Soon it will be Thanksgiving, the perfect time to share what you're thankful for. Most of all, we are grateful for YOU, our faithful followers, partners, members, and friends. We wish you a blessed November and upcoming holiday season!
Read on to see tons of pictures and be inspired by other "warm fuzzies" we've experienced this past month!
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A Celebration to Remember!
The Tioga County Partnership's 25th Anniversary Celebration Open House and Block Party took place on October 18th, a brisk, but sunny fall afternoon. Workgroups shared resources relevant to their missions, planned educational activities for visitors, and offered giveaways. The Be Your Best You workgroup asked visitors, "What are you grateful for?" then displayed the hand written responses on a gratitude garland. The Countryside Council workgroup offered a locally sourced seasonal soup, while the Communities that Care workgroup brought awareness to the need for strong healthy family connections by handing out conversation-starter lollipops. Inside, a festive history display showcased select news clippings that told the story of the Partnership's past 25 years.
Board President Jim Weaver convened a brief meeting on the front steps of the historic 33 Pearl Street office building where Member Emeritus, Mr. Ron Butler, presented a heartwarming speech honoring
Mr. Bob Morris (top picture) as the recipient of the prestigious
2018 Ronald J. Butler Outstanding Community Health Service Award. His stirring speech described how Mr. Morris has been a strong leader and mentor throughout the years, but first and foremost, a family man with a determined heart for his community. Mr. Morris addressed the crowd with overwhelming emotion. It was a great moment!
Executive Director Sue Sticklin and Program Coordinator McKenna Christman presented three awards to outstanding individuals whose volunteer efforts have contributed to the health of our community and furthered the Partnership's mission. Congratulations to:
Nancy Clemens, Tioga County Human Services Administrator, received the
2018 Distinguished Board Member Award. (Third picture from the bottom.) Her efforts and leadership have helped the Partnership carry on a tradition of providing substance abuse education and prevention programming in the schools and the community. She's also been instrumental in the development of a mechanism for transportation coordination to serve those in need in Tioga County.
Kim Smith of Penn DOT received a
2018 Distinguished Volunteer Award. (Second picture from the bottom.) Kim's service to the Safe Kids workgroup has resulted in the successes of car seat safety checks and the Safe Teen Driving events that are held in all three school districts. Her outreach and participation afforded the Partnership the benefits of PennDOT and Geisinger Trauma Care resources for these interactive educational events. Thank you, Kim!
Kelly Hall of B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging also received a
2018 Distinguished Volunteer Award for her service on the Elder Services workgroup. (Bottom picture.) Kelly's faithful participation in monthly workgroup meetings and willingness to do what needs to be done for the busy workgroup makes her the chairman's go-to person. Kelly also participated as a speaker for the newly redesigned Youth Leadership 2.0 program. Thank you, Kelly for your dedication to the Partnership!
A special thank you to
Sean and Robin Adams and Cameron Clemens, co-owners of local eatery, "The Roost," on Main Street, Wellsboro, for donating the delectable array of hot and cold foods for this special event!
Thank you to local professional photographer,
Caleb Williams of Heritage Photography for furnishing the last three sunlit images of the award presentations included with this article.
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Thank you to all involved! It was a truly grand celebration of our healthy community and the people in it. We are excited for the next 25 years!
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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Signals New Beginnings in Elkland
On the morning of October 18th, there was a very special ribbon cutting ceremony at Jerome Park in Elkland, Pa. Where drug dealing used to run rampant, the volunteer-built pavilion and revitalized park has been taken back for the use and enjoyment of Elkland’s families. Congratulations to all on the Northern Tioga Valley Youth Initiative group on the completion of this project! As fiscal sponsors of the Valley Youth Initiative, the Partnership would like to thank the generous donors, the local
Tabor Foundation and the
Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation. A great big thank you to all
Dominion Energy volunteers!
Caption: (Bottom) See the old pavilion. (Top) Outstanding students selected by Northern Tioga School District's Elkland Elementary Principal, Jess Millard, lead by their nationally recognized award winning teacher, help to cut the ribbon welcoming people to the new pavilion at Jerome Park. All involved with the Valley Youth Initiative stand proudly with local legislators for the ceremony.
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Ever Been to a R
elay for Life Kick-Off??
These are fun events for a great cause!! There will be live entertainment, food, and holiday shopping! Your next chance to attend is coming up. Don't miss it! Presented by Relay for Life of Tioga County/ the Yaya Sisterhood Relay for Life team.
WHEN: November 10th, 11am-4pm
WHERE: Wellsboro Fireman's Annex
DETAILS:
There is NO admittance fee and lunch is available. "Soup-off" tickets are $8 or $5.
ENTERTAINMENT:
Drowsy Maggie will perform 12 pm-3 pm.
RAFFLES and SILENT AUCTIONS:
Items include amusement park tickets, restaurant certificates, skiing, golfing, rafting, train rides, rollerskating, and more!
The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life mission holds
hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.
By attending you help to raise funds for cancer research, patient support, prevention and education.
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Safe Teen Events Drive Home the Message
On Friday Oct. 26th, North Penn Liberty High School hosted the third and final 2018 Safe Teen Drivers event organized by the Safe Kids workgroup. Earlier in the week, Northern Tioga School District hosted at Williamson High School and Wellsboro Area District at Wellsboro High School. All told, approximately 800 teens participated in the interactive day. All activities illustrated how driving distractions and impairment can be deadly. Impaired virtual driving simulators, a Penn DOT Workers Memorial, a buckle-up themed selfie booth, a blind spot awareness activity, “stop the texts, stop the wrecks” pledges, driving trivia, and fatal vision goggles were some of the tools used to build awareness. The students also viewed "Survival 101," a 45 minute presentation by Pa State Trooper Angela Bieber and Wellsboro Police Dept.'s Officer Mitch Christman. Each teen who completed all activities were entered into a drawing for a chance to win one of nine Amazon giftcards in the amounts of $25, $50, and $100.
At the Liberty event, a special local family, the Boyer’s (pictured above), came to honor their loved one, Mr. Lee Boyer, whose life was lost due to the actions of an unsafe motorist in a construction zone. His son, Liberty eighth grader, Bryce Boyer, attended the event with his family and hopes to spread awareness about the importance of slowing down and paying attention in construction zones--it can save a life.
The Partnership wishes to recognize the Safe Kids workgroup members who organized this event, and all of the participants and contributors: Southern Tioga, Northern Tioga, and Wellsboro School Districts, Kim Smith of PennDOT, Deb Erdman of Geisinger Trauma Care, Mike Deihl of Highway Safety Network, Annalisa Negrea of UPMC Susquehanna, Stacee Harer and Tony Dgien of State Farm Agency, Melissa Farenish of Amerihealth Caritas-Northeast, Eileen DeWitt,Trisha Tanner, Megan Kolker, Desteny Reisman, and Heather Patterson of SAM Inc., Officer Mitch Christman and Police Chief Jim Bodine of Wellsboro Police Dept., and Trooper Angela Beiber of the PA State Police. Thank you to all who participated in this very important day. These events were made possible with funding from our generous sponsors, Shell Appalachia.
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See more pictures of these great events below!
Congratulations to student Amazon giftcard winners: Abby Brucklacher and Logan Makley of North Penn Liberty, Mitchell Wrisley of North Penn Mansfield. Kadance Everett, Joseph Grabb, and Austin Richards of Wellsboro High School, and Johnae Law, Lillianna Hepfer, and Jaidon Sockman of Williamson High School.
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