People who work in vision care were well represented at Northeast Sight Services’ annual awards dinner at the Westmoreland Club. Shown from left are Dr. Sabrina Jones, who is a low-vision optometrist; Krista Rowlands, who works as a technician in Dr. Jones’ office; optometrist Dr. Thomas Urosevich, and Maria Scopelliti, a Geisinger vice president who co-chaired the Northeast Sight Services’ dinner.
Jennifer Hayes of Pittston, second from left, accepted the Arline Phillips Achievement Award Wednesday evening during Northeast Sight Services’ annual awards dinner. She is shown with her escort, Alexander Hahn of Scranton, Northeast Sight Services CEO Amy George Feldman and Northeast Sight Services director of development and marketing Janelle Rushton.
Dr. Alexandra Jayne Stevens of Harveys Lake, at right, an optometrist who recently relocated to the area from Arizona, visits the station staffed by Kris Ahearn, youth programs manager for Northeast Sight Services. At left is Aidan Holman, who has enjoyed many experiences as a member of the Insight Kids Club.
“They’ve helped me with cooking, and being independent,” Jennifer Hayes of Pittston said as guests began to gather at the Westmoreland Club on Wednesday night to celebrate Northeast Sight Services’ annual awards dinner.
Her specialty in the kitchen is scrambled eggs, Hayes said. And preparing meals is just one aspect of her self-reliant spirit, which led Northeast Sight Services to present her with the Arline Phillips Achievement Award, annually given to a client who inspires others.
“She travels on her own, too,” said Janelle Rushton, Northeast Sight Services director of development and marketing. “She thinks nothing of getting on an airplane by herself and going wherever she wants to go.”
As some 270 guests mingled during a social hour before dinner, they were invited to visit several stations that gave information about the programs Northeast Sight Services offers, starting with vision screenings for children throughout Luzerne, Wyoming, Wayne and Pike counties.
The organization also has a Vision Resource Center at their office in Exeter where people with limited vision can find products designed to make a difference, from magnifying glasses to talking clocks to phones with large buttons.
And 20-year-old Aidan Holman was on hand to explain how he has enjoyed being part of the Insight Kids Club, which recently sponsored a trip to Philadelphia. “We saw the Liberty Bell,” Holman said, casually using the verb “saw” even though he lost his vision at age 6 as the result of a brain tumor. The trip also included a visit to the Reading Terminal and to the Magic Gardens, where special tours, heavy on touching the artwork and hearing verbal descriptions, are available for people with low vision.
Holman, who lives in Tunkhannock, is transitioning away from the Insight Kids Club now that he’s out of his teens. “I already have a job,” he said, explaining he works as a greeter at Wyoming County Healthcare Center. “I’d really like to be a teacher for the blind,” he added.
Those who received awards on Wednesday included Jennifer Hayes, whose Arline Phillips Achievement Award was sponsored by Eye Care Specialists; Anzalone & Doyle law firm, whose Marion Pollock Community Partnership Award was sponsored by Dr. Brian O’Donnell and New Era Eye Care; Trion Industries, whose Distinguished Community Service Award was sponsored by Community Bank; and Tiny McCarthy, whose Golden Anna Cervenak Community Impact Award was sponsored by McCarthy Tire Service.
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