Community Giving Foundation is administering the Nonprofit Relief Grantround in partnership with the Columbia County Commissioners. This grantround will provide qualifying nonprofit and government agencies a unique opportunity to assist in covering their organization’s operating, programmatic, and/or capital budgets impacted by COVID. Other COVID-related grant funding received will not be a determinant of eligibility for this grantround.

The Columbia County Commissioners ARP Nonprofit Relief Grantround has $500,000 available. The grantround will begin on October 1. Grant requests up to $25,000 are being accepted online until the application deadline of October 28. Additional funding may be considered on an individual basis. Upon review by the Community Giving Foundation Grants Committee and County Commissioners, grants will be awarded by November 30.

The grantround is designed as a flexible response to provide relief for a variety of unexpected costs. The Foundation is specifically interested in helping organizations maintain their operations and respond to increased demands.

Only 501(c)(3) nonprofit and government organizations are eligible to apply and the requested funding must be invested within Columbia County. Individuals are not eligible to apply. To discuss your organization’s eligibility, please contact the Foundation.

Grant applications must be completed and submitted through a web-based program. Interested applicants can access the grantround guidelines and applications by visiting www.csgiving.org. Grant requests must be submitted online by 11:45 pm on Thursday, October 28, 2021.

For grant-related questions, please contact Christine Orlando, Senior Program Officer, at 570-752-3930 ext. 2, or corlando@csgiving.org.

Bloomsburg Fair Returns September 24 through October 2

The 166th Annual Bloomsburg Fair is finally here, beginning this Friday on September 24. The highly anticipated week-long event will conclude on Saturday, October 2. The full schedule of events and ticket information are available at bloomsburgfair.com. Brochures are also available at The Chamber of Commerce, 238 Market Street, Bloomsburg, and the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, 121 Papermill Road, Bloomsburg. 

Talen Energy Hosting Town Hall Meeting to Discuss Data Center and Bitcoin Mining Developments

Hear more about the project and its impact from a panel of local experts, and participate in a Q&A session. Talen Energy will have its town hall meeting in the West Side Ballroom in Berwick on Thursday, October 14 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

McBride Memorial Library Hosts Scarecrows on Market Street

For the second consecutive year, the McBride Memorial Library is having its Scarecrows on Market Street event. The event is free and open to all family/friend groups, scouting groups, businesses, church organizations, etc… Build a scarecrow of your choice and design to place on their front lawn. The scarecrows will be proudly displayed for four weeks along with a sign advertising your business, organization, or family/friend group name. Scarecrows have to be ready to be placed on the lawn by October 1. Please call 570-752-2241 or send an email to hollis@mcbridelibrary.org to reserve your spot on their front lawn. 

As the 2022 open enrollment season is quickly approaching, many business owners are beginning to turn their attention to forecasting insurance premium adjustments for budgeting purposes.  Of course, the question mark this year is how much Although the severity and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented in modern times, there are safeguards built into the structure of the insurance industry that are designed to maintain stability during significant loss events.  Two key elements provide protection against large financial loss for insurance companies and provide some stability in premiums:

Additionally, the severity of the virus has varied in different regions of the country.  As a result, insurance carriers will be affected differently based on the specific demographics of their insured populations.  Carriers with large numbers of insureds in some of the country’s hotspots will experience greater claim expenses than carriers insuring greater numbers of insureds in minimally impacted regions.

IMPACTS FROM EMPLOYER-RELATED EXPENSES:

Insurance carriers are also employers and as such, have experienced some of the same pandemic-related business costs as any other business.  Added cybersecurity costs, outlays for equipment and software to facilitate their employees alternative work arrangements, etc. will impact their financial bottom line during this event.  Even the downturn in equity markets will affect the expected level of return on their investment portfolio.

POSITIVE IMPACTS:

There is also the potential that some recent virus-related development will positively impact insurance costs, such as the more widespread use of tele-health services.  In addition to providing access to care with lower costs, on a long-term basis this development could allow healthcare providers to extend their reach to more remote or less affluent groups of people to expand access to care and improve overall population well-being.

Considering all of these pandemic influences, it is likely that future health insurance premiums will be affected, although the expected range of impact probably won’t be clear until later this year. 

By creating a differentiated, unique benefit package that addresses a specific employee need, employers benefit by boosting employee engagement, increasing productivity levels, and improving employee retention rates.

The Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings.  For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Glynis Roberts at (800) 377-3539.

The Chamber helped celebrate the grand opening of Happy Mug Drive Thru on Friday, September 17th, with a ribbon-cutting. The new coffee establishment can be found at 1140 Mill Street in Danville. Happy Mug brings the same great coffee, service and fresh baked goods that customers are accustomed to finding at Bason Coffee’s downtown Danville shop. Located near Weis Market, the drive through entrance is located off of Center Street. Happy Mug is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“Happy Mug is something that we started not only to serve coffee, but we want this place to be something where we can have personal interactions with our customers,” said owner Brad Bason. “Hopefully, we can make their day a little better and put a smile on their face.

Happy Mug will soon be offering online ordering for pick-up at the window or inside. Indoor walk-in counter ordering is also planned for the near future. For more information visit Happy Mug’s website or Facebook page.

Bloomsburg Fair Returns September 24 through October 2 

The Bloomsburg Fair Association’s Board of Directors previewed the return of the Fair at its annual media luncheon held September 8th. This year’s event runs September 24th through October 2nd. The full schedule of events and ticket information are available at bloomsburgfair.com. Brochures are also available at The Chamber of Commerce, 238 Market Street, Bloomsburg, and the Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, 121 Papermill Road, Bloomsburg.

Boy Scouts Sponsoring Community Day this Saturday

The Columbia Montour Council BSA is sponsoring Columbia Montour Community Day this Saturday, September 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Bloomsburg Airport. Meet first responders, pilots, and enjoy activities, games and great food. The event is free to attend.

Community Giving Foundation Breakfast Celebrates Giving Stories

The Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg held its annual grant breakfast on September 8th to celebrate the impact of grant recipients and share stories of community giving from Foundation board, staff, and donors. The breakfast, held at Monty’s at Bloomsburg University, was a wonderful time of reflection on the Foundation’s presence in the Bloomsburg community and the many dedicated individuals, families, and organizations that make this work possible.

During the event, Bloomsburg Board member Tom Kapelewski spoke on the giving spirit that is evident through Foundation stakeholders and the philanthropic commitment of donors to Bloomsburg funds. Holly Morrison, Foundation president/CEO, shared Bloomsburg’s journey to affiliate with the Foundation and the excitement behind last year’s re-branding at the Foundation. Karri Harter, Foundation program associate, celebrated the good work accomplished in the Bloomsburg community through the dedication of area nonprofit organizations. Grant recipients from Bloomsburg’s 2021 competitive grant round were also recognized. Becky Stender, case manager with Central Susquehanna Opportunities, shared her organization’s experience with the Foundation and the services provided across our region because of local grants and donor support. Representing the BHS Class of ’86 Scholarship Fund, Leslie Temple spoke on creating a fund with the Foundation as a philanthropic partner to benefit future BHS graduates.

Click here to watch a video from the grant recipients as they say “thank you” to the donors that make these grants possible.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced significant enhancements to the COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, a federal disaster relief loan designed to support small business communities dealing with the pandemic, especially hard-hit sectors such as restaurants, gyms, and hotels. The SBA is ready to receive new applications immediately from small businesses looking to take advantage of these new policy changes.

Key changes being announced by the SBA include:

· Increasing the COVID EIDL Cap. The SBA has increased the COVID EIDL cap from $500,000 to $2 million. Loan funds can be used for any normal operating expenses and working capital, including payroll, purchasing equipment, and paying debt.
· Implementation of a Deferred Payment Period. The SBA will ensure small business owners will not have to begin COVID EIDL repayment until two years after loan origination so that they can get through the pandemic.
· Establishment of a 30-Day Exclusivity Window. To ensure Main Street businesses have additional time to access these funds, the SBA will implement a 30-day exclusivity window of approving and disbursing funds for loans of $500,000 or less. Approval and disbursement of loans over $500,000 will begin after the 30-day period.
· Expansion of Eligible Use of Funds. COVID EIDL funds will now be eligible to prepay commercial debt and make payments on federal business debt.
· Simplification of affiliation requirements. To ease the COVID EIDL application process for small businesses, the SBA has established more simplified affiliation requirements to model those of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

How to apply

Eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and agricultural businesses in all U.S. states and territories can apply. Visit www.sba.gov/eidl to learn more about eligibility and application requirements. The last day that applications may be received is December 31, 2021. All applicants should file their applications as soon as possible.

For additional information on COVID EIDL and other recovery programs please visit www.sba.gov/relief. Small business owners may call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard of hearing) or email DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov for additional assistance. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Multilingual representatives are available. 

On Thursday, September 9th, President Biden announced a series of executive orders to combat COVID-19.

The orders include the following:
• Employers with more than 100 employees will need to require that employees be vaccinated or verify weekly testing
• Employers with more than 100 employees need to provide paid time off for vaccinations and recovery
• Federal employees are required to get vaccinated within 75 days or risk termination (which would remove the option for weekly testing in lieu of vaccination)
• Federal employee vaccination requirement are extended to federal contractors
• Medicare and Medicaid funding recipients are required to fully vaccinate their staff
• Schools are urged to set up regular testing based on community spread
• Free COVID testing will be expanded

A document summarizing the orders can be found here.

On Friday, September 10th, Seema Nanda, Solicitor for the U.S. Department of Labor, explained to a group of chambers of commerce that the orders related to private employers will be implemented via an OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) in a matter of weeks, not months. Once live, it is effective immediately, except for the 22 states that have a state plan (Pennsylvania is not among those 22 states). In those states, the state has 30 days to adopt an equally protective policy or implement the federal ETS. The public comment period will begin once the ETS is announced and thus effective. 

The Chamber has expressed concerns to the U.S. Chamber and Congressman Dan Meuser’s office about the additional burdens and costs to employers and raised questions about enforcement and testing. The legality of the President’s orders is also being questioned. The U.S. Chamber is compiling questions/concerns to share with the Department of Labor. Those questions can be sent to vaccines@uschamber.com.

PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr issued a statement about various ambiguities in the plan.

“Our organization shares questions and concerns about this plan with the rest of the nation’s business community – including whether employers will have access to funding to help pay for expanded testing; how penalties for non-compliance will be enforced; and – perhaps most notably – whether liability protections exist for businesses acting in compliance with the latest round of OSHA standards,” Barr said.

The Chamber will provide additional details as they become available, though the Department of Labor did not indicate when those details might be released.

The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce welcomes Jeremy Clausen as its new Director of Marketing and Communications. Jeremy received his bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven University, followed by his graduate degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University. A native of Berwick, PA, Clausen returns to the area after spending the previous two and a half years working for Lehigh University and has over five years of experience working in the marketing and communications field. In his spare time, Jeremy likes to spend quality time with his family and is interested in podcasts, music and traveling. 

He succeeds Allison Turayev, who left the Chamber in July to pursue other opportunities.

United in Recovery Celebrating Recovery Month

National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the emergence of a proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and community members across the nation who make recovery in all its forms possible. United in Recovery, an initiative of the United Way of Columbia and Montour Counties, is participating with a number of activities throughout the month. Visit www.cmcuw.org/unitedinrecovery to learn more. 

Central Susquehanna Opportunities Conducting Community Needs Assessment

The Community Needs Assessment is completed every three years. It provides the necessary information about the community and stakeholder needs so Central Susquehanna Opportunities can seek necessary funding, create/strengthen programs, and provide appropriate services to meet current needs.

Links to surveys for residents and service providers are on CSO’s website. 

Bloomsburg Children’s Museum and Forest and Field Partnering to Offer Free Cooking Class

Learn to make traditional homestyle Italian food with Chiara Menini Whitmoyer who is from the Veneto region of Italy. Italian foods are simple. Italian recipes usually involve only 4-8 ingredients at any one time. The secret to great Italian cooking is the quality of the food, not the complexity of it. Pasta, sauces, bread, learn why traditional Italian food is revered around the world. Ages 12+ and adults are welcome. The program is being offered free through the Bloomsburg Children’s Museum and will be held at Forest and Field’s demo kitchen on Alliance Park Drive in Bloomsburg.

Music and Dance from Bali Comes to the Weis Center in Free Performance, Lecture/Demo Precedes Performance

Çudamani: Gamelan and Dance of Bali will perform on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m. at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts at Bucknell University.

The performance is free, but tickets are required by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.

There will be a pre-performance lecture and demonstration on Tuesday, Sept. 14 from 6:45-7:15 p.m. in the Weis Center Atrium facilitated by Music Professor Bethany Collier.

The performance is sponsored in part by the Candland family, Remembering Mary Candland. It is co-sponsored by Bucknell University’s Department of Music in partnership with the Bucknell University Gamelan Ensemble. This engagement of Çudamani is made possible through the ArtsCONNECT program Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Service 1st Federal Credit Union’s 27th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Raises $40,000

Service 1st Federal Credit Union held its 27th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Friday, August 27 at Frosty Valley Resort in Danville. During the tournament, Service 1st presented two local charities with donations totaling $40,000.

“Our annual charity golf outing was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic,” said Bill Lavage, President/CEO, Service 1st. “It was heartwarming to see the 150 people who golfed or volunteered at our outing this year. With their support, we raised $40,000 for two local non-profit organizations. It is a wonderful feeling to know we have all worked together to make this possible.”

Beneficiaries of the 27th Annual Service 1st Golf Outing included: Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) and Evangelical Community Hospital Children’s Health and Wellness Program.

“It is always great to see a community come together for a common cause of supporting local groups that benefit everyone,” said Jeff Balestrini, Chair, Service 1st Annual Charity Golf Tournament Committee and Chief Lending Officer, Service 1st. “Since last year’s golf tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, everyone seemed even more enthusiastic to support this year’s event. We are extremely grateful for everyone that helped us raise the proceeds that in turn are donated to these very worthy causes.”

Since 1994, Service 1st’s Annual Charity Golf Tournament has raised $553,500 to benefit area charities. In 2020, Service 1st made the difficult decision to cancel the golf outing due to the pandemic. This year’s tournament included 136 golfers, numerous volunteers, sponsors, and fellow credit unions.

B.U. Film Series Open to the Public

Dr. David Heineman of Bloomsburg University’s Department of Communication Studies will host a weekly film screening in conjunction with his “Persuasion in Popular Film” course, which examines relationships between popular film and culture, highlighting the role of cinema in constructing ideology, identity, and history. Screenings will be followed by Q&A and discussion and will occasionally feature guest experts. All screenings are on Tuesday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Greenly Center Lecture rooms B and C. The screenings are free and open to the public. Masks will be required for everyone attending.

• Sept. 14 American Psycho (2000) (R)
• Sept. 21 Four Oscar-Winning Documentary Shorts (Nine From Little Rock (1964) / If You Love This Planet (1982) / Saving Face (2012) / Period. End of Sentence. (2018)) (R)
• Sept. 28 The Thing from Another World (1951) (NR)
• Oct. 5 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) (PG-13)
• Oct. 12 It Happened One Night (1934) (NR)
• Oct. 19 1917 (2019) (R)
• Oct. 26 Suspiria (1977) (R)
• Nov. 2 Do The Right Thing (1989) (R)
• Nov. 9 The 13th (2016) (NR)
• Nov. 16 The Matrix (1999) (R)
• Nov. 30 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) (R)

While the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan recently passed by the U.S. House would provide much needed funding for Pennsylvania roads, bridges, and rural broadband expansion, Congressman Dan Meuser and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are not supportive of the $3.5 trillion spending bill that is now linked to it. That additional package includes higher tax rates for businesses at a time when employers are struggling with workforce shortages and supply chain disruptions. Meuser and the U.S. Chamber are advocating for the two bills to be voted on separately so that the hard infrastructure plan can move forward.

Congressman Meuser spoke about the negotiations regarding the two plans at a breakfast with Chamber members on September 2nd at Monty’s on Bloomsburg University’s Upper Campus. Laura Manion, Manager of the Great Lakes Region with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also participated. Both were confident there are not enough votes in Congress to pass the larger spending plan. 

Meuser stated that he “didn’t disagree with all of” the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year under the Biden administration, as it provided additional funding for business assistance programs. Many mistakes were made at both the federal and state levels during the early days of the pandemic, according to Meuser, including mandating that businesses close. He advocated for an “open but safe” plan and pointed out to the Wolf administration the disruptions to supply chains for critical industries as a result of the shutdown.

To foster economic recovery, Meuser believes the U.S. needs to hold China’s “feet to the fire” regarding trade agreements to minimize disruptions to supply chains and help maintain U.S. competitiveness. He also discussed the need to be more self sufficient in energy and semiconductor production. Meuser is a sponsor of a bill being referred to as Chips USA that would support the production of semiconductors within the United States. Manion joined Meuser in advocating for the promotion of skilled trades as viable career paths and the importance of exposing middle and high school students to options. 

With the $300 per week federal unemployment bonus payments ending on September 3rd, Meuser believes this will help to ease the workforce crisis. He pointed out that Pennsylvania’s 6.6% unemployment rate for July was significantly higher than the national rate of 5.4%, which takes into account states that ended the bonus payments previously. He also noted the importance of supporting child care to support working families and help develop the future workforce.

The Columbia Montour Chamber will continue discussions at the federal and state levels on policies to support a more robust workforce.