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Employees from the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce volunteered at Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) as part of the United Way of Wyoming Valley’s 29th annual “Day of Caring.”
The “Day of Caring” is when representatives from several businesses and organizations across the community join other private citizens to come together as volunteers, roll up their sleeves, and set to work helping nonprofit and charitable organizations throughout the Wyoming Valley.
This year, nine volunteers from The Chamber of Commerce, including LCHS’s Board of Directors member, Ahmad Ali, completed outdoor projects including washing windows, raking leaves and plating flowers at LCHS’s central office building in Wilkes-Barre.
LCHS would like to all those who participated in this volunteer effort.
Matthew Bickert, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce & Ahmad Ali, LCHS Board of Directors and Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce, participate in The United Way’s “Day of Caring” at Luzerne County Head Start, Inc.
Shanie Mohamed, Meghan Flanagan & Michaela Benczkowski, Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce plant flowers at LCHS as part of the UWWV’s “Day of Caring.”
Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. will provide its summer learning experience to upcoming Head Start children in the summer of 2022, thanks to a golf tournament sponsored by Navient, a loan management, servicing and asset recovery company.
The annual event held at Blue Ridge Trail Golf Club in Mountain Top raised approximately $25,000 for LCHS’s Jump Start program. The program is a 4-week-long summer learning experience that offers comprehensive services for 30 eligible 3 and 4-year-old children who will attend LCHS in the fall.
This year marked the 15th year for the tournament that supports early learning experiences for children. In addition to the tournament, several businesses provided sponsorship and gift donations for raffle drawings and other prizes.
The Navient Community Fund also awarded an $8,000 grant to help support the program.
Standing, from left: Jeffrey Stine, vice president, Navient; Lindsey Fredericks, community advocate, Luzerne County Head Start; Lisa Stashik, Navient, Luzerne County Head Start Board of Directors; Dawn Smith, director of operations, Luzerne County Head Start
Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) received dozens of back to school supplies for children thanks to a school supply drive hosted by employees at Core Mark, Wilkes-Barre and CVS Caremark, Hanover Twp. Both businesses participate in the agency’s Adopt-A-Classroom program.
The program is designed to promote community engagement and strengthen the bond between community leaders and Head Start children. Volunteers from businesses that adopt classrooms at LCHS read stories, sponsor classroom activities, participate in classroom celebrations, and donate classroom supplies.
Over the course of several weeks, staff at Core Mark and CVS Caremark collected notebooks, markers, crayons, pencils, scissors, classroom activity books and more. The supplies were boxed up and delivered to Luzerne County Head Start’s Beekman Street center.
The items will help ensure children from low-income families who attend Luzerne County Head Start will start the school year with everything they need to be successful at the start of the new school year.
The first day of the new program year at Luzerne County Head Start was Monday, August 31.
Employees from CVS Caremark in Hanover Twp. collected school supplies for children in classroom #3 at LCHS’s Beekman St. center, Wilkes-Barre. CVS Caremark participate in LCHS’s “Adopt-A-Classroom” program. Standing from left: BethAnn Gallagher, CVS Caremark; Ashley Bevan & Kathleen Pittack, LCHSEmployees from Core Mark in Wilkes-Barre collected school supplies for children in classrooms #2 and #4 at LCHS’s Beekman St. center, Wilkes-Barre. Core Mark participates in LCHS’s “Adopt-A-Classroom” program. Standing from left: Caitlin Rowe & Cheryl Mae, Core Mark; Colleen Golden, Danielle Snopeck, Lisa Romanelli and Patricia Swire, LCHS
LCHS recently held its first of four summer farmers markets at its Beekman Street location in Wilkes-Barre. The markets are made possible by a “Farm to Early Childhood Education” grant secured through the Pennsylvania Head Start Association. The market is open to Head Start and Early Head Start families at LCHS’s Wilkes-Barre/Beekman Street center who are participating in summer services. Fresh fruits and vegetables from Rowland’s Pennsylvania Produce, Falls, were provided to families free of charge.
The remaining markets will be held on July 14, 21 and 28 from 12:15pm-1:15pm at LCHS’s Beekman Street location, weather permitting. Several community agencies will be available to provide information about services available to Head Start/Early Head Start families.
Farm to ECE is a group of activities and strategies that offers increased access to healthy, local foods, gardening opportunities and food-based learning activities. The funding is meant to increase early learning programs’ ability to implement farm to ECE strategies that help meet the needs of children and families during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHAT: Luzerne County Head Start Hosts Summer Farmers Markets
WHO: Head Start/Early Head Start families at Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre center
WHEN: Wednesdays in July (14, 21, 28) from 12:15PM-1:15PM
WHERE: 23 Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre (parking lot area)
WHY: Expand access to fresh local produce for Head Start & Early Head Start families
WHAT: Luzerne County Head Start Hosts Summer Farmers Markets
WHEN: Wednesdays in July of 2021 from 12:15PM – 1:15PM
WHERE: 23 Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre (parking lot area)
WHY: Expand access to fresh local produce for Head Start & Early Head Start families
Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. (LCHS) will hold a series of outdoor summer farmers markets every Wednesday in July. The markets have been made possible by a “Farm to Early Childhood Education” grant secured from the Pennsylvania Head Start Association. The first event will be held on July 7, 2021 from 12:15pm – 1:15pm in the parking lot of LCHS’s central office location, 23 Beekman St., Wilkes-Barre.
Fresh fruits and vegetables from Rowland’s Pennsylvania Produce will be provided free of charge to families. The produce is available on a first-come-first-serve basis to any family at LCHS’s Wilkes-Barre/Beekman St. Center receiving summer services as part of the Head Start or Early Head Start program. The markets will be held at the same time and location on July 14, 21 and 28, weather permitting. Several community agencies will also be in attendance to provide information about services available to families.
Farm to ECE is a group of activities and strategies that offers increased access to healthy, local foods, gardening opportunities and food-based learning activities. The funding is meant to increase early learning programs’ ability to implement farm to ECE strategies that help meet the needs of children and families during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Way of Wyoming Valley recently distributed its literacy kits to preschool-aged children, including those at Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS). Classroom #14 at LCHS’s Beekman Street center in Wilkes-Barre was one of several preschool classrooms to receive the literacy bags.
The literacy kits contain age-appropriate books as well as a variety of fun literacy activities and helpful information for parents to keep children learning throughout the summer as they prepare to enter kindergarten. The contents inside of the bags are donations from PNC’s Grow Up Great® initiative, which helps prepare children from birth to age five for success in school and in life.
Children from classroom #14 at LCHS’s Beekman Street center show off their literacy kits from the United Way of Wyoming Valley (UWWV) & PNC’s Grow Up Great ®. From left to right: Sofia, Amanda, Makaio and Jayden
Contents inside of the UWWV’s literacy kits that are distributed to preschool-aged children in the Wyoming Valley.
The Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre (JLWB) Class of 2021 raised money to purchase books for children at Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) as part of their “Head Start Heroes” community impact project.
Students from JLWB took part in several virtual book readings to Head Start children in March and April. On May 8th, the group hosted a drive-in movie theater night at the Garden Drive Inn in Hunlock Creek. Admission was $7 per person and the movies shown were “Spiderman Homecoming” and “Wonder Woman.”
The group raised approximately $1,300 from raffle basket ticket sales and donation jars. The money was used to purchase approximately 300 children’s books for boys and girls at LCHS.
JLWB is a transformative personal and professional leadership development program that is made up of students who are juniors in high school from various school districts.
From Left to Right: Michelle Oropeza, Center Assistant, LCHS; Abby Lazecki, Holy Cross High School, Pittston; Nia Cruz, James M. Coughlin High School, Plains; Nick Nocito, Dallas Area High School, Dallas; Samantha Casey, Wyoming Seminary, Pittston; Carissa Benderavich, Holy Redeemer High School, Laflin; Julia Ide, Northwest Area High School, Hunlock Creek, Chris Kopiak, WBASD STEM Academy, Wilkes-Barre; Kelly Chamberlain, Director of Education, LCHS
Luzerne County Head Start, Inc. held its second annual “Walk for Wellness” on May 18, 2021. Staff were encouraged to walk 56 minutes for the 56th anniversary of Head Start.
Here are some pictures of our staff enjoying time spent outdoors.
To view the slideshow, CLICK HERE. Be sure to turn the volume up!
Hazleton Carson St. & Vine West Head Start staff take part in LCHS’s second annual Walk for Wellness event.
Fourteen Luzerne County Head Start (LCHS) alumni from 8 school districts in Luzerne County who will continue their education after high school were honored during LCHS’s 56th anniversary celebration. Scholarship recipients are usually recognized at the agency’s annual luncheon, which was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to celebrate their accomplishments, the agency sponsored an outdoor “meet and greet” at its Beekman Street location in Wilkes-Barre. Recipients were invited to attend the celebration, where they met with their scholarship sponsors.
The Luzerne County Head Start Alumni Scholarship program was established in 1987 to honor the achievements of former Head Start students graduating from high school and continuing their education. This year, 14 scholarships totaling $18,000 were presented to students who will pursue higher education. From 1987 through 2021, scholarships totaling $293,250 have been awarded to outstanding students who began their educational journey at a Head Start program. Recipients must submit an application and are selected based on academic performance, personal achievements, leadership, motivation and school and community involvement. The scholarship fund is supported in total by community organizations, individuals and businesses.
In addition to the scholarship awards, LCHS employees were honored at a virtual ceremony earlier in the day for their years of service and dedication to the nonprofit organization. Awards were also presented to the agency’s 2020-2021 “Outstanding Community Partners,” including Stacey Kile, Luzerne County Head Start Board of Directors; Christine Kiesinger, Ph.D., owner and founder of CEK Communication; Alan Klapat, Deputy Chief, City of Wilkes-Bare Fire Department and Lorna Veglia, Drums Lioness/Lions Club. LCHS’s Outstanding Community Partner award recognizes area businesses, organizations and individuals in the community who have made significant contributions to the Head Start program and who have made a difference in the lives of the children and families the agency serves.
Ariel Mitkowski from Hanover Township, who is a former Head Start student and senior at Hanover Area High School, receives the Fran Williams Scholarship in the amount of $4,000. Ariel is pictured with her scholarship sponsor, Gary Williams, who is a member of the Luzerne County Head Start Board of Directors.
St. Raphael Mosley-Boncy from Jenkins Township, who is a former Head Start student and senior at Pittston Area High School, receives the Benco Family Foundation scholarship in the amount of $2,000. St. Raphael is pictured with George Rable, who is the VP of Culture & People at Benco Dental and the president of the Luzerne County Head Start Board of Directors.
Faith Wargo from West Pittston, who is a former Head Start student and senior at Wyoming Area High School receives the Church of Christ Uniting Scholarship and the Coombs Family Memorial Scholarship for a total of $1,000. Faith is pictured with her scholarship sponsors, Pastor Jane Pykus from Church of Christ Uniting in Kingston and Michelle Coombs.
