The Wright Center and Great American Smokeout Continue Promoting Virtues of Tobacco-free Life We all have friends or family members who can attest to how difficult it is to kick the habit and quit smoking. Often, people need multiple attempts before they successfully kick their addiction to nicotine for good. The effort, though, is entirely worth it, considering the grave health effects of tobacco use. High-profile events like the Great American Smokeout further promote and raise awareness about the national cause. Held on the third Thursday of November for nearly 50 years, the Great American Smokeout encourages people nationwide to take that crucial first step toward a smoke-free life while providing information on the resources the American Cancer Society (ACS) has to support those looking to quit. Its mission has helped spur the smoke-free laws of the past few decades that have significantly curtailed smoking-related deaths in the United States. The Great American Smokeout’s origins go back to 1970, when an event in Randolph, Massachusetts, encouraged people to give up cigarettes for a day and donate the money they would have spent on them to a high school scholarship fund. That was followed in 1974 by the state of Minnesota’s first D-Day, or Don’t Smoke Day. Then, on Nov. 18, 1976, the California Division of the American Cancer Society got nearly 1 million people to quit smoking for the day, marking the first official Smokeout, which the ACS took nationwide in 1977. Since then, we’ve come a long way in decreasing the smoking population in the U.S., from about 42% in 1965 to 14% in 2019. Even with these efforts, about 34 million American adults currently smoke, and smoking remains the single most significant preventable cause of death and illness in the world, with an estimated 480,000 deaths annually, according to the ACS. Meanwhile, certain populations smoke more than others, including people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those without college degrees, Native Americans, African Americans, members of the LGBTQ+ community, military personnel, and people with behavioral health conditions. So, we need to continue working hard to promote the virtues of quitting smoking, which improves your health immediately and, over the long term, diminishes your chances of cancer, cardiovascular and lung disease. The path to quitting comes with proven cessation methods, among them prescription medications and counseling. And, of course, lots of support. Here at The Wright Center for Community Health, we’re doing our best to decrease Northeast Pennsylvania’s smoking population by promoting the American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program. The program focuses on FDA-approved medications that can help people quit, lifestyle changes that can make quitting easier, coping strategies to manage stress and avoid weight gain, and methods to stay tobacco-free permanently. The number of participants determines individual and/or group sessions. If you are reading this column and are interested in learning more, please get in touch with me at brockc@TheWrightCenter.org or 570-290-2100. In addition, our Lifestyle Medicine program takes an evidence-based approach to helping individuals and families improve their health and quality of life by adopting and sustaining lifestyle behaviors, including eliminating tobacco use. Our team is trained in both conventional and lifestyle medicine, and we work with patients to create sustainable, personalized lifestyle self-care plans that can help manage or prevent many chronic diseases. Smoking is a hard habit to break. But there are clinically proven ways to free yourself from its clutches, and we’re here to help you along that path.
FNCB Bank Officer Receives AAP Certification FNCB Bank’s Rebecca Richardson, Baking Officer, Electronic Banking Supervisor, has obtained her certification as an “Accredited ACH Professional (AAP)”. The certification focused on comprehensive knowledge in all areas of ACH including a deep understanding of and experience in ACH with broad knowledge of concepts that relate to the payments system as a whole. Ms. Richardson joined FNCB Bank in September 2014 and has worked in several roles, including Electronic Banking Coordinator and Loan Operations Associate. She is a graduate of Old Forge H.S., Elizabethtown College where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree, and from the University of Scranton earning her Certificate of Accounting. She currently resides in Olyphant, PA with her husband, Mark.
Penn State Scranton Adds Eight New Faculty and Staff Members Penn State Scranton adds eight new faculty and staff members. Joining the campus are Farhang Daneshmand, assistant professor of engineering; Valarie Lynn, head librarian; Kelly Conlon-Mazzucca. lecturer of corporate communication; Loan Pham, assistant professor of business; Sarah Shigo, administrative support assistant/business services; Sarah Smith, coordinator of psychological and counseling services; Zachary Troy, IT support specialist; and Nicole Watkins, assistant professor of psychology. Read more here: https://scranton.psu.edu/story/23676/2023/10/19/penn-state-scranton-welcomes-eight-new-employees
Carbondale Technology Transfer Center’s 9th Annual Entrepreneurship Academy The Carbondale Technology Transfer Center (CTTC) held it’s 9th Annual Entrepreneurship Academy with students from Carbondale Area Jr/Sr High School, Forest City Regional High School, and Western Wayne High School. The CTTC’s Entrepreneurship Academy seeks to expose high school students (primarily sophomores and juniors) to the concept of entrepreneurship and its supporting characteristics. These business skills include leadership, marketing, effective business practices, and a spirit of independent thinking. Students participating in the program are educated through classroom instruction along with hands-on learning through the completion of a project in conjunction with a local business. This year, students worked with local businesses on project selected by the business owners. Carbondale Area students worked with Burning Bush Café to develop a marketing plan and pieces for one of their products. Cliff Krajkovich, owner of Burning Bush Cafe, tasked the students with developing different ways to market and promote his business, including their partnership with the Monastery. The students offered a variety of ways to highlight the business, including through social media. The winning team of students suggested creating “behind the scenes” videos that are popular on TikTok, which show how different menu items are made. Forest City Regional students worked with Birtchtown Weddings and Events to come up with some creative ways to market the venue for events other than weddings. Jessica Polednak, owner of Birchtown Weddings and Events, challenged the students with coming up with different ideas on how to utilize and market the property for events outside of wedding season. The class offered a variety of different ideas, ranging from indoor cornhole tournaments, to Santa’s Christmas Wonderland in December, to even a mechanical bull. Western Wayne students worked with Adams Cable to develop a marketing plan and pieces for their new product, Echoe Stream. Stephanie Kemmerer, Director of Marketing at Adams Cable, had the student teams develop a marketing plan for Echoe Stream and a target demographic of their market. They incorporated both on-air and print promotions to showcase the product and its advantages. Congratulations to all of this year’s Entrepreneurship Academy students on a very successful year and thank you to Cliff of Burning Bush Café, Stephanie, Claire, and Wendy of Adams Cable, and Jessica of Birchtown Weddings and Events, for your participation in this year’s Entrepreneurship Academy!
IRS Announces Withdrawal Process for Employee Retention Credit Claims As part of a larger effort to protect small businesses and organizations from scams, the Internal Revenue Service today announced the details of a special withdrawal process to help those who filed an Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claim and are concerned about its accuracy. This new withdrawal option allows certain employers that filed an ERC claim but have not yet received a refund to withdraw their submission and avoid future repayment, interest and penalties. Employers that submitted an ERC claim that’s still being processed can withdraw their claim and avoid the possibility of getting a refund for which they’re ineligible. The IRS created the withdrawal option to help small business owners and others who were pressured or misled by ERC marketers or promoters into filing ineligible claims. Claims that are withdrawn will be treated as if they were never filed. The IRS will not impose penalties or interest. Those who willfully filed a fraudulent claim, or those who assisted or conspired in such conduct, should be aware that withdrawing a fraudulent claim will not exempt them from potential criminal investigation and prosecution. “The IRS is committed to helping small businesses and others caught up in this onslaught of Employee Retention Credit marketing,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “The aggressive marketing of these schemes has harmed well-meaning businesses and organizations, and some are having second thoughts about their claims. We want to give these taxpayers a way out. The withdrawal option allows employers with pending claims to avoid future problems, and we encourage them to closely review the withdrawal option and the requirements. We continue to urge taxpayers to consult with a trusted tax professional rather than a marketing company about this complex tax credit.” When properly claimed, the ERC – also referred to as the Employee Retention Tax Credit or ERTC – is a refundable tax credit designed for businesses that continued paying employees during the COVID-19 pandemic while their business operations were fully or partially suspended due to a government order, or they had a significant decline in gross receipts during the eligibility periods. The credit is not available to individuals. The ERC is a complex credit with precise requirements to help businesses during the pandemic, and since mid-September, the IRS has received approximately 3.6 million claims for the credit over the course of the program. In July, the IRS said it was shifting its focus to review ERC claims for compliance concerns, including intensifying audit work and criminal investigations on promoters and businesses filing dubious claims. The IRS has hundreds of criminal cases being worked, and thousands of ERC claims have been referred for audit. The new withdrawal process follows the Sept. 14 announcement of an immediate moratorium on processing new ERC claims. The moratorium, which will last until at least the end of this year, follows a flood of ineligible ERC claims. Payouts for claims submitted before Sept. 14 will continue during the moratorium period but at a slower pace due to more detailed compliance reviews. With stricter compliance reviews in place, existing ERC claims will go from a standard processing goal of 90 days to 180 days – and much longer if the claim faces further review or audit. The IRS may also seek additional documentation from the taxpayer to ensure the claim is legitimate. Enhanced compliance reviews of existing claims submitted before the moratorium is critical to protect against fraud but also to protect businesses and organizations from facing penalties or interest payments stemming from bad claims pushed by promoters. The IRS continues to warn taxpayers to use extreme caution before applying for the ERC as aggressive maneuvers continue by marketers and scammers. The IRS is also working on guidance to help employers that were misled into claiming the ERC and have already received the payment. More details will be available this fall. Who can ask to withdraw an ERC claim Employers can use the ERC claim withdrawal process if all of the following apply: They made the claim on an adjusted employment return (Forms 941-X, 943-X, 944-X, CT-1X). They filed the adjusted return only to claim the ERC, and they made no other adjustments. They want to withdraw the entire amount of their ERC claim. The IRS has not paid their claim, or the IRS has paid the claim, but they haven’t cashed or deposited the refund check. Taxpayers who are not eligible to use the withdrawal process can reduce or eliminate their ERC claim by filing an amended return. For details, see the Correcting an ERC claim – Amending a return section of the frequently asked questions about the ERC. How to withdraw an ERC claim To take advantage of the claim withdrawal procedure, taxpayers should carefully follow the special instructions at IRS.gov/withdrawmyERC, summarized below. Taxpayers whose professional payroll company filed their ERC claim should consult with the payroll company. The payroll company may need to submit the withdrawal request for the taxpayer, depending on whether the taxpayer’s ERC claim was filed individually or batched with others. Taxpayers who filed their ERC claims themselves, haven’t received, cashed or deposited a refund check and have not been notified their claim is under audit should fax withdrawal requests to the IRS using a computer or mobile device. The IRS has set up a special fax line to receive withdrawal requests. This enables the agency to stop processing before the refund is approved. Taxpayers who are unable to fax their withdrawal using a computer or mobile device can mail their request, but this will take longer for the IRS to receive. Employers who have been notified they are under audit can send the withdrawal request to the assigned examiner or respond to the audit notice if no examiner has been assigned. Those who received a refund check, but haven’t cashed or deposited it, can still withdraw their claim. They should mail the voided check with their withdrawal request using the instructions at IRS.gov/withdrawmyERC. Upcoming webinar and other resources for help Tax professionals and others can register for a Nov. 2 IRS webinar, Employee Retention Credit: Latest information on the moratorium and options for withdrawing or correcting previously filed claims. Those who can’t attend can view a recording later. The IRS unveiled a new question and answer checklist last month to help taxpayers understand if they’re eligible for the credit. Since then, the IRS evolved the checklist into an interactive IRS.gov feature to help employers – and the tax professionals working with them – check potential ERC eligibility. The IRS also continues to encourage employers to seek out a trusted tax professional who understands the complex ERC rules, not a promoter or marketer trying to get a hefty contingency fee while taking advantage of honest taxpayers. New approach from scammers Marketers and scammers have already revised their ERC pitches following the Sept. 14 moratorium announcement. Some are pushing employers who submit an ERC claim into agreeing to costly up-front loans in anticipation of a refund. The IRS urges taxpayers to avoid these loans and also learn the warning signs of ERC scams.
NeighborWorks Northeastern PA Receives Multiple Awards NeighborWorks Northeastern PA was recently recognized with two awards at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency‘s housing counseling awards ceremony in Harrisburg yesterday. NeighborWorks snagged the Community Partnership Award, and to top it off, Pamela Anslinger, HomeOwnership Center Manager at NeighborWorks, was named Best Housing Counseling Specialist. Pam’s award is all about acknowledging housing counselors who go above and beyond to provide top-notch services to their clients. Pam earned her place thanks to her extensive experience in housing counseling, her National Housing Counseling Certifications, her knack for consistently helping folks achieve goals like purchasing a home or refinancing their mortgages, and for consistently receiving positive reviews from her clients. The Community Partnership Award goes to agencies that have made a big impact by collaborating with local community organizations. The criteria for this award focuses on the quality of those partnerships and how they enhance our ability to provide top-notch counseling. The impact these partnerships have on the number of clients we can assist is key, and we’ve seen some incredible success stories come out of these collaborations.
Marywood University Sets Programming for Sexual Assualt Awareness Through DOJ Grant Marywood University, the first institution in the region to receive a three-year $300,000 grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women on Campus, has set programing for the initiative’s final year. The Project SHARE (Sexual Assault and Harassment Awareness Response Education) grant, originally awarded in October 2021 and which runs through September 2024, aims to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking within the confines of a college campus. The grant established a Coordinated Community Response Team, the implementation of preventive measures, and the provision of victim services. The stakeholders on campus include: The Dean of Students, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Housing and Residence Life, the Counseling and Student Development Center, Campus Safety, Career Services, Retention and Advising, the Athletics and Campus Ministry, as well as committed faculty from the Social Work, the Physician Assistant Program, Education, and others. Ross Novak, Dean of Students, says the grant is a boon for the community as well as for students. “The grant has allowed us the opportunity to assess and improve our operations and outreach efforts regarding issues of sexual assault, dating, domestic violence, and stalking, to ensure that they are effective and inclusive”, Novak said. “Beyond campus, the grant has provided opportunities for company partnerships, particularly with the Women’s Resource Center, which ultimately assists us in better serving our students.’ The grant also supports advocacy events to inform students about a different topic each month. Several events are already set for the Spring 2024 semester, including a presentation on “Stalking in the Media” (January 23); Women’s Resource Center presentation/training regarding dating violence and sexual assault (January 25); Date Safe Online event (April 10); Bystander Engagement Event (April 16); Take Back the Night collaborative event with the University of Scranton (April 25), International Denim Day to Support Awareness (April 26), and other related events.
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania Seeking Local Businesses Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania is seeking local businesses to host cookie booths!Beginning March 9, 2024 Girl Scouts across Northeastern PA will learn valuable skills as they run their very own cookie business. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest, girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world!Cookie booths run from March 9th through April 14th, typically after school and on weekends.To become a cookie booth location, businesses must complete this form: https://gsheartpa.wufoo.com/forms/x1brpohb1rk4l6g/GSHPA will then schedule booths at your location.Please contact productprogram@gshpa.org with questions.
Telespond Senior Services Directors Attend AmeriCorps Conference Two Directors from Telespond Senior Services, Inc., attended the AmeriCorps Seniors Pennsylvania Directors Association (ASPDA) Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Jodi Catania, Director of the Senior Companion Program of Lackawanna County; and Colleen Garrison, Director of the Foster Grandparent Program of Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, had an opportunity to engage with other program directors from across the Commonwealth and AmeriCorps Mid-Atlantic Portfolio Managers. They received valuable information on policies and procedures in order to maintain successful programs. In addition to the training, each director joined a committee. Catania is a member of the ASPDA Training Committee and will assist with training topics and speakers. Garrison is the Chairperson of the ASPDA Marketing Committee and will coordinate social media projects. For more information on Telespond’s Senior Companion or Foster Grandparent Program, call 570-961-1950.
Marywood University Partnership Boosts Animal Sanctuary’s Facilities Marywood University’s School of Architecture (MUSOA) is partnering with Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary and the University Gear Shop (UGS) in a groundbreaking initiative to enhance the sanctuary’s facilities by increasing capacity for the rescue, creating an all-season center for animal rehabilitation, and creating a multi-purpose space for education. The partnership with Marywood allows interior architecture students to play a pivotal role in helping Arthur’s Acres renovate the farm, while expanding their education. Third-year interior architecture students will be embarking on a semester-long project to help with renovations and expansion to Arthur’s Acres. At the end of the semester, 32 students will deliver a comprehensive, multi-phase plan to enhance the existing facilities and create a state-of-the-art barn tailored to animals with special needs. Students will not only gain real world experience, but learn about the importance of choosing cruelty-free and environmentally friendly options that will hopefully impact decisions they will make throughout their careers. “Students strive to enrich lives and to inspire constructive change in the world. Their dedication for compassionate architecture serves as an influence for good in the lives of others and the world we inhabit, and this aligns perfectly with the vision of Arthur’s Acres to serve and educate,” stated Maria MacDonald, MUSOA founding faculty member. Arthur’s Acres is dedicated to rescuing animals that have been abused, exploited, or discarded. “We rehabilitate the animals we care for through patience, love, and respect,” noted Todd Friedman, executive director and founder of the Parksville, N.Y.-based animal sanctuary. The three partners will embark on this journey of transformation in the coming months, sharing their progress on social media. “Our goal is to leverage our expertise in marketing, social media, and technology to share the compelling story of Arthur’s Acres and MUSOA’s campaign,” said William Boney, UGS executive vice president. Follow this journey through a young pig named Mikey, who is symbolically “going to college” to provide a pig’s perspective to the MUSOA students, as they design the Arthur’s Acres Barn. To learn more about the work being done at Arthur’s Acres Animal Sanctuary, visit arthursacresanimalsanctuary.org or follow their social media channels at @arthursacres on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their YouTube channel (@arthursacres).
