SCRANTON, Pa. — You can give back to your community on Friday, June 3, 2022, without ever leaving your home. It's a 24-hour fundraising marathon, and it's underway right now. It's called NEPA Gives.
The online event runs all day Friday, June 3, 2022, until 11:59 p.m. Newswatch 16's Elizabeth Worthington has a look at the event from one of the non-profits benefiting from the online fundraiser, the Ritz Theater and Performing Arts Center in Scranton.
The Ritz Theater has been a part of downtown Scranton's landscape since 1906.
After more than a century of film and live performances, the theater temporarily closed its doors in the early 2000s.
"It laid dormant for quite a while after that. And now it is, again, both a film theater, because they do show films here, but we have live theater going. So it's been revived several times, and we want to keep that history going," said Karl Barbee from the Ritz Foundation.
The goal of the Ritz Foundation is to preserve both the historic structure itself and the community's passion for the arts.
One of the main ways the nonprofit accomplishes that is through scholarships for kids.
"This is such a great opportunity for a child to be able to come to the stage in an environment like this, and we need to make sure that money is never a barrier for them to do so," said Mary Rapach from the Ritz Foundation.
The Ritz Foundation is just one of the more than 200 nonprofits in Northeastern Pennsylvania that are hoping for a boost today from NEPA Gives.
The 24-hour online fundraiser is billed as the single largest day of philanthropy in this area.
People can go to the website, find a non-profit, and donate straight to the organization.
NEPA Gives started in 2020 to help places hit hard by the pandemic.
"So, this started in 2020 as a way of bringing attention to all the important work that nonprofits in the area are doing, especially with the pandemic, a lot of needs were exacerbated," explained Frank Caputo from the Scranton Area Community Foundation. "So, the idea with NEPA Gives was to have one central hub where people can come and donate to area nonprofits. They can do that either by supporting organizations that they know and that they trust or by searching for causes things like homelessness, animal welfare, equity."
Community groups from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Carbon, and Susquehanna counties came together for the project.
In 2020, NEPA gives raised over $500,000. In 2021, it raised $1,244,556
There are more than 240 organizations across eight counties participating in the fundraiser this year.
Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving residents in northeastern PA can participate in NEPA Gives, and, anyone can donate!
Another organization hoping for some support is Neighborworks which focuses on homeownership and neighborhood revitalization.
If you donate to the nonprofit on Friday, here's where your money will be going to.
"Great services that help people in terms of purchasing your first home, staying in their home if they're an older adult, and keeping their home and their neighborhood in great shape, no matter what their ages are, or who they are," said Gerard Hetman from NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Although NEPA Gives is a virtual fundraiser, there are still plenty of ways to get involved on Friday in person.
The Ritz Theater is playing host to activities all day long, including a drag show at 7 p.m.
From 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hilton, there will be giveaways, live entertainment, and opportunities to meet the people who run the nonprofits you're donating to.
NEPA Gives will accept donations online until 11:59 Friday night.
Check out the Youtube video below to see how NEPA Gives benefits non-profits in our area.