chamber Holiday Showcase

The 2022 Holiday Showcase is an opportunity for you to feature 1-3 products and/or services in a brief live interview conducted by The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. This event will recorded and shared on The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and Lackawanna County social media platforms throughout the holiday season. 

Sign Up to Participate Today

Vendor set up must be completed by times noted below at The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce offices, 222 Mulberry Street, Scranton, PA. Vendor space not set up by start time will be forfeited.  Off street parking in the chamber driveway is available for unloading, set up and duration of filming.  

Set up by 9:15 AM – Show starts at 9:30 AM
Set up by 1:15 PM – Show starts at 1:30 PM 


Vendors will be assigned 5’ of table-top space in the Chamber boardroom, which are pre-set tables, secured together and cannot be moved.  (We will work with any special requests for vendors with larger products.)  Camera and host will move around the room from vendor to vendor interviewing individually for maximum of five (5) minutes per vendor.  

After your recording you will have a few minutes to pack up your products, please keep your set simple to allow easy transition to the next businees.

Questions and additional information:

Vendors should be prepared to have one (1) representative on-camera who can speak with host about featured products at minimal length and answer questions from host as part of the sales process. On-air representative should also be knowledgeable about vendor purchasing, payment, delivery/shipping options and product availability.

Lackawanna Winter Market Vendors please contact Anthracite Events for more information.

Lackawanna County Grant Process Still Accepting Applications

Annually the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties supports a grant program in Lackawanna County with funds collected from individuals, corporations and employee groups made up of Lackawanna County residents during the United Way campaign.

This is the first year United Way is implementing the “Lackawanna County Community Impact Grant.”  This is a small grant that is built and targeted for grass roots organizations with limited administrative capacity.  An effort to try and serve more diverse populations residing in Lackawanna County that may experience difficulties when applying for other funding streams. Organizations can apply for funding for one program with a limit of a $10,000 request.

To Qualify:

  • An organization must have an organizational budget of less than $400,000.
  • Organizations must be a 501(c)(3) organization or partner with a United Way approved 501(c)(3) organization.
  • Organization has bylaws that state the purpose of the organization, make provisions for the size of the Board of Directors and provide rules for: selection and tenure of board members, the number of officers and committees, financial and legal procedures, and quorum requirements.
  • Organization has proof of current directors’ and officers’ liability insurance.
  • Organization maintains compliance with all applicable legal licensing requirement and maintains appropriate insurance coverage.
  • All program requests must fit within the one of the 3 priority areas of United Way which are Education, Health and Economic Mobility.

Application Guideline:

  • Receiving funds in one fiscal year does not ensure that the grant will be renewed in the following year(s). It is imperative that the organization does not count on United Way funds as a recurring funding stream.
  • In the benchmark section, be sure to state clear numbers of individuals impacted by the program. It is understood that this is a projection until the program is completed. The actual number of impacted individuals must be included in the report section at the end of the fiscal year.
  • While the Committee may fund a capital item, the preferred usage of the United Way funds is for programs that impact individuals in the community.
  • If there are any questions concerning this application process, please contact William Craven via email at wcraven@uwlc.net

This grant process is overseen by a group of volunteers that make funding decisions based on the applications that are submitted to the United Way. It is the responsibility of these dedicated volunteers on the Lackawanna County Funds Distribution Committee to ensure donations are spent in the most cost-efficient method in priority areas for the residents of Lackawanna County. All the decisions are made by local volunteers and then approved by the United Way Board of Directors. The Funds Distribution Committee members are the stewards of the community fund.

In order to receive login information, you must first contact Will Craven (wcraven@uwlc.net) to receive login credentials. Applications are now available to any organization that meets the above criteria.  Application submission deadline is September 21st.

For more information, visit, uwlc.net/lackawanna-county-grant-process

Scranton Area Community Foundation Hosts 3rd Annual NEPA Gives Friday, June 3rd

225+ local nonprofits joining together for historic giving day. ‘Give Gathering’ taking place in Downtown Scranton to celebrate

The Scranton Area Community Foundation, in partnership with The Luzerne Foundation, Greater Pike Community Foundation, Wayne County Community Foundation, Carbon County Community Foundation, Posture Interactive, and other community sponsors, will host the third annual NEPA Gives event on Friday, June 3, 2022.Promoted as the single largest day of philanthropy in Northeastern Pennsylvania, NEPA Gives is a one-day, 24-hour, online giving extravaganza that’s all about giving back to the community.

NEPA Gives aims to raise awareness about the critical work nonprofit organizations carry out across the region and aims to help charitable organizations raise much-needed funds. Over 225 nonprofit organizations from across seven counties in Northeastern Pennsylvania will participate in NEPA Gives on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching funds and prizes have been secured, provided by various community partners, businesses, and sponsors that make donations to participating nonprofits during NEPA Gives stretch even further.

Adding to the excitement, to celebrate NEPA Gives, the Scranton Area Community Foundation is also hosting an in-person NEPA Gives ‘Give Gathering’ that will be held at the Hilton Scranton Conference Center from 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3, to coincide with First Friday Scranton. The Give Gathering will include live entertainment, giveaways, real-time and live-streamed updates on NEPA Gives, and opportunities for the general public to meet many of the participating nonprofits. This event is free to attend.

To celebrate this historical and monumental giving day, both Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown have made official proclamations declaring June 3, 2022, as NEPA Gives Day.

“NEPA Gives is all about supporting charities that are doing important work right here in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “We have teamed up with various community partners and businesses eager to provide support for NEPA Gives and we are thrilled to announce that we have secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in incentives, bonuses, and matching funds available to participating nonprofits which helps make charitable donations go further during NEPA Gives. This year, we are looking forward to gathering in person in Scranton to celebrate the momentum of NEPA Gives and highlight the good work of the many participating nonprofits taking part in NEPA Gives.”

Members of the community wishing to make a contribution for NEPA Gives can visit www.nepagives.org anytime between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022, to make a secure donation to any of the 225+ participating nonprofit organizations.

This is the third year for NEPA Gives. In its second year, NEPA Gives raised over $1.2 million for 218 nonprofit organizations.

To learn more about #NEPAGives, visit nepagives.org or contact Brittany Pagnotti, Communications Manager of the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.