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HEADLINES: Joe Schell Honored By Susky Fire Dept.
At the February 7 meeting of the Susquehanna Fire Dept., President Nancy Culnane (pictured left) presented a plaque to past president Joe Schell (right) thanking him for his many years of service as president. PNB Donates To St. Lawrence Church
Eric Upright, branch manager of Peoples National Bank in Hallstead Plaza, presented a check for $2,000 to Theresa Hinkley, for replacement of the aged carillons at St. Lawrence Church in Great Bend. The carillons have provided comforting sounds and inspirational music for the Great Bend community. Pictured (l-r) are: Judi Salinkas, Parish Council; Atty. Francis X. O’Connor, Parish Finance Council; Eric Upright, Peoples National Bank; Theresa Hinkley, Parish Council; Father Kaminski. On January 29, more than 50 guests were celebrating the results of the new United Way of Susquehanna County’s fundraising initiatives for 2002. Guests included donors, member agencies, and participating companies, all gathered to hear the good news and learn about the coming year. This was the first year the Charities Distribution Fund operated as the new United Way of Susquehanna County (UWSC) and the results are quite remarkable. The UWSC, through its volunteer board and campaign cabinet, raised over $240,000 for two different purposes. The first initiative was the first United Way annual campaign in Susquehanna County, raising just under $80,000. This represents an increase of 45% over the amount collected during each of the three prior years. This number is even more impressive considering charitable giving is down 10-30% across the region. The campaign, which ran from September through December, included sending cards and letters, and making workplace presentations to solicit donations. The Campaign Cabinet members were recognized with certificates of appreciation.
Shirley Masters (pictured), is chair of the Campaign Cabinet. The group also celebrated the fact there were several new employers to the UWSC family this year. The UWSC now has the ability to reach thousands of employees through its member companies that now total more than 20 companies. Representatives from many of the agencies who benefit from the UW work were on hand to hear the news. The UWSC served 14 member agencies during 2002. The UWSC expects to welcome a minimum of 4-5 new agencies during the coming year. The second fundraising initiative announced is a 3-5 year capital campaign to raise money to support the United Way of Susquehanna County start up expenses and to establish a permanent endowment to support its routine overhead for the long term. This is being done in hopes that some day 100% of every donation can go directly to charities countywide. To date the capital campaign has been successful raising $161, 650 in pledges. $100,000 of these pledges are in the form of challenge pledges, requiring the UW to raise a matching amount. The UW has set a 3-year goal of $300,000 with $150,000 earmarked for its permanent endowment. The UWSC board of directors intends to revisit and evaluate extending its campaign after 3 years. Joe Burke, President of UWSC, noted, "We have only just begun. It doesn’t matter what county Susquehanna County residents work in, we have to make sure every single employee writes down the United Way of Susquehanna County when they fill in their annual pledge card at work. We have the potential to deliver more than $500,000 every year to charities throughout the county, but we can’t do it alone. We need cabinet and board members to help us get the word out." Anyone interested in volunteering for the United Way, needing more information on employee payroll donating, or requiring more information on the capital campaign should contact the UWSC office at 278-3868 or email unitedway@epix.net. Susky Fire Department 150 Club Winners Following are the 150 Club winners of the Susquehanna Fire Dept. for January, 2003. 1/4: $5 Bob McNamara; $10 Gary Lankford; $25 Marge Wood. 1/11: $5 Pat Frederick; $10 Joan Hurley; $25 Cheri Murch. 1/18: $5 Paul McCormick; $10 Sandy Battisti; $25 Tim Orr. 1/25: $5 Nick Nataline; $10 Tom Roe; $25 Les Schell. When snow has melted and spring has arrived, will you be surprised and offended by the amount of litter around our beautiful county? The Garden Club of Montrose hopes that you will be, and that you will recognize that litter is a big problem. Many people are totally unaware that they contribute to this problem because they have many common misconceptions about littering. To save money and help the environment, learn what these misconceptions are and help educate Litterbugs. Myth: "Throwing butts does not harm anything – everyone does it." Fact: Cigarettes contain poisonous chemicals harmful to animals and the environment. They contribute to several thousand fires each year and take up to five years to degrade. Myth: "It’s okay to toss fruit – it will biodegrade." Fact: Thousands of people are hurt and vehicles damaged from animals trying to get food littered on highways. Myth: "Littering creates jobs." Fact: Without volunteers, Pennsylvania would spend more than $50 million a year on litter cleanup. Cleaning up litter costs about nine times more than it costs to collect trash from public and private trash receptacles. Myth: "One wrapper won’t matter – it’s so small, who will notice?" Fact: Litter begets litter and it leads to lower property values and crime. If no one picks up the wrapper, it could take 30 years to biodegrade. Now that you’ve got the facts, help fight litter. Call the Litter Clearinghouse Hotline at 1-888-LITTERBUG to report problems such as abandoned vehicles, uncovered hauling trucks, inadequate cleanup in commercial areas, and advertising on utility poles and trees. Ask each person riding in your vehicle to take responsibility for his own throwaways. If you see a piece of paper on the street, dispose of it and be a good example to others. It’s much easier to prevent littering than to clean it up. You wouldn’t throw trash and garbage around in your own home and yard. Treat the whole country as your home. The Garden Club of Montrose, the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania and National Garden Clubs, Inc., thanks you. Everyone encounters things that stimulate them. Things that move us, fire us up. Things that we feel passionately about. Things that make us step outside our comfort zone. Many of us have lost touch with our passions, through depression, or poor health, or life-style. For any reason, or none we can figure out. A "Life With A Passion" group is forming. If you would like support in finding your own again, acting on your own, or helping someone else in the process, call 853-3332. Pickett Has Office Hours In Lawton Rep. Tina Pickett (R-110) is reminding residents that a satellite office is open on Fridays in Lawton to better serve residents in that area of the district. The office is located in the Grange National Bank, at the intersection of Route 267 and Route 706, in Lawton. The telephone number is (570) 934-2557. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Residents can also e-mail the representative at tpickett@pahousegop.com. Some of the services provided by the office include helping residents obtain driver license and vehicle registration applications, locating birth and death certificates, assisting senior citizens with property tax and rent rebate applications and PACE forms, providing students with applications for PHEAA grants and loans, and providing information on state legislation. Pickett also has a website at www.reppickett.com that contains the latest legislative news, state information, and links to on-line homework sites for students. Residents can also visit the virtual office and e-mail their questions or comments, or ask for more information on a specific issue through the site. Pro
Ag Takes Issues To Washington Recently, several members of the Progressive Agriculture Organization (Pro Ag) traveled to Washington, DC in an effort to convince members of Congress that congressional action must be immediately taken to correct the pricing inequities facing dairy farmers across the United States. Joining the Pro Ag group was Kathy Ozer, Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition and staff member, Molly Spence. The meeting in Washington was hosted by Mike Oscar, Legislative Assistant to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Josh Stahl, Legislative Assistant to Congressman Don Sherwood (R-PA). Also in attendance were aides from Senators Leahy, Jefford, Schummer, Clinton and Santorum’s offices. Aides were present from the offices of Congressmen McHugh, LaTourette, Holden and Peterson. Several members of the USDA were present, including Dr. Keith Collins, Chief Economist for the USDA; Richard McKee, head of the dairy division for the USDA; Ms. Mary Waters, USDA’s Under Secretary for Congressional Relations; and Mr. Charles Hawrahan and Mr. Ralph Chite, both specialists in Agriculture Policy Resources. The thrust of the meeting centered around inadequate milk prices paid to dairy farmers and drought relief payments. Arden Tewksbury, Manager of Pro Ag, told the group that congress and the USDA must decide if they intend to maintain our family farmers’ style of farming or if they intend to continue pricing practices that force our family farmers out of business. Some of the aides present informed the group that legislation will be introduced to allow interstate dairy compacts. Again, the Pro Ag group reminded everyone that we need a comprehensive dairy bill that will help dairy farmers across the United States. This bill must be structured to cover the dairy farmers’ cost of production. Gerald Carlin, a member of Pro Ag, challenged the USDA’s figures indicating that American dairy farmers were producing too much milk (Carlin showed figures indicating that the US is a milk producing deficit country). Tewksbury told the group that figures indicate that nearly ten billion pounds of milk equivalent is imported by the US. An official of the USDA related their figures indicated that imports do make up 8-9% of the milk in the US and their figures are a factor in the low milk prices. Ms. Mary Waters indicated the department was optimistic regarding the possibility of making drought payments to agriculture producers that were shortchanged last fall. These payments would be made to farmers in Fayette, Green and Tioga Counties in Pennsylvania, as well as counties in other states. Senator Thad Cochran has a disaster bill introduced that could also alleviate some of the problems caused by last year’s drought. Pro Ag and NFFC are planning another meeting on February 18. This meeting will consist of additional Congressional aides from various sections of the country. Also present on this trip to Washington were Kurt Rhone, Director of Pro Ag; Linda Boyan, Recording Secretary of Pro Ag; Pro Ag member Cy Cochran; and Angela LeCompte from Texas. Kurt Rhone summed up the meeting by saying, "I’ve made several trips to Washington on behalf of dairy farmers, but this meeting was by far the best one ever." Pro Ag can be reached at 833-5776. Sea
Scouts To Sail Chesapeake Bay Fourteen Sea Scouts and officers of Sea Scout Ship 90, New Milford, PA will sail Chesapeake Bay from June 6 to 14. They will sail on board the 46-foot morgan ketch "Der PeLiKan," a two-masted Sea Scout training vessel operated by the Chesapeake Flotilla Sea Scout Wardroom, and a 30-slooped rigged sailboat, the "Gibson Girl," owned by Charles Jaget, Vice Chairman of Ship 90’s Committee. The Sea Scouts will learn piloting, compass, navigation, sailing and seamanship under sail for eight days. The Sea Scouts are looking forward to this long cruise to pass Sea Scout ranks of Ordinary, Able and Quartermaster. Skipper Barry Hall, First Mate Marvin Van Cott, and Second Mate Laurie Weber will assist Vice Chairman Charles Jaget and our paid Captain, Doug Yeckley. Sea Scout Training Weekend In preparation for sailing on the Chesapeake Bay this June, 12 Sea Scouts and officers attended the Northeast Sea Scout Regional Training at Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland on January 10 and 11. They were very busy attending classes on marlinespike seamanship, navigation, piloting, rules of the road, engine repair, drill and principals of sailing a small boat to name just some of the many nautical courses offered. Vice Chairman Charles Jaget and Skipper Barry Hall served as instructors; First Mate Marvin Van Cott sharpened up his skills by attending various seamanship classes; and Second Mate Laurie Weber completed her Venturing Basic Training and Sea Scout Officers Training. Sea Scouts attending from Ship 90 were Boatswain Matt Weber, Boatswain Mate Steve Spencer, Jacob Brizzolara, Caleb Gere, Amber Neild, Nicole Conrade, David Navickas and Dan Weber. On Saturday evening, to give everyone a break from training, a sock hop was held and many Sea Scouts also played basketball or soccer in the gym, as well as watching a movie. Advancement Crew Leader Dan Weber has earned the rank of Ordinary Seaman, and Apprentice Seaman has been earned by Nicole Conrade and Amber Neild. All Sea Scouts are currently taking classes on basic first aid, a requirement for their Able rank. Welcome Aboard With the addition of new Sea Scouts in the crew of Mike Spencer and Brenda Reed, Ship 90 now has fourteen Sea Scouts. More Sea Scouts are always welcome. Call Skipper Barry Hall, 465-3919; First Mate Marvin Van Cott, 465-7454; or Second Mate Laurie Weber, 465-3163 for information.
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