Why They Call it NeighborWorks

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 31, 2018. SCRANTON ­— High schooler Mollie Helstrom was looking for something to do this summer, so she decided to help fix a stranger’s home. The 14-year-old from Reading stood on the porch of Joan Holmes’ Scranton home on Monday, mixing white paint for the upstairs walls. Helstrom …

She’d Like a Word with You

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 28, 2018. SCRANTON — A blue wagon full of books and DVDs sat in the lobby of Citizens Savings Bank on Friday. As part of Scranton Public Library’s pop-up library, bank visitors could rent the items in the wagon with their library cards, or sign up for a …

Faith and Family

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 27, 2018. Emil and Mary Ann Pieski celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary by praying at St. Ann’s Feast Day on Thursday, the final day of the 94th Solemn Novena. The Clarks Green couple attended the novena at St. Ann’s Monastery and Basilica in West Scranton in 1975, the …

A Healing Prayer

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 20, 2018. SCRANTON­­ — Lucille Mathewson is waiting to hear if she’s beaten cancer for the fourth time. The Clarks Summit resident returned Thursday to St. Ann’s Monastery and Basilica in West Scranton to continue a tradition she’s kept nearly her whole life. At this year’s Mass of …

Annual Nine-Day Novena to St. Ann Opens

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 18, 2018. SCRANTON — Attending St. Ann’s Solemn Novena has always been a tradition for Marcia Roney, but this year she had a deeper connection to the event. Opening day of the 94th novena falls on the same day Roney’s late mother, Sally Tomaszewski, was born. Last year, …

Cancer Survivor Gets a Photo with Her Idol

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 17, 2018. Days after South Scranton resident Lexi Caviston survived surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor, her best friend, Alexandra Ditchkus, surprised her with tickets to see her idol Taylor Swift. But Ditchkus, 21, of Scranton, wanted to do more, so she used #LexiStrong to spread her …

Novena Still Expanding in Outreach

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 15, 2018. For years, the nine-day Solemn Novena in honor of Jesus Christ’s grandmother featured Masses in foreign languages, including Polish and Italian, as a nod to the culture that helped shape the community around the West Scranton basilica. So, when the Rev. Justin Nelson, born in India …

A Different Path to Success for High School Students

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 13, 2018. SCRANTON — Thor the turtle scuttled past Bill the tortoise while 22 incoming high school freshmen peered around each other to get a better look. Renee Giovagnoli, the University of Scranton’s lab manager, passed the turtle around for the teens to hold as they sat on …

Nothing Ordinary to See

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 7, 2018. SCRANTON — Like most people, Frank Wengen sees the ordinary every day. Unlike most people, he seeks out the ordinary. He stood in the middle of Marquis Art & Frame in downtown Scranton, where a collection of his paintings titled “Waterworks” was on display during First …

Nonprofit Provides Support, Education

Originally published in "The Scranton Times-Tribune" on July 5, 2018. In a booth at the Milford Diner, Susan Ficken shared with three friends how she lost a loved one to alcoholism and how another family member was recovering from heroin addiction. Her friends also shared their stories of how addiction affected their lives. “We recognized there …