WILKES-BARRE –Kurt Swan, a 45-year-old homelessman, said he and asmany as 100 people

have lived in recent months alongthe Susquehanna River in WestSide riverfront parks.Remnants of tents litter the

ground, along with weather-bea-ten Bibles, discarded liquor bottlesand clothing ruined by rain.“I went through a drinking

spell,” said Swan. “But not somuchnow.”The unprecedented number of

tents, homeless advocates said, isevidence that Luzerne County’shomeless problemhasworsened inrecent months. There are morehomeless people in the area todaythan ever before, and the tent

dwellers are “chronically home-less,” said Monsignor Joseph Kel-ly, executive director of CatholicSocial Services.Many of them frequent St. Vin-

cent de Paul Kitchen for free mealsand seek warmth when possible inpublic libraries and coffee shops.Kelly and others involved withhelping the homeless, includingthose on the streets and in shelters,estimated the population at be-tween 40 and 100.It’s difficult to accurately ac-

count for tent dwellers and thoseliving in abandoned buildings or“couch surfers” – people who gofrom friend to friend to crash for anight or two.Jim Sobieski, who volunteers at

the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen onJackson Street, said there are “at

AREA’S HOMELESS ‘CAMP’ IN KIRBY PARK

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Rebecca, 18, Justin Dunn and Kurt Swan search a tent encampment near the Susquehanna River for salvageable belongings and re-use-able tent-building materials. Evidence suggests homeless people often sleep in this wooded area of Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre.

The Times Leader

C M Y K

WILKES-BARRE, PA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012 $1.50

6 09815 10077

timesleader.com

795548

INSIDEA NEWSLocal 3ANation/World 5AObituaries 2A, 8AWeather 12A

B SUNDAY EXTRAOccasions 2BBirthdays 9BBooks 12BTravel 14B

C SPORTSScoreboard 2COutdoors 10C

D BUSINESSCorporate Ladder 2D

Stocks 3DMotley Fool 4DEditorial 6D

E CLASSIFIED

ComfortMoney, toys, giftspour into Newtown

Story, 5A

WILKES-BARRE – City and state police aresearching for the driver of a vehicle that struck andkilled a 5-year-old boy in the city Friday night.According to city police, the boy, identified by Lu-

zerne County Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner TomMoran as 5-year-old Kevin Miller of Dallas, wasstruck by a vehicle at the corner ofWestNorth StreetandNorth Franklin Street at about10:55 p.m. Friday. The driver fledthe scene prior to police arrival.Police said the boy was treated

on scene for traumatic injuries andrushed to GeisingerWyoming Val-ley Medical Center in PlainsTownship, where he was pro-nounced dead. An autopsy Satur-day morning at Wilkes-BarreGeneral Hospital determinedMiller died of multiple traumaticinjuries, with Moran ruling hisdeath a homicide.Saturday afternoon police re-

leased an image of the vehiclethey believe struck the boy. Itwascaptured by a surveillance cam-era on Jackson Street at 10:55p.m., 1 minute before the acci-dent was reported. The imageshows a red sedan, which policebelieve may be a Pontiac Gran-dAmwith a sun ormoon roof andan undetermined amount of front end and side dam-age.Police said the vehiclewas videotaped by both city

cameras and surveillance cameras on privately own-ed buildings, andwitness descriptionsmatch the ve-hicle shown in the released image.Police and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s

Office encourage anyonewith information about thevehicle or the accident to contact investigators.“Especially now, around the holidays, this is a ter-

rible tragedy, and if anybody has any information weurge them to contact the Wilkes-Barre City PoliceDepartment or 911,” Luzerne County District Attor-ney Stefanie Salavantis said. “We’re dealing with a5-year-old child that is dead now, so any informationis important for us.”Miller is the son of Dr. Stephen F. Miller and at-

torney Caroline Miller of Dallas. He is survived byhis parents, twin brother Christopher and older

Police seekcar in fatalhit and runFive-year-old Kevin Miller of Dallas was struckby vehicle in Wilkes-Barre Friday night.

By MATT HUGHESmhughes@timesleader.com

Kevin Miller

See HIT AND RUN, Page 12A

“There areno words…It’s verysad. This isa sad day.”

StefanieSalavantis

Luzerne CountyDistrict Attorney

WILKES-BARRE – Homelesssettlement camps have been erect-ed throughout the Kirby Park Nat-ural Area.Some camps are easily seen from

the Market Street Bridge and thelevee in Kirby Park, while othersare hidden behind mammoth treesand shrubs.Piles of tents, soggy clothes and

shoes, backpacks, empty plasticfood containers, coolers andcanned goods litter the 10 campsthat were found scattered in themuddy flood plain between the

Down, out and desperateAccording to a cityordinance, home-less camps erect-ed in Kirby Park’sNature Area areillegal, but PoliceChief Gerard Des-soye said theordinance is notstrictly enforced, ifat all.Page 10A

The former direc-tor of VISION –now Mother Tere-sa’s Haven – VinceKabacinski saiddespite severecutbacks in fund-ing, opportunitiesremain for thehomeless.Page 11A

I N S I D E

PITTSTON – Blanca Gonzalez,Wilkes-Barre, waited for her appoint-ment at theCare&ConcernFreeClinicin Pittston one recent night to get helpfor asthma, diabetes and high bloodpressure and to warm her heart.The singlemother recently arrivedat

the clinic unable to breathe, but thestaffwas able toget treatment andmed-ication for her. Now she smiles.The Care&ConcernMinistry, based

at St. John the Evangelist Church facil-ities on William Street, offers a foodpantry, an adult health clinic, a pediat-ric clinic, a kids’ closet and a knittinggroup. All its ministries are filled with

staff dedicated to bettering the lives ofmembers of the community.The ministries have served more

than 6,000 area residents in the fiveyears since it opened.“The staff here treat patientswith ve-

ry much respect,” said Gonzalez,“whether theyareobtainingmedical in-formation or taking your blood pres-sure. It always seems that it is a labor oflove.“I tell friends and family that I am

coming to the clinic on Wednesdaynight, so don’t even call me,” said Gon-zalez smiling, “I’ve been coming heresince December 2009.”

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Blanca Gonzalez visits the Care & Concern Free Clinic in Pittstonto get help with her medical issues.

By BILL O’BOYLEboboyle@timesleader.com

See TENTS, Page 10A

Rx for clinic: Donations, volunteers

Food pantry:• Accepts food donations and hats, gloves and mit-tens.Adult Clinic:• Volunteers, especially health care professionals. Theclinic is in need of doctors, even if they could volunteeronly once a month, and specialists: orthopedists, neu-rologists, cardiologists, dermatologists and dentists.Pediatric Clinic:•Will be updating its waiting area, and is need offinancial assistance and any appropriate furniture.Knitting group:• Accepts yarn and new members.Kids Closet:• Clothing is accepted from infant through children’ssize 16.

C A R E & C O N C E R NM I N I S T R I E S W I S H L I S T

See CLINIC, Page 2A

By GERI GIBBONSTimes Leader Correspondent

Camps havebecome homesBy EDWARD LEWISelewis@timesleader.com

See CAMPS, Page 11A

User: mjones Time: 12-22-2012 22:43 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 12-23-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_f PageNo: 1 A Color: CMYK

C M Y K

PAGE 10A SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012 THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com➛ N E W S

WILKES-BARRE – Accordingto regulations, homeless campserected in Kirby Park’s NatureArea are illegal.A city ordinance adopted in

1980 closes city parks fromsunset to sunrise. Violation ofthe ordinance is punishable byfines of $25 to $300 and up to 90days in jail.It is an ordinance city Police

Chief Gerard Dessoye said is notstrictly enforced, if at all.Dessoye said he is aware the

homeless are staying in thewooded area by the Susquehan-na River, which was createdafter the 1936 flood when theU.S. Army Corps of Engineersconstructed the levee splittingKirby Park in two.The homeless population

typically poses a societal issuerather than a law enforcementproblem, Dessoye said. “It’s notour problem until a crime oc-curs,” said Dessoye. “It’s a socialissue. If you go back to the De-pression era, you would seemost people were living in

shacks.”Kingston Police Chief Keith

Keiper said homelessness be-comes an issue for his depart-ment only when a complaint isfiled for an incident. Most of thetime, Keiper said, the com-plaints involve homeless peopleloitering outside a business orknocking on a home’s door,asking for money.There have been complaints

of people ransacking cars in theneighborhood along the river,but Keiper said it is difficult totrace the vandalism and thefts

to the homeless population.Keiper said he is unaware of anyhomeless camps that have beenerected along the river in King-ston.Dessoye said, technically, if

police want to chase the home-less from the nature area, theycould issue citations under the1980 ordinance that closes cityparks at sunset.“If we move them out, where

are we going to move them to?”Dessoye said. “Right now, theyare not a problem to anyone.The last record I checked was

police were called to break up arift between two homeless men.Equally, popular opinion is tohave more tolerance for thehomeless than to aggressivelypersecute them.”At least six homeless people,

all of whom would not providetheir full names, said policedestroyed tents that had beenset up near the SusquehannaRiver.Dessoye said he has no knowl-

edge of officers destroying thetents. “More importantly, I don’tsee the advantage of police

doing that,” he said.The chief said if police were

to expel people from the park,which closes after dark, themore logical tactic would be tocite them.Said Keiper: “To be honest, I

don’t think my guys go downthere unless we’re called. Thereis nothing there. As long asthey’re law-abiding citizens,there is no reason to botherthem.”Times Leader reporter BillO’Boyle contributed to thisstory.

Police: We tolerate park dwellersBy EDWARD LEWISelewis@timesleader.com

least” three dozen homelesspeople living outdoors in tentsor carved-out, mountainsidecaves in or near Wilkes-Barre.The state’s decision to end its

cash assistance program onAug. 1 caused homelessness tospike, Kelly said. The programoffered $205 per month to “thepoorest of poor,” he said. “Theywould use that money to rent aroom. We immediately saw anuptick in homelessness whenthe cash assistance programstopped.”Kelly said there are other rea-

sons for more homelessness.Employment is less available,especially one-day jobs thatmany homeless people wouldtake. And there are fewer va-cant part-time jobs, said Kelly,further reducing the ability ofhomeless people to earn someincome.

‘Abandonminiums’With outdoor temperatures

turning colder, Swan said manyhomeless seek shelter in “aban-donminiums” – vacant struc-tures that offer some protectionfrom the elements. If caught in-side, violators could be jailed –sometimes a welcome option,he said.Living in thewoods, especial-

ly in the colder months, has itschallenges, Swan said.He starts a fire in the morn-

ing to warm up and sometimeshas a nip of alcohol to “get thechill out.” He heads to down-town Wilkes-Barre daily, goesto church often and grabs ameal at the kitchen on Jackson

Street.When it rains, Swan and two

companions head for any shel-ter they can find. If none can befound, he said, “I’m going to getwet.”Lynn Bell, who also is home-

less, is a 53-year-old womanwho said she has battled cancer.She and her boyfriend, Dave,who would not provide his last

name, live in a tent in thewoodsof Wilkes-Barre Township.She said Dave is constantly

looking for a job, but “there’snothing out there.”Catholic Social Services op-

eratesMotherTeresa’sHaven, astructured program for thehomeless willing to not drinkalcohol, where they work to im-prove themselves in return for

nightly shelter in churches.The program moves weeklyfrom church to church, and Kel-ly is hopeful a permanent shel-ter soon will be established inthe downtown.Mother Teresa’s Haven, for-

merly called VISION, moves 22to 25 homeless men throughthe system. They get assistancein findingwork, services and es-sentials such as food, clothingand a shower.These homeless men, said

Kelly, still have hope of findinga job and housing and resuminga productive role in society.Kelly said the number of peo-

ple in the program has been sta-ble for the last year or so. Manyparticipants navigate the sys-tem well, he said, and eventual-ly find jobs and more perma-nent housing.Rick Rutter, at Keystone Res-

cue Mission Alliance off CoalStreet in Wilkes-Barre, pro-vides a place for homeless mento shower if they walk in off thestreet. Homeless men also canestablish a mailing addressthere.

Chronically homelessThose who live by the Sus-

quehanna don’t want to followthe rules, Kelly said.“They’ve decided they would

be better off living in a tent bythe river rather than in a shel-ter,” said Kelly. “Most have giv-en up hope. They have no hopeof ever finding a job or of everfinding affordable housing.”Many of these chronically

homeless people like to drink –a behavior that excludes themfrom participating in moststructured homeless programsgeared at finding jobs and hous-ing while providing meals andrespite, Kelly said.What can be done for these

homeless?“I guess improve the econo-

my,” said Kelly. “The only wayto get them into temporaryhousing is one client at a time.”Stefanie Wolownik, program

supervisor at Manna House – atransitional housing programfor homeless 18- to 25-year-olds– had worked as director of RE-ACH, a homeless drop-in centerin the basement of St. Stephen’sEpiscopal Church on SouthFranklin Street. REACH closeda year and a half ago largely dueto funding cutbacks.Wolownik still has a connec-

tion with the homeless commu-nity. She helped to organize amemorial service on Friday forhomeless people who have diedwhile staying in this area.

Disorders, abuse issuesWolownik said many home-

less people have mental disor-ders and/or substance abuse is-sues thatmake it difficult, if notimpossible, for them to nego-tiate the system of applying forhelp and services.“They can’t chronicle their

lives – something that is neces-sary when filling out applica-tion forms,” said Wolownik.“They can’t remember dates;it’s a difficult process.”Wolownik and Kelly said

there are housing assistanceprograms, rental assistanceprograms and job search pro-grams to help people be produc-tive again.“Some programs will buy

steel-toed shoes or tools need-ed for certain jobs,” said Wo-lownik. “But the applicant hasto be astute enough to identifywhere to go and then completethe application process.”A permanent shelter would

make the process easier, saidWolownik, because everythingwould be centralized and with-in walking distance to the plac-es a homeless/jobless personneeds to get in order to improvehis or her situation. “And it’simportant to know whereyou’re going to lay your head ev-ery night,” she said.She said some homeless indi-

viduals get arrested repeatedlyfor public drunkenness, whichleads to jail time. “Then theyare warm for the winter,” shesaid. “It’s survival of the fittest;well they aren’t very fit, butthey manage to survive.”

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Makeshift campsites like this one on Susquehanna River’s west bank popped up in recent months because of a spike in the area’s homeless population, according to one social service worker. The Wyom-ing Valley has no permanent shelter for homeless men.

PETE G. WILCOX/THE TIMES LEADER

Camp remnants, including a liquor bottle and a Bible, litter the ground Wednesday at a riverfrontsite in Wilkes-Barre.

TENTSContinued from Page 1A

“We immediately saw an uptick in homelessnesswhen the cash assistance program stopped.”

Monsignor Joseph KellyExecutive director of Catholic Social Services

User: awoelfel Time: 12-22-2012 22:06 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 12-23-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_04 PageNo: 10 A Color: CMYK

C M Y K

THE TIMES LEADER www.timesleader.com SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012 PAGE 11A➛ N E W S

Dear Santa,

All I wantfor

Christmasis a newpair ofUGG

158 Memorial Hwy.Shavertown

1.800.49.SHOESMon-Fri 10-8:30 • Sat. 10-5:30Sun. 11-5 • Dec. 22 & 23 10-7

Classic Short Sparkles

WILKES-BARRE – VinceKabacinski has been working onbehalf of homeless people for 29years.The former director of VI-

SION – nowMother Teresa’sHaven – Kabacinski, 63, saiddespite severe cutbacks in fund-ing, opportunities remain for thehomeless.“But this is as bad as I’ve seen

it,” he said. “There are morehomeless, but I’m proud thatthere are more opportunitiesavailable. We’re continuing toprovide help, but these are very,very difficult times.”Kabacinski and the late Ann

Marie McCawley started theHomeless Coalition nearly 30years ago. He said Catholic So-

cial Services, which runs MotherTeresa’s Haven, the Commissionon Economic Opportunity andHelp Line are good places forpeople to start when in need.“The services are there for

them,” he said.In his travels, Kabacinski said

he finds people who are victimsof domestic violence, HIV/AIDSpatients, veterans, people deal-ing with substance abuse, men-tally ill, and young people –under 18 – who he calls “un-accompanied youth.”Kabacinski said the people in

the structured programs aredoing the right thing – the bestthing to get their lives back ontrack.“They’re getting help and they

are trying to pull themselvesback up to regain their place in

society,” he said.He said the chronically home-

less – the people living on thestreets – are “acutely aware” ofservices available, but they won’t

enroll in programs because theywon’t play by the rules.“Anyone on the streets is there

by choice,” he said. “They mighthave a drinking problem or a

substance abuse problem. Weoffer to get them into detox, butthey won’t agree.”If they would accept that offer,

Kabacinski said when they arereleased from detox they wouldenter the program and begin todiscuss goals and set up a plan.“Most won’t do it,” he said.

“They have bottomed-out, orthey’re just not that in control oftheir lives.”According to Kabacinski,

between Oct. 1, 2011 and Sept.30, 2012, there were:• 261 single women with

children in emergency shelters• 114 single women with

children in transitional housingfacilities• 566 individuals in emergen-

cy shelters – such as MotherTeresa’s Haven and Ruth’s Place

• 75 individuals in transitionalhousingKabacinski said the total

comes to 1,016 and these are allseparate cases – no repeats.On Jan. 25, 2012, Kabacinski

did a “one night count” thatfound:• 4 families that totaled 16

individuals in emergency shel-ters• 18 families/68 individuals in

transitional housing• 45 individuals in emergency

shelters• 44 in transitional housing

that night• 5 unsheltered individuals

unsheltered (all that he couldfind)That’s 178 homeless people

being helped on the one nightcount.

Homeless numbers are increasingBy BILL O’BOYLEboboyle@timesleader.com

❏ Catholic Social Services33 East Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre; Phone: 822-7118, Fax: 829-7781Website: http://cssdioceseofscranton.org/content/offices❏ Commission on Economic Opportunity165 Amber Lane, Wilkes-BarrePhone: 826-0510Toll Free Number: 1-800-822-0359; Fax Number: 829-1665; Email:ceo@sunlink.netWebsite: http://www.ceopeoplehelpingpeople.org/❏ Help Line31 West Market Street, Wilkes-BarrePhone: 829-1341 or (888) 829-1341Fax: 829-5055Email: helpline@fsawv.orgWebsite: http://www.helpline-nepa.info/

H E L P F O R H O M E L E S S

Susquehanna River and thelevee.Most are within 400 yards of

the bridge, while one camp iscamouflaged atop a hill near theWilkes-Barre Railroad Connect-ing Bridge. Other camps werefound scattered in the densewoods closer to U.S. Route 11 inEdwardsville.In one camp near the bridge

along the river shore and withthe city skyline in the distance,a man who identified himself asAllen held a shovel. Allen didnot want to provide his lastname because he is searchingfor a job.He said he lived in a tent

with “Danny,” whom he met atthe St. Vincent de Paul Kitchenin Wilkes-Barre, for three weeksin October. Danny left in earlyNovember when a friend tookhim in.

Buries his valuablesAllen said he was digging for

a plastic soda bottle containinga watch and a ring he buried tokeep it hidden from otherhomeless people.“I’ve had that watch since my

father died 10 years ago,” Allensaid. “I forgot to take it when Ileft this hell hole.”Allen, 42, said he became

homeless shortly after he waslaid off from a job in the Crest-wood Industrial Park in Moun-tain Top in June. He was one ofseven tenants evicted from anapartment building in GlenLyon when the building hadbeen foreclosed in July.Allen said he never filed for

unemployment compensationwhen he was laid off, leavinghim with no money.He said he never had trouble

finding food to eat and filled abottle with fresh water utilizingrestrooms at fast food restau-rants and convenience stores.In the same camp Allen

called home for three weeks,there was a Bible restingagainst a cooler, several tentsthat are torn and two emptyliquor bottles mixed with de-bris.

Camp with fire pitDeeper in the woods is the

biggest camp with a large firepit surrounded by logs used forsitting. Several tents were onthe ground and folded, likely tokeep hidden from view duringthe day. Tent poles were foundin nearby shrubs.There is strong evidence

people are staying in the largestcamp. There are markings inthe mud from shoes and a bicy-

cle and the fire pit had freshfire-charred branches. Fallenleaves were missing from thepit two days after it was firstsearched by a reporter lastweek.Tents and coolers were

moved and there were moreempty canned goods ofcreamed corn.Spoons and forks are in sand-

wich bags, a celery stalk in ashopping bag hung from a treebranch, and a deck of playingcards were kept dry in a closedcooler.An empty prescription bottle

for Motrin, which was foundmixed with other debris at thelargest camp, was filled on Oct.

16 at a Kingston pharmacy. Asearch of court records of thename on the prescription re-turned several drug and bur-glary related convictions.Each camp is nestled in a

group of large trees and shrubsand accessible by the samepaths joggers and hikers use.Several joggers interviewed

on top of the levee said theyhave had no problems with thehomeless people.While the camps are littered

with debris and garbage, thepaths are clear of empty cansand food containers.The nature area of Kirby Park

was home to the Kirby ParkZoo in the 1920s.

CAMPSContinued from Page 1A

AIMEE DILGER PHOTOS/THE TIMES LEADER

Kurt Swan, who has been homeless for three months, and Sean Mooney, who has been homeless for more than seven years, walk through Public Square, Wilkes-Barre,on their way to the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen.

Kurt Swan, whose homelessness began earlier this year, discusseshis situation as a construction worker who became unemployed.

“PHC4’s latest hospital per-formance report documentsthe progress hospitals havemade toward reducing mortal-ity rates and readmissions,”said Andy Carter, president ofThe Hospital & HealthsystemAssociation of Pennsylvania.When looking at nine area

hospitals primarily servingresidents of Luzerne, Lacka-wanna andWyoming counties,all had mortality rates thatwere not significantly differentfrom what was expected basedon patient risk and randomvariation in nine of the 12 cate-gories. Some hospitals, if theydidn’t perform more than fiveof the procedures, were notgraded.There were three categories

that showed at least one localhospital with mortality ratessignificantly higher or lowerthanwas expected. Theywere:• When it came to kidney

and urinary tract infectionmortality rates, Regional Hos-pital of Scranton’s data wasdeemed significantly higherthan expected, according tothe report.•When it came to infectious

pneumonia, Hazleton General

saw a rate significantly lowerthan expected.•When it came to aspiration

pneumonia, bothWilkes-BarreGeneral and Geisinger Wyom-ing Valley saw rates signifi-cantly lower than expected.Those two hospitals said the

report is a valuable tool not on-ly for patients but the facilities,too.“At Geisinger, we continual-

ly track and monitor statisticsabout patient safety and qual-ity of care, and we are alwaysseeking new ways to improvethe environment we offer pa-tients to ensure that it is as safeas possible,” noted MatthewVan Stone, a health systemspokesman. “As always, wewill take the information fromthe PHC4 reports along withthat from patient feedback andaccreditation surveys andwork diligently to enhance thecare provided throughoutGeisinger Health System.”Wilkes-Barre General issued

a statement saying: “We arepleased that our quality im-provement efforts and focus onquality patient outcomes havebeen recognized by the PHC4report. The physicians andstaff at Wilkes-Barre GeneralHospital continually assessour patient care services andwork to build on the quality ofthe care we provide.”

HOSPITALSContinued from Page 3A

ens of military charities and fam-ilies.He credits co-owners Carmen

Milazzo and and CharlesUmphred with believing a visioncould be come a reality. He alsocredits his wife, Cathy, with herparticipation in the company andlove of family.Scocozzo truly believes in his

product.Surroundedbycandlesofvarious colors and scents, hesmiles broadly. He is especiallyproud of his Christmas candles,decorated for the season, with apine scent.

“We can’t directly support resi-dents of that area emotionally, “said Mia, “but I think selling thecandles and visiting the area willshow that we do care.”Scocozzo plans to personally

present funds raised to organiza-tions,whenhetravels toNewtownmid-January. He assures thosepurchasing the candles themoneywill go to credible charities direct-ing the bulk of funds raised tothose affected by the tragedy.“Christmas will never truly be

Christmas again for those whohave lost a child in this tragedy,”said Scocozzo. “Even if they go onto have eight other children, therewill always be a hole in the lives ofthose families.With this mindset, he is work-

ing wholeheartedly on the projectand hopes to direct $100,000 toConnecticut.Having thousands ofdistributors across the countrymakes this a real possibility.When asked what gave him the

idea for the fundraiser, he creditsdaughter Mia.“Mia asked me what we could

do, and I said that national and in-ternational distributors, and ourcustomers, would step up andmake adifference,” Scocozzo said.Themottoof the fundraiser is “a

brief time in our arms . . forever inour hearts.” It highlights his com-mitment the 27 people who diedin the Dec. 14 tragedy.Candles may be purchased di-

rectly fromMia Bella’s Candles at1 George Ave., online from

www.miabella.net, or from anyone of thousands of independentdistributor websites for $25 plus aflat $5.95 (US) or $9.95 (Canada)shipping charge, regardless ofquantity ordered.All proceeds, or approximately

$20 from the sale of each candle,will bedirectly to thoseaffectedbythe tragedy.

CANDLESContinued from Page 3A

AIMEE DILGER/THE TIMES LEADER

Mia and Bob Scocozzoeach hold an ’In Memory

Of ...’ candle they areproducing at the Scent-

Sations factory in Wilkes-Barre. Scent-Sations has

supported such orga-nizations as Make-A-Wish

Foundation, Children’sMiracle Network, Susan G.Komen For The Cure, anddozens of military char-

ities and families.

User: awoelfel Time: 12-22-2012 22:09 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 12-23-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: news_05 PageNo: 11 A Color: CMYK