Needs are growing in the wake of the September flooding as the area recovers, and opportunities abound to help. Anyone wishing to help with cleanup efforts in Susquehanna County may call the American Red Cross at 278-1427. If you are interested in donating items please consider a “Flood Bucket.”

To make a flood bucket for donation, please include the following in a five-gallon bucket with re-sealable lid: 5 scouring pads; 7 sponges, assorted sizes; 1 scrub brush; 18 cleaning towels (reusable, like Easy Wipes); 1 dry laundry detergent, 50-78 oz.; 1 bottle (12 oz.) liquid concentrated household cleaner (i.e. Lysol); 1 bottle (25-oz.) liquid antibacterial dish soap (like Dawn); clothesline, two 50-foot or one 100-foot; 50 clothes pins; 5 dust masks; 1 pair latex gloves; 1 pair work gloves; 1 box heavy-duty trash bags, 22-27 count (33-35 gallon size bags); 1 bottle insect repellent (drops or lotion, not aerosol), 6-14 oz.

Please purchase all liquids in plastic bottles. Use only new, unopened products. Make sure lids on bottles are tightly closed. Put all items in a plastic bucket, seal closed with a lid. These buckets can then be delivered to the United Way on Main St. in New Milford or the Susquehanna County Interfaith in Montrose.

Additional items that are needed include: baby supplies such as formula/diapers, wipes, and only new car seats, sanitary products, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, toothbrushes, razors, shampoo, deodorant, contact lens eye solution, body lotion, hand sanitizer, and school supplies such as backpacks, pencils, pens, composition notebooks, calculators, glue sticks, blunt scissors, crayons and markers. These items can also be dropped off at the United Way on Main St. in New Milford or the Susquehanna County Interfaith in Montrose.

Clothing donations are being accepted at the Susquehanna County Interfaith in Montrose. Please note the red clothing bins around Susquehanna County are not kept locally.

Furniture donations are advertised on the needs board at the Susquehanna County Interfaith. Please call with the items available. They will then post the items to the “Needs Board” and have their clients contact you directly. Their phone number is 570 278-1776.

Cash donations can be sent to the United Way of Susquehanna County Flood Relief Fund. Call 570-465-3868 to contribute or mail a designated check to the United Way of Susquehanna County, PO Box 365, New Milford, PA 18834.

HARRISBURG - Along with Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Ed Mann, Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) invites volunteer fire companies and ambulance services throughout Pennsylvania to submit an application for the 2011 Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program (VFCVASGP).

The program, which was created by the General Assembly as Act 10 of 2007, is funded through state gaming proceeds.

The grants may be used for construction or renovation of a unit’s station, the purchase or repair of equipment, training or debt reduction. The maximum grant amount is $15,000 for volunteer fire companies and $10,000 for volunteer ambulance services. A total of $25 million will be awarded through the program.

Grants to eligible fire companies will be contingent on their agreeing to participate in and report information using the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System (PennFIRS). The online application period began Sept. 6 and will remain open until Oct. 21.

For more information, visit Pickett’s website at RepPickett.com and click on “Fire and Ambulance Grants.”

Janice Lobdell, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, recently congratulated the winners of a special drawing for an Amethyst gem as a fundraiser for the Susquehanna County Literacy Program. Pictured (l-r) above are Ms. Lobdell; Cheryl and Robert Whitehead, the winners of the drawing; and Marilyn Morgan, Director of the Susquehanna County Literacy Program.

Area youth across the Northern Tier were able to earn a paycheck this summer while helping out their communities. Twenty-two young people participated in the Summer Employment program in the five county region. Although state budget constraints reduced the program size and length this summer, work activities were provided in each county.

Projects included painting and restoration at Oak Hill Cemetery in Towanda; landscaping in Dushore Borough; maintenance work at the Susquehanna Free Library and TREHAB building in Susquehanna; the construction of community park benches in Tioga county; and worksites at Interfaith and TREHAB in Tunkhannock.

Administered by Bradford County Action in Bradford county and TREHAB in Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga and Wyoming counties, the program is funded with Workforce Investment Act and DPW funding.

For more information, contact Sherry Felten, Workforce Development Program Manager with Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission toll free at 888-868-8800 or e-mail Felten@northerntier.org.

CAMP HILL, Pa. - The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania (ALA-PA) is once again helping people protect their health and their family’s health. In addition to their nationally recognized smoking cessation and asthma education programs, ALA-PA announced that they would be providing free radon test kits to the public when they visit its website, www.lunginfo.org/freeradonkit, while supplies last.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas. It is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and it is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after cigarette smoking. The only way to know the level of radon inside your home is to test for it. The U. S. Surgeon General and the American Lung Association recommend that all homes be tested for radon.

ALA-PA is conducting this program under a recent grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). “The American Lung Association is using the program as a way to help the public carry out DEP’s recent call for everyone to test their homes for radon,” said ALA-PA Environmental Health Director Kevin Stewart. For the past 25 years, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, state environmental agencies and organizations nationwide such as the American Lung Association, have encouraged the public to test homes and to get radon problems fixed.

Supplies of the free test kits are limited, and availability varies according to Pennsylvania region. The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania asks that interested persons request one test kit per household. In addition, individuals requesting test kits should be Pennsylvania residents who do not have a previous test result for their homes. To obtain a radon test kit, visit www.lunginfo.org/freeradonkit. This offer will be in effect for a limited time and can only be ordered online.

Nearly one in fifteen homes nationwide has a high level of indoor radon, and in Pennsylvania, the rates are even greater. The good news is that homes with high radon levels can be fixed. In most cases, the solution is simple and similar in cost to other typical home repairs.

If you have a question concerning radon or would like to contact your local American Lung Association office, please call the ALA HelpLine toll-free at 1-800-LUNG-USA.

The contest show ring found a group of children and their calf dressed as characters from the Super Mario Brothers Game. Winning a most original award was Jewelie, an Ayrshire heifer dressed as a sunflower with a little honey bee Annalyn Cleveland perched on the sunflower.

Pictured (l-r) with the calf and receiving the overall judges favorite award was Ian Briechle as Mario; Emory Bewley dressed as Princess Peach; Gavin Bewley playing the part of Luigi; and Mushrooms - Lyndon Bello, Kinsey Bello, Julia Briechle and Keelan Pavelski.

Some of the other winners were animal/exhibitor look-a-like gypsies Devon and Cassidy Greenwood with a Brown Swiss and a Jersey calf. Kyle, Autumn and Austin Bonavita and Maggie Kowalewski each had their rabbits dressed up for the occasion. Autumn Bonavita caught the judges eyes dressed as a Dairy Maid with her bunny winning a most original award. In the horse division Rachael Klein won animal/exhibitor look-a-like and Dandell Betke with his Tennessee walker dressed in Rubber Ducky gear won the most original award.

The overall judge’s favorite award went to the Super Mario Brothers group consisting of Emory and Gavin Bewley, Lyndon and Kinsey Bello, Ian and Julia Briechle and Keelan Pavelski. The contest was judged by Fair Queen Daisy Matulevich, Susquehanna County Dairy Princess Allison Kiefer, and Dairy Ambassadors Mariah Tompkins, Callie Curley and Mercedes Spickerman.

2012 will mark 100 years of 4-H Programming in Pennsylvania. The program has truly grown from its rural beginnings to its global success of today, and everyone involved has a story to tell. The PA 4-H Centennial Planning Committee would like to capture these stories and paint a historical picture through stories and photos of the last 100 years of the Pennsylvania 4-H program.

4-H members, leaders, 4-H alumni, former 4-H leaders, current and former extension educators, and/or family members are invited to submit a story and photos. Please remember stories and photos cannot be returned so participants are asked to send a high-quality copy of any photo submitted. The photo, if possible, should relate to the story.

What to include: Name (please include your maiden name if applicable); physical address and email address; what county(s) you were involved with in 4-H; years you were involved in 4-H; your connection to 4-H (club, leaders names, member, parent, leader, educator, family member, etc.); educators are asked to include what their area of expertise was; and if sending photos please make sure names of those in the photos are included, include dates and locations as well.

Stories should describe or highlight a special moment in one’s 4-H experience. One example was of a story told by a daughter of a 4-H alumnus. She remembers her mother telling stories of when the 4-H Agent would come to the 4-H club in the 1960’s to teach members how to cook, working with the girls one-on-one. One of the recipes taught to the members was a dish the mother learned to make at a 4-H meeting and enjoyed so much she continued to make the dish for her family after she married. The daughter remembered how tasty the dish was and is something she too continues to make.

The goal is to have 4-H stories and photos on exhibit around the state in 2012 starting with Farm Show. The state-wide planning committee will be publishing a collection of stories.

The PA 4-H program has made a tremendous difference in the lives of millions! It’s certainly something to celebrate, and our centennial is a perfect time to show what impact has been made over the last 100 years!

If you are interested in submitting a story please contact the office at 278-1158 or submit it via email, susquehannaext@psu.edu. Deadline for stories to be submitted is November 1. Your local office will then forward stories from Susquehanna County on to the planning committee.