The Greater Scranton MLK Commission Announces Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Activities

In celebration and continuance of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., The Greater Scranton MLK Commission will host its Annual Community Celebration and Awards Dinner on Sunday, January 19, 2025, to celebrate the life, legacy, and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Learn more here!

The Greater Scranton MLK Commission Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation is a donor-advised fund that supports the charitable works and activities of the Greater Scranton MLK Commission. Through the fund, the Greater Scranton MLK Commission seeks to support its mission through projects and programs designed to promote principles of nonviolence, equity, and love through education and service.

Garden of Cedar Celebrates Year Two in Operation

The Garden of Cedar, a vibrant community garden located in South Side Scranton, is celebrating its second year in operation.

In 2024, the Garden celebrated the launch of full-scale operations at its annex, which doubled the Garden’s capacity! This expansion allowed the Garden of Cedar to support a network of over 100 local families, and additional impactful initiatives throughout the community.

The Garden of Cedar serves as a vibrant urban community garden, providing a welcoming space for gathering and promoting health and wellness.

This vital community resource is sustained through the Garden of Cedar Operating Fund, established by Mr. Frank Dubas at the Scranton Area Community Foundation in 2018. The fund ensures the ongoing upkeep and maintenance of the Garden, allowing it to continue making a lasting impact on the lives of so many in the Scranton area.

Learn more here!

City of Scranton and Scranton Area Community Foundation Collaborate to Address Food Insecurity

The Scranton Area Community Foundation is proud to partner with the City of Scranton to address food insecurity in our region. Together, we’re helping to fund a critical new role—a Food Policy Council Navigator—to improve coordination among local agencies distributing food to those in need.

This initiative is supported by a $20,000 commitment to the Lackawanna Food Policy Council Fund, with $10,000 contributed by the Foundation and $10,000 allocated from the City of Scranton’s 2024 budget.

“The Lackawanna Food Policy Council Fund exemplifies the power of community partnerships,” said Laura Ducceschi, President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation. “The Lackawanna Food Policy Council Fund fosters innovative solutions to expand opportunities for residents in Lackawanna County to access the food they need.”

“We have a responsibility to ensure that children and their families have reliable access to food,” said Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti. “I’m proud that the City is helping to lead the charge for better coordination of services for those in need in our community.”

The Lackawanna Food Policy Council Fund is a charitable initiative administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation to support efforts that ensure access to healthy, nutritious food for all residents and streamline processes to improve the experience for those seeking assistance.

You can help make a difference! Join us in this fight against hunger by donating to the Lackawanna Food Policy Council Fund today. Visit www.safdn.org/donate to contribute.

Learn more here!

2025 Wilderness Fund Scholarship Now Accepting Applications

We are thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity for local students aged 16-18 to participate in an Outward Bound wilderness expedition through the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Wilderness Fund.

This transformative experience offers students the chance to build resilience, leadership skills, and a deeper connection with the natural world while participating in the adventure of a lifetime.

The Wilderness Fund will cover the entire cost of the expedition. Related travel costs will also be covered up to an amount determined when recipients are named.

Expeditions include backpacking trips, mountaineering trips, whitewater rafting trips, canoeing trips, dog sledding expeditions, sailing trips, and many other offerings.

WHO CAN APPLY?
Students in grades 9-12 from Scranton, West Scranton, Riverside, Old Forge, Mid Valley, and Valley View high schools are eligible to apply for this unique opportunity.

The Wilderness Fund was established in 1998 by an anonymous donor with the belief that all children need the opportunity to see the world, explore nature, and discover themselves along the way. Every year since its creation, the fund has provided several students with a scholarship to participate in the Outward Bound program.

Learn more here!

Shine Like Susan 5K Raises $25,000 to Fight Colon Cancer

Shine Like Susan 5K organizers, who are all seniors at Abington Heights High School, recently presented a check in the amount of $25,345 to the family of Susan Burke to support the Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Susan Burke, a beloved community member and running coach, passed away from colon cancer in July 2022. The Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer Fund at the Scranton Area Community Foundation was established in July by the family of Susan Burke to provide charitable support to individuals with a colon cancer diagnosis who are experiencing financial hardship.

A group of Abington Heights High School students from the Class of 2025 gathered for the third year in a row to organize the Shine Like Susan 5K, which took place in July 2024 at Abington Heights Middle School to benefit the Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer at the Scranton Area Community Foundation.

Since its beginning in 2022, the Shine Like Susan 5K event has raised over $71,350 to support the Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer.

The Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer provides financial support to local people and their families to help ease their burdens as they battle colon cancer. The Scranton Area Community Foundation administers The Susan Burke Foundation for Colon Cancer Fund.

Frank L. Burke Foundation Making a Difference

We had the pleasure of visiting The Farmhouse Sanctuary in Sterling Township recently for a check presentation to two organizations on behalf of the Frank L. Burke Foundation.

Each year, the Frank L. Burke Foundation hosts the Bogeys for Burkey Golf Tournament, and the proceeds from this year’s event were distributed to The Farmhouse Sanctuary and Make-A-Wish.

The Frank L. Burke Foundation is administered by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Established by Frank’s family in May 2022, the Frank L. Burke Foundation supports the causes, activities, and organizations which honor his memory.

To date, the Frank L. Burke Foundation has distributed over $135,000 in charitable support to the community.