Be a Neighbor

Koni Bennett, the owner of one of the only boutique salons in the area (and one of the first) servicing a multiethnic clientele: V A N I T Y Boutique Salon, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. We were excited to get her insight about being a business owner, her time in West Scranton and why she chose to start a business here.

Annette Palutis, former teacher at North Scranton for 27 years, West Scranton icon, and member of our West Scranton steering committee, joins hosts Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman in this episode of the Be a Neighbor podcast. As a lifelong West Sider and community pillar, we were excited to get her insight about her time in West Scranton, memories of the community, and hopes for future development in West Scranton.

Welcome to the first episode of Be a Neighbor, the official podcast of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania.

In this episode you will meet your hosts: Parker Dorsey and Gerard Hetman, as we discuss a little bit about ourselves and our roles at NeighborWorks, and why connecting with the community is important.

We provide a brief history of NeighborWorks, and how we are committed to revitalizing neighborhoods and creating opportunities for individuals and families to improve their lives through quality housing and financial guidance. We also discuss our three main program areas: the Homeownership Center, Aging in Place and Neighborhood Revitalization.

Parker and Gerard also outline the vision for the podcast for the next few episodes: highlighting the West Scranton community (the people, businesses, history and more), and by proxy, our West Scranton Neighborhood Plan.