Category Archives: August 2018

YMCA Secures Grants to Support Summer Programs

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YMCAThe Greater Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Family YMCAs are pleased to announce they have received grants from the PPL Foundation to support Power Scholars Academy at the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA, $5,000 grant award, and the Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program at the Greater Scranton YMCA, $4,000 grant award.

Without access to educational activities during the summer, children who are already behind in reading are at risk of falling further behind their peers. For children who need additional help with their reading skills, the Greater Scranton YMCA is proud to offer a learning loss prevention program for children entering first and second grades at the Mid Valley Elementary Center.

The Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program, one of three of YMCA of the USA’s signature achievement gap programs, supports cognitive, physical and social-emotional growth while focusing on helping children read at grade level and is currently ongoing.

“Thanks to the generosity of partners like the PPL Foundation, the Greater Scranton & Wilkes-Barre Family YMCAs are able to continue making strides towards combating the achievement gap,” said Trish Fisher, President & CEO, Greater Scranton YMCA.

“With their support, along with the support of all of our program partners, our Ys are able to serve the children from our communities who need these programs most.”

The PPL Foundation awards annual grants through a competitive application and review process.

“The challenges we face in our communities are complex and there is no easy solution. The goal of the PPL Foundation is to bring together people, ideas and resources to tackle some of these challenges collectively,” said Lissette Santana, chief operating officer of the PPL Foundation.

“We’re proud to be able to support nonprofit organizations working to address the issues most relevant in our community.

Dunmoreans Named Swift Scholarship Recipients

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Swift scholarships

Eighteen students from 11 different area high schools, including two students from Dunmore High School, have been awarded a prestigious scholarship through the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, which provides $4,000 per year for each recipient for up to four years.

The Dunmore students are Marley D. Palmere and Gerardo Sanchez Garcia.

The James F. Swift Scholarship Fund was created in 2002 by Mr. Swift through a gift to the Scranton Area Community Foundation to provide 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 an unanticipated and 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 percent of the scholarships to students who plan to attend institutions of higher learning in our area.

Scranton Area Community Foundation President & CEO Laura Ducceschi praised the generosity of James 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.”

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a partner with Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) in their Partnership for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Program to offer qualifying students additional financial aid. Through PHEAA, these scholarship recipients may be eligible for additional dollars toward their tuition.

Scholarship recipients include, first row, from left: Laura Ducceschi, President/CEO, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Rose Broderick, Chairman of the Board, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Tiffini Kalt, Colleen Noll, Stephanie Earle, Austin Glidewell, Jade Wehner, Karen Clifford, Scranton Area Community Foundation Scholarship Committee, and Tom Donohue, Board of Governor, Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Second row, same order: Natalie Sottile, Kaitlyn Savage, Brooke Mickavicz, Christina Carachilo and Marley Palmere, of Dunmore High School.

Third row: Cathy Fitzpatrick, Grants Administrator, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Jake McGovern, Mark Melesky, Ryan Skapyak, Kody Fitzgerald and Jenna O’Malley.

Not pictured are: Daniel Jaggars, Rebecca Johnson, Ben Koshinski, Kelly Kraycer, Ximena Maldonado, Megan Purcell, Julia Romanovich, Gerardo Sanchez Garcia of Dunmore High School, and Anna Van Wert.

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For more information on the Scranton Area Community Foundation and the James F. Swift Scholarship Fund, please contact Brittany Pagnotti, Communications Manager of the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is on a mission to enhance the quality of life for all people in Lackawanna County through the development of organized philanthropy.

Donations to the Scranton Area Community Foundation can be made online at http://www.safdn.org/donate/ or by check made payable to the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Chamberlin Award Nomination Window Now Open

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logo_safThe Scranton Area Community Foundation is accepting nominations now until August 15, 2018, for the 2018 Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award, which is presented annually to a woman who demonstrates commitment to community, ingenuity in response to community need, and leadership in empowering and transforming the lives of women and girls in the community. Nominations are open to anyone who wishes to recommend a female candidate who has made an impact in the NEPA community.

The award has been presented since 1992, when a fund was established by the family of Margaretta Belin Chamberlin both to honor her memory and to recognize accomplishments of women in our community while encouraging their personal and/or professional development.

The Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award will be presented at the Scranton Area Foundation’s Women in Philanthropy Annual Event in November where the recipient will receive a monetary award of $1000.

To submit a nomination, the nomination form must be submitted electronically to dhunter@safdn.org or by mail to: Attn: Dana Hunter, Administrative Coordinator, Scranton Area Community Foundation, 615 Jefferson Ave., Suite 102, Scranton, PA 18510.

For more information on the 2018 Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award or to access the nomination form, please visit our website: www.safdn.org or contact Brittany Pagnotti, Communications Manager of the Scranton Area Community Foundation at 570-347-6203.