2011 Annual Meeting & Community Celebration May 18

The Luzerne Foundation Annual Meeting and Community Celebration to be held at River Common May 18th

Dr. David W. Kistler to receive Mary Bevevino Community Service Award

2011 Spring Grant Recipients Announced

(LUZERNE, PA) - The Luzerne Foundation will hold its Annual Meeting and Community Celebration on Wednesday May 18, 2011 at the River Common Landing area. The event, which runs from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. Activities include performances by Kriki and Mike Miz, jugglers, children’s games and a community picnic. The Luzerne Foundation Annual Meeting presentation begins at 6:00 p.m. with the unveiling of the first piece of public art, a sculpture, at the Millennium Circle Portal. At 6:30 Dr. David W. Kistler will be presented the Mary Bevevino Community Service Award and the 2011 Spring Grants to area nonprofits will be announced. Guests are asked to enter via the Millennium Circle Portal between Market Street and The Luzerne County Courthouse.

“This truly is a community celebration,” noted Charles Barber, President and CEO of The Luzerne Foundation. “Dr. Kistler has impacted so many lives in our community and his wise council and gentle ways make him a most worthy Bevevino Awards recipient.”

The Mary Bevevino Community Service Award, established in 2000, honors a Luzerne County resident who has made a significant, positive impact in the area. It is The Foundation’s highest tribute reflecting the unwavering dedication, commitment and spirit of its namesake.

During Dr. Kistler’s 53 year career, his impact was felt throughout our community. He served on the Wilkes-Barre Board of Education, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Vocational-Technical School, the Wilkes-Barre Board of Health, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and was named Family Physician of the year in 1999. His name graces the Geisinger Medical Group’s Kistler Clinic in Wilkes-Barre and the Kistler Learning Center at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Township. The Kistler Family Medicine Residency at Geisinger is named in his honor attracting graduating medical students to enter training as a family physician.

However, it was the naming of the David W. Kistler Elementary School in South Wilkes-Barre that was his proudest moment. As quoted in an April 6, 2010 Times Leader article, “Medicine was my vocation. Education is my avocation.”

Dr. Kistler continues his commitment to education through the Dr. Kistler Scholarship Fund of The Luzerne Foundation. Established in 1979, it provides scholarships to students graduating from the sixth grade at the school who show academic promise, good citizenship and economic need. The twist is that the actual scholarship is awarded at the successful completion of high school. Over 34 students – “Kistler’s Kids” – have received scholarships and all have been invited to attend The Luzerne Foundation Annual Meeting.

The Luzerne Foundation is a community foundation serving all of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The Luzerne helps individuals, families, companies and organizations create funds to do good things today and lasting good for tomorrow. It is a simple, personal and powerful way to give back to the community. For more information about The Luzerne Foundation please contact us at 570-714-1570 or www.luzfdn.org.