Field of Interest Funds

The 2U Fund has been created so that children from families without means in Luzerne County can have a happy birthday. Not only does 2U provide funds for children from low income families, it encourages other children to participate in philanthropy by foregoing some birthday gifts so that other children can receive them.

Through the Rose Tucker YouAreYou Program, The Athena Fund makes it possible for 10th grade girls in Luzerne County to partake in a day of investigation, inspiration and image building. Throughout the day, these young women will attend session with professional presenters on self-image, peer pressure, careers and choices about drugs, alcohol and sex. The goal is to provide young women with the tools they need to be strong, secure and proud of being themselves.

The Fund will support the efforts, programs and services of the member organizations of The Coalition on Autism. The Coalition was formed to heighten the awareness of Autism, to enhance the coordination between all existing services and agencies and to bring the community together to benefit children with Autism.

The 1LT Michael J. Cleary Memorial Fund will make it possible for his loving family and friends to honor the memory of and advance causes in the community that he believed in and supported. The Dallas native and First Lieutenant was killed in Iraq on December 20, 2005 in an ambush by hostile forces having just completed a demolitions mission. Throughout his life, Michael believed in doing his best and working hard for what he believed in.

The Concerned Parents of Hazleton Fund was established in 2008, but their impact in the community is already strong and growing. They are an advocacy group dedicated to providing pathways for success through educational access for students and families in the Hazleton area for whom language is a barrier.

The Cultural Council of Luzerne County is the local arts agency working to promote awareness of and provide support services to arts, cultural and related educational programs in Luzerne County The Cultural Council is a nonprofit arts advocacy organization that functions as an umbrella agency in support of individuals and arts organizations in our region. The Council programs regional public projects, educational programs, and also represents a unified voice for the arts in the community at large.

This Fund was established in honor and memory of Peter Degnan by his wife, family and friends to perpetuate his legacy as a teacher, performer, and choreographer in the art of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Grants will be awarded to deserving dance students at the Degnan Ballet Center and, especially, to promising young artists who attain membership in Ballet Northeast, the Wyoming Valley's premier youth ballet performing company.

The 1st LT Jeffrey F. DePrimo Memorial Fund was established by his family and friends to support Jeff’s many interests in life and will ensure that Jeff’s spirit will remain alive and vibrant among us. Jeff laid down his life for us on May 20, 2008 while serving in Afghanistan. Although Jeffrey gave the ultimate sacrifice that day, his life is a testament to the core values and beliefs that essentially embody our community.

The District A Fund was created to support efforts toward improving the quality of life for the residents and citizens of the City of Wilkes-Barre. Together with the Luzerne Foundation and the commitment of dedicated volunteers, funds are being raised to maintain, repair and improve the existing municipal and community facilities throughout the District, as well as to enhance the safety and security for all residents. By identifying and prioritizing projects within the District, the Fund will provide necessary services that Wilkes-Barre City tax revenue cannot.

The Diversity Partnership Fund was established through a matching grant from the National Founders for Lesbian and Gay Issues to encourage charitable giving and endowment building to serve the LGBT community in Northeastern Pennsylvania based on a comprehensive needs assessment.

Local friends and family members of persons with Down Syndrome established this Fund. Awards will be given to causes and programs that support the needs of families with Down Syndrome.

The Earthly Angels Autism Fund was created by Ron and Brenda D’Eliseo to honor their son, Robert, who has Autism. The Fund’s mission is to proactively increase Autism awareness; provide funding nto qualified nonprofit organizations for Autistic services; support programs and education; and to bring hope to those families who deal with the hardships of this disorder.

The primary purpose of the Fund shall be to focus upon, but not be limited to, fostering education, research, public awareness, screenings and all other appropriate measures to strive toward the prevention of blindness. In addition, Eye Care Specialists recognizes the importance of promoting the health, wellness and safety of our community and assisting those programs and services, agencies and organizations that improve the public good.

The Generation to Generation Fund exists to enrich lives through inter-generational sharing by: Crating opportunities for person of all ages to share time, conversations, values and fun together through meaningful activities; encouraging young persons to learn from seniors generations, to benefit from their experience, wisdom and knowledge and to celebrate their accomplishments; helping young people assist our seniors to remain active and to sustain the valuable influence and positive impact they have had on others; enriching and complementing the inter-generation programs and activities of local institutions by utilizing the talents and skills of the young and our seniors; and seeking to develop a model that can be helpful to other communities with a similar mission.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Fund provides assistance and support to various programs, services and agencies that assist grandparents who have the responsibility of raising their grandchildren.

The Health Fund of The Luzerne Foundation grew out of a collaboration effort by area hospitals and health care providers to improve the health of persons in our broad community.

The Historic & Landscape Preservation Fund provides funding and grants to support activities within this field of interest. This Fund is specially dedicated to historic and landscape preservation within the entire county.

Established in 2005 by Attorney Joseph A. Quinn and the law firm of Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn, PC, the foundation, also known as HKQ Kids, promotes a safer future for children in Northeastern Pennsylvania through educational outreach and public awareness programs.

Founded February 2009, Hunts for Healing was created to establish a fund to sponsor wounded soldiers returning from military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and veterans who have successfully completed the Wounded Warrior Program at the Military Advanced Training Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center; allowing them to participate in outdoor programs including, but not limited to, hunter safety, clay target shooting, pheasant, upland and small game hunting, fishing and camping.

Members of the group Kidz Sake established this Fund to provide aid to families whose children require emergency medical assistance. Grants will help finance special needs such as transportation out of the area and help to defray the costs of expenditures to the families.

A Hero is strong and brave. My true Hero has lives he does save. A Hero to me is not a cartoon or someone you see on TV. He is an actual person, someone whom I can touch and see. By Nicole Carlo

Michael Carlo was a firefighter who died on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center. Michael’s mother Phyllis, in collaboration with State Representative John Yudichak of Nanticoke, established this Fund to support local programs and the construction of a homeland security training facility for this region’s emergency responders.

This Fund supports programs and services that benefit all of the elderly within Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, regardless of personal financial condition.

This endowment benefits the faith-based work of the Catholic community of Plymouth including Trinity House – a youth and senior ministry.

The Fund for the Arts was created to encourage and develop skills in the visual, graphic and performing arts. The role of the Fund is to find essential ways to support and encourage artists of all ages and abilities – thereby enriching the community and homegrown creative endeavors. The Maslow family provide initial funding, but all who are interested in developing and nurturing the artistic opportunities and talents of Luzerne County residents are encouraged to contribute.

This Fund supports The Max & Lorraine Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children who suffer from asthma. The Foundation was established in 1993 by Mike Tracy in loving memory of his wife, Lorraine Button Tracy, and their 10 year old son, Max Tracy, who both lost their lives to asthma. The goal of the Foundation is to educate children and their families about asthma, and to help families who may be in need of asthma related medical assistance. The Fund helps support projects such as the first ever asthma summer camp in Luzerne County, Camp AsthmaCadabra, held at the YMCA’s Camp Kresge in White Have, Pennsylvania.

This Fund is a way for family and friends to remember the selflessness and community service of Duryea resident Michael Joyce, the president of Joyce Financial Group, who passed away from cancer on June 28, 2007. The Fund will support the needs of cancer patients and their families for unexpected expenses such as travel, lodging, gas and tolls so that families can remain together during treatment and recovery.

Established by Dennis G. Morris with Steven R. Remick and Sarah Ann Votrobeck in 2008 following Elizabeth’s death at age 26 from ovarian cancer, this Fund will support a variety of community health organizations, with particular interest in cancer care.

The Fund was established to accept contributions for artistic work and murals to beautify Downtown Wilkes-Barre.

NEPA-VMA was established to provide clearinghouse services to underserved and displaced veterans and their families to bridge the gap between public and private sector resources. Bringing together community service organizations, NEPA-VMA is providing the additional wave of support that represents the new direction for comprehensive care for our returning veterans and for those who served in previous wars who are still in need.

The Rainbow Fund for Northeastern Pennsylvania was founded in 2003. This Fund is advised by the NEPA Rainbow Alliance, a coalition of diverse individuals and organizations who have formed a committee to identify needs and improve the quality of life for the gay and lesbian community in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Remembering Jane Fund was established to honor the memory of Jane Hannigan Yocum who led a life of courage, grace and dignity before succumbing to breast cancer in 2001. The Fund provides support of programs and services for families coping with cancer and other life-threatening diseases…helping people in need.

It is possible to delineate what mankind can do to live “sustainably” within its home called earth. It is my dream to see all of us recognize how our personal decisions and actions affect other people and the rest of earth’s inhabitants. My purpose in creating Fund at the Luzerne Foundation is to allow folks an option whereby individuals can donate to causes that I continue to delineate that reflect non egocentric practices. There are some like the animal welfare causes that are meant to be reactive to an explosion of suffering that is wonton at best.  The land trust was created to help people conserve their precious lands forever. Others like TLHF are proactive and attempt to accomplish education toward sustainable living as I described. 

This Fund will be utilized to promote and improve the wellness in communities through programs that support education, medicine and the arts, with a primary focus on youth.

This Fund was established with the intention of improving recreational and wellness opportunities and services to residents of Mountaintop, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Mark Schiowitz established this Fund to encourage residential improvements in South Wilkes-Barre neighborhoods. The Fund seeks to stimulate owner occupied housing and the return of some historic properties to single family dwellings.

In January 2001, the Schomas Family opened the Libby Schomas Fund in memory of their 17 month old daughter who had lost her 6 month battle with leukemia earlier that same month. The family’s wish to positively affect other pediatric cancer families while allowing Libby’s legacy to live on was fulfilled with Home of Their Own, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides isolation housing for post bone marrow transplant families being treated by Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, PA.

This Field of Interest Fund was established by the South Valley Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Nanticoke Chamber of Commerce) to assist it in receiving grants to provide economic development and strengthen the Greater Nanticoke region.

This Fund is intended to support scholarly work on esoteric studies.

The Times Leader Book of Dreams project is an annual appeal that allows members of the community to help fulfill the wishes – and serious needs – of their neighbors. The Fund has fulfilled the dreams of over 150 families since its inception in 1988.

Established by a diverse group of friends and residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania to raise charitable dollars to support organizations and causes that service individuals and families in dire need.

This Fund was established to accept sponsorship and charitable contributions to perpetuate the Volunteers in Medicine, a program providing health care services to uninsured and under-insured people throughout the Wyoming Valley community.

Vulcan diesel-electric locomotive #4385 remains under restoration at the shop of RMDI, Inc. in the former Lehigh Valley yards at Coxton near Duryea, Pennsyvania. To date, we have raised approximately $24,000 from private sources. Total project cost is estimated at $200,000. We are making application for possible State and Federal grants.

Locomotive #4385 was one of thousands produced at Vulcan between 1949 and 1954. Vulcan employed over 2,500 skilled craftsmen in three shops: West Pittston, Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Twp. It was an integrated manufacturing facility producing its own steels, made components in its own factory and machine shop, and locomotives were produced weighing over 200 tons. Dozens of Vulcan locomotives were produced for the United States Armed Forces and served in Europe during both World Wars.

For many generations, the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Auxiliary supported its Hospital in the care and treatment of its patients. As the Auxiliary dissolved in 2010, it desired to continue supporting health care services which met the following definition of health adopted by the Auxiliary. "Health is a state of physical wellness. The degree of health a person enjoys ranges from excellent to very poor and may include acute or chronic illness." The WBGH Auxiliary Fund Advisors place emphasis on cancer, hospice, physical and developmental disabilities. Establishing this Fund through The Luzerne Foundation allows the WBGH Auxiliary the perfect opportunity to fulfill its goal and to continue supporting nonprofit health care services in Luzerne County.

This field of interest Fund was established by Tony Brooks and his many friends to promote the preservation and promotion of the history of Greater Wilkes-Barre.