Latest news with #RainRally
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
24 hours of fundraising, vital for local nonprofits
LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Get ready to give back! NEPA Gives, the region's largest 24-hour online fundraising event, kicks off Thursday night. 28/22 News Reporter Kathryn O'Leary shows us how it all works and why this event is making a big difference across our community. If you've ever wanted to give back to the community but didn't know where to start, the NEPA Gives event is the time to do it. It's a 24-hour online giving event starting Thursday night at 7:00 p.m., and it's shaping up to be bigger than ever. Whether it's mental health, education, animal shelters, or the arts, NEPA Gives brings more than 250 local nonprofits into one place for one purpose: giving back. 'This is our sixth year, so in a five-year time span, we've raised over $4,000,000, which is amazing. So this is really great money that goes right back into the community, stays local, and helps a lot of these nonprofits do the great work that they're doing,' Brittany Pagnotti, Director of Donor Relations and Communications, Scranton Area Community Foundation, explained. For donors, it's easy; Just head to NEPA Gives, browse by cause or organization, and your donation gets a boost thanks to matching dollars and bonus prizes from community sponsors. Rain Rally raises money for Special Olympics 'It's great to have an event like this, because, first of all, being a part of the community is number one, and it helps us not only raise additional funds for our organization, but it helps us reach a broader audience and get the organization in front of new donors as well,' stated Art Levandowski, Coordinator of Marketing and Development, Jewish Family Service. Jewish Family Service is one of dozens of organizations hoping to benefit. They say this event is a vital funding source. 'It's just another point of revenue, revenue source for the organization to allow us to do more work within the community with the extra funds that we get from an event like this. It's just a fun, exciting day for the organization, for our organization, and for our staff,' expressed Levandowski. To close it all out, there's a block party Friday at 5:00 p.m. on Wyoming Avenue in downtown Scranton with food trucks, live music, and the nonprofits themselves. 'I'm just looking forward to all, the whole community, coming together. It's great energy to see everybody coming together to make a difference right here in northeastern Pennsylvania,' Pagnotti added. So again, it all starts Thursday at 7:00 p.m. and runs until Friday at 7:00 p.m. For 24 hours, it's your chance to give where you live. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police chief backs regionalization for departments
LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The possibility of another regional police department in our area is coming soon. The Wyoming Area Regional Police Chief is in full support of regionalization for other departments looking to make the change. He says it creates a more efficient, effective, and resourceful police force; one he now leads. Rain Rally raises money for Special Olympics Chief Michael Turner is still finding ways to utilize all the space in his police department. In the basement are rooms with resources he's never had before in a police station. Upstairs, most of his leadership team even have their own offices. 'It is the best thing that has happened in this area by far.' That 'best thing' happened in 2023, that's when the Wyoming Area Regional Police Department formed, combining five individual police departments -Exeter Township, Exeter Borough, West Pittston, West Wyoming, and Wyoming Borough. Chief Turner says it's provided a stronger foundation for his guys and the nearly 20,000 residents they serve. The regional department is now stacked with 19 officers who are equipped with more tools, assigned to specific areas of crime, and designated to serve in specific zoning areas across 37 square miles. 'It's a no-brainer. The end game is to provide the best services you can to your community. The best thing to see is when departments work together.' Some reports indicate Edwardsville Borough Police and Larksville Police Department could be coming together in the near future, and Chief Turner gives the idea the thumbs up. But with change comes challenge, and Chief Turner says staying within the budget is the toughest challenge. 'There are challenges with everything, but we spend on what we need, not what we want'. Five stars for five communities, green and gold to represent a local school district, and the Water Street Bridge make up the patch ironed on Chief Turner's sleeve. A reminder of the new commitment to service. 'Regionalize, it's the answer to law enforcement.' We reached out to both Edwardsville and Larksville police departments, who told us the regionalization plan is in the early stages and couldn't release details. Chief Turner says after securing more funding, he purchased body cameras, dash cameras, stun guns, and new vehicles. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rain Rally raises money for Special Olympics
EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Students in the Poconos are making a splash for a great cause. The 4th annual end-of-the-year Rain Rally kicked off today at East Stroudsburg High School South. Students from local school districts gathered at the stadium parking and ran under the water hoses of the local fire department. Indraloka expanding low-cost vet services East Stroudsburg High School is one of the original schools in PA to hold the Rain Rally event, which is an offshoot of the Polar Plunge fundraiser for Special Olympics. 'This is something I've been doing ever since I started teaching here, so it's just something that's near and dear to my heart. I guess I want everybody to feel the same way that I do about working with Special Olympics, and we have an inclusive club here for Special Olympics that has almost 300 members,' said Aimee Ellison, a special education teacher at East Stroudsburg High School South. The event helped raise nearly $13,000. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
