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One S. Church Street, Suite 200, Hazleton, PA 18201 |
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CAN DO News
News and information about CAN DO for the community, investors, volunteers and board members.
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The CAN DO Student Action Committee marked the 25th anniversary of CAN DO Community Christmas when the annual celebration was held Wednesday at Christ Lutheran Church in Hazleton.
The free event was designed around a theme of “Come Celebrate the Arts” and featured musical performances by students from schools throughout Greater Hazleton, refreshments, a Letters to Santa table where children wrote their Christmas wishes and a visit from Santa Claus himself.
This year’s performers included the MMI Preparatory School Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Tina Lizbinski, the McAdoo-Kelayres Elementary/Middle School Mustang Chorus under the direction of Sandra Hoppey, the Hazleton Area High School Chamber Singers under the direction of Kim Sharonoff, the Hazleton Area High School Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Joseph Stefanko and the Heights Terrace Elementary School Third Grade Chorus under the direction of Rachel Brimmer.
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Kelley Major and C.J. Graaf embody the strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit that has come to define Greater Hazleton residents and put the area on the map as one of the best places to do business. In just four years, Major and Graaf have combined their passion for making all-natural, hand-poured soy candles with hard work and dedication to grow into an international business shipping upwards of 200 candles a day. With the company continuing to expand, Candelles became the newest tenant of the CAN BE Business Innovation Center in the Valmont Industrial Park in early November. CAN BE is a subsidiary of CAN DO, Greater Hazleton’s economic development organization.
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The CAN DO Student Action Committee will host CAN DO Community Christmas this Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 210 West Green Street, in downtown Hazleton. Pictured are, from left: Nancy Stasko, CAN DO Student Action Committee co-adviser; Sandra Hoppey, McAdoo/Kelayres Elementary/Middle School chorus director; Corrin Dagostin, CAN DO Community Christmas co-chair; Kim Sharonoff, Hazleton Area High School Chamber Singers director; Joseph Stefanko, Hazleton Area High School Jazz Ensemble director; and Charles Burkhardt, CAN DO Student Action Committee co-adviser. Missing from photo are: Tina Lizbinski, MMI Preparatory School Chamber Ensemble director, and Rachel Brimmer, Heights Terrace Elementary School third grade chorus director.
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Downtown Hazleton’s revitalization is moving ahead full steam on the north side of Broad Street between Wyoming and Laurel streets, where construction crews are working on the future home of Broad and Barrel, an Irish style pub and restaurant that is expected to open in mid 2018.
CAN DO, Inc. purchased the building at 21-23 West Broad Street a year ago as part of its continuing commitment to the downtown with plans to renovate it into a beautiful addition to the streetscape and to attract a tenant like the one that will be leasing the building to operate the eatery.
Gottstein Chiriboga Holdings, Inc., has entered into a lease agreement with CAN DO for the building with plans on offering a pub-style lunch and dinner menu, craft and domestic beers, a full bar and entertainment several nights a week, said Scott Gottstein, a Gottstein Chiriboga vice president. The corporation is owned by Scott, his parents Ken and Barbara, sister, Kathy and her husband, Pablo.
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Silver bells will ringing as CAN DO Community Christmas marks its 25th anniversary. The CAN DO Student Action Committee will host the annual event featuring musical performances from students throughout Greater Hazleton on Wednesday, December 6 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, located on the corner of Church and Green streets in downtown Hazleton.
The public is invited to attend this free event, which features performances by choral groups, orchestras and jazz bands. This year’s performers include the MMI Preparatory School Chamber Ensemble under the direction of Tina Lizbinski, the McAdoo-Kelayres Elementary/Middle School Mustang Chorus under the direction of Sandra Hoppey, the Hazleton Area High School Chamber Singers under the direction of Kim Sharonoff, the Hazleton Area High School Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Joseph Stefanko and the Heights Terrace Elementary School Third Grade Chorus under the direction of Rachel Brimmer.
In addition to the music, children can make their Christmas lists at the Letters to Santa table and visit with Santa Claus himself at the end of the evening. CAN DO Student Action Committee members will be on hand to greet attendees, serve refreshments and help children craft their letters to Santa. Student Action Committee co-adviser Nancy Stasko said that the Student Action Committee members are looking forward to bringing the community together to celebrate the holiday season.
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The CAN DO Student Action Committee delivered a collection of dozens of boxes of items to the American Legion Post 473 in Freeland Thursday as part of the 13th annual Operation: CAN DO drive.
The collected food, entertainment and personal hygiene items will be used to create care packages that will be delivered to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving abroad who have ties to Greater Hazleton. Numerous school groups, businesses and individuals from throughout Greater Hazleton participated in the collection of the items.
Charles Burkhardt, Student Action Committee co-adviser, thanked the community for its generosity to this year’s Operation: CAN DO drive and urged community members to share the names and contact information of any military members with ties to Greater Hazleton.
Those with family members or friends serving abroad who would like their relatives or friends to receive one of the packages can submit names and contact information to CAN DO, c/o Nancy Stasko, 1 S. Church St., 200 Renaissance Center, Hazleton, PA 18201. They may also call 570-455-1508 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nancy Stasko, Student Action Committee co-adviser, said, “Operation: CAN DO is a very heartwarming project for the Student Action Committee members each year because it’s a chance for the community to come together to show support to the servicemen and servicewomen from our community who commit their lives to serving our country.”
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Students from elementary/middle and high schools throughout Greater Hazleton teamed up with the CAN DO Student Action Committee to collect dozens of boxes of non-perishable food and personal hygiene items as part of the 13th annual Operation: CAN DO drive. The items collected will be used to create care packages for military members with ties to Greater Hazleton who will be stationed overseas for the holidays.
The Student Action Committee coordinates this project every year as a thank you to our many local servicemen and servicewomen and would like to see each one of those military members receive a package in time for the upcoming holiday season. Residents throughout Greater Hazleton are encouraged to submit names and addresses of any family members or friends who are actively serving in the military and have ties to Greater Hazleton. Names can be submitted to Nancy Stasko, Student Action Committee adviser, by calling 570-455-1508 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Names can also be mailed to “Operation: CAN DO,” c/o Nancy Stasko, 1 S. Church St., Suite 200, Hazleton, PA 18201.
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Scott Gottstein received the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce during the Chamber’s annual Business and Community Awards Luncheon on October 26. CAN BE (Community Association for New Business Entrepreneurship), the entrepreneurial arm of CAN DO, Inc., continued its annual sponsorship of the award.
The purpose of this award is to promote the development of future business owners, under the age of 35, within Greater Hazleton. CAN DO Coordinator of Entrepreneurial Services Jocelyn Sterenchock presented Gottstein with the award during the ceremony.
“Scott Gottstein truly embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that we have here in Northeast PA. He’s invested a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication into his many business ventures and is certainly a deserving recipient of this year’s award. I am excited to see the many great things that Scott and his staff have planned throughout Greater Hazleton,” Sterenchock said.
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The CAN DO Student Action Committee is seeking donations for the 13th annual Operation: CAN DO drive that creates care packages that are sent to military service members stationed overseas.
Committee members kicked off this year’s campaign earlier this month when they sent letters to area schools and businesses requesting goods or monetary donations. The students, in cooperation with American Legion Home Association Post 473 in Freeland, will use the items to create care packages to send to servicemen and servicewomen with ties to Greater Hazleton who will be stationed abroad for the holidays.
The Student Action Committee is requesting a variety of non-perishable food, personal hygiene and entertainment items, such as tuna or chicken salad kits, energy bars, gloves, lip balm, magazines and puzzle books. For a complete list of items appropriate for donation, contact CAN DO Director of Administration and Student Action Committee co-advisor Nancy Stasko at 570-455-1508 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Items will be collected through October 26 at Arc Electric, 123 Warren Street in West Hazleton, or at the CAN DO office on the second floor of the Renaissance Center, 1 South Church Street in Hazleton, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All items will be transported to the Freeland American Legion Post 473 where they will be packaged in November for shipping overseas.
Businesses or individuals who would like to make monetary donations are asked to make checks payable to “Operation: CAN DO.” Donations may be sent to “Operation: CAN DO,” c/o Nancy Stasko, 1 South Church St., Suite 200, Hazleton, PA 18201.
Local residents are also encouraged to submit names and addresses of servicemen and servicewomen with ties to Greater Hazleton who are serving abroad. Names can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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CAN DO, Inc. recently appointed Charles F. McElwee III as its Economic Development Specialist and Jocelyn Sterenchock as the Coordinator of Entrepreneurial Services.
CAN DO President and CEO Kevin O’Donnell said, “We are delighted to welcome Charles and Jocelyn to CAN DO. Their backgrounds and previous work experience will complement our efforts to facilitate job growth in the community and they will undoubtedly become valuable members of the CAN DO team. Business financing and entrepreneurship are two core components of CAN DO’s strategic plan and we are very excited to have found the perfect fit in both roles so that our organization can continue to serve the Greater Hazleton community in these vital areas.”
