Outreach Receives Grant to Support Adult GED Program The Robert H. Spitz Foundation has awarded a $20,000 grant to support Outreach’s Adult GED Program. Since 2021, Outreach has been offering individualized GED tutoring and preparation for individuals in Scranton free of charge. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that individuals with a GED earn, on average, 25% more than those without (2022). Outreach offers flexible, personalized instruction and subject-specific tutoring that allows individuals to learn at their own pace and around their work and family schedules. GED programming aligns with Outreach’s mission to help individuals and families gain economic self-sufficiency and family stability. Many GED participants are able to advance their careers upon completing their GED credential. For more information on the GED program, call Outreach at 570-348-6484 Frank Caputo, Grants and Scholarships Manager, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Joel Skivington, GED Instructor and Lori Chaffers, President/CEO, Outreach – Center for Community Resources; and Cathy Fitzpatrick, Director of Grants and Scholarships, Scranton Area Community Foundation.
NET Donates AEDs to the Taylor Community NET Credit Union recently donated three AED’s to the Taylor Borough. An AED, Automated External Defibrillator, is a portable life-saving device to treat people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. This life saving device provides electrical shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm. The Taylor Police Department will keep the AED’s in their patrol cars. Hopefully, these devices will not have to be used, but if so, the department is prepared in case of emergency. “Being able to support our local communities is an honor. Budgets are tightening for everyone, and being able to donate some potentially life saving equipment without burdening taxpayers is a win for us all,” states Clarence Baltrusaitis, CEO of NET Credit Union. NET Credit Union opened their Taylor Branch at 900 S Main Street in the summer of 2023. We encourage the community to become a member of our credit union. Because of our members, we are able to give back with donations like this. Pictured L to R: Clarence Baltrusaitis, NET CEO; Police Chief Brian Holland, Taylor Borough Police Department; Jessica Hernandez, NET Taylor Branch Manager; Loni Kavulich, Mayor of the Taylor Borough; Cindy Bellucci, Taylor Borough Manager; Jim Digwood, Taylor Borough Councilman; Ken Mickavicz, Taylor Borough Council President; Fran DeAngelo, Taylor Borough Council Vice President; Chuck McKeel, Taylor Borough Councilman.
Marywood University Art Students Earn Addy Awards for Creative Work Several Marywood art students earned Addy awards for their creative work from the American Advertising Federation NEPA chapter, at a ceremony held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center on February 28. They competed against other students from Penn College of Technology, Susquehanna University, Wilkes University, and the University of Scranton. Award categories and Marywood student winners include the following: Judge’s Choice (both students and professionals compete for this award): Caroline Flynn, sophomore graphic design; Jaws poster Student Gold Addy, Best of Show (both professionals and students compete for this award) and People’s Choice: Stephanie Klemick, senior graphic design; Fruit Cups packaging Klemick also won the Rising Star award, given to senior students or young professionals under the age of 24 in the field, which is based on their achievements and contributions to the community. Klemick’s gold award winning entry will advance to the regional competition, with students from several states competing, and then, if she wins, she will advance to the national competition. Student Silver Addy awards: Jess Sunar, senior illustration major; illustration series Julia Perpetua, senior graphic design; juice packaging Lilli Millon, graduate student; Marywood strings poster Sabrina Resuta, senior graphic design; chocolate packaging Honorable mentions were awarded to: Emily Duris, senior graphic design Melissa Bostjancic, senior graphic design; Bostjancic was also nominated for the Rising Star Award. Stephanie Klemick, senior graphic design Sabrina Resuta, senior graphic design Lilli Millon, graduate student Photo ID, from left to right: Julia Perpetua, Emily Duris, Lilli Millon, Melissa Bostjancic, Stephanie Klimek, Caroline Flynn, Jess Sunar. Also recognized, but absent from the photo, was Sabrina Resuta.
Johnson College Now Enrolling for OSHA Training Course Johnson College is now accepting enrollments for its 30-hour, non-credit OSHA training course at the Scranton campus. The course will run from April 22 to May 3, 2025, with classes scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The final week will feature classes on Monday, May 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m., and Thursday, May 8, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Participants will gain comprehensive knowledge on a range of essential safety topics, including fall protection, electrical safety, personal protective equipment (PPE), and more. The course, which is delivered through in-person classroom instruction, is designed to help individuals reduce workplace accidents, ensure compliance with federal safety standards, and foster a culture of safety within their organizations. The OSHA 30-hour training is ideal for individuals in leadership roles, those seeking advanced safety training, and employees in the general industry workforce. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will receive the official OSHA 30 General Industry Outreach Course Completion Card. The cost for the course is $600. For more information or to reserve a spot in the course, visit johnson.edu/continuing-ed/osha-30. You can also contact the Continuing Education team at 570-702-8979 or continuinged@johnson.edu.
Johnson College to Host Spring Open House Johnson College will hold its Spring Open House on Saturday, March 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on its Scranton campus. To register to attend the Open House, visit Johnson.edu/openhouse or contact Johnson College’s Enrollment Department at 570-702-8856 or enroll@johnson.edu. The Open House will include discussions about the admissions process, information about financial aid for those who qualify, and student services such as student life, student support, and career services. Plus, same-day acceptance will be available for many programs if students bring their high school or college transcripts. Tours of each technical area will be conducted and program directors and instructors will be available to review the specifics of their programs.
Lackawanna Historical Society Hosts Pysanky Workshop In time for Easter, the Lackawanna Historical Society will host its popular Pysanky-making workshop on Sunday, March 15 at 11 a.m. Hosted by Tammy Budnovitch, the workshops will be held at the Society’s headquarters, the Catlin House, 232 Monroe Avenue, Scranton. The cost for the workshop is $30 and includes all supplies. Pysanky is a traditional Ukrainian craft in which patterns are drawn on the eggs with wax, which protects the egg when dye is applied. Dating back to prehistoric Ukraine, folklore claims that these elaborate wax-decorated eggs can help ward off evil from overtaking the world. Each workshop is a two-hour beginner class teaching the basic steps of making pysanky, and will include all needed supplies including kistka, beeswax, egg, egg design, and additional designs to take home. Tammy Budnovitch is a member of S.S. Cyril & Methodius Ukrainian Church who has been teaching pysanky for several years. There will also be some of Tammy’s finished pysanky for sale as well as additional supplies for anyone who wants to continue the craft.
WVIA Wins Best of Show at AAF NEPA’s American Advertising Awards – “Girls Wrestling Documentary,” which follows the inspiring journey of the barrier breaking athletes of the Western Wayne Girls Wrestling Team, tells the story of young athletes reshaping the landscape of high school wrestling. On Friday, February 28, the American Advertising Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania (AAF NEPA) hosted the 2024 American Advertising Awards, where they presented the 2024 Silver Medal Award, the Game Changer Award, winners of Cropped and the Rising Star Award. This year’s event was held at the Mohegan Pennsylvania Convention Center. The American Advertising Awards are widely acknowledged to be the largest and most representative competition of its kind, with more than 25,000 entries received as part of the three-tier competition. Campaigns need to advance through both local and regional levels in order to be eligible for the national award. In addition, the awards are often viewed as a lens offering insights into work that may also perform well at other upcoming international creative competitions. Local Gold winners will automatically advance to the regional level and silver winners have the option to send their work on. In all, 8 Professional ADDYs and 13 Student ADDYs were awarded at the Northeastern PA American Advertising Awards, along with 8 Special Judges Choice Awards. Winners were announced during the award show on February 28th, which was attended by 80+ creative professionals, educators and students from across the advertising, marketing, media and tech communities. Said Dan Kimbrough, President of AAF NEPA, “It’s a heavy lift pulling off the show each year, but we have an amazing board and being able to come together and celebrate our creative community makes it worth it.” Other highlights from this year’s American Advertising Awards include: ● WVIA’s Webseries “NEPA @ Work”, which took a gold medal, along with “Girls Wrestling Documentary”. ● Halibut Blue won two Silver Awards for their work with local non-profits Big Brothers Big Sisters of NEPA, and The United Way of the Wyoming Valley. ● Pennsylvania College of Technology’s Student Hunter Rossmann took home 5 trophies. ● Stephanie Klemick of Marywood University took home the student Best of Show with an innovative package design called “Fruit Cups”. Awards were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges representing 4 different markets and agencies not local to NEPA. Outside of our AAA Competition awards, Danielle Antonello-Smolley of Triggerfinger Photography, was awarded the Silver Medal Award, which recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions to advertising and has been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. Kevin Jones, owner of VizVibe, took home the Game Changer Award, which recognizes local visionaries who are pioneering new and exciting ideas within the advertising industry. And Stephanie Klemick of Marywood University won The Rising Star Award, which celebrates emerging talents in the advertising industry who exhibit outstanding potential and a commitment to excellence in both their professional endeavors and community engagement. All professional and student entries and the winners can be viewed online at adflix.aafnepa.org.
City of Scranton Reminds Businesses to Submit 4th Quarter Payroll Preparation Tax Businesses Reminded that the Deadline for Submitting the 2024 Fourth Quarter Payroll Preparation Tax Return is February 28, 2025 Entities conducting business within the City of Scranton are reminded that the due date to submit their fourth quarter tax return for the 2024 Payroll Preparation Tax is February 28, 2025. A person shall be deemed to be conducting business within the City if they engage, hire, employ, or contract with one or more individuals as employees, partners, or is self-employed and, in addition, does at least one of the following: Maintains a fixed place of business within the City; Owns or leases real property within the City for profit; Maintains a stock of tangible, personal property in the City for sale in the ordinary course of business; Conducts continuous solicitation within the City related to such business; or Utilizes the streets of the City in connection with the operation of such business (other than for the mere transportation from a site outside the City, through the City, to a destination outside the City.) Institutions who are exempt from the Payroll Preparation Tax as a result of their status as a nonprofit are required to file quarterly returns claiming their exemption. Returns submitted after February 28, 2025, will be subject to penalty and interest on the balances due. The Payroll Preparation Tax is a tax levied separately by both the Scranton School District and the City of Scranton. The 2024 Payroll Preparation Tax rate for the Scranton School District is 0.7553 percent and the 2024 Payroll Preparation Tax rate for the City of Scranton is 0.2787 percent. The combined 2024 Payroll Preparation Tax rate is 1.034 percent. The City of Scranton and the Scranton School District have both appointed Berkheimer Tax Innovations, Inc. to administer the Payroll Preparation Tax on their behalf. Tax forms are available on Berkheimer’s website at hab-inc.com/pptforms. Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions, can be found at scrantonpa.gov/payroll-prep-tax-information, https://www.scrsd.org/departments/business-office and www.hab-inc.com/ppt-faq. Please direct all questions regarding the Payroll Preparation Tax to Berkheimer by emailing ebpt@goberk.com or by calling (610) 599-3140.
Keystone Mission Christmas Meal Operation – Volunteers and Donations Needed Keystone Mission’s Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Innovation Centers for Homelessness & Poverty are gearing up for the Christmas season. Following the success of serving over 280 meals during Thanksgiving, the team is preparing for an even greater impact this December. On Monday, December 23rd, Keystone Mission will host a special Christmas Meal for individuals experiencing homelessness. The Scranton Innovation Center will begin serving at 12 PM, followed by the Wilkes-Barre Innovation Center at 4 PM. “As the colder weather drives more people indoors, we’re distributing additional winter supplies and serving more meals,” says Jillian Mirro, Communications & Marketing Manager. “We encourage the community to get involved—not just during Christmas, but throughout the season—by donating essential items or volunteering.” Keystone Mission is currently seeking volunteers to assist with the Christmas Meal, whether by serving food or contributing needed items. For more information on volunteering or bringing a dish to share, please visit www.KeystoneMission.org/volunteer. For more information on most needed items, please visit www.KeystoneMission.org/donate-goods.
