A huge thank you to everyone who came to the West Scranton tree lighting celebration to help spread holiday cheer to West Side!  There were free arts and crafts, marshmallows, hot beverages and Santa Claus himself was in attendance!

We also want to give a shout-out to Blu Elefante Events, Posture Interactive, Brianna Keeler - Comparion Insurance Agent, and the Youth Arts Coalition of NEPA for helping make this event a success!

Officials from NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, the City of Pittston, the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED), and Coterra Energy are excited to announce the expansion of the Beautiful Blocks program to the City of Pittston. Read more here.

Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti joined our team to dedicate a recently renovated City-owned parking lot in West Scranton, which was a key project in our West Scranton Neighborhood Plan. The project, managed by NeighborWorks, aims to enhance economic vitality by improving parking availability for small businesses, with renovations including pavement resurfacing, landscaping, upgraded lighting, and a distinctive monument sign. Funding of $125,000 from the Community Development Block Grant Program and $50,000 from the Keystone Communities Program supported the transformation. Read more here.

NeighborWorks and the Luzerne County Area Agency on Aging have collaborated to bring the Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity (ECHO) program to Luzerne County to help older adults live safely and independently near caregivers in their community. ECHO units are small, separate manufactured homes that are temporarily placed on the property of an older adult's friend or family member, allowing the older adult to maintain independence while the property owner continues to provide caregiving to ensure the older adult's safety. Applications will be taken until February 15, 2024.

Please go here for more information and application instructions.

Brianna Keeler, Comparion insurance agent, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. She has collaborated with us on several of our West Scranton events and her husband is from West Side. We were excited to discuss her career, evolutions and changes in the insurance industry that could be helpful information to Scranton residents, what it was like learning West Side, and more! Listen to the full episode here!