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Tag: donation

PeoplesBank to donate landmark building to Glen Rock borough

York-based PeoplesBank is donating its building at 1 Manchester St., Glen Rock, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, to the borough of Glen Rock.

PeoplesBank, A Codorus Valley Company and wholly owned subsidiary of Codorus Valley Bancorp Inc., was founded as the “First National Bank of Glen Rock, Penna” in 1864. It was one of the first businesses established after Glen Rock’s incorporation in 1859, a release said, serving as a catalyst of economic growth in the post-Civil War era through the present.

In addition to housing the Glen Rock borough office, the building is home to the Glen Rock Historical Preservation Society, which operates a museum. The society will expand the museum into the portion of the building vacated by the bank as part of the donation, which will be finalized next month.

PeoplesBank, with assets in excess of $2.4 billion, will continue to serve Glen Rock residents at nearby financial centers offering a full spectrum of services.

Society President Jon Nicklow said, “With PeoplesBank’s donation of this historic building located in the center of our town, we have an opportunity to showcase Glen Rock’s place in local history.”

Craig Kauffman, PeoplesBank’s president and CEO, added: “As the birthplace of PeoplesBank, Glen Rock holds a special place in the hearts of every PeoplesBank associate. The donation is another example of the bank’s long-term commitment to the community and our commitment to memorializing the legacy of PeoplesBank’s contribution to the prosperity of the area.”

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer

Lombardos donate $5 million to F&M for new project

Lancaster County business owners and philanthropists Sam and Dena Lombardo are donating $5 million to Franklin & Marshall College to build a new welcome center for returning alumni and prospective students and their families. 

Making use of interactive technology, the Samuel N. and Dena M. Lombardo Welcome Center will be housed in College Square on Harrisburg Avenue “to provide an accessible ‘door to campus’ for visitors to start their F&M journey,” said an announcement from F&M President Barbara Altmann. “The Welcome Center will draw people in to learn more about our liberal arts mission, distinguished academics and research, and the contributions our alumni are making in their occupations and communities around the world.” 

The Lombardos are owners of Lombardo’s restaurant in Lancaster, and Sam Lombardo is founder of The Benecon Group. 

He and his wife have made other significant gifts to higher education in recent years, including $5 million to Millersville University to renovate Brooks Hall into Samuel N. and Dena M. Lombardo Hall. 

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer 

M&T donates former branch building for workforce development center

M&T donated its recently closed branch at 800 E. Market St. to the Spanish American Civic Association
M&T donated its recently closed branch at 800 E. Market St. to the Spanish American Civic Association. PHOTO/PROVIDED

It’s not unusual these days for banks to consolidate branches.

But when M&T Bank decided to combine two of its York locations, the financial institution looked for a way to turn the vacated building into a community asset.

M&T donated its recently closed branch at 800 E. Market St. to the Spanish American Civic Association to create Tec Centro York, a workforce development center that will help the underemployed and unemployed find jobs in high-demand fields from health care to construction.

The basic adult education, linguistic and job skills training and career counseling Tec Centro York provides are geared to residents in historically underserved communities. Lancaster-based SACA has partnered with York Community Resource Center, a nonprofit that offers vocational and technical training, to administer the workforce development programs.

The building will be transferred to the Resource Center, using the Tec Centro model SACA started in Lancaster in 2014 as a template. Tec Centro Berks followed on that, opening in Reading in 2021. And work is ongoing to establish a Tec Centro in Lebanon.

Tec Centro York is scheduled to open in the second quarter of next year.

M&T closed the 800 E. Market St. branch July 29 and consolidated operations at its 21 E. Market St. location.

A subsidiary of Buffalo, New York-based M&T Bank Corp., M&T Bank serves customers from branches in 12 states and Washington, D.C.

Gail D’Angelo, regional community reinvestment act manager for M&T, said the 800 E. Market St. branch, which was originally an Allfirst Bank before that institution merged into M&T, was in a “pretty prominent corner in the neighborhood.”

And it served that neighborhood for a long time. She emphasized that a full-service ATM will remain available to customers outside Tec Centro York.

The bank also “didn’t want to leave the branch dark,” D’Angelo said, so its leadership strongly favored giving the building to an organization that would do something “impactful,” she said.

M&T worked with SACA before, and was aware of the Tec Centro model. The bank “knew this was something that was available as an opportunity,” D’Angelo said.

After a meeting was held with SACA executives, including President Carlos Graupera and CEO Jose R. Lopez, the idea to create Tec Centro York in the former bank branch started coming to fruition.

“We think it’s really cool to bring this to the York area,” D’Angelo said, and “we’re super excited to provide this space to them.”

The building has a lower level, a first floor and a second floor, all of which are usable, she said.

Getting the York Community Resource Center involved and other partners is “just going to make it a big win,” D’Angelo said.

“SACA and Tec Centro are immensely grateful for collaborative partnerships, like that of M&T Bank,” Graupera, who’s also the founder of SACA, said in a release. “This is a powerful example of a business using its resources and expertise to work alongside other organizations to amplify the community’s access to and effectiveness of our workforce development programs.”

In addition to workforce development, SACA’s programming also focuses on human services, behavioral health, affordable housing and commercial development, and public broadcasting.

According to the Lancaster Tec Centro website, students are trained for such jobs as certified nurse aide; dental assistant; medical assistant; physician assistant; phlebotomist; commercial and industrial heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration technician; forklift operator; facilities maintenance; commercial and industrial electrical technician; and commercial and industrial plumbing technician.

Training time varies, and can be up to six months. In 2019-20, including through the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, 160 participants enrolled in skills training at Tec Centro, with almost 89% increasing their income by at least 40%.

“In SACA, we found the perfect partner to provide residents of York with the resources and skills they need to improve their lives and provide for their families,” Tom Koppmann, M&T’s regional president for southeast Pennsylvania, said in the release. “We can’t wait to see how Tec Centro York helps to transform the communities it serves.”

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer

Awards, giving back, and making moves in the region!

AWARDS 

Accounting 
Harrisburg-based regional accounting and advisory firm Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz was recently honored with the 2021 Best Special Event Award by the United Way of the Capital Region. BSSF was specifically recognized for its cornhole tournament event in September 2021, which raised $1,750 to benefit the United Way. 

Banking/Finance 
Harrisburg-based PSECU made Forbes Magazine’s list of Best-In-State Credit Unions for 2022 for the fourth consecutive year. 

Construction 
York-based Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. was recognized with a 2021 Contractor Safety Award from the Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance. The company accepted the award during the VTCA annual meeting in July at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront. 

Wagman won the award in the 300,001 to 500,000 Manhours category. The alliance recognizes contactor members who demonstrate their commitment to a safe and healthy work environment. 

Government 
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania earned national recognition as a premier employer for modernizing its human resource portal for state employees. The Office of Administration received the 2022 Eugene H. Rooney Jr. Award for Innovative State Human Resource Management Program from the National Association of State Personnel Executives at the organization’s national conference. 

Health Care
WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital and Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital were recognized as among the best hospitals in the country by Money, a personal finance website, in the Teaching Hospitals category. 

Insurance 
Harrisburg-based Keystone Agency Partners, an insurance brokerage platform that reported 233% year-over-year growth in 2021, was named to Business Insurance’s ranking of the world’s Top 100 Insurance Brokers of U.S. Business for 2022. 

Law 
Jennifer Craighead Carey has been named to the Law Power 100 by City & State PA as one of the most powerful people in the legal profession in Pennsylvania. A partner in Barley Snyder’s Employment Practice Group, she concentrates in the areas of labor and employment law and associated litigation and serves on the firm’s Management Committee, as Crisis Management Service Team chair and as Diversity & Inclusion Committee chair. 

Manufacturing 
Lancaster-based Armstrong World Industries has been named by Newsweek as one of the Most Trusted Companies in America in 2022. Armstrong is the only ceilings and walls company to make the list, which was identified through an independent survey of approximately 50,000 U.S. residents who rated publicly traded companies in the nation with revenues over $500 million. 

Real Estate 
The Crossings at Sweetbriar 55+ community in Lebanon and Cortland Park 55+ community in Mechanicsburg were recently recognized by Ideal Living Magazine as two of “America’s 100 Best Places to Live” in the mid-Atlantic region.

 

ON THE MOVE 

Bert’s Bottle Shop, which closed its 369 Comet Drive, Millersville, location in February, will move to the first floor of 29 E. King St. in Lancaster city. The restaurant and bar will have inside seating for around 60 as well as room for about 20 on a patio. 

The owners of Fox Meadows Creamery in Clay Township have opened a new location at 193 E. Main St., Upper Leacock Township. Both creameries feature ice cream made using milk from the Fox family dairy farm that’s next to the family’s original creamery. The new location has a production area where the ice cream is made from a mix produced at the Clay Township creamery. 

Girls on the Run Capital Area has leased 3,000 square feet at 123 N. Enola Drive, East Pennsboro Township, from City Limits Realty LLC. Campbell Commercial Real Estate Inc. represented the tenant in the transaction, and NAI CIR represented the landlord. 

The historic Carson Coover House, a six-unit luxury apartment building at 223 Pine St., Harrisburg, was sold to investors 223 Pine LLC. The Vartan-owned property sold for $790,000 ($131,666 per unit) at a 6.75% cap rate. NAI CIR represented the seller. 

Lot 2A on Fairville Avenue in Harrisburg has been sold to Narciso Becerra, who will convert the 1-acre lot into a trailer parking site for a trucking company. NAI CIR handled the transaction. 

Oola Bowls has leased 2,187 square feet in North Cornwall Commons, North Cornwall Township, from Byler Holdings. The Lancaster-based smoothie bowl chain is expanding to an end cap drive-thru retail suite at the complex. Oola Bowls serves products that feature organic superfoods. Founders Joe Ferderbar and Brock Snider started the business with a food truck. Today, Oola Bowls operates at three local farmers markets, HersheyPark and in a storefront location in Lancaster in addition to the North Cornwall Commons site. Campbell Commercial Real Estate handled the transaction. 

 

GIVING 

Beacon Clinic for Health and Hope in Harrisburg was awarded a $25,000 Grant from the Highmark Foundation. The grant will support data infrastructure and security of the technology systems at the clinic and staffing costs of a registered nurse who provides care to patients and support to the clinic’s health care providers. 

Harrisburg-based Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania, a 501(c)(3) committed to building a “tiny home” community for veterans experiencing homelessness, received donations from Carter Lumber, Garden Chapel, Pyramid Construction Services, FloorMax, DT Mechanical Electrical Contractors, Navarro Bros. and Accent Pro Painting, enabling the organization to build a traveling replica of a tiny home. 

Veterans Outreach plans to build a village of 15 tiny houses on a 5-acre tract along the Susquehanna River in south Harrisburg. 

York-based Wolf Home Products announced its collaboration with the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, to enhance the facility and its popular wild nocturnal adventure experience. The company will donate Wolf Perspective Decking for 12 new camping pods; siding products for the state-of-the art 4,700-square-foot education center and the camping pods; and Wolf Classic cabinets for the education center kitchenette. 

Harrisburg-based Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Inc., in partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, raised over half a million dollars nationwide from June 12-July 9. The funds raised at Ollie’s stores will benefit 85 local member hospitals in communities Ollie’s serves. 

Dunkin’ and its franchisees throughout the Lancaster, Harrisburg and York area announced that $15,000 will be granted to Children’s Miracle Network at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital through the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. 

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, headquartered in Wormleysburg, recently awarded its 2022 Thomas R. and Laura Ridge Scholarship to 27 students, totaling $67,500. Recipients are chosen by a panel of judges who review each applicant’s academic record, school and community involvement, recommendations and a submitted essay. 

The Parkinson’s Foundation awarded more than $2 million in community grants for Parkinson’s disease programs across the U.S. York and Lancaster counties’ YMCA of the Roses was awarded $18,000 for its Partners in Progress initiative, which will bring accessible and affordable wellness classes to individuals with Parkinson’s through activities including boxing, cycling and water-based exercises. 

Chambersburg-based F&M Trust recently pledged $12,500 to Costa Academy, a culinary arts school in Chambersburg that educates students through a style of teaching that fosters engagement, provokes confident decision-making and inspires leadership. 

Housed at The Orchards restaurant, Costa Academy has educated high school students through an alternative education program since 2016. With the 2022-2023 year, the academy will shift programming to post-high school and other adult students. 

Co-President Dan Schwab of D&H Distributing, based in Harrisburg, presented a $10,000 check to The Joshua Group (Harrisburg) during its first-ever Career Day on July 29. The group provides services to at-risk area youth. The donation was arranged by the D&H Cares employee-run foundation and involved a community of D&H customers. 

York-based First Capital Federal Credit Union raised $2,050 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of York and Adams Counties. A portion of the money was generated through soft pretzel sales and jeans days as part of the FirstCap Gives Back Program. 

First Capital also sponsored two fundraising initiatives hosted by Big Brothers Big Sisters of York and Adams Counties: Bowl For Kids’ Sake and Golf Fore Kids’ Sake. 

Compiled by Paula Wolf 

 

Ollie’s collects $580,000 to help 114 food banks

Harrisburg-based Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Inc. announced Tuesday that it raised more than $580,000 to benefit 114 Feeding America member food banks in the communities Ollie’s serves.

The money was donated through an in-store fundraising campaign the closeout retailer conducted from April 10 to May 7 at 438 participating stores.

“With inflation at an all-time high, we are proud to be continuing our partnership with Feeding America for a third year to help the communities we serve provide food for their families,” John Swygert, Ollie’s president and CEO, said in a release. “With the help of our generous customers, we are able to support thousands of people in need across the 29 states we operate our business.”

“More than 38 million people, including 12 million children, experience hunger in the U.S.,” added Lauren Biedron, vice president of corporate partnerships at Feeding America. “Communities across the country are feeling the impact of rising food prices and many neighbors are turning to their local food banks for assistance. Feeding America is grateful to provide even more meals to neighbors in need thanks to our partnership with Ollie’s.”

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer.

Homeland Center’s new CNA Academy Program receives grant

The Homeland Center in Harrisburg has received $75,000 from the Wilmington, Delaware-based WSFS Cares Foundation to support its Certified Nursing Assistant Academy Program.

The foundation is the charitable giving arm of WSFS Bank.

Originally chartered as the “Home for the Friendless” in 1867 to assist widows and orphans, the center at 1901 N. Fifth St. has evolved into a licensed not-for-profit continuing care retirement community offering personal, skilled nursing, home health, home care and hospice services. The CNA Academy Program is applying for the requisite Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements.

“While in the process of determining how Homeland Center can continue to provide the highest level of quality care for our residents, patients and clients, we moved in the direction of forming the CNA Academy Program,” Barry Ramper II, president and CEO of Homeland Center and Homeland at Home, said in a release.

“We thank the WSFS Cares Foundation for their support, which will enable the program to provide opportunities to individuals in central Pennsylvania with an interest in senior, home and hospice care to be educated, trained and obtain the required certifications to build successful careers.