Be a Neighbor

Nicole Curtis and Stefanie Colarusso, organizers of the Carbondalien Festival, join hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss the origins of the festival, how the event has grown over the past three years, the story behind the 1974 UFO sighting in Carbondale, advice for other communities to capitalize on their local history, and...

Michael Lombardo, Mayor of the City of Pittston, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss his career and professional background, key steps and milestones for Pittston's ongoing revitalization, how to maintain and advance progress at the municipal level, partnering with NeighborWorks to bring Beautiful Blocks to the city,...

Conor Kelly O'Brien, co-founder and executive director of the Scranton Fringe Festival, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss his career and professional background, the growth of Scranton Fringe over the past decade, the mission and programming of the Youth Arts Coalition of NEPA, positive trends and challenges in...

Gus Fahey, President of Valley in Motion, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss his career and professional background, the mission and vision of Valley in Motion, positive trends in the community, how to shape a positive vision and pathway for our future as a region, and more!

Julie Schumacher Cohen and Daysi Carreto from The University of Scranton Office of Community Relations, join hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss their career and professional backgrounds, the ways their office connects the University of Scranton and the greater Scranton community, highlights from initiatives they have organ...

Lori Rudalavage (NMLS #142504), Vice President and Senior Mortgage Lender at PS Bank (Equal Housing Lender | NMLS#456076), joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss her career and professional background, her work in partnering with our homeownership team, current trends and changes in the homeownership landscape, best step...

Owen Worozbyt, Director of Operations at the Lackawanna Heritage Valley, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss how he got into his current position, the history and mission of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley, the development of the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail, other community assets that are important to the Trail’s...

Michele Bannon, the Mayor of Carbondale and NeighborWorks board member, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss her journey to her current community service endeavors, what a typical day as mayor looks like, how she first became involved with our organization, her involvement with our ongoing community development work, a...

Amy Cusick, founder of Christmas Miracles from Heaven, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss the nonprofit's mission, their work in cleaning the Washburn Street Cemetery, their various other community service activities, inspiration for starting said work, plans for the future, and more!

Ryan Hnat, West Scranton High School art teacher and muralist from Northeast Art Project, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss how he came to Scranton, the teaching work he does on a daily basis, examples from his teaching experiences on how students' lives have been impacted, his experiences creating murals with t...

Brianna Keeler, Comparion insurance agent, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. She has collaborated with us on several of our West Scranton events and her husband is from West Side. We were excited to discuss her career, evolutions and changes in the insurance industry that could be helpful information to Scranton residents, what it was like le...

Kimberly Crafton, Oral Histories Coordinator from Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story, and Doreen Fazzi, lifelong West Scranton resident and former Scranton School District teacher, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to discuss how the Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story campaign has developed, upcoming events...

Dr. Douglas Boyle and Andy Chomko, president and treasurer of the West Scranton Wrestling Alumni Association, respectively, join hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. Both are alumni of West Scranton High School wrestling. In this episode we discuss the West Scranton Wrestling Alumni program: how it got started, their plans for the community center and...

Jason Kavulich, the Secretary of Aging for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and West Scranton native, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get his insight about his personal and professional background and how it lead him to his role, how he sees the needs of residents across the Commonwealth reflected in the West Scranton ne...

Allison "Poomie" Novak, the owner and CEO of Poomie's Luzerne Street Market & Deli, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get her insight about her personal and professional background and how it lead her to open the deli, what inspired the name, what prompted her to open the deli in West Scranton, what the co...

Jake Manetti, West Scranton High School head football coach, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get his insight about his personal and professional background, the culture of the school community and how it impacts his daily work, his coaching philosophies and guiding principles, his plans for the football program in the fut...

Marissa Duffy, Scranton Parks & Recreation director, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get their insight about their personal and professional background, the City's park study and how it will shape investment and development in the parks system going forward, how plans for parks such as Allen Park & Clover Fiel...

Thom Welby, state representative of Pennsylvania's 113th District and former broadcaster, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get his insight about his personal and professional background, his early life in Scranton, his time serving the community as Senator Marty Flynn's chief of staff, and his experiences with Neig...

Rob DeLuca, principal of West Scranton High School, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get his insight about the history of the high school, the story behind the "Invaders" nickname, notable West Scranton alumni, and how the high school has grown and evolved over the past decades.

Koni Bennett, the owner of one of the only boutique salons in the area (and one of the first) servicing a multiethnic clientele: V A N I T Y Boutique Salon, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get her insight about being a business owner, her time in West Scranton and why she chose to start a business here.

Annette Palutis, former teacher at North Scranton for 27 years, West Scranton icon, and member of our West Scranton steering committee, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. As a lifelong West Sider and community pillar, we were excited to get her insight about her time in West Scranton, memories of the community, and hopes for future development...

Welcome to the first episode of Be a Neighbor , the official podcast of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania. In this episode you will meet your hosts: Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman, as we discuss a little bit about ourselves and our roles at NeighborWorks, and why connecting with the community is important. We provide a brief history of NeighborWorks, and how we are committed to revitalizing...