\ Vol. 118 No. 16 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 April 22 - 28, 2007 The PDALILAS POST SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS “Sponsorships are needed to make this thing work." Carl Yachim, proponent of RIDE program FOR THE DALLAS POST/ CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK Carl Yachim, Dallas, hopes to start a free’ ride service for the elderly and disabled in the Back Mountain area. RIDE wants to take By DOTTY MARTIN For The Dallas Post Carl Yachim spent 15 years driving his father wherever he needed to go. Al- though the elder Yachim was fairly in- dependent, a stroke left him unable to operate a vehicle. Getting Michael Yachim where he needed — and wanted —- to go was left to the younger Yachim, his wife Donna and their two children. “During that time, I saw a lot of peo- ple who were not able to drive them- selves where they wanted to go,” Ya- ‘chim said. “And I saw a large popula- tion of elderly people.” It was that — elderly people who could not independently get where they wanted to go — that got Yachim thinking. How much more independ- ent would these people be — and feel - if they could just get a ride somewhere? Thus, RIDE - Reaching Independ- ently Disabled and Elderly — was born. Although not yet operational, RIDE is in the very early stages of becoming a local non-profit agency that will pro- vide free transportation to elderly resi- dents and people with disabilities. Posters such as these have been hung around the Back Mountain area, encouraging businesses and individuals to become sponsors for the soon-to-be- created RIDE program. Jyou there — FREE! Yachim, of Midland Drive in Dallas, has spent the last several weeks securi- ng and completing documentation from the state to operate a non-profit agency. He will spend the next several weeks attempting to secure sponsor- ships. “Sponsorships are needed to make this thing work,” said Yachim, who is employed full-time at Keystone Auto- motive Warehouse. Those sponsor- ships range from $500 for a small busi- ness to $1,000 for a corporation. In exchange for monetary donations, sponsors will receive their business lo- go on vans Yachim hopes to purchase as well as a mention in a monthly news- letter that will be distributed to people who use the RIDE service, to state agencies and to area businesses. Yachim acknowledges the Luzerne/ Wyoming Counties Transportation De- partment that provides transportation to medical appointments but recogniz- es there are places other than a doctor’s office that people would like to go. “There are a lot of people who can’t drive themselves who might like to go to the casino,” Yachim said of Mohegan See RIDE, Page 10 CALL (870) 674 RIDE (7430) OF Emel ruin spa net Senator Baker honors Dallas Lifesmarts students FOR THE DALLAS POST/ JONATHAN J. JUKA Senator Lisa Baker presents certificates to Lifesmarts students at Dallas High School. From left, are Drew Slocum, Kathy Wega, Katie Gilligan, Nick Hetro, Senator Lisa Baker, Dan Anderson, Amy Scafella, Kevin West. Dallas High School stu- dents who competed in the state LifeSmarts com- petition in Harrisburg in February had the opportu- nity to meet Senator Lisa Baker last Friday. The stu- dents were especially thrilled with certificates presented to them by the senator. LifeSmarts is a na- tional competition that challenges the knowledge of high school students in five areas: personal fi- nance, health and safety, the environment, technol- ogy and consumer rights and responsibilities. After qualifying for the state competition, team captain Amy Scafella, Dan Ander- son, Drew Slocum, Katie Gilligan and Nick Hetro won third place, narrowly missing the championship round. The team was coached by Kevin West with assistance from Kathy Wega. Being life smart Senator Lisa Baker speaks to Lifesmarts students at Dallas Senior High School. V Inside The Post Lr 14 Pages, 1 Section Church. aininiian 2,3 ODHLIBLIES cove ceiririviogie 5 SCNO0 cic ricuied Bf SPOOFS caeisnsisiasesssmnssns 9,10 v How To Reach Us News: 829-7248 thepost@leader.net 15 N. Main St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1871 Advertising: 829-7101 Subscriptions and Delivery: 829-5000 She's played Carnegie Hall at 10 By DOTTY MARTIN For The Dallas Post Although she may not have much to be mad or unhappy about, 10-year-old Nicole Sla- voski says playing the piano al- ways makes her happy. “It just cheers you up,” Ni- cole said of the instrument she’s been playing for five years. “If youre unhappy about something, it cheers you up. And, if you're mad or an- gry, playing the piano makes you happy.” The biggest event of Ni- cole’s piano-playing days oc- curred on April 7 when she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After competing in a recit- al/tryout at Marywood Uni- versity, in January, Nicole “It just cheers you up. If you're unhappy about something, it cheers you up. And, if you're mad or angry, playing the piano makes you happy.” Nicole Slavoski Piano student earned the right to perform in an honors recital at Carnegie Hall with 35 other students. Making the opportunity to visit New York City a family event, the Slavoskis — mom Linda, dad Michael, brother Matthew, sister Lauren and Nicole’s piano teacher, Irina Manasyan, and her daughter - piled into a limousine early in the morning and headed to the city for Nicole’s 10:30 a.m. ap- pearance. Playing “Knight Rupert” by Robert Schumann, Nicole ad- ue mitted to being “very excited but a little nervous.” And, al- though there were “a lot of people there,” she was able to pick out her family members who were seated in the balco- ny of the hall. Also in the audi- ence that day were her grand- parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Ferraro of Nanticoke and Mr. and Mrs. John Slavoski of Sug- ar Notch. “It was a beautiful day,” Lin- da Slavoski said of the trip. “It was exciting and there was some beautiful music played Ten-year-old Nicole Slavoski had 48 Fo mei Fa the opportunity to play the pi- ano at Carnegie Hall in New York City earlier this month. by the students.” Except for two vocalists who were accom- panied by their piano teach- ers, all of the students who performed that day were pian- ists. This, however, was not the first time a Slavoski graced the stage at Carnegie Hall. Twelve-year-old Matthew, who also started playing the piano at age 5, performed there two years ago. Nine- year-old sister Lauren, who has been playing the piano for four years, is already looking See CARNEGIE, Page 10 >
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers