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Upcoming Events
Post-Election Peace, Pizza, and Puzzles Gathering at
the Shaler Library Community is everything. Whether your candidate won or lost on Election Day, our neighbors are still our neighbors. Join us on Wednesday for an evening of puzzling, friendship, and pizza! Drop-bys are welcome, but pre-registration is greatly appreciated so that we have an appropriate age-range of puzzle options and enough pizza for everyone! You can register for this event here. We'll also be collecting food for West View HUB's Thanksgiving food distribution! Requested items include stuffing mix, canned vegetables, gravy, and boxed potatoes. VSO
Appointments Available With last week’s Veterans’ Day celebrations at the top of mind, we want to highlight the services that our Veterans Service Officer (VSO) can provide to those who have served and their families. VSOs are trained and certified to help you with writing and submitting benefits claims, applying for benefits, and finding healthcare and housing. VSOs are also able to help you get the paperwork you need to support your application or claim for benefits. We recommend that Veterans review have an annual review to ensure they are receiving all of the benefits that they earned through their service. They should also have a review performed after personal or financial changes. To assist with this, my office offers American Legion Veterans Service Officer (VSO) appointments every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 9 am - 1 pm. You can meet one-on-one with a VSO who can answer questions about your benefits or perform an eligibility review for you. Upcoming Dates:
Call or email to schedule your one-on-one appointment: 412-364-0469 (Ross) 724-224-2131 (Harrison). Appointments fill up quickly! Good News Story Time at the Shaler North Hills Library Last month, I joined Miss Ing at the Shaler North Hills Library to share a special spooky story and have a mini-dance party with our littlest library lovers. We had an amazing time. If you’d like to join future editions of Miss Ing’s dance parties, or any of the other fun library programming, you can check out the SNHL calendar at Month Calendar | Shaler North Hills Library. Celebrating Elevator Upgrades At Shaler Library After we enjoyed story time at the Shaler North Hills Library, I joined Library Board President Dave Shutter and Director Sharon McRae to celebrate the renovations and upgrades to the Library’s elevator. Funding for this project came from a 2023 Local Share Account (LSA) grant. These grants are funded by the PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and are used to support projects that improve the quality of life of citizens in the community. The elevator renovation is part of SNHL’s larger project to update the building’s upstairs restrooms to meet American Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines and to add a family restroom on the first floor of the building. Full details on that project, including photos and tentative draft plans, can be found here. Groundbreaking at Rachel Carson EcoVillage I was fortunate to attend the Groundbreaking for the new Rachel Carson EcoVillage last week. This new 35-unit housing community will be Pennsylvania’s first EcoVillage, welcoming anyone who wants to be a part of a community that reduces its ecological footprint. This is a wonderful example of intentional community building with both our neighbors and our planet. I’m incredibly proud to be a part of this project and I look forward to being a continued partner in its success! Honoring our Veterans On Monday, I joined residents at Legend Senior Living for a Veterans’ Day Happy Hour celebration and recognition. We had a wonderful visit and I’m looking forward to returning in the coming weeks for a presentation about avoiding scams and keeping your money safe from fraud! Veterans Place Opens Empowering Transitions Facility Also on Veterans’ Day, I joined local Veterans, elected officials, and community members to celebrate the opening of the Veterans Place Empowering Transitions Multi-Purpose Facility. This new facility will provide housing and comprehensive, wrap-around support services for Veterans in need while giving them the dignity they deserve. I am incredibly proud of the work that Veterans Place does every day to support our Veterans and their work to end Veteran homelessness. Legislative Update Passing Legislation to Protect All Victims of Domestic Violence This week, I was glad to vote for HB 1210, legislation that gives judges the ability to order the defendant in a Protection From Abuse (PFA) case to refrain from abusing the victim’s pets. While judges have a wide range of relief that they can order, they lack explicit authority to include pets in a PFA. This legislation, which is now headed to the Governor’s desk for signature, adds an additional layer of protection for victims of domestic abuse by ensuring that their pets are also safe. Thank you to Crisis Center North for visiting my office in Harrisburg in October to talk about how important this legislation is! News You Can Use Don’t Miss the Open Enrollment for Health Insurance Through Pennie! Open enrollment for health insurance through Pennie, Pennsylvania’s health insurance exchange, runs from November 1, 2024 - January 15, 2025 for the 2025 coverage year. No matter who you are or what you do Pennie makes it easy to find the lowest costs on high-quality health coverage. During open enrollment, people and families can sign up for health insurance plans, make changes to their existing coverage, or renew their current plans. It is a critical time for families to ensure they have the necessary health coverage for the upcoming year. Visit Pennie before Wednesday, January 15th to learn more and get enrolled! Medicare Open Enrollment Ends December 7 Medicare Open Enrollment ends Thursday, December 7th! There are many reasons to change your Medicare plan such as when a senior's health, prescriptions, or Medicare Advantage insurance plan’s coverage changes. Open enrollment is your chance to join, switch, or drop Medigap, Medicare Advantage, or Prescription Drug Plans so your individual coverage needs are met. Not sure where to start? PA MEDI Counselors offer free, personalized help with all Medicare-related decisions. All services are free, confidential and delivered by specially trained certified counselors. This is their busiest time of year so call PA MEDI as soon as possible for a phone or video appointment to go over your individual coverage needs. Call the PA MEDI helpline 1-800-783-7067 Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Or visit: PA MEDI - Medicare Counseling | Department of Aging | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Boating and Facilities Grant Program Deadline is Saturday, November 30th! The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is still accepting applications for their Boating Facility Grant Program! The Boating Facility Grant Program provides grants for planning, acquisition, development, expansion, and rehabilitation of public boating facilities located on waterways in Pennsylvania. Funding requests require a 50% match. Applications are due by Saturday, November 30th! Learn more at Apply for the Boating Facility Grant | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
AARP Volunteers Needed for the 2024 Tax Season! The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is looking for individuals to volunteer virtually or in person in a variety of roles to provide help to taxpayers. Volunteers come from a variety of industries & span from retirees to college students. AARP provides the training, support, and volunteers gain new skills while helping those in need! Volunteers can participate in-person or virtually for the following roles:
Learn more about volunteering online or call 1-888-AARP-NOW (1-888-227-7669). SNAP Scam Alert We want to warn our constituents about a potential text message scam targeting those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The scam claims that a user’s EBT card has been deactivated and directs the user to call a number to reactivate it. This is a scam that puts user’s identity information at risk. The PA Department of Human Services (DHS) will never text an individual to say that an EBT card has been deactivated. Remember, DHS never asks for personal information in unsolicited text messages, emails, or phone calls. If someone is claiming to be from or affiliated with the Department and they are asking you for your personal information, it is a scam! Please report any texts or calls about DHS benefits that seem suspicious by calling the DHS fraud tip line at 1-844-DHS-TIPS (1-844-347-8477). As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have by phone at 412-364-0469 (Ross Office), 724-224-2131 (Harrison Office) or by email at [email protected]. My staff will return your call/email within 24 hours (Monday-Friday). |
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