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Now is the time to join 4-H! Where can kids learn leadership, citizenship and life skills, meet fun new people, build self-confidence, learn responsibility and achieve goals by doing fun, cool things? 4-H of course! The Susquehanna County 4-H program had 506 members and 194 volunteer leaders in the program this year. There are 38 clubs county-wide to choose from, varying from general community clubs to beef, dairy, horse, dog, shooting sports, sewing and livestock clubs. 4-H has over 250 fun projects to take ranging from animal and plant science to leadership, technology, leisure/cultural, family resources, arts, to health and safety. Anyone ages 8 to 18 may participate in 4-H, and there is a “Cloverbud” program for children under 8. Now is the time to join! If you are interested in joining, we can send you a brochure with a list of 4-H Leaders and clubs near you. Or you can visit our website at: http://susquehanna.extension.psu.edu, click the 4-H & Youth button to the left. There is a list of clubs and leaders on the 4-H page. Be sure to check our 4-H news page as well. Simply call the leader and find out when their next meeting is, and enroll with that club.
Clubs usually meet once a month, some more depending on the projects taken. There are many great opportunities for 4-H members such as competitions, club events, fun trips, community service and finally exhibiting their completed projects at the Harford Fair 4-H Roundup. Parents can get involved too! Parents can become 4-H Leaders and share their skills, talent and special interests in a single project area, such as photography, computers, care of horses, sewing, rabbits, or whatever is your interest. You can see first hand some of the fun accomplishments of our county’s 4-H’ers at the 4-H Pumpkin Roundup being held in conjunction with “Day on a Dairy Farm” Saturday, October 8th at Tompkin’s Farm. This is a fun filled event for the whole family. Tomkin’s Farm is located 4 miles north of Montrose (look for the banner). If you have any questions please call us at the Susquehanna County Extension Office at 278-1158 and we will assist you.
Pennstar Promotes Terry Cooper VP Scranton, PA (August, 2005) Pennstar Bank President and COO, David E. Raven recently announced the promotion of Branch Manager, Terry Cooper to Assistant Vice President of the Montrose Office.
Terry has over twenty-eight years of banking experience in the areas of customers service, sales and administration. Terry began her banking career with Pennstar Bank as an Assistant Manager and was promoted to Manager of the Montrose office during 2002. Terry is a graduate of Luzerne County Community College, the Central Atlantic Intermediate School of Banking at Dickinson College and Central Atlantic Advanced School of Banking at Bucknell University and continued her banking education through the American Institute of Banking. She is involved in her community and currently serves as Secretary for the Montrose Area Chamber of Commerce. Terry resides in Springville with her husband and four children.
Dan Parrillo Is Priesthood Candidate Daniel Parrillo, son of former Susquehanna resident Liberato (Chip) Parrillo, now of 2316 South Colorado Street, Philadelphia, has been accepted as a candidate for the Diocese of Camden’s (NJ) priestly formation program. His sponsors were Bishop Galante and Father Roger McGrath. Mr. Parrillo will be placed at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston, MA, sometime next year. Mr. Parrillo is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Parrillo of West Main Street. His father, “Chip” is well-known to many area residents, having attended school here and later making a career in the United States Army. Daniel, for many years has been a teacher in Philadelphia’s Catholic schools.
Dr. DeWitt Achieves Board Certification Lexington, Kentucky – The American Board of Family Medicine is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Recertification examination by Dr. Warren DeWitt. Board certification confers a standard of excellence in knowledge and practice to physicians who not only certify via the examination process, but who also work diligently on the maintenance of these skills during the seven-year period between examinations.
New Milford, PA – Larry Cassidy and family are setting up a donation fund with the help of the Susquehanna County Chapter of the Red Cross and the Steamtown Marathon to benefit the victims of Katrina. The Cassidy family suffered a loss when Virginia Cassidy-Cole, mother of Larry, passed away from colon cancer on August 17, 2005. Donations to benefit the victims of Katrina can be made by calling (570) 278–1427. When calling, please use the code: Cassidy’s Marathon. Larry will be donating an initial $1,000 and then $1.00 for every runner that finishes before him. The offer of $1,000 was matched by Norman Phelps, Phelps School in Malvern, PA. Those attending the marathon will recognize Larry; he is wearing his traditional “feather in his hat.” This is Larry’s fourth Steamtown Marathon. No donation is too small! A dollar per person can go a long way! Let’s show that our community cares.
Foundation Welcomes Wyoming County The Board of Directors of The Community Foundation, on June 16 moved unanimously to extend its services to include its neighbor, Wyoming County. A name change to The Community Foundation of Susquehanna & Wyoming Counties was also approved. The existing staff of the Foundation - its President, Director of Development, Operations Manager, plus an expanded Board of Directors will now provide professional philanthropic services to the entire two-county region. The 36 Lake Avenue, Montrose building will remain the central Foundation location for both counties. To ensure that Foundation services are readily available within this expanded geography, bank branches in both counties have agreed to make conference rooms available without cost to Foundation representatives and prospective donors. The move will significantly expand the Foundation’s potential donor base. Many of the Foundation’s existing corporate donors have locations and customers in both counties and would prefer to deal with a single organization to achieve their self-directed charitable goals. Both counties enjoy a rural and small town character; without a community foundation their philanthropic needs would be underserved and overshadowed by their larger urban neighbors. Wyoming County combines a population of 24,000 with Susquehanna County’s 42,000. The county seats of Tunkhannock and Montrose are only 16 miles apart and residents of both communities currently flow back and forth to shop, enjoy films, galleries, theaters and restaurants, work together on tourism and social service endeavors. The Board’s decision followed several months of meetings between Foundation Chairman Earle Wootton and Director Bob Brown with Wyoming County business, professional and cultural leaders. A letter from many of those leaders requested and endorsed the action. Funds, scholarships and endowments, as always, will continue to be directed by donors’ wishes. A strong, efficient Foundation will continue to provide local legal, investment, and administrative support to accomplish your charitable goals. For information call 278-3800 in Susquehanna County, 836-444 in Wyoming County, e-mail foundation@epix.net , or visit the website www.community-foundation.org.
Mom was 86 years young until she took a tumble in the bathroom and broke her hip. After surgery, physical therapy and a lengthy hospital stay it’s time for her to go home. Thank goodness. There’s a problem though, mom is now 86 years old and we have concerns about her being at home alone and how she will manage. Many adult children find themselves in situations similar to the one outlined above. Fortunately, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through its Department of Aging has a network of Area Agency on Aging offices which sub-contract with local providers to meet the needs of senior citizens who want to remain in their homes. What this means in plain English is that Barnes-Kasson Hospital provides home-delivered meals, light house keeping and laundry, personal care assistance (bathing), transportation and personal emergency response systems (Lifeline) to residents of Susquehanna County who are 60 years of age and older. In order to qualify for a myriad of different programs and services a referral must be made to the Area Agency on Aging office (1-800-634-4346) and a care manager comes to the home and completes an assessment. Referrals are accepted from the older adult in need, hospital discharge personnel, physician offices, family, friends, neighbors and concerned citizens. If your family is able to pay for services there are private pay programs available and no assessment is necessary. To inquire about private pay services call Barnes-Kasson Senior Services at 800-763-8925. In addition to the in-home services provided to older adults in need, Barnes-Kasson Hospital provides community based services through a network of six senior community centers. Residents of Susquehanna County who are 60 years of age or older enjoy lunch in a group setting and take advantage of many recreational and educational programs as well as free health screenings. While there is no charge for these services, a recommended donation scale based on income is provided to those who fell they can contribute to the cost of their meal. Donations are voluntary and anonymous. For three decades, Barnes-Kasson Hospital has provided services to the older adult population. For three decades, volunteers have served this cause in many capacities. Without the dedication of these concerns citizens willing to donate their time and efforts the program would be unable to afford the same level of care to the same number of people that are served.
Mt. View Garden Club Is Active The Mountain View Garden Club announces activities scheduled for the fall including an “Adopt-A-Highway” cleanup and a fall bulb and plant sale. The mission of the Mountain View Garden Club is to share knowledge and love of gardening while beautifying the Elk Mountain area and surrounding communities. New members are always welcome. “Adopt-A-Highway” Fall Cleanup Scheduled On Sunday, May 1, 2005, eight members of the Mountain View Garden Club cleaned up a two-mile section of Routes 106 and 374 from Royal to West Clifford. In just a few hours, countless large trash bags were filled with food wrappers, aluminum cans, bottles, cigarette packs, and a variety of items. The Garden Club has adopted that section of highway and PENNDOT has posted signs along the highway giving the Garden Club full credit for their efforts. In preparation for a busy Columbus Day weekend with many visitors coming to the area to enjoy the Elk Mountain Fall Festival, the Artists’ Open House Tour, and the Susquehanna County Antique Tour and Open House, the Garden Club has scheduled a fall cleanup on Sunday, October 2, beginning at 8 a.m. from Saint Pius Church on Route 106 in Royal. Everyone is requested to park at the rear of the church, volunteers are welcome. After a safety review and distributing vests, gloves and trash bags, volunteers will break into groups and work for approximately 1 1/2 hours. By signing a two-year program participation request with PENNDOT to adopt the two-mile section of highway, the Garden Club is showing their commitment to caring for the environment and beautifying our community. Fall Bulb and Plant Sale The Garden Club will hold a fall bulb and perennial plant sale on Columbus Day weekend, October 8 and 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bulbs will be available at two locations, the home of Kathy Flora on Mud Road (off Route 106 between Clifford and Royal), and at the Idlewild Ski Shop (on route 374 by Lake Idlewild). Plan to stop at one of these locations to purchase spring flowering bulbs which are generally planted in the fall. A small investment of time and money this fall will reward you with beautiful flowers next spring!
The Pennsylvania Association of Retired State Employees, Chapter 15, met on September 13 at the Towanda Gun Club. The guest speaker was Eileen Testa, Assistant Director of Benefit Services of the Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund. She gave a very informative talk on retirees’ health benefits. Mrs. Testa provided information on the HIPPA program, which is a federal mandate to provide privacy to all retirees. A spouse cannot seek information about their wife’s or husband’s medical benefits without permission from that spouse. Parents cannot seek information about their adult child’s medical care without permission, although they may be supporting the child. Also, an adult child cannot receive information about the medical care of an aged parent, even if the parent is incapacitated. However, if the child has power-of-attorney, he may submit a copy of that document, as well as verification of age and Social Security number, and will then be eligible to receive the information. Also explained was that Medicare will only cover payment of medical care in the fifty states, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The Benefit Trust Fund will pay for an eligible retiree’s medical care provided in a foreign country; however the member must pay the cost to the provider and then submit an itemized bill to PEBTF. Also explained by Director Testa was that health benefits may be continued for a widowed spouse of the retiree at the cost of $375.00 per month. She suggested looking for alternate coverage at a lower cost. A detailed explanation of the Medicare Prescription Program, Plan D, was given by Mrs. Testa. As there is a means test of income and assets, the majority of state retirees will not qualify for the program, and should not sign any papers from Medicare, enrolling in the program. This applies not only to PARSE members, but all retirees. As of July 1, the state retirees’ prescription drug program is provided by MedCo. All retirees should have received a new card with an identification number. Retirees should note that their Social Security number is not used. They have a new EPEB number. In appreciation of the fine program, the membership presented Mrs. Testa with a gift basket of Bradford County products. Regional Vice President Clara Smith advised that the annual State PARSE meeting will be held on September 26, in Camp Hill. One of the subjects to be discussed is the opposition to the legislators’ raises. PARSE, Chapter 15, remembered the victims of Hurricane Katrina with a donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Fund. The next meeting will be held on October 11, at the Fairdale Methodist Church, Susquehanna County. For more information or to make reservations, contact Susquehanna County Vice President John Benio, at (570) 278–2389.
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She will continue in her current role managing the daily sales, service and branch operations of the Montrose office. She is also responsible for consumer and small business growth and development within Susquehanna County.