Outreach – Center for Community Resources to Host the 2023 Mighty Oak Awards As Outreach – Center for Community Resources celebrates 35 years, Outreach invites the community to join in the celebration at the 2023 Mighty Oak Awards on October 5, 2023, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Glenmaura National Golf Club in Moosic, PA. This year’s Mighty Oak Awardee is Dr. Ruth A. Connolly, and Kate Holod and Bill Burnell will be honored with the Beth Beh Community Spirit Award. The Mighty Oak Awards honor those in Northeastern Pennsylvania who are pillars for their leadership and contributions to the community. The 2023 Mighty Oak honoree is Dr. Ruth A. Connolly, former Development Director of Outreach. Dr. Connolly has spent over 50 years serving the community through her early childhood, middle school, and high school education work. She served as Outreach, then known as the Economic Opportunity Training Center of NEPA, as the Development Director, where she was instrumental in fundraising for the renovation of the Seventh Avenue Center. Outreach is still located at the Seventh Avenue Center today in Scranton. Most recently, she is the Director of the North Pocono Dry Good Pantry. The Beth Beh Community Spirit Honorees for 2023 are: Ms. Kate Holod is a member of the Outreach Board and Fundraising Committee. Ms. Holod has served as an Outreach Board member since 2006. Before retiring, she worked 35 years in state government, including 15 years as Director of the Bureau of Child Care with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. She is very active in the community. She recently was named President of the Board of the Kiwanis Club of Scranton and actively volunteers at many of the Kiwanis’ local initiatives. Mr. Bill Burnell is a longtime volunteer GED instructor for Outreach. Prior to retiring, he worked in commercial insurance for over 50 years and owned his own agency for nearly 20. Since retiring, he has become a very active volunteer in the community. For over 35 years, he has been a member of the Arc of NEPA Board and is the current Board President. He has a great love of the American Civil War era and actively participates in the Civil War Roundtable as a hobby. In 2022, Outreach began awarding the Beth Beh Community Spirit Award. This award recognizes and honors an individual or group with a long-standing devotion to community service through education, volunteer work, and citizen connections. Beth Beh was the original founder of the Women’s Employment Program (WEP) in 1986, the flagship program of the Employment Opportunity Training Center (EOTC), now Outreach. She devoted her life to developing and expanding community services that focused on single mothers and children in the region and provided mentorship to childcare professionals. The Mighty Oak Awards will include cocktails, hor d’oeuvres, live music, and basket raffles. Participant stories will set the stage for the awards event. Individual tickets can be purchased by visiting the Outreach website at outreachworks.org. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers family educational and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills to be healthy and productive community members. Outreach programs support families experiencing adverse life events, including economically disadvantaged families, individuals seeking services that are involved in the Women’s and Veterans Treatment Court System, residents at the Lackawanna County Prison, and justice-involved juveniles. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,500 adults and children annually with evidence-based family development, early childhood education, adult GED services, and workforce programs that support them as they navigate life’s challenges.
RailRiders to Host Fundraiser for Outreach The RailRiders will be hosting a fundraiser for Outreach on Wednesday, July 19. See flyer details.
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.
Outreach Receives Grant Outreach – Center for Community Resources received an $18,500 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation in June of this year for Outreach Early Childhood and Parenting Programs for Moms and their Children. The grant will provide necessary funding for programs administered by Outreach, a state-designated Family Center, supporting family needs in early childhood education, parenting, workforce development, financial literacy, and others. Additionally, Outreach connects families to supplemental services that are available from the numerous nonprofit partners in the Scranton region, providing a safety net of unique services. Outreach provides families with the services and programs they need to gain family stability and economic self-sufficiency throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. Outreach child-serving programs aim to improve school readiness through high-quality activities that enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Outreach parenting programs allow parents to gain the skills to implement positive parenting techniques that result in improved behavioral outcomes for their children and connect them to a social network of other parents. The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been serving the Northeastern Pennsylvania region for over 65 years as a steward, a grantmaker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change and growth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was established as a community trust in 1954 by the Scranton Family, whose initial gift was the seed that has grown into a permanent vehicle for donors to accomplish their philanthropic goals while helping to support positive change within our community. Today the Scranton Area Community Foundation holds and manages a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, the Foundation responds to community needs and has provided grants to support regional nonprofits.
Outreach – Center for Community Resources 35th Anniversary Kickoff Outreach – Center for Community Resources is celebrating our 35th Anniversary of moving families forward. Formerly the Employment Opportunity & Training Center of NEPA (EOTC), Outreach serves over 4,500 individuals each year by helping them move towards economic self-sufficiency and family stability. We invite you to celebrate our 35th Anniversary and have an “axe-ceptional” and fun evening with Outreach by attending our kickoff celebration at Electric City Axe Throwing, 1141 Capouse Avenue, Scranton on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, from 5 PM to 7 PM. Enjoy Axe Throwing, food, beer, wine, raffles, and more. Tickets are limited to 60 guests, so purchase them soon! Visit www.outreachworks.org for tickets and information, or call Lori Ryan at the office: (570)558-7565. Scan QR Code to purchase tickets! Outreach is happy to kick off our celebration at Electric City Axe Throwing, a veteran-owned business in Scranton. Owners Jose Bataller and Sam Williams first met in 2017 while serving in the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group program at US Embassy Podgorica, Montenegro. Three years later, they were inspired by their visit to FXBG Axes, owned and operated by their former Detachment Commander, Gunnery Sergeant David Crawley, and his wife, Krista Crawley. Jose and Sam decided that Scranton was the perfect spot for axe throwing. Outreach is proud to serve Veterans and is excited about the opportunity to partner with Electric City Axe Throwing as our kickoff to our yearlong celebration. Please consider joining Outreach for a fun evening and support a Veteran-owned business in our community. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers family educational and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach programs support families experiencing adverse life events, including economically disadvantaged families, individuals seeking services that are involved in the Women’s and Veteran’s Treatment Court System, residents at the Lackawanna County Prison, and justice-involved juveniles. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,500 adults and children each year with evidence-based family development, early childhood education, adult GED services, and workforce programs that support them as they navigate life’s challenges
Outreach Center Receives a $5,000 Grant Outreach – Center for Community Resources received a $5,000 grant from Sanofi in December for the agency’s annual Toyland Workshop. The grant provided the necessary funding for the annual program administered by Outreach, a state-designated Family Center, during the 2022 holiday season, which supported family needs by providing pajamas, socks, books, STEM-focused educational toys, and grocery gift cards for children and families in our shared community. Through this generous grant, Outreach provided gift packages to over 200 participant families. Outreach Family Development Specialists delivered gifts to more than 350 children during the holiday season. Sanofi is committed to preventing, treating, and curing illnesses and diseases. By combining breakthrough science with advanced technology, Sanofi Pasteur is driven to improve the health of communities and is committed to supporting a diverse range of organizations that serve its communities. Outreach child-serving programs aim to improve school readiness through high-quality activities that enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Outreach parent programs help parents gain the skills to implement positive parenting techniques, resulting in improved behavioral outcomes for their children and providing social connections to a network of peers that will support them. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers parent/child and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,000 individuals each year with programs that support people as they navigate life’s challenges. Attached: Sanofi logo, and Photo with Outreach staff member, Mickey McConnon organizing toys and pajamas to pack up gift bags for children.
Outreach to Host Job Fair Outreach invites job seekers to attend the Department of Corrections Job Fair to be held at the LEAD Center at Outreach, 431 North Seventh Avenue, Scranton, on Wednesday, February 15. 2023 from 10 am to 2 pm. In the event of snow, the makeup date will be Friday, February 17, 2023, from 10 am to 2 pm. The LEAD Center at Outreach is hosting an on-site job fair with the Department of Corrections. Timothy Budgeon, Lieutenant Department of Corrections Recruitment and Retention Specialist, will be on-site to provide information regarding the amazing career opportunities available with the Department of Corrections. Job opportunities include work with: State CorrectionsState ParoleState Community Corrections The Department of Corrections has positions that cover all spectrum’s of experience and education in Civil and Non-Civil Service categories. Positions range from administrative, security, maintenance, food service, education, psychology, medical, dental, and more. Earn up to $22.28 per hour to start! Outreach – Center for Community Resources serves over 4,500 adults and children each year by offering a variety of programs that promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency, with respect for the individual and with the highest professional standards. The LEAD Center at Outreach helps individuals overcome barriers to employment and is proud to partner with the Department of Corrections to serve our local community. For more information, contact: Jennifer Shoemaker at 570-703-0049.
Outreach – Center for Community Resources Receives Grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation Outreach – Center for Community Resources received an $18,500 grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation in June of this year for Outreach Early Childhood and Parenting Programs for Moms and their Children. The grant will provide necessary funding for programs administered by Outreach, a state-designated Family Center, during the fiscal year of July 2022 to June 2023, which support family needs in early childhood education, parenting, workforce development, financial literacy, and others. Additionally, Outreach case managers connect families to supplemental services that are available from the numerous nonprofit partners in the Scranton region, providing a safety net of unique services. Outreach connects families with services and programs they need to gain family stability and economic self-sufficiency throughout Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties. Outreach child-serving programs aim to improve school readiness through high-quality activities that enhance cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Outreach parenting programs allow parents to gain the skills to implement positive parenting techniques that result in improved behavioral outcomes for their children and connect them to a social network of other parents. The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been serving the Northeastern Pennsylvania region for over 65 years as a steward, a grantmaker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change and growth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was established as a community trust in 1954 by the Scranton Family, whose initial gift was the seed that has grown into a permanent vehicle for donors to accomplish their philanthropic goals while helping to support positive change within our community. Today the Scranton Area Community Foundation holds and manages a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, the Foundation responds to community needs and has provided grants to support regional nonprofits. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers parent/child and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,500 individuals each year with award-winning workforce and family development programs that support people as they navigate life’s challenges. Pictured (left to right) Outreach Family Development Specialists Alyssa Savitski and Kathy Kutsop with Scranton Area Community Foundation Board of Governors Chair Barbara O’Hara, Esq. and David Price, Foundation Board Treasurer.
Outreach Center Coordinates Toyland Workshop Outreach – Center for Community Resources is currently coordinated its annual Toyland Workshop to provide pajamas, socks, books, educational toys, and grocery gift cards for children and families in our shared community. Through an incredible outpouring of support, numerous contributions, grants, and in-kind donations by several foundations, corporations, local businesses, charitable organizations, and individuals were made to Outreach for its annual Toyland Workshop. This year, Outreach is providing gift packages to over 200 participant families. Outreach FamilyDevelopment Specialists are delivering gifts to more than 330 children for the holiday season. Manytoys were purchased online through our Amazon Wish List. Contributors that were logged into Amazon Smile had an additional percentage of their purchase donated to Outreach by Amazon in support of the numerous programs provided to our shared community. Students from the University of Scranton and Holy Cross High School also shared their goodwill by collecting toys and adopting Outreach participant families this season. For more information, please call Lori Ryan at (570)-558-7565. Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers parent/child and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,000 individuals each year with programs that support people as they navigate life’s challenges.
Outreach – Center for Community Resources GED Graduate Outreach – Center for Community Resources received a $5,000 Innovative Impact grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation to support the delivery of GED services for individuals in the community to further their education. This grant provided essential resources for Outreach to serve additional adults in our community in need of these services. Outreach is providing GED educational instruction to economically disadvantaged adults at no cost. This is only possible with grants to support the GED program. Adults with a GED earn on average $9,000 more annually than adults without a GED. Less than 10% of the job positions in the United States will consider hiring someone that does not hold a high school diploma or GED. Attainment of a GED is critical for adults seeking employment and economic self-sufficiency. The Scranton Area Community Foundation has been serving the Northeastern Pennsylvania region for over 65 years as a steward, a grantmaker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change and growth. The Scranton Area Community Foundation was established as a community trust in 1954 by the Scranton Family, whose initial gift was the seed that has grown into a permanent vehicle for donors to accomplish their philanthropic goals while helping to support positive change within our community. Today the Scranton Area Community Foundation holds and manages a variety of funds from individuals, organizations, and corporations. Through these gifts, the Foundation responds to community needs and has provided grants to support regional nonprofits. Cal Bieryla is one of the first to participate in the community GED program at Outreach. Cal was extremely motivated to learn while managing multiple responsibilities, such as being a single Dad and having a full-time job. By utilizing the in-person and online instruction offered by Outreach, Cal was able to attend Math class in the morning after working all night. Then, he worked on English on his own time via Google Classroom. Cal’s goal was not simply to pass the GED exam, but to obtain scores that would allow him to be accepted into college. On July 18, he officially became a graduate with college-ready scores. Outreach supported his desire to pursue post-secondary education by connecting him with assistance to explore careers, complete college applications, and financial aid paperwork. Within a few days of completing his GED, Cal was officially accepted into Lackawanna College and is now studying Cyber Security. With grant support from regional foundations, Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers family educational and workforce development services and programs to the regional community that promotes family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,000 individuals each year with award-winning workforce and family development programs that support them as they navigate life’s challenges.