Centre County organizations showcase what they do for those in need

by: Tristan Klinefelter

Posted: Aug 26, 2023 / 06:18 PM EDT

Updated: Aug 27, 2023 / 10:04 AM EDT

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — A chance to showcase charity organizations and give insight into daily operations of three Centre County organizations.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Volunteer Centre County teamed up for the AFL-CIO annual community services institute conference. Members from across the state came to the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center.

“Labor has always been at the forefront of community service,” President of Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Angela Ferritto said. “This is really one of the pillars that we operate under. It’s a big part of our programming and we’ve always wanted to be giving back to the communities. We want our communities to have a vibrancy.”

Three Centre County organizations were present. Each had their own room where they gave a presentation, answered questions, and finished by putting together care packages, boxes, and more.

The first present was the Centre County Youth Services Bureau. Founded in 1968, the bureau is for young people seeking help in the community. Members and volunteers continually assess needs among local youth and look for creative, evidence-based ways of meeting those needs. Over the years, thanks to community support, YSB has helped hundreds of thousands of local children and families turn the page to new chapters of safety, understanding, responsibility, and much more. Each year the organization assists more than 15,000 youth and family members.

“We really rely on community volunteers. Anytime we have a chance to speak about what we do is great. People don’t know how they can help if they don’t know what we have going on,” CEO of Youth Services Bureau Christine Bishop said.

A member from The Jared Box Project got to show and got help creating boxes for children. The Jared Box Project was started in 2001 by the children of Our Lady of Victory School in State College, Pennsylvania, to honor their classmate and friend, Jared. He was a brave little boy who battled cancer. Since then, more than 1,000,000 Jared Boxes have been delivered to over 500 hospitals across the United States.

“We are a very small nonprofit, but we are powered by the kindness of others. So today’s a perfect example of where we get out and we share the idea of making Jared Boxes,” Executive Director Cindy Kolarik said.

And A Soldier’s Hands was also present. The organization’s message is simple, to touch the hands and hearts of the men and women serving in the military. The organization provides hand creams and more in care packages they create. Since 2007 over 25,000 care packages have been sent. At State College, they got a boost by putting together 150 packages to send out.

“I’m a big believer in planting seeds, the more times I can tell my story, talk about a soldier’s hand, and what it is that we do,” Founder Trish Shallenberger said. “Something great will come out of it. Today they’re going to assemble 150 care packages, so they’re providing the hands-on help.”

In total the group of 27 people gave 54 person-hours of time today (2 hours each) making 50 Jared boxes, 60 hygiene kits for the youth services bureau, and 150 hand cream/sunblock packages for soldiers meaning they will have touched 260 lives in the future and each of these 260 people will receive a handwritten note of support and love with their items.

The effort from the organizations showcased at the conference is just a small part of what they do on a daily basis. This goes to show volunteering is critical to assisting those who need a little bit of help.