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HEADLINES: Council
Enjoys Music, Tales By The Fire The Council of Community Foundation of Susquehanna County (CFSC) met recently for the first of what Chairman Earle Wootton says will be regular social gatherings designed to keep Council members updated, without burdening them with an agenda or the work-a-day formalities of organizations. The Council consists of about twenty influential and talented volunteers who have expressed a willingness to serve the CFSC in meeting its goals. They are bankers, insurers, realtors, artists, financial consultants, attorneys, politicians, retired executives, marketing consultants, and community leaders – at the ready when their expertise is required for a philanthropic project. "When we need you, you’re phone will ring," affirmed Wootton. But this chilly afternoon was a time to enjoy each other, some wine and food around the fire, and the celestial chords of Molly Nasser’s harp tumbling through the white rafters of 36 Lake Avenue. Playwright Jan Quackenbush (left) and harpist Molly Nasser entertained The Council of the Community Foundation at a mid-winter gathering on Lake Avenue hosted by Earle (center) and June Wootton. Playwright and professor, Jan Quackenbush’s story-telling charmed the group toward the Foundation’s long conference table to hear his historic tale of Annie and Bob Drinker and the builder of the Foundation’s 1866 location at 36 Lake Avenue, Alex Cooper. The story told of the dreams and tragedies of some of Montrose’s founding families. Their efforts brought its first plank roadways, water systems, and banks in the rough and tumble years of the nineteenth century. Quackenbush delivered details he has uncovered on the family feuds over land legacies, murder in a Montrose alley by a frenzied disinherited son under the influence of the once legal opiate, laudanum. He read Annie Drinker’s elegant love poetry which rivaled that of Elizabeth Browning. Her unrequited love led to her withdrawal to the life of a recluse. Among the lessons lived and learned by our Montrose ancestors was the tale of an early banker who knew his clientele so intimately he felt no need to keep records. His good intentions were not enough to sustain his bank. Community Foundation Council updates and social gatherings occur four times annually. Each year the American Cancer Society marks the beginning of spring with Daffodil Days, which will be blooming throughout Pennsylvania the week of March 15. Daffodil Days brings thousands of cut daffodils into the area which will be available for purchase in bunches at site sales throughout the county, or can be ordered in advance through the American Cancer Society. Call 1–888–227–5445 to request an order form be sent to you. Daffodil Days is the week of March 15, and flowers will be available to purchase Wednesday, March 17 through Friday, March 19 at Schneider’s Market and Barnes-Kasson Hospital. Pictured (l-r) are: Betty Kwader, Susquehanna County Co-Chair, and Joanne Bledsoe – Co-chair. Last year over $38,000 was raised through the Susquehanna/Wyoming Unit Daffodil Days to fund the American Cancer Society’s cancer control mission. The money raised during Daffodil Days provides hope to patients and their families through patient service programs. In addition, progress towards a cure is taking place every day thanks to American Cancer Society funded research. The American Cancer Society also provides answers to questions about cancer, and is the only national cancer organization to provide information 24 hours a day, seven days a week via a national call center, which can be reached at 1–800–ACS–2345. And for those who prefer receiving information via the Internet, www.cancer.org is available. Serving as chairpersons of the 2004 Daffodil Days campaign are Betty Kwader and Joanne Bledsoe for Susquehanna County. Many other volunteers assist with the packing, delivery, and selling of the flowers. If you are interested in assisting in the fight against cancer through volunteering, contact the American Cancer Society at 1–888–227–5445, and ask for Chris Kelly. Rick Leet Receives Top Sales Honors Columbus, Ohio – Nationwide Insurance has just released its list of top agents for financial sales production in 2003. Local agent Rick Leet is ranked fourth of 4200 agents coast to coast. Rick also achieved the production requirements to qualify for membership in the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). This is an elite group of financial professionals from all companies worldwide. Less than 5% of financial producers meet the strict requirements for membership in MDRT. Rick has qualified for MDRT seven consecutive years in a row.
As a Certified Financial Planner licensee, Rick must meet requirements for continuing education. This keeps him on top of current laws and issues that face his clients. Rick has been a Nationwide agent for 20 years following his father and grandfather as a third generation agent. He resides in Shehawken with his wife, Tanya and three daughters. Look for Rick’s free financial seminars coming next month. Learn the basics of Wealth Transfer, Estate Planning, and the new laws available for your IRA. Call to reserve your seat at (570) 798–2666. Engagement Announced Titus - Miller Jason Dean Miller and Jessica Eileen Titus are proud to announce their engagement. Jason is the son of Olin and Eleanor Miller, Harford. Jessica is the daughter of Emma Hinkley, Hop Bottom, and the late Ronald Titus, Jr. A wedding date has been set for September 18, 2004. Scout Pack 81 Hosts Blue & Gold Banquet The Cub Scouts of Pack 81, Susquehanna PA, celebrated their Blue & Gold Banquet last Sunday, February 22, at the Thompson Hose Company, with about 90 scouts, family members and friends present. An awards ceremony was held for the Webelos II scouts who will be moving on to Boy Scouts. The highest award a Cub Scout can achieve, The Arrow of Light, was awarded to Jordan Boerner, T.J. Gall, and Ryan Lee (not present). In addition, the Webelos II scouts celebrated their Crossing Over Ceremony. This is a process whereby they graduate from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts. Zachary Stark, T.J. Gall and Jordan Boerner (pictured above), crossed the bridge from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and were welcomed to Troop 81. There to receive them were Jim Russel and the Boy Scouts from Troop 81, Susquehanna PA. Following the ceremonies, a spaghetti and meatball dinner was served by the Thompson Hose Co. The evening was concluded with a visit from the Ross Park Zoo Mobile. Animals in attendance included a bearded dragon, red-tailed boa and a 15-pound rabbit. Congratulations to Cub Scout Pack 81 Webelos II Scouts and their den leader, Amy Gall, on crossing over to Boy Scout Troop 81, the Arrow of Light award and a job well done. SCORE To Combat Obesity Issues New Milford – The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania has committed a $210,000 grant to Partners for Progress for funding a community-based collaborative aimed at fighting overweight and obesity and encouraging healthy lifestyles for Susquehanna County residents. Partners for Progress is a countywide collaboration between Endless Mountains Health Systems, Barnes-Kasson Hospital, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and various other organizations interested in promoting good health. Endless Mountains Health Systems will administer the finances for this project. The three-year grant will be used to develop the "Susquehanna County Obesity Reduction Effort (SCORE)." Partners for Progress will receive the first installment of $70,000 in 2004 to launch the new initiative. Upon successful implementation of the effort, subsequent annual grants of $70,000 will be awarded in 2005 and 2006. In July, 2003, the Blue Ribbon Foundation announced its intention to support innovative, community-based approaches to preventing and combating obesity within the 13-county service area of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Partners for Progress project is one of seven applications identified and approved during a competitive request for proposal process that was completed by the Foundation in December, 2003. "We are proud to provide resources to help combat overweight and obesity," said Lisa Baker, executive director of the Blue Ribbon Foundation. "The Foundation’s mission is to partner with communities to improve overall health and quality of life in our region. This represents an exciting and important step in our continuing effort to focus on prevention and wellness." The initiative consists of two distinct but integrated programs, a countywide outreach program for the general public and an intensive program for obese adults. The countywide outreach program is a multi-faceted community education program that will provide information on specific topics related to obesity, healthy eating and physical activity. Participants in the intensive program will attend classes on healthy eating and physical activity. They also will receive individual counseling from a registered dietitian and will participate in structured support groups. "Obesity is surpassing cigarette smoking as the number one cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Studies have shown that maintaining healthy weight can prevent the occurrence or severity of complications such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and many other preventable health conditions," said Ms. Baker. "The Partners for Progress project will target these risk factors and offer healthy living tools for residents of Susquehanna County." "We are very excited about this project and the potential for a positive impact on the health status of residents of Susquehanna County. Our thanks to the Blue Ribbon Foundation, Dr. Bordeaux and representatives of the other partnering agencies," said Rexford Catlin, the Endless Mountains Health Systems and Partners for Progress leader. For more information on SCORE, or to express your interest in participating, contact Bryan Bordeaux, D.O., at (570) 465–5151. Highspeed
Internet In Remote Areas Lehigh University has obtained a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for a 5 year program of research and community outreach addressing multi-tier wireless networks with emphasis on their application for providing a variety of communications services to remote rural areas. Susquehanna County, School and Library officials and the Susquehanna Community Information Network (CIN) provided letters of support for the Lehigh proposal and the concept of using the county as the primary application area for research and outreach. Lehigh has also obtained a grant from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance to acquire related equipment and software. The Lehigh effort is led by Professor Shalinee Kishore , Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. At a meeting in the County Office Building on February 13, Professor Kishore described the basic applicability of wireless technology to remote areas and outlined her proposed research and outreach project. The research effort can be used to help the county plan and develop (or induce technology and communications companies to provide) an improved information infrastructure to include high speed (broadband) internet access to remote areas of the county. Lehigh can address this directly by developing county propagation maps (basically radio wave versions of topographic maps) and designing a multi-tier architecture; and indirectly by conducting research that leads to novel communications techniques and products for use in rural areas. The exact nature of the design and its utility to the county will depend on the needs and desires of the community. For that, Lehigh needs our help in determining where we need what types of information services – e.g., identifying areas where there are clusters of people without cell phone or broadband internet access and important community needs for improved services. Some of this can be obtained from demographic information available in the county or from state resources. Lehigh is asking the county and community to help obtain this information and to provide guidance on important needs or applications. The next meeting should address what information we can provide easily and how we can gather other information. The outreach effort is proposed to begin this summer as a 2 week seminar–workshop program taught by Professor Kishore and her graduate assistants and held in Susquehanna County. About 15 to 20 seminar-workshop participants can be accommodated and these can be high school students, educators or librarians, or interested adults. The seminar-workshop can be held in a school or county building with field trips for outdoor measurements and experiments. The opinions and advice of county and school officials, as well as of community participants, are critical as one objective is to interest people in exploring education and careers in information technology by showing them how to apply it to real examples in the county. Options include developing high school senior projects based on a combination of summer seminar-workshops and scheduled school year visits by Lehigh researchers; educating teachers ( or other interested adults ) to increase student involvement in future years (Lehigh will explore the possibility of offering Act 48 credits for the summer seminar-workshops); using the seminar-workshops as ways of gathering more specific radio propagation measurements or examining the feasibility of specific important community applications; or combinations of the above. The next meeting should address the details of who, where, and how the outreach effort should be conducted this summer and provide an outline for future outreach efforts to assure the programs continued utility. The Lehigh project is funded by the NSF and does not require county funding. To be successful and beneficial to the county, it does require involvement from the county. County and school officials, along with interested individuals and community groups, like the CIN, can provide the county-specific information and needs which will guide the project and can volunteer the help and facilities to conduct the outreach effort here. The first step was taken in the meeting of February 13. The next key step is to set a meeting date for March which allows most of the key county participants to attend and provide their inputs to Lehigh so that we can formulate a good outreach effort for this summer. Animal Shelter Collecting Printer Cartridges Wayne County- Don’t throw away that used ink jet or laser printer cartridge, it means cash for the Dessin Animal Shelter, Honesdale. The shelter is participating in a fundraising program called Cash for Critters, a recycling program for empty ink jet and laser printer cartridges. "Cash for Critters pays Dessin $2.00 or more for each empty cartridge we send in," says Sue Frisch, Shelter Manager. "This is a great program that means cash for the animals we care for and it also helps the environment," Frisch said. Cartridges may be dropped off at the shelter which is located on Miller Road behind the Wayne County Fairgrounds, Honesdale, or call (570) 253-4037 for more information. On February 18, 2004 the New Milford Family Community Center held a "Life Lines Movie PACT," where parents got together to watch a movie and discuss parental issues. It was beneficial to all who attended. While the parents watched their movie, the children participated in activities that were themed around number comprehension and counting. They listened to stories, played games, had snacks, and most of all had fun while learning. If you would like more information on PACT activities, call (570) 465-2880.
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