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HEADLINES: Locals Graduate ASSETS Program The TREHAB Center's ASSETS Program graduated a class of optimistic entrepreneurs during a ceremony held at Dreyer Hall of the Montrose Bible Conference on November 13. Some 30 graduates, guests, and program trainers attended the luncheon event. Dennis Phelps, TREHAB’s Executive Director, welcomed and congratulated the graduates who represented such budding small businesses as a baking/restaurant service, jewelry design, and a full-service hair salon. The TREHAB Center’s ASSETS Program (A Service for Self-Employment Training Support) is a training and support program for entrepreneurs in the process of beginning or expanding a small business. ASSETS participants have successfully completed eight-week sessions in Susquehanna, Bradford, Sullivan and Wyoming Counties.
Members of ASSET's TREHAB’s graduating class, along with others who supported the program, are (l-r): Project Coordinator Mary Anne Waddington; PA Representative Sandra J. Major; program graduates Barry Corrigan, Mary Ann Zeffer, Patricia Troupe, Charlotte Overturf; JamesEtta Reed, Division Chief, DCED; program graduates Nicole Blaisure, Lisa Payne and Michele Swingle; Dennis Phelps,TREHAB Executive Director. Unavailable for the photo: program graduates Kim Guiton, Roger Bailey and Daniel Massa. The graduating class had the honor of two guest speakers. First, PA Representative Sandra Major offered her congratulations to the group, and expressed for each the wish, "may the path in life that your have chosen be a huge success." JamesEtta Reed, Division Chief of the PA Department of Community & Economic Development, came to Montrose from Harrisburg to offer her congratulations and admiration to the graduates. "May you always have the spirit of move on," she concluded. Mary Anne Waddington, ASSETS Program Coordinator, introduced the graduates and presented each with a certificate of completion of the program. On behalf of the graduates, Barry Corrigan noted that the ASSETS program has "definitely" made going into business easier for us." He and program graduate Maryann Zeffer plan to offer medieval presentations for various events. Graduate Charlotte Overturf, a sterling silver and gemstone designer, praised the ASSETS program for providing a helpful networking opportunity, as well as an excellent mentor program. "This class has opened doors for us," she concluded. The other graduates of this ASSETS class are: Nicole Blaisure and Lisa Payne, restaurant/bakery; Kimberly Guiton, garden center; Roger Bailey and Daniel Massa, marketing/promotional items; Michele Swingle, stained glass designs; Patricia Troupe, full-service hair salon. Envirocycle Earns National Award HALLSTEAD – Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman visited Susquehanna County on Friday, November 22. Ms. Whitman, who currently holds the position of Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), presented awards to the nation’s top environmental recyclers, including Envirocycle, located along State Route 171 and Interstate 81 in Hallstead.
Pictured are Justin Taylor, Susquehanna County Economic Development Director; Susquehanna County Commissioner Lee Smith, Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency. On hand for the presentation ceremony were representatives from national companies, such as Sony, JVC, Sharp, Panasonic, and others. Envirocycle is a national partner with these companies and works in cooperation to reduce the amount of computer and television monitor waste that is generated each year by consumers and businesses. Susquehanna County Commissioner Lee Smith and Susquehanna County Economic Development Director Justin Taylor also presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Envirocycle for their efforts to protect the environment, while providing family-sustaining employment to residents in Susquehanna County. Submitted by Jessica Roe, Susquehanna County Dairy Maid Thank you to Felix’s for allowing us to host a dairy promotion at their garden center in Montrose. It was a very cold morning as customers were shopping for their Christmas trees. Dairy Ambassador Amy Roe and Dairy Maids Abbey Hewitt, Jessica and Alicia Roe offered hot chocolate and homemade cookies to the customers.
Jessica Roe, Abbey Hewitt, Amy Roe and Alicia Roe promote dairy products by serving hot cocoa. We appreciate everyone that supports the dairy industry. If you would like to know more about the Susquehanna County Dairy Royalty and their calendar of events, visit our web site at: http://susquehannacountydairyroyalty.cjb.net. Remember the next time you fix a hot cup of cocoa – GOT MILK? LifeFlight Presents GPS Units To Local EMS Avoca – officials at Geisinger’s Life Flight III at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport in Avoca have presented hand-held global positions system (GPS) units to 11 rural ambulance/EMS agencies from Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties. With funding from the Geisinger Foundation, Life Flight has purchased GPS units that they are donating to local Advanced Life Support (ALS)/paramedic units in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The goal of the project is to get the GPS units to those agencies in remote areas of the Life Flight service area in an effort to facilitate more efficient patient evacuation from rural accident scenes. Each GPS unit is a self-contained navigational system that is able to pinpoint the exact location of an ambulance in even the most remote locations. Through latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates, the GPS units serve as an electronic beacon for helicopter pilots. In the past when an ambulance was waiting for patient evacuation in an isolated location, county 911 centers had to spend precious time relaying directions to air medical dispatchers from road maps who in turn communicated that information to the pilot. With the GPS units, providers on the scene can relay a set of coordinates to the 911 dispatcher and save precious minutes that could have an impact on the patient’s outcome. According to Gerald Splitt, chief flight nurse, "The GPS units allow for accurate, easy identification of landing zones, resulting in improved overall patient care in the field by reducing the time it takes to locate landing areas. The faster we get a patient to a trauma center, the better chances for survival." Those local agencies receiving the GPS units include Harford Ambulance, Clifford Ambulance, Northern Wayne Ambulance, Thompson Hose Co. Ambulance.
Pictured (l-r) are: front row – Tom Cool, Dennis Lee, Dan Manzoni, Jackson Township Fire Company; Bernie Gurnari, Hanover Township Medic 9; Ed Gromelski, Jerry Splitt, Life Flight, Geisinger Health System; Wayde Kahley, Diane Ruehl, Mountaintop Area Ambulance; Dan Hubbard, Philip Saxton, Fleetville Fire Company; back row – Debbie Smith, Ernie Smith, Northern Wayne Ambulance; David Schulte, Jr., Clifford Township Volunteer Fire Company; John Michaels, Harford Fire and Ambulance Company; Tony Vanko, Bob Brown and John Hinkle, Factoryville Fire Company. In addition to Life Flight III at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Airport, Geisinger operates two other helicopters in the Life Flight program. One is housed on the campus of Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, a Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center. The other is stationed at the University Park Airport in State College. YO! Offering Youth Leadership Training While some people may see the word "YO" as a slang form of greeting, or an improper and rude attention-getter, in Susquehanna County, it means so much more! "YO" is the newest acronym added to the bowl of alphabet soup that is associated with local government agencies and civic organizations. In this case, the letters "Y" and "O" stand for "Youth" and "Opportunities." Put them together and you get "YO – Youth Opportunities." Specifically, "yo" is a group of dedicated stakeholders from across Susquehanna County, concerned with a lack of awareness of the many opportunities available in local communities. Because of this, many of our county’s best and brightest high school and college-aged students look elsewhere. Not only do we lose talented young adults from our county (at a rate over 5.2%, compared with a rate of 2.8% statewide), but we also have many young people who fail to develop their talents and full potential because they are not aware of the many youth development opportunities available throughout Susquehanna County. YO! has accepted the mission of increasing awareness of the availability and the value of youth opportunities in Susquehanna County.
Executive Committee members include Justin M. Taylor - Susquehanna County Economic Development Director, Roselyn Hibbard – TREHAB Drug & Alcohol Prevention Supervisor, and Joann Kowalski – Penn State Co-Operative Extension Coordinator. The Steering Committee is comprised of Bob Templeton – Susquehanna County Planning Director, Wendy Luecke – Family Community Centers Coordinator, Mary Ann Waddington – TREHAB Assets Coordinator, Bruce Rossman – TREHAB Drug and Alcohol Treatment Supervisor, and Brandy Pitcher, Johnine Barnes, and Joan Dooley, all of the TREHAB Prevention Office. This ad hoc committee received validation of its concerns when the State of Pennsylvania recently changed their standing slogan of "Come, Invent the Future," to "Stay, Invent the Future," and instituted a $7.5 million grant program, aimed at keeping younger Pennsylvanians in the Commonwealth. The Susquehanna County "Yo" Committee was awarded $20,000 to raise awareness of and develop an appreciation for the multitude of opportunities that exist here, as well as to develop the leadership skills that will mold today’s youth into tomorrow’s leaders. The YO committee has set up a comprehensive program to address these goals, including the first "Susquehanna County Youth Leadership Program," which incorporates a team building orientation, and six (6) sessions located at each of the county high schools. Each session has a separate topic, ranging from business and economics, to health and human services, to teens and the law. The Department of Veterans Affairs provides some of the best health care in the nation. That’s great news, but what good is quality health care that takes months and months of waiting to receive? If you are a veteran, caught on this merry-go-round, the American Legion wants to help. In March, Legionnaires from across America will storm Capitol Hill and tell your story to Congress. Your honorable military service earned you the right to quality health care. Stand up and say, "I am not a number! I am a veteran!" Please call today. Right now! Contact: Bill Kienzler, Service Officer, (570) 879-4277 Hallstead Legion Post 357; (607) 724-7870 home; (607) 727-2291 cell phone. It won’t cost you a dime, just your time. One call may save your life! You don’t have to be a Legion member to apply for this service. Community Foundation Seeking Partners Are you looking for a way to give a gift to your community that lasts forever? You can do that by contributing to a community foundation to ensure your gift will create lasting rewards for future generations. Some of the gifts that have been created since the Community Foundation of Susquehanna County (CFSC) was officially established, in 1998 include the Jonathan Randall Memorial Fund, the Julia A. Frystak Scholarship Fund, the Raymond L. Bennett Scholarship Fund and the Mary K. Leasure Fund. There are currently 24 funds, amounting to nearly $400,000 being managed by the Foundation. With the money from these funds along with grant distributions and special projects like the Book of Dreams, the CFSC is helping to create and sustain the dreams of their donors and benefit people and nonprofit agencies county wide. As communities and the nonprofit agencies within them seek alternative sources of funding because of shrinking contributions and budget cuts, the CFSC is reaching out to assist by creating collaborations and partnerships. They do this by serving as the catalyst between donors and the community and the nonprofit organizations and public agencies that do the work, in turn responding to priority needs. The CFSC is a tax-exempt, nonprofit agency itself that seeks solutions through leadership and grant making to enhance the quality of life in the region. In order to achieve their goals, they solicit donations from individuals, groups, businesses, governments, nonprofit organizations, corporations and people like you. The options available to contribute a tax-deductible donation include scholarships, memorial funds for loved ones, permanent endowments and more. The CFSC has the expertise to manage and distribute income from theses gifts in a way that is consistent with the donors’ specific interests and wishes. The donor never has to be concerned his or her money will be sent elsewhere, if the agency designated to benefit from a fund fails or falls under new management. The Foundation knows how to legally develop and oversee a fund’s distribution in accordance with your specific interests and wishes keeping your donation where you intended. The CFSC believes that a community must be holistic in its approach to building vibrant communities so that all concerns are considered: healthy citizens of all ages, responsible youth and self sustaining families, a solid job base with strong area business, preservation of unique historical and natural resources, access to all arts and cultural programs and quality educational opportunities. Rural communities across the Commonwealth continue to struggle to sustain themselves in creating healthy communities; Susquehanna County is no different. We are different though in that we have the Community Foundation of Susquehanna County as our partner in providing leadership and seeking partners to achieving the vision of being the best that we can be to all residents of the county. If you’d like to find out more about the services offered by the Foundation, make a year-end contribution or volunteer your time, please contact Joe Burke, President and CEO, at 36 Lake Ave, Montrose, PA 18801. The phone number is 278-3800 or you can email Joe at foundation@epix.net. The Endless Mountain Business Association invited the businesses of New Milford, Hallstead and Great Bend to participate in a Festival of Trees. The trees were sold and delivered by the Endless Mountain Business Association as a fund-raiser. The businesses purchasing the trees were asked to display them in front of their establishments, decorated in white lights to signify unity. Make a point of traveling through New Milford, Hallstead and Great Bend to see the Festival of Trees! Small Business Grants Available for 2003 Two small business grants are currently available to Susquehanna County businesses, announced Justin Taylor, director of the Susquehanna County Department of Economic Development. "New this year is the Small Business Electronic Business Grant, which provides small businesses an opportunity to purchase computer hardware and software that will enhance their capability to develop E-Commerce," Taylor explained. This grant can also be used to pay for website development. Grants provide 50% of expenses up to $1000. "The Small Business Training Grant assists in the cost of attending a seminar or training session of your choice that will help you to learn about emerging trends and technologies in your specific business," says Taylor. Grants provide 50% of expenses up to $1500. Both grants are available to Susquehanna County businesses having no more than fifty employees. The business must employ at least one full-time equivalent employee, who may be the owner of the business. Requests for funding must be submitted to the Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission 312 Main St., Towanda, PA 18848. For more information on these and other programs to assist Susquehanna County businesses, contact the Susquehanna County Department of Economic Development at (570) 278-4600, ext. 558, or email: susqded@epix.net. Dear Friends, Neighbors and Family Thank you so much for the cards, calls, prayers and help during my illness. We both wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year. Jane and Jim Hawley
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