Leadership Northeast teams making a positive community impact

The Citizens' Voice - 2/19/2023

Feb. 19—Fifty-two people who make up the Leadership Northeast Core Class of 2023 have come together to address significant needs in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Six community impact project teams are partnering with Maternal and Family Health Services, Parenting Autism United, the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Jewish Community Center, the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA, Rescue Warriors and the Salvation Army Kirby House.

Jessica Cronauer, executive director of Leadership Northeast, called this year's class a "remarkable group of 52 outstanding and enthusiastic individuals" and "dedicated servant leaders."

"Each project is successfully addressing major needs of these organizations and the communities they serve and we are so proud of the hard work and accomplishments we're seeing from this exceptional class," she said.

Here's a look at this year's Leadership Northeast Core Class projects:

Arts & Harmony

The team Arts & Harmony is partnering with the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA to renovate the third floor of the Charlotte L. Casterline Early Learning Center in Forty Fort to create a space where children can explore and develop their musical and artistic capabilities.

Team member Joanne Quaglia, internal communications manager at Geisinger, said when the group came together in September, members decided that they wanted to benefit area children.

"We chose to help the Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA with this project because we believe in the importance music and art education can play in the development of young children," Quaglia said. "We want to help local children have an advantage as they grow and learn by being exposed to art and music education at an early age."

Team members have removed outdated wallpaper and carpeting and repaired some walls with new drywall. They also have spackled and sanded the walls to smooth them out for painting.

The group reached out to local businesses for in-kind donations of paint, carpeting, flooring and labor to help them renovate the space, Quaglia said. They also are holding fundraisers to help them reach their goal of raising $5,000 to help with the renovation.

On March 25, they will hold a BYOB make-and-take art fundraiser at 900 Rutter Ave. in Forty Fort, where participants will create a macramé plant holder, decorate a flowerpot for the holder and make paper flowers for the flowerpot. The event will be from 5 to 8:30 p.m. and the cost is $50. They also will hold a basket raffle at the event.

For information about the project, go to the Facebook page for Arts & Harmony Leadership Northeast.

In addition to Quaglia, team members include Steven Cooper, Catalyst Power Holdings; Stephanie Fernandes, Luzerne County Public Defender's Office; Ashley Hoffman, Geisinger; Caitlin Jones, Step by Step Inc.; Suzanne Kennedy, Community Bank; Therese Paxton, Tobyhanna Army Depot; Michael Thomas and M&T Bank. Their advisor is Abby Moules, Borton-Lawson.

Anything is PAUssible

Anything is PAUssible is assisting with the design and implementation of a working retail space in the Parenting Autism United's unique gift shop that will be adopted for people with autism looking to obtain work experience and become more independent.

Parenting Autism United was founded and is led by Lindsay Dragon.

Team member Bobby Judge, operations manager at UGI Utilities, said it was important for the group to choose an organization they believed had a clear vision of why, who and how it was changing lives for people and families in Northeast Pennsylvania.

"Lindsay's passion for providing a space where children and adults on the spectrum can enjoy creating and crafting, reading and coloring and even a little gardening is infectious," Judge said.

The project involves providing all the tools, materials and instructional design for the products Parenting Autism United will create and sell.

The team collaborated with Dragon to create and launch an Amazon wish list where anyone can support the mission by purchasing the items listed. They also have been targeting donors, seeking financial support or in-kind donations. Additionally, team members are creating instructional design.

For information about the project, go to the Anything is PAUssible Facebook page where there is a link for the Amazon wish list. They also can be contacted by email at AnythingisPAUssible@gmail.com.

In addition to Judge, other members of the team include Rob Gawlas, Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, LLP; James Gildea, Mobiniti; Rocio Huerta, The Hershey Company; Daniel Kang, Procter & Gamble; Sierra Marsh, Maternal and Family Health Services; Shelby Monk, Diamond City Partnership; Fred Rosencrans, Luzerne County 911 and Tiffany Wiernusz, Misericordia University. Their advisor is Kevin Harger-Blizzard, Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies.

Pantry Raiders

Pantry Raiders team members are creating personal care product pantries at Maternal and Family Health Services'Hazleton office which will allow clients to access supplies not commonly found at food pantries or other programs such as feminine hygiene and general hygiene products.

Team member Shaun Daney, a mortgage loan originator with Benchmark McCabe Division, said Maternal and Family Health Services in Hazleton reached out to Leadership Northeast for help and that's why the team chose to support the nonprofit organization.

The team's project involves installing two pantry units in the facility's main administration area and a donation from Martz Trailways is making that possible. The pantries will store a variety of personal care products available at no charge to women in the community, he said.

"We are organizing an existing space, with the help of shelving units donated by our friends at InterMetro Industries, to hold additional pantry inventory and we will be providing a wide variety of products to fill these new spaces," Daney said.

The team held its first fundraiser Feb. 6 at Buff City Soap in Wilkes-Barre Twp. Team members also are selling raffle tickets for a "St. Pantry's Day Pot O' Cheer."

They also have created an Amazon wish list where those interested in supporting the team and Maternal and Family Health Services can purchase products for the new pantries.

For information about the project and fundraisers, go to the Facebook page Pantry Raiders-LNE 2023.

In addition to Daney, other team members include Pricilla Cabral, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; Danielle Ems, Martz Group; Jeannette Hontz, Family Service Association of NEPA; Lauren Jason, Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies; John Jurosky, Geisinger; Meghan Miller, Baker Tilly Us, LLP; Heather Pliska, CVS Caremark and Kathryn Wilk, Clem-Mar House, Inc. Their advisor is Jyllian Marinelli, Benco Dental.

Kirby Super Stars

The Kirby Super Stars are working with the Salvation Army Kirby House to provide families in transition the support and resources needed to grow and thrive.

The Salvation Army Kirby House is a traditional housing facility in Wilkes-Barre that combines counseling, education and training and coordinates the various human services available in the Wyoming Valley.

Team member Kelly Clisham, communications specialist for Wilkes University, said the Kirby Super Stars are transforming the common room at the Kirby Family House.

"We're going to paint and outfit the room with furniture, books and craft supplies to help the space shine," Clisham said.

When they visited the Kirby Family House and met with Denise Acosta, the organization's director for social services, Clisham said they were immediately drawn to the room's potential.

Clisham said team member Megan Valkenburg suggested the idea for the project. She worked with the Kirby Family House when she first moved to Northeast Pennsylvania and knew firsthand the valuable service the organization provides for families working to get back on their feet, she said.

To make their project happen, Clisham said the team will hold a fundraiser at Sabatini's Bottleshop & Bar 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 21. For information on the project, the fundraiser and possible additional fundraisers, people can visit the Kirby Superstars-LNE 2023 Facebook page.

In addition to Clisham and Valkenburg, other members of Kirby Super Stars include Erica Acosta, Wilkes University; Taelor Allen, Procter & Gamble; Gene Axton, F.M. Kirby Center; Bryanne Caruso, Fidelity Bank; Danielle Dominick and Nicole Gilligan, Benco Dental; David Pearson, NEPA Rainbow Alliance/Highlights for Children Magazine. Their advisor is Seth Dupler, All-Phase Electric Supply.

The Snack Pack

The Snack Pack is supporting the Sidney and Pauline Friedman Jewish Community Center Summer Camp Food Backpack Program by providing backpacks with fresh ingredients and nutritional food to children in the summer day camp.

Team member Katie Spencer, administrative assistant at the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, said officials from the Jewish Community Center proposed the project to Leadership Northeast because they hoped to start the Food Backpack Program for their campers who have scholarships.

"We were drawn to this cause because food insecurity is plaguing not only our area but the world," Spencer said. "We chose this because we want to help children have a great summer experience at camp without needing to worry about their next meal when they're not at camp."

Spencer said the team is partnering with the JCC Day Camp to provide bookbags for about 40 children who receive scholarships to go to the camp.

The team also will provide paint and new shelves for the pantry space at the camp. Thanks to some in-kind donations, they received bookbags and shelves.

The team will hold a fundraiser on April 29 at the River Street Jazz Cafe and funds raised will help renovate the pantry and ensure food for campers, Spencer said.

Information about the project can be found on the Facebook page The Snack Pack-Group of LNE 2023.

In addition to Spencer, other members of the Snack Pack include Anthony Bartoli, AssuredPartners of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Regina Graham, Geisinger; Johnyne Hoyes, Comcast Cable; Jesse Macko, Coal Creative; Tiziana Mazzarella, DeMazz Inc.; Michelle Pack, Blu Door Financial and Rocky Selenski, Intermetro Industries. Their advisor is Melissa Youngblood, Luzerne Bank.

Whisker Warriors

Whisker Warriors team members are raising awareness for the nonprofit shelter Rescue Warriors Cat Rescue to help generate funds and find loving homes for kittens in foster care.

Team member Ryan Rostocki, highway technical leader for Borton-Lawson, said Rescue Warriors Cat Rescue proposed the project and the team first decided to raise awareness of the nonprofit shelter's need for funding to maintain a good quality of life for foster cats and kittens.

Many animals brought into the shelter are not only strays but they also have severe medical needs. This results in Rescue Warriors accumulating more than $70,000 in veterinary bills on a yearly basis, he said.

"Rescue Warriors has a robust following on their Facebook site but not a ton of marketing materials to drive that awareness and get people to their site," Rostocki said. "Additionally, we understand the need for sustainability in our focus so we wanted to come up with annual fundraising events which could be easily replaced in subsequent years when the Whisker Warriors' project is complete."

Team members are working on generating marketing materials, Rostocki said. They are also working on securing in-kind donations of materials and supplies, such as paint and flooring, to make upgrades to the primary foster area. Additionally, they hope to secure items like cat trees and scratching posts.

Team members are helping Rescue Warriors with organizing and fundraising efforts for the first annual Fur Ball that will be held Feb. 25 at the Woodlands in Plains Twp. The team will hold an event at Wise Crackers Comedy Club in Mohegan Pennsylvania on March 11 with proceeds going to the foster upgrade project.

For more information about the project, go to Whisker Warriors-LNE 2023 Facebook page.

In addition to Rostocki, other team members include Craig Bound, Borton-Lawson; Craig Champi, Navient; Cara Green, Penn State Wilkes-Barre; Lois Miller, FNCB Bank; Rachael Stull, Shooze Boutique; Stacey Sturdevant, Luzerne County Head Start; Cassidy Taylor, Leadership Northeast, and Ashley Wellington, Wells Fargo Bank. Their advisor is Matt Nicholas, Power Engineering Corporation.