The Home Matters Initiative continues to shine a light on helping people feel safe and secure in their homes and the PPL Foundation is part of that push.

The Foundation today announced a $2,500 grant for The Home Matters Initiative's Light the Town program which provides free, solar-powered security lights to Scranton-area residents.

The Home Matters Repair Initiative has been a signature service offering of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania since 2010. The lighting program, added last year, has proven extremely popular.

'Some aging homeowners have put off installing security lighting because of the cost,' said Alana Roberts, regional affairs director for PPL Electric Utilities. 'We hope our support will remove that barrier. Building safe communities can be done in many ways, even with the help of the sun.'

The awards announced today (6/28) will support a variety of projects in PPL Foundation's focus areas: education, workforce development and community revitalization. The Foundation's sustaining grants, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 each, provide organizations with funding for specific projects or general operating funds.

In addition to the grant to support Light the Town, other initiatives and projects in northeast Pennsylvania that received support through the PPL Foundation Sustaining Grant program include:

  • CAN DO Foundation, Hazleton received a $20,000 grant to help fund a small-business incubator in downtown Hazleton.

  • Wilkes University Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development received $10,000 for research on important issues ranging from community revitalization to education and social services.

  • United Way of Greater Hazleton received $15,000 to partner with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The library program provides enrolled children with one free book each month from birth to age 5.

  • Diamond City Partnership, Wilkes-Barre received a $5,500 to support the group's downtown retail recruitment initiative.

  • Pennsylvania Envirothon received $8,000 for its events organized in cooperation with county conservation districts.

  • Lacawac Sanctuary received a $6,000 grant to support its Youth Engaging Science (YES) program.

  • Skills in Scranton Business Education Partnership received $5,000 for programs to meet hiring needs of utilities and related companies.

  • Employment Opportunity & Training Center of Northeastern Pa. received $5,000 for Job Group career services.

In addition, grants went to the organizations below for the listed mission or program:

  • Scranton Area Foundation, Inc. ($2,000) - support of Women in Philanthropy's STEAM launch event

  • Leadership Lackawanna ($1,000) - program support

  • Catholic Social Services, Diocese of Scranton ($1,000) - for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Monroe County

  • Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress ($5,000) - Main Street program

  • Hazleton Integration Project Inc. ($5,000) - After School Scholars program

  • Concerned Parents of the Hazleton Area ($1,000) - scholarships for English as second language classes

  • Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership ($2,000) - Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails

  • Pocono Environmental Education Center ($5,000) - sustainable energy education

  • Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition ($3,000) - Delaware River Sojourn Project

  • Brodhead Watershed Association ($3,000) - Adopt-A-Stream Program

  • Honesdale Communities That Care ($1,000) - academic assistance for underprivileged children

Additionally, contributions were made to the Osterhout Free Library and other literacy-focused organizations in support of Cover to Cover, the PPL Foundation's new initiative to improve child literacy through reading and summer learning programs.

A complete list of grant recipients is available online.

PPL is committed to supporting communities across its 29-county service area and providing tools that help empower economic vitality.

The PPL Foundation awards grants in spring and fall. The next grant cycle - for major grants - begins in August. To be considered for a grant, all organizations must apply online.

Please visit www.pplcares.com to learn more.

About the PPL Foundation: Through strategic partnerships, the PPL Foundation supports organizations that are doing innovative and groundbreaking work to create vital, sustainable communities and empowering each citizen to fulfill her or his potential. The PPL Foundation contributes more than $2 million annually to a wide variety of nonprofit organizations in north and central Pennsylvania.

PPL Corporation published this content on 28 June 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 28 June 2017 14:39:07 UTC.

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