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<p>C. David Pedri</p>

C. David Pedri

The Osterhout Free Library is a dynamic, versatile community center that has been providing exceptional programs and services for over 133 years. More than half of young adults and seniors living in poverty in Luzerne County came to the Osterhout to access the Internet and participate in life enriching programs. They used this access and more to find work, apply to college, secure benefits, learn new skills and file for unemployment. To many, the Osterhout is a lifeline.

Access to the Internet is something many take for granted. Last year, the Osterhout Free Library launched a Mobile Hotspot Lending Program. Since launching the Mobile Hotspot Lending Program, library staff quickly learned that hundreds of households in Luzerne County simply do not have access to the Internet at home. The Mobile Hotspots have become very popular at the Osterhout Free Library as each device is consistently checked out and a waiting list has formed.

After decades of working together, The Luzerne Foundation and the Osterhout Free Library are on a mission to add more devices to the Mobile Hotspot lending program which in turn will allow more Luzerne County residents to take the Internet home. This offers a number of unique benefits such as, but not limited to:

• Helping individuals with employment opportunities.

• Lessening the homework gap for children.

• Opportunity to take online classes.

• Access to telemedicine, especially for seniors.

• Offering connectivity to financially disadvantaged individuals.

• Offering connectivity at community wide events.

• Allowing individuals living with disabilities the option to access the Internet from the comfort of their own home.

The Osterhout Free Library is the main library for the City of Wilkes-Barre and surrounding communities. It also serves as the library system Headquarters for all of Luzerne County so anyone with a Luzerne County Library Card has access to our resources. Mobile Hotspots are available and free to all ages and populations. During the COVID-19 recovery, the library anticipates greater demand for computers and Internet access, the need to assist students making up for lost ground, and application support for government services and employment. Resources like this are especially vital to individuals and families that have limited income and limited access to transportation.

Working together makes our community stronger.

Do you have a cause near to your heart and want to make a difference here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond – please give us a call at the Luzerne Foundation.

Do you want to make our community better? So do we. Let’s do it together.

Because of you and for you, we are … Here for good.™

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C. David Pedri is President and CEO of The Luzerne Foundation. This weekly column series is an advertising partnership between the The Luzerne Foundation and the Times Leader. For more information about the organization, visit www.luzfdn.org or call 570-822-2065.