Friends of Geisinger Wyoming Valley provide holiday cheer to early intervention students and families
Kids enjoyed face painting, music, snacks, a craft and a visit and gift from Santa. The gifts from Santa included a toy and different necessities each year, such as pajamas, winter gloves and hats and winter coats.
This year, the pandemic has cancelled plans for the breakfast event, so the group -- now named the Friends of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center -- is donating gifts to children attending Early Intervention preschool in Luzerne and Wyoming counties. The gifts will be sent home to families to open on Christmas.
“The families that we served with the Breakfast with Santa event were very grateful each year,” said Laine Martin, a long-standing member of the Friends of Geisinger Wyoming Valley. “With a lot of people losing their jobs during the pandemic, we knew that this year there would be a great need.”
The group recently wrapped and bagged more than 200 gifts for students in the Early Intervention classrooms and their siblings. The classrooms, operated by the Hazleton Area School District, consist of children ages 3 to 5 who have developmental delays. The children receive specialized instruction for delays in speech, vision and hearing and receive occupational and physical therapies as well.
“We are happy to find a way to continue to offer some holiday cheer to this community,” Martin said. “We have heard that the families are extremely grateful since many could not provide gifts this holiday season.”
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates more than $8 billion in annual revenues across 163 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 500 medical professionals annually and is conducting more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With more than 27,000 employees, including 1,800 employed physicians and 5,200 registered nurses, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers, having an estimated economic impact of $16.8 billion on the state’s economy. In 2024, Geisinger joined Risant Health, a nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
