Young adults pay tribute to local vets

SHAMOKIN - More than two dozen young adults paid tribute to local veterans Monday morning by raising new flags at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Lincoln Street and Spanish-American War Monument at Market and Lincoln streets.

The flag-raising was conducted by participants in the Central Pennsylvania YouthBuild Program as part of a service-learning project. Program participants, who are between the ages of 18 and 24, are high school dropouts who are working toward earning their General Equivalency Diplomas (GED) and will become involved in rehabilitating blighted properties in Shamokin and Coal Township purchased by Northumberland County Housing Authority at a judicial sale earlier this year.

The YouthBuild trainees conducted research on famous veterans to learn more about the purpose and history of Veterans Day being celebrated Wednesday. They also wrote personal notes to veterans that will be distributed through local veterans outreach organizations.

State Rep. Robert Belfanti Jr. (D-107) of Mount Carmel donated the flags raised at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which was erected in 1898, and the Spanish-American War Monument known as "The Hiker" that was built in 1938.

Instructors for the YouthBuild program are Dan Kelly, Chip Cowher and Brian Ambrose.

Central Pennsylvania YouthBuild is a collaboration between the Central Susquehanna Workforce Development Corporation, the local Workforce Investment Board, Central Susquehanna Opportunities Inc., a local Community Action Agency, and Home Builders Institute, the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders.

According to Kate Lomax, youth coordinator for Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation, the flag-raising ceremony, which also involved the participants citing the pledge of allegiance at each monument, was one of several activities the YouthBuild candidates have participated in over the past six days as they vie to become one of 20 candidates who will be enrolled in the first Central Pennsylvania YouthBuild class.

During their orientation period, Lomax said the young adults participated in team-building exercises with Bloomsburg University's Quest Program, learned about the basics of construction safety and completed numerous exercises to determine their academic plan for the program.

Central Pennsylvania YouthBuild is one of 183 YouthBuild programs that received funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. YouthBuild is a nationally recognized program that combines GED preparation and construction skills training with leadership development, community service and job readiness/life skills activities throughout a six-month intensive program.

Over the next six months, trainees from a five-county area will work with the Northumberland County Housing Authority to apply their construction skills to rehabilitate two properties in the Shamokin-Coal Township area. The trainees will also be looking for service-learning opportunities to help give back to their communities.

Organizations interested in learning about partnership opportunities should contact Central Pennsylvania YouthBuild staff at 570-644-6575, extension 109.

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