New Recycling Program at ALF

The Western Pennsylvania Society of Conservation Biology (WPASCB for short), a group of 20 students and their advisor, Dr. Andrew Keth, at PennWest Clarion University have decided to take action in the community all while working to make the planet a healthier place. As stated in the name, WPASCB focuses on the conservation of the planet and the diverse species that make it up. The society is most known for their work in caring for Eastern Box Turtles, a Pennsylvania species of special concern, for numerous years now. The goal for this project has always been to raise these turtles from hatchlings until they are old enough to survive on their own in the wild. This gives the species a better chance of recovering as a whole. In addition to the turtle care project, the club has organized trash cleanups in the community, lead trail maintenance jobs on campus property, hosted informative talks about animal species all around the world, and always works to spread knowledge about what conservation is and what you can do to help the planet and its wildlife. With the work that has been accomplished in the past, the new president of WPASCB, Gage Gray, has decided to bring the club’s work and efforts to the community. The 20 members who make up WPASCB and their advisor have teamed up with the Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry to help conserve the area during one of its biggest events, the Autumn Leaf Festival. Gage reached out to Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry’s Executive Director, Tracy Becker, in order to come up with a plan to set up recycling bins at the large community event. Tracy, along with Event Coordinator, Tammy LaCross, were very excited and welcoming to the idea that Gage and the members of WPASCB had brought to them. Tracy told Gage that they had always wanted to set up some sort of recycling containers during large community events, but they never had the resources nor the proper plan in place in order to do that. So, the members of WPASCB began their first project of the semester to come up with an effective way to get people in the community to recycle when at events as large as ALF. After the club had met, Gage reported back to Executive Director Tracy with a plan. WPASCB has decided to supply the community with eight recycling containers, four blue and four red. The different colors of these recycling containers are to indicate what recyclable materials can be placed in them. The four blue recycling bins will be designated for metal objects such as aluminum cans or aluminum foil while the four red containers will be designated for plastics. One important thing to remember when recycling is to make sure that any liquid or food contents are removed from the metal and plastic containers. If there are large amounts of remnants left within the metals and plastics, then it could cause cross contamination which could lead to having to dispose of the entire bag of recycled materials. To make things easy to see at community events, WPASCB and the Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry will work together to place these eight containers throughout the area of the event and make sure they are properly marked with the common triangle recycling symbol. Autumn Leaf Festival is the first event where we will see the Clarion Area Chamber of Business & Industry working with WPASCB to set up these recycling bins. Both parties have hopes to grow these efforts and add more containers in the years to come.  Employees Attend The Cincinnati Insurance Companies’ Contractor Risk Transfer Class Burns & Burns Insurance employees Alexis Burns, Carina Burns, and Jamie Knoch attended a class hosted by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies on September 1 st , 2022. The continuing education class went deep into the ins and outs of construction contractors risk transfer and contracts. Alexis, Carina, and Jamie each earned 6 continuing education credits toward their yearly license requirements. They brought plenty of knowledge back to the agency to present to our other agents. Some interesting facts that the three learned include the following. The lack of skilled labor remains the #1 risk to contractors. There are 4 different ways to manage risk, including risk reduction, risk retention, risk avoidance, and risk transfer. Risk transfer is the most common risk management tool used in construction contracts, where the party uses a contract to share the liability with others involved. The best practice when receiving a contract is to review with a lawyer before signing. Burns & Burns is a 4th generation independent insurance agency with 9 branches across Northwestern Pennsylvania. These branches include Clarion, Bradford, Clearfield, Erie, Meadville, Mercer, New Wilmington, Tionesta, and Warren. The full-service agency celebrated their 80th anniversary in business in 2019. Representing over 60 insurance carriers, Burns & Burns is licensed to offer many lines of coverage, including auto, home, life, business, health, Medicare, workers’ compensation, bonds, benefits, pets, events, weddings AND MORE! With over 900 combined years of experience, Burns & Burns is sure to find you the right fit for your insurance needs! Visit their Facebook page or website for more information or a free quote! PRIMARY HEALTH NETWORK ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF ANGELA HOGUE, M.D. AS CMO Primary Health Network (PHN) announces today an executive appointment designed to strengthen the Community Health Center’s mission to improve access to high-quality health care services. Dr. Angela Hogue has been promoted as the organization’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Hogue began the transition to the role of CMO on September 1, 2022, and succeeds Dr. George Garrow, who was appointed as PHN’s Chief Executive Officer in June 2022. As CMO, Dr. Hogue will set direction for PHN’s clinical operations, oversee quality and infection control, and provide leadership in collaboration with local health systems, other community-based providers, as well as academic institutions. "Dr. Hogue is an experienced, enthusiastic, and celebrated physician who has dedicated her career to providing compassionate and quality care to at-risk patients and underserved communities," said Dr. George Garrow, CEO of PHN. "I believe Dr. Hogue’s clinical vision and proven leadership will strengthen our clinical development efforts and support the progress of the Community Health Center mission within the communities we serve." Dr. Hogue joined Primary Health Network in 2016, serving as the lead medical physician for Greenville Community Health Center. In addition to providing quality care to patients, she was responsible for piloting clinical initiatives and the successful development of several novel community programs. Dr. Hogue earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, and completed her family practice residency training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Department of Family and Community Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, where she also served as chief resident. "Primary Health Network stands as a bridge to promote the health and wellness of individuals, families, and communities, rooted in a commitment to service and empathy,” said Dr. Hogue. “As a community health leader, I am committed to supporting the extensive initiatives and programming that have made Primary Health Network a leader in high quality, patient-centered care. I plan to develop outreach and partnerships that support this mission.” United Way of Clarion County’s Annual 5K & 10K Race is scheduled for Saturday, September 24, 2022. Race day registration and check-in begins at 7:00 am. The 10K will start promptly at 8:00 am and the 5K will immediately follow. This is a one-hour earlier start than previous years due to the PennWest Clarion Football game later that afternoon. The race begins and ends at PennWest Clarion’s Memorial Stadium and the courses will take you through the beautiful streets of Clarion. Proceeds from this event benefit United Way of Clarion County’s work in the community supporting health, education, and income stability programs. Presented by PaceSetter Sponsor, The Law Office of Greco, Lander & Shekell, the 38th annual 5K & 10K Race is open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. “This is an awesome community event,” said Melissa Fulton, United Way’s Executive Director. “We have amazing athletes that really push to get the prize money or medals but we also have many folks who just want to make it across the finish line for the first time. We’ve seen pre-schoolers do the entire 5K and we’ve had 80-year-olds complete the course. Moms and Dads pushing strollers or pulling wagons filled with kids are pretty common. We’ve had individuals who use wheelchairs, and others with mobility issues all cross our finish line. For some, this is an annual family tradition and for others, it is a check off their bucket list.” One tradition that United Way plans to continue is waiting until the last runner finishes the race before announcing awards. “I know it can be frustrating, especially for the faster finishers,” said Fulton. “But those runners at the end need everyone cheering for them. That is when the character of our community really shines.” Timing is done by Runner’s High. Medals are awarded to the top 3 fastest finishers in each age group and the top 3 overall finishers receive a gift card. Current course records for the 5K are Josh Simpson at 15:13 from 2015 and Heather Cleary at 17:30 the same year. Keith Kimmons set the 10K course record at 32 minutes in 2012 and Heather Cleary also holds the 10K record for females with 36:29 in 2012. This year, a virtual option is also available and in-person registration is not limited like it has been in the past few years. All pre-registered participants will receive a long-sleeve athletic shirt courtesy of The Law Office of Greco, Lander & Shekell. Pre-registration is now open and will close at midnight on September 21. The cost is $25. Registrations will be accepted on race morning at $30, but a shirt cannot be guaranteed. Online registrations can be completed at getmeregistered.com or www.UWClarionCo.org. Paper forms can be picked up at United Way’s office 531 ½ Main St Clarion (behind County Seat Restaurant) or printed from our Facebook page. "Each year this race supports programs dedicated to providing a wide variety of services to our friends, family, and neighbors right here in Clarion County," said Erich Spessard, United Way’s Board President. “Our participation numbers are consistently high, not just because this is an awesome race on a challenging course, but because the people of Clarion County will come together to support causes they care about.” For more information about the race or sponsorship opportunities, contact United Way at (814) 226-8760, info@uwclarionco.org, or visit www.uwclarionco.org.   Please be advised that due equipment availability delays, Brookfield Renewable, owner and operator of the Piney Hydroelectric Plant and Dam on the Clarion River, will not be conducting a lake drawdown until on or after November 1, 2022 to perform work on our spillway gates located on the dam.   All dock holders on the Clarion River are in the process of being notified. We will keep you informed of any future updates as we move through the project. Programs at Cook Forest State Park   Saturday, September 17 at 900am - ‘Measuring Pennsylvania’s Champion Hemlocks’    Are you curious as to how champion trees are measured? What lengths will some of us go to, to find new big tree         discoveries? Does Cook Forest have any champion trees? Join the Friends of Cook Forest at the Park Office to find out how it’s done. (3 hrs) Welcome New Members: Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts (ARCA) PO Box 215 Foxburg, PA 16036-0215 Phone: 724-659-3153 www.alleghenyriverstone.org Here are some of the updates, announcements and information that has been supplied to us via email in the past few days. Please visit the web page listed above for more details: ADA Compliance Training - 9/15/22 Legal Formation [Start-Up Essentials] - 9/15/22 Recovery Respects First Responders - 9/16/22 Katherine "Kool Kat" Farnham & Band - 9/17/22 Bringing the World to PA 2022 - 9/19/22 SAP Training - 9/19-21/22 Sell Online with E-Commerce Tools presented by Google - 9/20/22 Building Your eCommerce Brand in PA - 9/21/22 First Step: Starting a Small Business in Pennsylvania - 9/22/22 Community Narcan Drive-Thru Distribution - 9/28/22 QuickBooks v2021 Level I (Desktop) - 10/4/22 & 10/6/22 QuickBooks v2021 Level II (Desktop) - 10/18/22 & 10/20/22 Live2Lead - 10/26/22