$16,000 in scholarships available to students

NEW YORK — Assemblyman Joseph Angelino, a member of the New York Conference of Italian-American Legislators, announced the availability of four scholarships to deserving students. Two of the available scholarships are academic and two are for athletic achievements, with each scholarship providing $4,000 per recipient.

Applicants will be judged based upon grade point average (85 or above), interest in pursuing higher education, involvement in the local community and individual financial need. Applicants do not need to be Italian-American to apply.

To ensure a student’s application is reviewed, applications must be received by no later than Monday, March 15. Winners will be announced in April with an official award ceremony on Monday, May 24, Italian-American Day.

Interested students can apply to the Assemblyman James D. Conte Memorial Academic Scholarship at www.bit.ly/
contememorial and to the Sen. John J. Marchi Memorial Athletic Scholarship at www.bit.ly/marchimemorial.

Local senior earns two highest achievements in music education

LIBERTY, NY — Liberty High School senior Tyler Black reached two of the highest achievements in New York State music education. In late August, notification of his selection to perform with the All-State Mixed Chorus arrived. This achievement was based on his 2019 solo audition where he received a score of 99. This is a highly competitive audition and acceptance is indicative of superior musicianship. 

Black has also been selected to perform with the All-Eastern Mixed Chorus. All-Eastern includes the top musicians from Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. All-Eastern is the highest level one can achieve in NYS music education. 

Sunshine Hall Free Library memorializes Nancy Stevenson

ELDRED, NY — In honor of her dedication to the Sunshine Hall Free Library, a colorful banner announces that the children’s and young adult sections of the library have been named “The Nancy Stevenson Kid Zone.”

The library held a small, COVID-19 restricted dedication ceremony on January 28.

A press release reads, “In life, Nancy gave time and money to the library. Having lost Nancy to breast cancer, she continues a legacy of love and devotion to, what she had engraved on her deck plaque, ‘the little library that could.’ Nancy Stevenson was an advocate for libraries, arts, and education. She provided technical expertise and financial support not only to SHFL. Among her many philanthropies, Nancy was a trustee for the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance and became the heart and soul of the Big Eddy Film Festival. She is missed.”

For more information, visit www.sunshinehallfreelibrary.org.

‘COVID-19 One Year Later’ call to ring bells

HONESDALE, PA — One year after Wayne Memorial Hospital admitted its first COVID-19 patient, the hospital has asked area churches and other houses of worship to ring their bells at 12 noon on Friday, March 5 to commemorate the lives lost, survivors’ struggles, frontline health care workers who stayed the course and all who have been impacted by this deadly virus.  The hospital is also encouraging the public to come out and ring a bell at the same time.

“We can’t have big events because of COVID,” said Wayne Memorial Public Relations Manager Lisa Champeau, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t show ‘community’ in the fight against it. When you hear the bells ring on March 5th, we invite you to ring a bell and dedicate a moment of silence for all those who suffered so immensely and all of us who, to this day, find our lives very much structured around COVID-19 concerns.” 

The bells ringing in unison, said Champeau, will represent “a united chorus of caring.”

Need masks?

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Thanks to a donation from the Rotary International Million Mask Challenge: Liberty, Livingston Manor and Monticello Rotary Clubs and Rotary District 7210, and a grant from the Community Foundation of Orange and Sullivan, the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce has a limited supply of masks to distribute to our small business community free of charge.  

If you or your business are in need of this resource, contact the chamber to make an appointment. Masks will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 845/791-4200 ext. 3.  

Honor Flights suspended nationwide through the end of June 2021  

WALDEN, NY — The National Honor Flight Board of Directors recently decided to suspend all flights for all Honor Flight hubs nationwide through Wednesday, June 30. Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that honors our nation’s veterans by transporting them to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials at no cost to the heroes. While flights are currently suspended, HVHF is continuing to make preparations for potential fall flight dates and encourages local veterans to submit an application.

The suspension of all flights nationwide is based on a number of factors, including the status, timing and availability of COVID-19 vaccine for all age groups likely to participate in an Honor Flight (veterans, guardians and volunteers); group-gathering restrictions in Washington, D.C.; and a suspension of all group-gathering permits issued by the National Park Service.

HVHF is currently seeking sponsorship for future missions, as there are many worthy and eligible veterans and HVHF wants to continue honoring them. To learn more, call 845/391-0076 or visit www.hvhonorflight.com.

Pomeroy Fund opens new grant round to support history organizations 

TROY, NY — The Pomeroy Fund for NYS History, a partnership between the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the Museum Association of New York (MANY), will provide $50,000 in grants to assist 501(c)(3) history-related organizations with capital needs expenses in 2021. As of February 24, MANY will accept applications through a portal on their website.

In this fourth round of the Pomeroy Fund, a total of $50,000 will be distributed for capital needs in individual grants not to exceed $5,000. Grant requests will be considered for technology equipment, facility maintenance equipment, furnishings, major material purchases, renovations, refurbishments, remodeling and rehabilitation. If your organization received funding from the Pomeroy Fund for NYS History in 2020, you are eligible to apply, but preference will be given to those who have yet to receive funding.

Eligible organizations must be a history-related organization located in New York State and have an annual operating budget of $150,000 or less. Pomeroy Fund applications will be accepted through Monday, March 22. Funding notifications and assistance grants will be issued in April 2021.

For more information and to apply, visit www.nysmuseums.org/Pomeroy-Fund-for-NYS-History.

Greater Pike receives Dime Bank donation for Delaware Valley School District

MILFORD, PA — Much-needed Chromebooks for students in the Delaware Valley School District will be easier to purchase thanks to a donation from The Dime Bank. The $7,500 donation was made to Greater Pike Community Foundation through the state of Pennsylvania’s EITC program. The program awards tax credits to businesses making significant contributions to educational programs.

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chromebooks will help students virtually attend extracurricular activities in science, technology, engineering and math. 

For more information, contact executive director Jenni Hamill at jennihamill@greaterpike.org, 570/832-4686 or visit www.greaterpike.org and Facebook.com/GreaterPike.