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Members of the Wayne County Chapter, Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (PASR) have been putting in a lot of valuable volunteer service.
So was the assessment of representatives of the local chapter at Tuesday’s County Commissioners’ meeting. Current President Ronald Boonie held up a faux check made out to the “Citizens of Wayne County” stating for the year 2006, PASR members provided $741,148.00 worth of service. Calculated by the Pa. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the figure is for a total of 40,798 hours of volunteer work done by 118 of their chapter members, who responded to their survey. In all they have 173 members.
Commissioner Wendell Kay jokingly asked Boonie if the math was done right ( Boonie is a retired mathematics teacher from Honesdale High School).
Boonie was flanked by Leroy Spoor, who is president-elect of the chapter, and Joe Kandrovy, co-chairman of the Community Service Committee. Kandrovy said their members took part in two projects in 2007, purchasing winter clothes for a need y family whose children attend a Honesdale school, and “adopting” a family at Christmas time through the County Children & Youth Agency.
Spoor said as retired school employees, they enjoyed their tenure in the schools, but instead of sitting back, are busy giving back to their community. PASR members are not only teachers; they may be custodians, secretaries, or anyone who was employed by a school. Recently they honored member Alice Foster as Volunteer of the Year.
State-wide, PASR’s 1,545 members contributed volunteer service in 2006 valued at $180 million. Eighty percent of the volunteers are active through their local religious affiliation; 56 percent are involved with charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society or Meals on Wheels.
Voting machine vendors
Also discussed:
• County commissioners and Bureau of Election staff from Wayne, Lackawanna and Northampton counties, sharing similar problems with touch-screen voting machines, met with equipment vendors last Tuesday. The vendor fair was held at the Northampton Courthouse in Easton. Quotes are being obtained as Wayne county officials consider the five machine options. Cindy Furman, Wayne County Bureau of Elections Director, will give a report at the January 22nd Commissioners’ meeting. Citizen voter groups in the state have much concern over touch-screen machines and their ability to accurately record votes. The County resorted to paper balloting last November after the electronic machines were decertified.
• Lake Township has done their own street numbering since 1995, but has asked the County to take over addressing since the upgrade of the 9-1-1 system. Commissioners agreed.
• Andrea Whyte, Human Services Administrator, presented a pre-adoption agreement which was approved. The County will pay $25 a day for each of three siblings who are being adopted by one family, until the time of the adoption. The funds help pay expenses for the children, through the County Children & Youth Agency.
• Training is scheduled January 28 for eight new part-time Correctional Officers.
The Wayne County Commissioners meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Courthouse.
Members of the Wayne County Chapter, Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees (PASR) have been putting in a lot of valuable volunteer service.
So was the assessment of representatives of the local chapter at Tuesday’s County Commissioners’ meeting. Current President Ronald Boonie held up a faux check made out to the “Citizens of Wayne County” stating for the year 2006, PASR members provided $741,148.00 worth of service. Calculated by the Pa. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the figure is for a total of 40,798 hours of volunteer work done by 118 of their chapter members, who responded to their survey. In all they have 173 members.
Commissioner Wendell Kay jokingly asked Boonie if the math was done right ( Boonie is a retired mathematics teacher from Honesdale High School).
Boonie was flanked by Leroy Spoor, who is president-elect of the chapter, and Joe Kandrovy, co-chairman of the Community Service Committee. Kandrovy said their members took part in two projects in 2007, purchasing winter clothes for a need y family whose children attend a Honesdale school, and “adopting” a family at Christmas time through the County Children & Youth Agency.
Spoor said as retired school employees, they enjoyed their tenure in the schools, but instead of sitting back, are busy giving back to their community. PASR members are not only teachers; they may be custodians, secretaries, or anyone who was employed by a school. Recently they honored member Alice Foster as Volunteer of the Year.
State-wide, PASR’s 1,545 members contributed volunteer service in 2006 valued at $180 million. Eighty percent of the volunteers are active through their local religious affiliation; 56 percent are involved with charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society or Meals on Wheels.
Voting machine vendors
Also discussed:
• County commissioners and Bureau of Election staff from Wayne, Lackawanna and Northampton counties, sharing similar problems with touch-screen voting machines, met with equipment vendors last Tuesday. The vendor fair was held at the Northampton Courthouse in Easton. Quotes are being obtained as Wayne county officials consider the five machine options. Cindy Furman, Wayne County Bureau of Elections Director, will give a report at the January 22nd Commissioners’ meeting. Citizen voter groups in the state have much concern over touch-screen machines and their ability to accurately record votes. The County resorted to paper balloting last November after the electronic machines were decertified.
• Lake Township has done their own street numbering since 1995, but has asked the County to take over addressing since the upgrade of the 9-1-1 system. Commissioners agreed.
• Andrea Whyte, Human Services Administrator, presented a pre-adoption agreement which was approved. The County will pay $25 a day for each of three siblings who are being adopted by one family, until the time of the adoption. The funds help pay expenses for the children, through the County Children & Youth Agency.
• Training is scheduled January 28 for eight new part-time Correctional Officers.
The Wayne County Commissioners meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the Courthouse.
