LEWISBURG — It was like Christmas in October on Friday for three Union County human-services programs, which will share nearly $300,000 in grants from the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way through a bequest from the Arvilla J. Campbell Arnold Trust.
Each year for the next three years, the trust money will benefit these agencies:
n The Lycoming-Clinton Parent-Child Home Program through STEP Inc., which will receive $66,000 per year.
n The Union County Treatment Court Program, which will get $20,000 per year.
n The Early Care & Education Coalition, which will get $11,000 per year.
The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way will administer the funds, said Chief Executive Officer and President Keri Albright during a gathering in the Country Cupboard.
The Arnold trust bequeath originally went to the Union County United Way, which merged with the Greater Susquehanna chapter last year.
“When a small, at-risk child is afforded quality care or when an addict can recover, work and never return to prison again, we all win,” Albright said.
The grant funds were more good news for Steven Diehl, adult probation officer and treatment court coordinator for Union County, who said the program this week received accreditation from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Union County’s program is only the fourth in the state to earn this distinction.
“This (funding) will help us bring more people into the program,” Diehl said, “helping us turn around more lives and, ultimately, saving the taxpayers more money.”
Union County started a drug treatment court in 2008 and DUI treatment court in 2010. Both aim to help nonviolent, repeat offenders overcome their addictions and become productive members of society again.
Diehl said the Oct. 17 graduation ceremony in the Union County Courthouse saw the 40th treatment court participant successfully finish the program.
“Drug treatment court not only saves money, it saves lives,” Albright said.
Lycoming-Clinton Parent-Child officials said the money will help them reach out to more families with 2- and 3-year-old children who have poverty, literacy, low-education issues or language barriers.
“Our programs assist parents as well as children” in Union County, one of 20 central Pennsylvania counties it serves, said program Supervisor Rose Williams, there with program Coordinator Laurie Erb.
The program has trained home visitors who go to residences and teach parents to assist in their children’s education.
The Early Care & Education Coalition continues early childhood education programs in Union County as well as Northumberland and Snyder counties. State funding for these programs was eliminated in July.
“This will help United Way to make sure these very important early education programs will continue” for children from infants to age 5, said Sara Lauver, community investment director for the United Way.
News
Three human-services agencies to share $300G
- News
-
-
Court Dockets
A roundup of news from local district and county courts.
-
Former TWA Flight 800 investigators want new probe
MINEOLA, N.Y. — Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of New York, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet. The New York-to-Paris flight crashed July 17, 1996, just minutes after the jetliner took off from John F. Kennedy Airport, killing all 230 people aboard, including 16 students and five chaperones traveling to Europe from the Montoursville Area High School.
-
Today's Top Videos
-
Northumberland County receives grant to convert courthouse furnace
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority today approved a grant of more than $114,000 to Northumberland County to assist in the project to convert the County Courthouse to a natural gas heating system.
-
Police Log
A daily roundup of police news from around the region.
-
Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way refuses funding for Boy Scouts
SUNBURY — The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way board voted Tuesday to withhold $11,000 in discretionary funding to the Susquehanna Council of Boy Scouts of America after the national Scouting organization voted last month to allow openly gay youths as members, but not openly gay adults.
-
Searchers may be close to missing teen
MOUNT CARMEL — Police today continue their search for a teenager whose parents said he went out for a run Monday night and never returned. Emergency radio transmissions this morning indicated that searchers may have spotted the teen.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
-
Senator: IRS handing out $70M in employee bonuses
The Internal Revenue Service is about to pay $70 million in employee bonuses despite an Obama administration directive to cancel discretionary bonuses because of automatic spending cuts enacted this year, according to a GOP senator.
-
10 Things to Know Today
Your daily look at late-breaking Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
-
USTA seeks 8 percent rate hike
LEWISBURG — Seniors and people with disabilities will soon have to dig deeper into their pockets as the Union-Snyder Transportation Alliance seeks approval to raise rates up to 50 cents per trip.
-
Sunbury man jailed on kidnapping charge
MILTON — A Sunbury man was charged by police with kidnapping after he allegedly took a 3-year-old girl at gunpoint Monday night from her home in Union County.
- U.S. war games send signal to Assad
-
PennDOT withholds funding plan from public
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has built a website that compares competing plans to spend billions of dollars in new transportation money, but it’s refusing to release similar information to the public, which will pay for chosen projects.
-
Reputed Mafioso tip triggers new Hoffa body search
The FBI saw enough merit in a reputed Mafia captain’s tip to once again break out the digging equipment to search for the remains of former Teamsters union leader Jimmy Hoffa, last seen alive before a lunch meeting with two mobsters nearly 40 years ago.
-
GSVUW won't use discretionary funds for Scouts
The Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way Board voted Tuesday not to release discretionary funding to the Susquehanna Council of Boy Scouts of America.
-
Troopers become teachers at Camp Cadet
SELINSGROVE - More than 50 cadets marched onto the Susquehanna University football practice field and stood at attention while Milton state trooper Matt Burrows explained the importance of self-discipline.
-
Family fears cat killer
Members of a Point Township family don’t feel safe after their pet cat was found dead Friday in the middle of their backyard, shot in the heart.
-
Road stretch reopens
The first phase of the $3.9 million “big dig” in Mifflinburg is over as a reconstructed section of Route 45, or Chestnut Street, will reopen today, PennDOT announced.
- More News Headlines
-
