| L Vol. 119 No. 22 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 June 1-6, 2008 The DALLAS POST. SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF THE DALLAS AND LAKE-LEHMAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS | City kids get a little fresh air By CHRISTIE DELICATI For The Dallas Post Frequently there are five. Sometimes six. And, it is not unlikely that at the home of Becky and Terry Price in Sweet Valley, there could be as many as 13 children spending time there and, sometimes, at only a moment’s notice. Throughout nearly two decades of marriage, the Prices have hosted as many as 13 children at one time. As often as possible, the cou- ple welcomes young people of all ages into their home and into their lives as participants of the Fresh Air Fund program. The family home - a 1300 square foot ranch-style home with a fin- ished basement - offers plenty of room for kids to “camp out” as well as several extra beds. Becky, 38, a stay-at-home mom, and her 43-year-old hus- band, Terry, a self-employed contractor, have a genu- ine devotion T™N | FADMN | U L k AKN 5 MOI LH : to community crm oot and generosi The Fresh Air ty. What's Fund or to fing more, they out how to have five of become a host, their own chil- contact their dren: Kevin, New York office. 17; Timothy, stooo3s ia sam, 7 or go to i www.freshai- Todd, 5; and rorg. 18 month-old Juliete, all of whom sup- port, encour- age and enjoy the extra compa- ny. ~ One child in particular, named Maciel and nicknamed “Mosse,” will arrive at the Price home in July to spend his fourth year enjoying a two-week vaca- tion from his hometown in Brooklyn, NY. Vacations are special to most everyone, but for Mosse these vacations to Sweet Valley are in- deed precious. Now 14, he has been vacationing at the Price home since he was 10 years old. Mosse does not take his vaca- tion for granted and comes to Northeast Pennsylvania to en- joy nothing more than Back Mountain “fresh air” with the Price family. “Mosse’s father was killed in Brooklyn by an alleged drug dealer,” says Becky. “These are the kinds of things this child has to worry about everyday back home.” Thanks to the independent, not-for-profit Fresh Air Fund and its Friendly Town Program, Mosse is one of nearly 5,000 kids from New York City given the opportunity each summer to spend time in small-town communities like that of Sweet Valley. Providing free “Fresh Air” va- cations to underprivileged chil- dren, the organization gives Mosse and thousands of others the chance to take a summer va- cation away from some of New York’s toughest and poor neigh- borhoods. The experience of different lifestyles and environ- ments without the burden of as- sociated costs and worry can undeniably be measured as dreams really do come true for these children. According to Becky, The See FRESH, Page 9 Locals heralded for their acts of bravery The morning of May 20, 2007 was just another day for Pennsylva- nia State Police Trooper Truman Brandt. He was doing his job. Then, a car being pursued by state troopers on State Route 29 in Lake Township crashed head on into Brandt's cruiser and both vehicles engulfed in flames. Knocked un- conscious from the crash, Brandt was unable to exit the car. Three local men took action. Trooper First Class William Gross and Trooper Robert Rogers, both of the PSP Tunkhannock bar- racks, immediately went to Brandt’s aid. Lehman Township Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Ber- nard Dobinick arrived on scene not long after and assisted the troopers in pulling Brandt out of his patrol car. For their bravery, the three men were honored by the Rotary Club of Dallas at its First Responder of the Year 2007 Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 22, two days after the first anniversary of the event, at the Appletree Terrace at Newberry Estates in Dallas. "Tve been involved in emergen- cy services for 36 years and have seen a lot of things happen, but honestly this one was overwhelm- ing for me," Dobinick said last July. Members of Back Mountain po- lice, fire and ambulance depart- ments also received EMT, Fire and Police Officer of the Year awards. Pennsylvania Senator Lisa Bak- er and Pennsylvania Representa- tive Karen Boback were in attend- ance at the dinner and gave wel- coming remarks. 2007 EMT of the Year: Susan Davis, Kunkle Fire and Ambu- lance; and Tonya Gannon, Dallas Fire and Ambulance Davis responded to 92 ambulance calls and was on call for over 1,500 hours while serving as Assistant Am- bulance Chief for Kunkle Fire and Ambulance during 2007. She is trea- surer of the Relief Association, teach- es CPR classes at the department and prepares grant applications and recertification of the ambulance. Gannon is the chief of Dallas Am- bulance. In 2007, she responded to 241 ambulance calls and was on call for 1,429 hours. Her service helped Dallas Fire and Ambulance’s 99 per- cent successful response rate. 2007 Firefighter of the Year: Tim Rismondo, Dallas Fire and Ambu- lance CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/FOR THE DALLAS POST Rismondo started Dallas Fire Sergeant Douglas H\J. Higgins, right, of the Dallas Township and Ambulance’s Junior Firefight- Police Department, is awarded the 2007 Police Officer of the Year er Program, allowing high school Award by the Dallas Rotary as State Representative Karen Bo- students to join the department back looks on. Higgins served as a member of an interagency investigating unit that investigated the homicide death of Dallas See BRAVERY, Page 5 Township resident Brian Kocis. Debra Demming Lake-Noxen Elementary Principal JONATHAN J. JUKA PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Lake-Noxen Elementary Principal Debra Demming gets a quick lesson about how to jump out of an airplane. One flying high principal By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Principal Demming! Lake-Noxen Elementary School Principal Debra Demming made a tandem parachute jump from an airplane in front of her stu- dent body at 9:30 a.m. on Wednes- day, May 28, at the Skyhaven Air- port in Tunkhannock. Demming made the jump as a re- ward to her students who encour- aged their parents and relatives to donate 48 pints of blood at an American Red Cross drive at the school in March. A hat day and a dress down day were also held to raise money for the organization, I+ a bird! It’s a plane! No - it’s ... learn how to get out of the plane, learn about the harness and position- ing of the legs, how to land and basic rules. Minutes before she jumped, Dem- ming said she felt “anxious, very anxious” and “ready to go.” The stu- dents played with toy parachutes given to them by airport employees as they waited for their principal to jump. A group of third-grade girls excited- ly awaited their principal to fall from the airplane. “She said if we raised enough mon- ey and blood, she’d jump out of an airplane,” said Katie Feeley. “She gets to jump off an airplane and it’s so fun,” said Evelyn Hosey. “We hope she doesn’t get hurt,” said Autumn Wallace. | garnering $550 and surpassing a goal of $500. Students who had permission to attend the jump were bused to the airport. “It’s something I've always want- “I'd never think she would do it ‘cause she’s our principal,” said Kait- ed to do,” Demming said of the jump. parents to come in and give blood, I lyn Meehan. “And when the PTO was looking for thought this is something I can do.” an incentive for children to get their Demming arrived one hour early to See FLYING, Page 9 Lake-Noxen Elementary students watch as their principal skydives. ¢'"809815 AL 9
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