News & Press

June 2023 | Fund News

07.07.23

The Garden of Cedar, located at 715 Cedar Avenue, Scranton, recently celebrated its launch during an open house event and ribbon-cutting ceremony earlier this month. The Garden is officially open and is a unique public space for residents of South Scranton and the Greater Scranton Area.

Frank Dubas, President of The Garden of Cedar, donated the property and established The Garden of Cedar Capital Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation in 2018 to support the creation and development of the notable community garden.

Curved raised planting beds serve as boundaries for the maze-like ADA-accessible pathways which run throughout the property. The mission of the Garden of Cedar is to provide a unique functional urban community garden/park and children’s discovery area that serves as a statement of space for a neighborhood gathering, as well as a catalyst for better health and wellness. Garden plots are offered to neighborhood residents and organizations at no cost.

The Garden’s success is also made possible in part by a grant funded by the Scranton Area Community Foundation, through its Community Needs Fund.

To make a contribution to support The Garden of Cedar Capital Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation, please visit the link below. Donations are also accepted by check mailed to the Scranton Area Community Foundation, 615 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 102, Scranton, PA 18510. Please include ” The Garden of Cedar Capital Fund” in the memo.

In order to further the Garden of Cedar’s mission, Indigno Spoon Foundation and Weinberg Food Bank is providing free lunches at the Garden on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM.

Sitting left to right: Beth Burkhauser, Founder & CEO of The Hexagon Project; Tara B. Jones, Executive Assistant, Lackawanna River Conservation Association; Sarah Dawgert, Education Manager, Women’s Resource Center. Standing Left to Right: Joe Riccardo, United Nations Association of NEPA Board Member & Director of the Global Development Project Fund; James Baker, Secretary, Rotary Club of Scranton; Owen Worozbyt, Trail & Environmental Projects Manager, Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority; Pedro Anes, United Nations Association of NEPA Board Member.

The UNA-USA of Northeastern Pennsylvania Global Development Project Fund supports projects in schools and community-based youth organizations that promote global awareness, citizenship and development. This important project fund is a sub fund of the United Nations Association (UNA)-USA of Northeast Pennsylvania David J. Wenzel Peace fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

In June, the fund awarded grants to 4 different projects, including: Abington Heights High School’s Period Club, Dunmore School District’s PBS Student Report Labs Storymaker Project, Riverside School District’s Lackawanna River Indigenous Plant & Wildlife Conservation Education Project, and The Hexagon Project.

The Salvation Army received a $10,000 Community Needs grant to help families dealing with food insecurity due to rising inflation. The Scranton Area Community Foundation provided this grant last year to aid the Salvation Army in furthering their mission. Captain of the Scranton Salvation Army, Kirsten Childs, says they have been able to provide help to 17 new families and 38 individuals.

WVIA hosted a televised panel discussion with a live audience, and a community panel and conversation focusing on the origins of the Holocaust and antisemitism. The purpose of the Holocaust Warnings Project is to demonstrate the importance of standing up against hate speech, extremism and antisemitism in our region. This project also includes educational resources for area K-12 classrooms with supplemental curriculum and training free for regional educators. Over 200 community participants attended the panel and conversation.

This project was supported by Community Needs grant funding WVIA received from the Scranton Area Community Foundation, as well as through funding from The Sondra G. and Morey M. Myers Charitable Gift Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Panelist Dr. Carol Rittmer of the Sisters of Mercy and former professor of Holocaust studies at Stockton University in New Jersey said that this program talks about “issues that cut across communities.” You can read more about this project below.