Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform at the University of Scranton The Scranton Brass Orchestra will perform a “pops” concert on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center at The University of Scranton. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public. Doors will open at 6:50 p.m. with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Masks will be required for all audience members. Guests are reminded to check the Performance Music website at scranton.edu/music regularly for changes or updates in attendance guidelines and requirements. The program for the concert features a variety of arrangements and transcriptions for brass band/brass orchestra of pops hits, Great American Songbook ballads and folk songs, including Bohemian Rhapsody, MacArthur Park, Amazing Grace, Guantanamera, Black Bottom Stomp, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Over The Rainbow, When I Fall In Love, Someone To Watch Over Me and others. The Scranton Brass Orchestra is under the direction of founder and director Cheryl Y. Boga and is presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. Now in its 11th season, it is a fully professional 28-member ensemble comprised of brass & percussion players/teachers from the region. The group’s performances are free of charge and open to the public, and have often featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike. For additional information, visit scranton.edu/music or email music@scranton.edu.
Geisinger Health Foundation Receives First Federal Charitable Foundation Grant Geisinger Health Foundation received a $35,000 First Federal Charitable Foundation grant to support Geisinger Health Plan’s (GHP’s) mobile dental health unit and purchase three LanguageLine InSight Video Interpreting translation devices to better serve residents in the Greater Hazleton area and northeast region. Geisinger Health Foundation will use $10,000 of the grant funding to support its Mobile Dental Health Unit, which provides a full spectrum of preventive and diagnostic dental health services for all children in pre-K through grade 12. The 38-foot-long vehicle allows GHP’s dental health team to travel to schools, community centers and pediatrician offices to administer dental exams, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants, as well as provide home oral hygiene care education and instruction, and nutritional counseling. Services are provided at no cost to the patients or location. Geisinger Health Foundation is also using $25,000 to purchase LanguageLine InSight Video Interpreting translation devices. The video remote interpreting is available on tablet, smartphone or laptop and allows limited-English speakers, as well as the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, to feel heard and seen by another person. Through this device, a patient can interact with the digital interpreter, and the dental team will better understand the patient. The device can translate 41 different languages, including American and British Sign Language. “Thanks to the First Federal Charitable Foundation and these new translation devices, our team will have a better understanding of the needs and concerns of the patients we see on the mobile unit,” said Michael Halupa, DDS, medical director of dental services at GHP. “This enables us to provide exceptional care to everyone, regardless of their language, culture or ability to communicate.” For information about the mobile dental unit, call 570-452-7430 or email MobileDentalUnit@geisinger.edu.
Chamber Announces Two Promotions Aaron Whitney Bruce Reddock The Chamber is proud to announce the promotion of two of its employees, Aaron Whitney and Bruce Reddock, who will both expand their roles with the Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company (SLIBCO), the economic development affiliate of the Chamber. Aaron Whitney is now the director of facilities and asset management and is responsible for the administration of finances, design, and construction of SLIBCO real estate. Aaron will also manage all properties and utilities owned by SLIBCO, as well as manage the Chamber’s IGNITE entrepreneurship program. Bruce Reddock is now the director of economic development. In this role, Bruce will manage aspects of SLIBCO development activities, oversee relationships with private companies, real estate brokers and developers, local officials, economic development organizations and more, plus oversee all aspects of the site-selection process. Bruce also recently graduated as a fellow from the Industrial Asset Management Council’s Leadership Development Program.
Berger Furniture & Mattress Matches Car Wash Proceeds Berger Furniture & Mattress and the Dickson City Fire Department hosted their second annual car wash. The event raised $863 to support the volunteer fire department. Berger Furniture & Mattress matched the proceeds up to $500 bringing the total up to $1363.
Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple Receives National Endowment for the Arts Funding The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple (SCCMT) was invited to submit a Fiscal Year 2021 application for the Arts Engagement in American Communities Grant Program (AEAC) and has received a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support teaching artists salaries for its upcoming Youth Theatre Program Summer Camp. The Arts Endowment identified the Scranton Cultural Center as eligible to apply for and receive this grant and after submitting the application, was awarded the funding. The National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Arts Engagement in American Communities (AEAC) supports arts projects in all artistic disciplines, extending the National Endowment for the Arts’ reach to communities across the United States. These grants engage the public with diverse and excellent art in geographic areas underrepresented in our grant making portfolio. Grants are available for professional arts programming, including, but not limited to, presentation of artists or artworks, marketing and promotional activities, educational programs, and organizational planning. The Scranton Cultural Center Youth Theatre Program Summer Camp offers in-person and virtual opportunities for young performers in PreK through 12th grade. The program is open to all students, regardless of experience or financial means. This year’s program runs from July 12 through August 21. To learn more about session details and registration, please visit SCCMT.org/camp.
Moses Taylor Foundation Grants Support Marywood University Health and Wellness Initiatives Marywood University has received two grants from the Moses Taylor Foundation to support the University’s comprehensive Health and Wellness initiatives. Marywood, ranked among the 2021 Best Allied Health Professions Schools according to Health Care Degree Search, prepares its Health and Wellness students for a variety of healthcare fields. The first of these grants supported students participating in “The Healthcare Discovery Camp: An Interprofessional Camp,” which ran from June 29-July 1. This program offered middle school and high school students an opportunity to learn more about a variety of healthcare fields and how each discipline works together to provide optimum care for their clients. The second grant, in the amount of $79,054, will support Marywood’s College of Health and Human Services in the purchase of a Laerdal SimMom Birthing Simulator. The equipment will be used by the Nursing and Physician Assistant Programs. This advanced full body simulator, with accurate anatomy and functionality, will facilitate training for teaching prenatal, birthing and postpartum care, and will allow students to gain more experience with more complex and unpredictable circumstances that may not be common in a traditional hospital setting. The healthcare field is rapidly growing, demanding well-prepared professionals and practitioners. Marywood University’s comprehensive focus on health and wellness programs, including nearly 30 programs of study, prepares students for these in-demand careers. For additional information about the Health and Wellness programs at Marywood University, please contact the Office of Admissions at www.marywood.edu/admissions/, or call (570) 348-6234.
Scranton Area Community Foundation Announces 2021 James F. Swift Scholarship Recipients Twenty students from thirteen different high schools in the area have been awarded a prestigious scholarship through the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, which provides $5,000 per year for each recipient for up to four years to assist with continuing education expenses. The James F. Swift Scholarship Fund has awarded over $3.2 million since 2008, benefiting over 220 local students to date. Created in 2002 through a gift by Mr. James F. Swift to the Scranton Area Community Foundation, the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund provides support for higher education for students graduating from high schools in Lackawanna County. Following Mr. Swift’s death in 2006, the Scranton Area Community Foundation gratefully received a significant gift from his estate to the scholarship fund which has allowed a great number of students from Lackawanna County the opportunity to pursue their academic and professional goals through higher education. The scholarship aims to provide an ongoing stream of matriculation at Lackawanna County colleges and universities. It is the goal of the Scranton Area Community Foundation to award 75% of the scholarships to students who plan to attend institutions of higher learning in the Lackawanna County region. Scranton Area Community Foundation President and CEO Laura Ducceschi praised the generosity of Mr. Swift, noting “he has left a permanent and enduring legacy for the young people of our region. His scholarship fund makes higher education more attainable for generations of students.” James F. Swift Scholarship Recipients pictured: Row 1: Gabrielle Snee, Rebecca Lucas, Liz Stone, Olivia Manarchuck, Taralyn Reilly, Ryan Coleman. Row 2: Hannah Carr, Maura Turi, Jillian Brennan, Alexis Tanana, Ava Decker, Caitlin Doughton, Gerardo Sanchez Garcia, Gwyneth Serowinski, Fione Evans, Korey Kruk. Row 3: Hunter Geise, Ben Thompson, Antonio Pugliese, Nicholas Guerra, Ashley Capone, Taylor Seprosky, Jenna O’Malley. Row 4: Christian Snee, Jacob Vituszynski, Joshua Vituszynski, Claudia Pitts, Tyler Muskey, Marguerite Flynn, David McKenney, Eric Spivak. Also in photo: Cathy Fitzpatrick, Grants and Scholarship Manager, Scranton Area Community Foundation; and Frank Caputo, Grants and Communications Coordinator, Scranton Area Community Foundation. 2021 James F. Swift Scholarship recipients missing from photo: Michael Rodyushkin, Cameron Butka, Matthew Howard, Hailey Matechak, Kayla Rose, Sara McCormac, Meredith Purcell, Sofia Capozzi, Marisol Olivares. In addition to the 20 new recipients, there were 55 James F. Swift Scholarship renewals in 2021. The following students are recipients of a James F. Swift Scholarship Renewal in 2021: Shannon Baransky, Tanner Begin, Calista Calabro, Christina Carachilo, Emma Coar, Andrew Cummings, James Docalovich, Collin Ennis, Austin Glidewell, Marilyn Hoskins, Daniel Jaggars, Rebecca Johnson, Tiffini Kalt, Meghan Keenan, Benjamin Koshinski, Tori Kovalchick, Kristen Lello, Ximena Maldonado, Mark Melesky, Brooke Mickavicz, Gia Occhipinti, Marley Palmere, Megan Purcell, Julia Romanovich, Amanda Sakulich, Nina Sampogne, Kaitlyn Savage, Natalie Sottile, Christopher Talluto, Makenna Thorpe, Evan Tremback, Ryan Turlip, Alexandra Valvano, Anna Van Wert, Stone Wormuth, Alec Yanisko, Drew Yanni.
Regional Manufacturers Experience Dynamic Growth; Rebound Quickly with NEPIRC Assistance The Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) closed out its most recent fiscal year on June 30, 2021, with reports of dynamic growth and much faster than expected COVID-19 recovery among its manufacturing clients over the past year. Throughout the past 12 months, NEPIRC assisted more than 400 manufacturers across northeastern, the northern tier and central Pennsylvania in responding to the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuilding their businesses. Of those companies, more than 100 received expanded services tailored to their unique circumstances and challenges. Citing client-reported data gathered through multiple independent sources and subsequently verified by the U.S. Department of Commerce, NEPIRC’s President and CEO, Eric Joseph Esoda, announced that those companies recorded $150.5 million in additional revenue over the past year as a result of NEPIRC’s assistance while also attributing $17.2 million in savings due to increased efficiency and productivity. Despite worldwide economic challenges throughout the latter half of 2020 and first six months of 2021, NEPIRC’s clients invested more than $22.1 million in expanding or modernizing their regional manufacturing facilities and were able to create and retain 2,045 good-paying area manufacturing jobs. “The outstanding impacts that manufacturers are reporting from their engagements with NEPIRC are indicative of the industrial sector’s potential to drive our Commonwealth, and even our country, out of the economic uncertainties that the COVID-19 pandemic left in its wake,” said Mr. Esoda. “We’ve consistently held that our industrial sector is Pennsylvania’s best bet for real, consistent and sustainable economic recovery and expansion and, in fact, fuels growth in other sectors that rely upon manufacturing activity. These results prove that our manufacturers are roaring back to life and will once again drive our Commonwealth forward,” he added. According to aggregate client data within NEPIRC’s year-end reports, 60% of the manufacturers NEPIRC assisted throughout the pandemic reported the avoidance of layoffs as a direct result of the advisement they received. A nearly equal number of clients (58%) credited NEPIRC with enabling them to retain customer relationships and sales that would have otherwise been lost by working with them to meet production requirements or find alternative suppliers when primary supply chains were disrupted by COVID-19. A full 40% of NEPIRC clients reported increased sales amidst the pandemic thanks to NEPIRC’s assistance in attracting new customers or pivoting into new markets – and over 30% of the companies that utilized NEPIRC’s services over the past 12 months created new manufacturing jobs within the region. Across the nation, NEPIRC ended its fiscal year as one of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s top-performing Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) affiliates, particularly with respect to the number of companies it served throughout the pandemic and the levels of jobs its clients created and retained over the past year.
