Mike’s Welding and Industrial Services Donates Van to Johnson College in Memory of Employee

Recently, Mike Yushinski ’95 and his wife Melissa Yushinski ’11, both Johnson College alums and owners of Mike’s Welding and Industrial Services in Clarks Summit, PA, donated a 2011 2500 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van to Johnson College in memory of the company’s foreman and fellow Johnson College alum, the late Gary Muckin ’84.

Johnson College will use the donated van in community building trades technology services, and campus projects.

Photo Caption:

Mike’s Welding and Industrial Services in Clarks Summit, PA, donated a 2011 2500 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van to Johnson College in memory of the company’s foreman and Johnson College alum, the late Gary Muckin ’84. Left to right: Mark Chappell ’92, Senior Maintenance Mechanic, Johnson College; Karen Baker, Sr. Director of College Advancement, Johnson College; Melissa Yushinski ’11, owner of Mike’s Welding and Industrial Services; Mike Yushinski ’95, owner of Mike’s Welding and Industrial Services; and Roger Orlandini, Associate Vice-President of Facilities and Campus Projects, Johnson College.

Johnson College Diversity & Inclusion Committee Donates to NEPA Youth Shelter

The Johnson College Diversity & Inclusion Committee sponsored a food and supply drive for the NEPA Youth Shelter in honor of National Coming Out Day. A local organization that provides emergency shelter and related services to unaccompanied youth, the NEPA Youth Shelter is especially affirming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth, as this population constitutes a high percentage of unhoused youth in our area. Food, drinks, and cleaning supplies were collected on the Johnson College campus from September 27 to October 8. Many thanks to those faculty, staff, and students who donated!

Photo Caption: The Johnson College Diversity & Inclusion Committee members present NEPA Youth Shelter Executive Director Maureen Maher-Gray with the collected food and supplies. Left to Right: Ashley Cease Hassenbein, Academic Resource Officer, Johnson College, Luke Boniello, Academic Advisor, Johnson College, Melissa Saxon-Price, Counselor/Manager of Disability Services, Johnson College, and Maureen Maher-Gray, Executive Director, NEPA Youth Shelter.

Johnson College Receives $5,000 from Fidelity Bank through Pennsylvania’s EITC Program

Recently, Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO at Johnson College visited Fidelity Bank in Dunmore to receive a $5,000 check in support of the College’s STEM Outreach and Industry Fast Track Program from Michael J. Pacyna, Jr, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at Fidelity Bank and Daniel J. Santaniello, President and Chief Executive Officer at Fidelity Bank,.

Fidelity Bank donated to Johnson College as part of Pennsylvania’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

Through its STEM Outreach, Johnson College utilizes its experience in providing industry-focused technical education to expand its outreach to elementary, middle, and high school students. The outreach raises awareness of the benefits of STEM education and the possibilities of achieving economic independence through employment in a STEM career field.

Johnson College’s Industry Fast Track program offers high school students an opportunity to enroll simultaneously in secondary and post-secondary coursework at Johnson College. The course meets state requirements for high school graduation while providing introductory-level college courses.

Photo, left to right: Michael J. Pacyna, Jr, Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at Fidelity Bank, Dr. Katie Leonard, President & CEO of Johnson College, and Daniel J. Santaniello, President and Chief Executive Officer at Fidelity Bank

Johnson College, Toyota of Scranton & ShopRite Partner for Turkey Dinner Giveaway

Toyota of Scranton, Johnson College & ShopRite are hosting a no-contact drive-through turkey dinner giveaway on Sunday, February 28 at 11 a.m. on the Johnson College campus in Scranton. Meals will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limit of four meals per vehicle, until all 250 pre-prepared meals are handed out. ShopRite is donating all of the food, while it will be prepared and packaged by Toyota of Scranton staff and Johnson College students. 

Vehicles will enter the Johnson College campus via its north entrance, at the light across from Schiff’s. Once on campus, vehicles will be directed to line-up for pick-up. Johnson College students and Toyota of Scranton staff members will load the meals into each vehicle’s hatch or trunk. This no-contact procedure is to keep everyone safe and healthy during the pandemic. Face coverings and gloves will be worn by all volunteers. Vehicles cannot line up on campus before 11 a.m. and cannot park on Main Street.

“Johnson College and Toyota of Scranton are taking our strong partnership beyond the classroom and with ShopRite’s generous donation, together, we’ll feed many families in need within our community,” said Dr. Katie Leonard, Johnson College President & CEO. “We work to prepare students for hands-on, high demand jobs in essential industries, and also to be essential contributing members of their communities. This is one of the goals Orlando S. Johnson strived to achieve when he founded Johnson College, and one we carry forward each day.”   

“Toyota of Scranton is pleased to partner with Johnson College and ShopRite to provide free turkey dinners to people in need in our community,” said Patrick Rogers, CFO of Toyota of Scranton. “We have a strong commitment to giving back to the community we serve.  Helping others in need is particularly important during these extraordinary times.” 

“ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities we serve,” said Katie Gallagher, ShopRite spokesperson. “We are locally owned and operated by the Bracey Family and have been serving local communities in Lackawanna and Monroe County for generations. This partnership with Johnson College and Toyota of Scranton is a great opportunity for ShopRite to demonstrate its continued commitment to the community and help feed local families in need.”

For day-of event information or interview coordination, please contact Doug Cook at 570-702-8920 or Melissa Carestia at 570-702-8928.

ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, NJ, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With nearly 280 ShopRite supermarkets located in 6 states including Pennsylvania, ShopRite serves millions of customers each week. In Lackawanna and Monroe counties, Bracey Supermarkets, Inc. owns and operates three ShopRite locations, including the ShopRite of Birney Plaza, ShopRite of Daleville, and ShopRite of Mt. Pocono. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Since the program began in 1999, ShopRite Partners In Caring has donated $50 million to food banks that support more than 2,200 worthy charities. As a title sponsor of the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, ShopRite has donated $34 million to local organizations, hospitals and community groups. For more information, please visit www.shoprite.com.

As one of Pennsylvania’s largest Toyota dealerships, Toyota of Scranton provides over 100 jobs for the Northeastern Pennsylvania community.  The 10 acre state-of-the-art Toyota facility has been awarded the prestigious Toyota Presidential Award for exceptional sales and customer satisfaction multiple times. Toyota of Scranton takes great pride in being part of the community. We are proud to say that our team is actively involved in many local volunteer activities, assisting countless nonprofit organizations in various ways. Our team proudly supports more than 300 charitable organizations per year. Visit toyotaofscranton.com to learn more.

Johnson College provides real-world, hands-on learning in a caring environment and prepares graduates to enter into or advance in their careers. Johnson College degrees become essential careers. Johnson College was founded in 1912, and is the region’s premier technical college, offering 15 associate degree programs and 3 academic certificates. An emphasis on hands-on instruction is supported by a low student-to-teacher ratio. Located in Scranton on a 44-acre campus, the College is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional business and industry to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce. For additional information on Johnson College, please call 1-800-2-WE-WORK, email enroll@johnson.edu, or visit Johnson.edu.

Photo Caption: Recently representatives from Johnson College, ShopRite, and Toyota of Scranton met to finalize plans for the no-contact drive-through turkey dinner giveaway on Sunday, February 28 at 11 a.m. on the Johnson College campus in Scranton. Front row (L to R): Dr. Katie Leonard, Johnson College, President & CEO, Allen Blad, Toyota of Scranton, General Manager, and Katie Gallagher, MS, RDN, LDN, ShopRite, Dietitian. Back row (L to R): Mike Novak, Johnson College, Chief Administrative Officer, Nolan Renz, Johnson College, Director of Student Engagement, Thomas Kirkpatrick, Toyota of Scranton, Shop Foreman, Patrick Rogers, Toyota of Scranton, Chief Financial Officer, Mike May, Toyota of Scranton, Parts Manager, and Curt Manck, Toyota of Scranton, Collision Director. 

Scranton Donates Fire Engine to Johnson College

The city of Scranton recently donated a Sutphen Fire Engine to Johnson College. This donation will assist the College in providing its students the hands-on training they need to enter the region’s essential workforce.

Johnson College’s Diesel Truck Technology, Automotive Technology, and Heavy Equipment Technology students will be trained on every system of the truck, from the front bumper to the rear bumper. Student training will include engine and driveline, electrical and lighting, and basic preventative maintenance. They will also be trained on systems that are unique to firefighting vehicles including the water pumping system, water storage system, and emergency vehicle lighting and warning systems.

The faculty, staff and, most of all, the students at Johnson College thank the City of Scranton for this donation.

More information on the City of Scranton can be found at https://www.scrantonpa.gov/.

Day of Giving on August 18 Benefits Presidential Scholarship Fund

On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, Johnson College will host its first ever 24-hour Day of Giving fundraising event. Donations during the Day of Giving will benefit the Presidential Scholarship fund. By participating everyone within the community has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Johnson College’s students. To make a donation visit https://johnson.edu/dayofgiving/.

While campuses around the country closed, and the future of higher education became uncertain, Johnson College and its industry partners kept going. Students worked and learned first-hand just how essential they are to the workforce. They kept the economy moving forward in Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond. They are fixing, building, and healing our communities, especially through this global pandemic.

Our students kept all of us going when our lives changed and we had to stay at home. Now it is our turn to give back to them.

Johnson College students receive the education, training and skills needed in today’s essential industries and are critical in helping others and supporting our economy. The more you can assist the College’s students to meet their educational goals, the more you will support the community in this unusual and critical time.

Johnson College Faculty Prints and Donates PPE Equipment to Local Hospitals

Johnson College’s Advanced Manufacturing Program Director Cole Goldstein printed face shields at his home studio to donate to local hospitals.

Chief Administrative Officer Mike Novak received an article from Maureen Brennan of Crew Systems about how individual Makers can create small quantities of shields using open source 3-D printing files and donate them to medical facilities. Novak, said, “The idea behind this is that although one person can only make a small amount of PPE, if multiple makers are creating that same amount, it will make a dent in the urgent need for this type of PPE in the medical field.”

Novak coordinated with Goldstein, who was already interested in starting this project. Working with PLA Plastic material that is used in 3-D printing classes at the College and industry-grade Polycarbonate from Grainger, Goldstein printed 100 masks total to donate. Goldstein delivered masks to Regional Hospital of Scranton and Geisinger Community Medical Center.

Visit https://johnson.edu/divisions-of-study/electronic-industrial/advanced-manufacturing-engineering-technology/ to earn more about Johnson College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program.