Chestnuthill column

Helping Haiti

Members of the West End Lions Club went public to accept donations for Haiti. Club President Helen Koshensky says that as soon as people, who were running in and out of the bank where she and her husband Bruce were collecting found out what they were collecting for, they immediately came over and put in whatever they could.

Those funds will be submitted to LCIF (Lions Club International Foundation) by the local club and will then be matched, allowing this community's donors, through Lions, to double the money being donated to fellow human beings hurting in Haiti.

Cookies for Operation Touch of Home

Girl Scout Troop 376 is taking orders for Girl Scout Cookies to be donated to our military troops overseas through Operation Touch of Home. For more information e-mail dbart7@ptd.net or calling Dawn at (570) 977-8470. They are hoping to surpass the total of 176 boxes donated last year.

Pocono Parkinsons

Jan. 20, at 2 p.m., is the next meeting of the Pocono Parkinson's Support Group meeting.

That meeting is held at the Loder Senior Center in East Stroudsburg. For more information, call (570) 430-3746.

Lock down

The youth group at Effort United Methodist will participate in a lock down, beginning at 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 23.

Thrivent dinner

Old and new board members for Thrivent Financial met for a celebratory dinner at The Hamilton in Saylorsburg this past week. It was a time to thank those who have served during the past year and greet those coming in or continuing to serve in that capacity.

The local Thrivent chapter includes representatives from area Lutheran congregations. The chapter outreaches to many local service groups, including area food pantries.

Local Government Day

"Should PA Reduce the Size of Its State Legislature?" will be the theme of this year's 4-H Local Government Day. Local Government Day will be held on Thursday, March 11, at the Penn State Worthington Scranton Campus, Dunmore, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 4-H members and school groups (grades 8-12) are invited to attend. The cost covers morning refreshments, lunch, registration and program materials. Pre-registration is required by March 5.

Local Government Day is a 4-H educational program designed to increase participants' knowledge and understanding of the duties and responsibilities of their locally elected officials, what they do and how they impact our daily lives, from creating and enforcing the laws we live by, to the passing of the state budget.

To register for the program or for additional information on the 4-H Youth Development Program, call the Monroe County 4-H office at (570) 421-6430.

NCC Resource Fair

A Community Resource Fair will be held at Northampton Community College's main Monroe County site in Tannersville from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 26. In case of snow the fair will be postponed to Jan. 28, during the same hours.

The goal of the fair is to provide valuable information to the community about affordable and healthy living, nutrition, job opportunities, gardening and composting, money management, and other facets of life, including internal medicine.

Church Women United

Zion Lutheran church in Brodheadsville hosted Church Women United's Christmas covered Dish luncheon. The Jugglers for Jesus were very entertaining, according to CWU leadership, and Bible oriented.

At that meeting, CWU presented the third "Margaret Wyckoff Wells Award" to Sue Ayers.

Over 200 Christmas stockings were donated at that meeting. They were delivered to area group homes and organizations by Nora Cilurso.

The first business meeting of the year for Church Women United of Monroe County will be held at 1:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 29, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 9 North 9th Street, Stroudsburg.

Participants are asked to use the back entrance and go to the library.

The group is looking for a host church to hold the World Day of Prayer service on Friday, March 5.

Any church willing to open its doors for the ecumenical service, can contact Betty Campbell (570) 629-0649, secretary for Monroe CWU.

Birthday wishes

Celebrating their natal day in the coming week are: Clara Bond, Jan. 20; Lori Newhart, Pat Eilenberger, Kevin Parker, Michael Heller, Matthew Biery, Cale Lee Craig, Jan. 21; Timothy Hannon, Brian Jacobson, Jan. 22; Howard Newhard, Christine Oberg, Clint Doll, Jan. 23; Shara Tallada, Rich Zorn, Allison Gyurkovics, Katie Martin, Jan. 24; Lawrence Hunt, Hilary Fehr, Kevin Kitchen, Sue Artz, Elaine Orefice, Jan. 25; Lorie Tavella, Faith Michaels, Samantha Boylan, Jan. 26; Amanda Heller, Joanne Rush and Kaitlyn Brown, Sheri Seip, Travis Koehler, Heather Zipp, Gregory Decker, Justin Thomas, Jean Buchanan, Joan Ressman, Jan. 27.

Happy Anniversary

Celebrating their anniversaries this week ahead are: Michael and Shelley Kuehn, Jan. 22; and William and Lisa Wolf, Jan. 25.

Little League

The West End Little League will have sign-ups from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday Jan. 23 at the J.C. Mills Cafeteria and from 7-9:30 p.m., Thursday Jan. 28, at the Chestnuthill Park Building.

Sign-ups are for Chestnuthill, Ross ,Eldred, and Polk township residents ages 5 through 16.

For more information one may go to to the West End Little League web site, e-mail wellpres.@yahoo.com or call the president, Teri Buerkle at (570) 688-0999.