Diane Johnston-Leos
-
State College Food Bank Gets More Space to Serve Growing Need
—
by
In Happy Valley, it’s easy to overlook those Centre Countians who face food insecurity daily (15,520 of them, according to Feeding America). These neighbors often must choose between paying utility bills and putting meals on the table. The Centre County United Way states that 15% of the 57,518 households in Centre County fall below the…
-
Bringing the Magic of Santa Claus to Centre County
—
by
Saint Nick’s local representatives spread joy throughout Centre County
-
‘Let’s Go See Jack!’: Eggert Helps Launch Schoolchildren into Instrumental Performance
—
by
Some may know 81-year-old Jack Eggert from when he played with the Tarnished Six band in the early 1980s—or from later on, when he founded the Dixieland Jazz Band that played local venues for 14 years. Others may know him as having been a producer/director of instructional television at Penn State until 2006, when a…
-
Pocketful of Posies: Emily Rickard Creates Floral Designs Extraordinaire
—
by
From azaleas to zinnias and all the genuses and species in between, flowers have always attracted Emily Rickard. She adores the textures, the colors, and the glorious scents. Pocketful of Posies, her one-woman floral business, allows her to work with exotic blooms every day. “Weddings are my specialty,” says Rickard, “I’ve done other events too,…
-
Cutting Out the Extraneous: ‘Scroller’ Mike Jewell Focuses on Fretwork
—
by
Mike Jewell doesn’t waste a minute. If he did, there’d be no time in his jam-packed life for the wood art he so enjoys. His wife, Jennifer, supports this interest. She sees it as a stress reliever to help him manage his demanding schedule. Mostly a “scroller,” Jewell hand cuts with a scroll saw (a…
-
A Positive Influence: For a ‘Big’ Return, Invest in a ‘Little’
—
by
Going for a walk; kicking around a soccer ball; helping with homework; enjoying a treat at Meyer’s Dairy, Sweet Frog or Rita’s; playing Minecraft or Monopoly; baking cookies; or discussing current events — these are the kinds of activities Big Brothers and Big Sisters share with their Little Brothers and Sisters. But most of all,…