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A Heart of Gratitude
Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial start of summer. As we reflect on the holiday weekend’s festivities and begin June, I want to express my gratitude to all who honored and remembered the servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Communities throughout our district held memorial services and parades to pay tribute to our service members. I was honored to participate in Troy’s impressive Memorial Day parade and to speak at the Windfall Memorial Day ceremony. While this year’s Memorial Day has passed, I encourage you to maintain a spirit of gratitude, respect and admiration. As I shared in my remarks last week at the Windfall Memorial Day ceremony, I encourage you to remember, when you see the American flag, that our freedom is a result of the sacrifices made by our soldiers.
What does gratitude look like???
It’s the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness.
How do we show that appreciation to those who have fallen for our freedom?
That should happen every time we see the stars and stripes.
The very flag that the American soldier stood beside when they took their oath.
The flag that was placed over their casket.
The flag that was folded and handed to their loved ones.
WHEN YOU SEE THAT FLAG, SHOW APPRECIATION!
May we show appreciation every time we say the pledge or hear our anthem.
Yes, let our hearts be repositioned to show appreciation to the men and women who actively give; and those who gave; and those who we remember today who sacrifice for you and for me.
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Education Outside of the Classroom
I had a special visitor last week. Daniel, an eighth grader from Williamson Jr./Sr. High School, shadowed me for the day, and it was great having him! We chatted about my job as a state representative, and he saw how our office helps people in our district. Our county commissioners joined us at the courthouse, and we talked about how the local, county, state, and federal governments all work together – each doing its own thing, but all helping build a strong community. Later in the day, we met Jason Gehman, PRSM’S CEO. I appreciate him showing us around PRSM Healthcare and talking about his work boosting local business and his commitment to community jobs and growth. Daniel received a good look at how local business owners and government work together to create sustainable employment and growth in our area.
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Lunch and Learn
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| Pictured from left to right: Me, Leah Arthur, Nick Volpe, Chase Cole and Karsen Kennedy |
Last week, I had the unique opportunity to sit down and have lunch with C&N Bank’s interns, chatting about issues that impact the banking industry, the legislative process and how public policies affect their daily work. I appreciate C&N Bank’s investment in these young professionals and their commitment to build up leaders in our community. It’s always great meeting future leaders. We talked about the importance of community involvement, positive relationships and teamwork. I appreciate C&N Bank’s commitment to community building and its dedication to creating a strong and sustainable community.
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Continued Education
Over the past several months we were so blessed to have Will Gowin join our team as our first intern! Will did such an amazing job and served our area with a humble servant’s heart. Will headed up several projects including our Human Trafficking Awareness Nights and our Future Entrepreneur Summit. He was also able to spend two days in Harrisburg watching us work with and train our new members during their extended orientation. Will’s future is looking bright! He has already taken proactive steps in helping build a brighter future for Tioga County, and we look forward to seeing where his future takes him.
While in Harrisburg, Will had an opportunity to be interviewed. You can see him in the “hot seat” here.
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Scam Alert: Traffic Tickets
The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) is advising the public to stay vigilant against a recently reported text message scam involving the Pennsylvania court system.
The scam text messages claim “records show that as of today, there is an outstanding traffic ticket” which must be paid via a scam URL. The text goes on to outline fictitious actions and penalties that will be taken if the ticket is not paid including license and vehicle suspension, criminal prosecution and negative impacts to personal credit scores.
The AOPC will never place calls or send text messages to anyone soliciting payment by credit card, gift card, or any other means of electronic funds transfer for any reason.
If you receive this text, contact state and/or local police as well as the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or scams@attorneygeneral.gov.
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Highlighting Veteran-Owned Businesses
Many veterans who have honorably served our country return home and continue contributing to their communities by starting their own business. I recently voted in support of legislation that would create a logo signifying a business is owned by a veteran.
House Bill 993 calls on the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to work with the state Department of Community and Economic Development to create a logo and process by which a veteran business owner could apply and receive approval to use the logo. Any business owner falsely using the logo would be subject to fines.
The bill received unanimous support in the House and is now pending consideration in the Senate.
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Education Aid for Military, Veterans
In recognition of May as National Military Appreciation Month, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is encouraging veterans, service members and their families to take advantage of the financial aid opportunities available to them, especially through the PA Military State Aid Programs.
The PA National Guard Military Family Education Program (MFEP) is a tuition assistance program for dependents (spouses and children) of PA Guard members who commit to an additional six years of service with the National Guard. More information is available at pheaa.org/MFEP.
The PA National Guard Educational Assistance Program (EAP) provides financial assistance for guard member students who enter into a six-year service commitment with the PA National Guard. More information is available at pheaa.org/EAP.
Additional resources on funding opportunities available to service members and their families can be found at pheaa.org/militarybenefits.
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New Sextortion Scam Blackmails Children
A disturbing new scam involves organized groups of Nigerian cybercriminals targeting American children online. After befriending them – sometimes even posing as their classmates – and exchanging nude photos, the criminals blackmail them and demand money.
Organized Nigerian criminals have increased this practice, known as sextortion, by 1,000% in the last 18 months. It can cause unthinkable consequences, including suicide, after a child is told the images will be sent to their family, friends and everyone in their school if they don’t pay.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children offers a helpful tool to anyone facing this overwhelming scenario. Take It Down is a free service that allows a child to have a “hash value” – essentially a digital fingerprint – assigned to the photo being used against them. The “hash value” is then sent out to participating sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and even pornography sites that put a block on the image so it cannot be seen, shared or spread, rendering it useless for the blackmailer. A child never has to upload the photo to the service, nor does anyone ever view the image in the process.
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