The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today joined the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Pennsylvania organ donation organizations Donate Life PA, Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) and Gift of Life Donor Program in spreading the message that driver’s license and identification card holders can easily help another person live a fuller, longer life by registering as an organ donor. 

“Potential donors considering adding the organ donor designation to their driver’s license or identification card do not have to wait for their renewal notices to take action,” said PennDOT Acting Executive Deputy Secretary Melissa Batula. “Making the decision today to become an organ donor can potentially lead to saving a life.”

April is known nationally as Donate Life Month. Additionally, today marks National Donate Life Blue & Green Day. During this special observance, the public is encouraged to wear blue and green – the recognized colors of organ donation organizations – to engage in sharing the donate life message and promoting the importance of registering as an organ, eye and tissue donor.

Many Pennsylvanians have answered the call to become organ donors, helping the Pennsylvania organ donation organizations reach a major milestone this year. Nearly 50 percent of current driver’s license and identification card holders are registered organ donors – that’s more than five million Pennsylvanians. Currently, more than 7,000 Pennsylvanians await organ transplants.

“Registering as an organ donor gives an opportunity to save lives – one individual can save up to eight Pennsylvanians,” said Deputy Secretary for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Cindy Findley while at the awareness event. “Every 10 minutes, someone is told they need a life-saving transplant. The department continues to encourage Pennsylvanians to register to be a donor and be aware of the impact organ donors can make on someone’s life.”

To add the organ donor designation to an existing driver’s license or identification card today, visit www.dmv.pa.gov and select the “Become an organ donor in 30 seconds” icon in the middle of the page. Once the designation is added, individuals will receive a designation card that they must carry with them to affirm organ donor status until they renew or replace their driver’s license or identification card. There is no charge for adding the designation to your driver’s license or identification card.

“Registering as a donor is an impactful action and may impact others in ways we do not know,” said Priscilla Glusko of Dauphin County, whose son was an organ and tissue donor. “The person who received one of my son’s donations continues to live their life to the fullest and impact humanity in many ways.”

Driver’s license and identification card holders, as well as registered vehicle owners, can also support organ donation programs by donating to the Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund at the time of application and/or renewal. Proceeds from the fund are used to educate and promote awareness of the organ donor program through non-profit organizations like CORE and the Gift of Life Donor Program. Pennsylvanians have generously donated more than $17.8 million to the fund to date.

Ron Gooden, a heart recipient from Allegheny County, summarized his feelings when it comes to others willing to change a life with their precious gifts. “Their legacy lives within me,” he said, “and that will always be respected and honored.”

As part of ongoing efforts to increase awareness of organ and tissue donation, video monitors featuring educational content are installed at 20 PennDOT photo license centers. For more information on organ and tissue donation in Pennsylvania or to sign up to become an organ donor, please visit www.donatelifepa.org, www.core.org or www.donors1.org.

An open house program and ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday, April 24 marked the debut of The Wright Center for Community Health’s new North Pocono Practice in Lackawanna County’s Covington Township, marking another milestone in the organization’s development and introducing area residents to the clinic’s many primary care services.

The practice, which began serving patients Monday, April 25 is located at 260 Daleville Highway, Suite 103, in the North Pocono 502 Professional Plaza. It is open four days a week, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

To celebrate the clinic’s launch, The Wright Center invited the public to tour the facility and learn more about the expanding nonprofit health care organization that serves patients regardless of their income or insurance status.

Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, and other employees and board members snipped a ribbon during the celebratory event, which featured local officials and dignitaries. Attendees included Covington Township Police Chief Robert Bastek, Lackawanna County Commissioner Jerry Notarianni and Lackawanna County Solicitor Frank J. Ruggiero.

“The Wright Center is proud and privileged to be able to offer this resource to the North Pocono community, making our nondiscriminatory primary health services accessible close to home for residents of Covington Township, Moscow Borough and all of the communities within the North Pocono School District,” Thomas-Hemak said before the ribbon cutting. “The Wright Center’s commitment to reaching traditionally underserved populations and to being responsive to community needs is what brought us here today.”

The practice will treat patients of all ages. Its newly renovated clinical space includes six exam rooms, as well as a separate treatment area for sick visits – a space designated for caring for individuals coping with COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Located southeast of Scranton, the new clinic will allow The Wright Center to better assist patients who live in the territory served by the North Pocono School District, including the communities of Moscow Borough and Clifton, Covington, Elmhurst, Jefferson, Madison, Roaring Brook, Spring Brook and Thornhurst townships.

To make an appointment at the North Pocono Practice, go to TheWrightCenter.org or call 570-591-5150.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania (CAC/NEPA) announces that the Annual Moonlight Walk/Run will be held at Nay Aug Park in Scranton, on Saturday May 7th, 2022.  This year the CAC/NEPA has partnered with AllOne Charities for this event presented by Geisinger. The event will offer a Kid’s Fun Run, as well as a 1.5-mile walk, 5K and 10K run! 

Awards will be presented to the Top 2 Male & Female Overall winners, the Top 2 Master Male & Female winners, the Top 2 Male & Female Finishers in each of the following age categories:  14 & under, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-59, and 60 and up. 

It is not too late to register for the Annual Moonlight Walk and Run.  Participants may pre-register online or register at the event.  Registration starts at 5:00 pm, the Kid’s Fun Run starts at 6:00 pm, the Walk start is set for 6:15 pm and Runner’s start will kick off at 7:00 pm.

For more information about the Annual Moonlight Walk and Run, please call 570-969-7313, or visit: https://cacnepa.org/moonlight-walk-run/. To directly register online, please visit:  https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Scranton/CACmoonlight5k10k.

“Our Northeast community never ceases to amaze me with its generosity when it comes to supporting the children who experienced abuse and neglect throughout the region. The Moonlight Walk/Run event has supported our mission and increased awareness of child abuse and neglect for over 16 years. I love the legacy of this event -it is strong proof of the dedication and commitment of our community to protecting children and giving them their best tomorrow. We are proud to announce that we will be back in person for the event this year.” said Marsha Pigga, CAC/NEPA Executive Director. 

Lori Chaffers, Executive Director, presented information about the services and programs Outreach delivers to the regional community at the UNICO Scranton meeting on April 12, 2022. Outreach is a non-profit organization serving thousands of people of all ages in northeastern Pennsylvania through a variety of programs supporting family stability and economic self-sufficiency.

Chaffers joined Outreach as the new Executive Director in January and she brings a wealth of experience in social services and advocacy to her new position, including a decade of service with Lackawanna County Office of Youth and Family Services, where she fulfilled various roles. Most recently, she was the agency’s program director in the Office of Social Service Research and Development. Prior to that, she was a supervisor for its Independent Living Unit, an independent living coordinator, and a caseworker.

She holds a bachelor of social work degree from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, and a master of social work degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. Chaffers resides in Dickson City with her husband, Alexander (A.J.), and her two children, Angela, age 9, and Joseph, age 6.