Leadership Lackawanna Hires Program Coordinator The Chamber is proud to announce the addition of Jennifer Strzelec as program coordinator for its affiliate Leadership Lackawanna, the area’s premier community leadership and professional development organization. In this role, Strzelec primarily supports the Tomorrow’s Leaders Today program – a seven-month initiative for high school juniors. This includes recruitment, marketing, evaluations, and administrative support. Strzelec has several years of experience as a preschool aide at Bright Beginnings Preschool in Mt. Cobb and at the YMCA in King George, Virginia. She also served in the United States Army in the avionics division at both Fort Hood in Texas and Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Strzelec earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University and is currently earning her MBA at West Chester University.
Lackawanna College Police Academy Graduates Sponsored Police Academy Cadets Ten cadets graduated from the Lackawanna College Police Academy on Dec. 2, ready to begin careers in law enforcement with the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre police departments. The newest group of cadets make up the 255th graduating cadet class and are part of a partially funded program by the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC). Municipalities are eligible for partial reimbursement if they hire a cadet prior to the start of an Academy training program. “The Academy staff and administration are proud of the graduates of class 255,” said John Chilleri, Director of the Lackawanna College Police Academy. “This is the first class where all cadets were hired as full-time officers by a municipality prior to the start of the program.” The partnership between the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre police departments, MPOETC, and Lackawanna College to train cadets is an example of the commitment the College has made to meet the needs of law enforcement in NEPA. “We are very excited to have our four officers fully trained and certified,” Chief Joseph Coffay of the Wilkes-Barre Police Department said. “They will be an added asset to the department and I am sure they are happy to finish their academic requirements and are happy to begin their career serving the citizens of Wilkes-Barre.” Thanks to an Act 89 annual grant of $5 million authorized in 2019, the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton Police Departments are eligible for partial reimbursement by MPOETC after cadets complete the program. MPOETC will reimburse the departments 75% of the tuition and 45% of the hourly wage for the required hours of training for any cadet hired by the department and paid to attend the Lackawanna College Police Academy. “The Scranton Police Department is excited to have six new officers joining the ranks of our department,” Scranton Police Department Chief Leonard Namiotka said. “It was also special that the entire graduating class was sponsored by the respective agencies of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. I am also thrilled that Act 89 will be reimbursing the City 75% of the tuition and 45% of the hourly wage for the required hours of training for the cadets. This will allow that money to be spent on more items such as training and equipment for the department to better serve the community.” Graduates from Class 255 included William Ardoline, Dupont; Adam Bisignani, City of Scranton; James Griffith, City of Scranton.; Carlos Muniz Jr., Wilkes-Barre; Richard Olshefski, Mountain Top; Cameron Rawlings, City of Scranton; Thomas Stornable, City of Scranton; Kevin Sweeney, City of Scranton; William Wilk, Plymouth, and Zachary Zelinski, City of Scranton.
Gerrity’s Offering $50 Gift Cards for COVID-19 Vaccine Gerrity’s Supermarkets will be holding three COVID-19 vaccine clinics over the next two weeks. Gerrity’s and Lackawanna County have partnered to offer $50 Gerrity’s gift cards to anyone who receives their first dose at one of the clinics. Lackawanna County will be sponsoring the cost of the gift cards for 100 recipients at each clinic.Gerrity’s pharmacists will be dispensing the Moderna vaccine to anyone who is 18 years of age or older. People can sign up by visiting gerritys.com. Joyce “Mom” Fasula, president of Gerrity’s, is very pleased to be able to offer the vaccines. “We are grateful to Lackawanna County for giving us the opportunity to offer these gift cards,” said Fasula. “We are so thrilled to have a positive impact on the health of our community.”The clinics will be held at the following locations:Keyser-Oak Shopping Center, Scranton on Wednesday, December 8702 S. Main Ave., Scranton on Wednesday, December 154015 Birney Ave., Moosic on Thursday, December 16
Shop Local: Holiday Deals from Our Members! Alfredo’s Cafe Holiday food and drinks specials all holiday season! SkyZone Pittston Purchase a $40 gift card get a $10 bonus card Spend $100 on gift cards, get 2 free tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters at Mohegan Sun Arena. While supplies last. SugarBabies LTD Shop for the holidays and support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Find organic and vegan skin care and bath goodies in a cozy, holiday store. Austin Burke Art November 18 through December 24 30% off ten 5″X7″ note cards. Also available, stocking stuffers, boxed gift sets of unique note cards featuring Scranton landmarks and Dunder Mifflin. Find them at Library Express – Steamtown Marketplace or NEPA Crafters Unite – Viewmont Mall. Chamber members receive an additional 10% off. PestPractice Through January 31, 2022 $50 off residential pest control initial service. First month free for new commercial accounts. Emobile Gym Fitness November 25 through December 31 30 for $30 for new members and 15% off personal training Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders November 19 through December 23 The perfect gift for the MVP baseball fan! Choose between our Deck The Halls ($299) and Stocking Stuffer ($145) holiday plans! Packages include undated ticket vouchers for the 2022 season and special gift items. Call 570-969-2255 to purchase! Audacy Radio Ho-Ho-Ho Deal Receive 72 spots total across 4 radio stations to run December 12 through December 17 for $1,500. Audacy Radio Holiday Greetings Deal Your very own audio greeting card! Run 112 spots across 4 radio stations to run December 5 – December 31 for $1,850.
Submit Holiday Deals Members are invited to submit holiday deals and specials to the Chamber so we can help promote them throughout the season. SUBMIT SEE DEALS
Watch Our Shop Small Showcases The Chamber – in partnership with Lackawanna County and Anthracite Events – recently hosted Shop Small Showcases live on social media. Four sessions were held with a variety of local businesses who talked about their holiday gift ideas. Watch all sessions below.
Honesdale National Bank Welcomes New Branch Supervisor David Raven, President and CEO of The Honesdale National Bank, announced Sharon Smith has joined HNB as Branch Supervisor of the Lackawaxen Office. In making the statement, Raven noted, “We are pleased to welcome Sharon to the HNB Family. Her strong retail and customer service experience will be of great benefit as we look to continue to support the needs of our customers in the Lackawaxen community.” Originally from Queens, NY, Smith is new to the financial industry. She moved to the area in her teenage years, graduating from Honesdale High School, and has since received her Bachelors of Science Degree in Management from East Stroudsburg University. She has then pursued over 20 years in retail management at the Dollar Tree in Honesdale. In mentioning her new role with HNB, Smith said, “I am excited to start a new career and reinvent myself in a new industry.” She continued, “I am looking forward to using my decades of experience in the customer service industry to serve my community in a new way.” In her spare time, she enjoys spending it with family, watching movies, or shopping.
Participate in the Electric City Trolley Museum Trim-a-Tree Challenge This holiday season the staff of The Electric City Trolley Museum is inviting a team of students of your choice plus an adult coordinator to participate in our 5th annual Electric City “Trim-a-Tree” Challenge. Our Plan is to provide undecorated trees for your group to trim with your own decorations following a theme. This year’s theme is “Popular Board Games”. Clear light, 7-7.5 foot pre-lit trees will be available for trimming starting November 1st through November 24th. All participating students will receive a gift certificate for two for our 2022 season. Cash prizes will be issued for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention.1st place: $275 gift card2nd place: $225 gift card3rd place: $175 gift cardHonorable Mention: $125 gift card Winners will be determined by our visitors’ votes for their favorite tree. Participating school may collect money on their own at $1 per vote and/or encourage family, friends and school personnel etc. to come enjoy our museum plus all the trees at $2 admission and vote for their favorite tree. All participants and their families and friends are invited to a reception held in our museum on Thursday December 30th from 2 to 3 p.m. during which time all winners will be announced and gift certificates will be distributed. Space for this event is limited so reservations are required. We will begin taking reservations on October 1st. If interested, please contact us with any questions and to reserve a tree. Reservations should be made no later than October 31st. Our museum is open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 570-963-6590
