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The Plains Lions Club donates to SS Peter and Paul Parish food bank

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Fundraising Professionals announce National Philanthropy Day Leadership Team

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Mike Glasson proudly accepted his pin from Norm Gavlick, executive director of the Luzerne County Transportation Authority, Wednesday at the Intermodal Transportation Center.</p><p>The pin allowed Glasson and all veterans a free ride on LCTA buses on Veterans Day. It&#8217;s a promotion the agency has conducted for years, Gavlick said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s great that LCTA is giving something back to the veterans,&#8221; Glasson, 61, of Wilkes-Barre Township said. &#8220;Veterans deserve all they can get.&#8221;</p><p>Glasson served as a Staff Sergeant with the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam. He was hit with shrapnel and returned home unable to walk. He gets around in a motorized wheelchair and depends on the LCTA to get him where he needs to go.</p><p>&#8220;I ride the buses to my appointments, especially at the VA,&#8221; Glasson said. &#8220;That&#8217;s where I get my medicines and where I see my doctors.&#8221;</p><p>Glasson said if it weren&#8217;t for LCTA buses, he wouldn&#8217;t be able to get anywhere. He said he also uses the bus to go shopping.</p><p>Bob Chapin has been driving an LCTA bus for 43 years. A U.S. Army veteran, Chapin served overseas in Germany. He wore his LCTA commemorative pin on his LCTA jacket.</p><p>&#8220;Veterans deserve all they can get,&#8221; Chapin said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been through a lot and they served our country.&#8221;</p><p>To get a pin and the free rides, veterans were asked to show the bus driver their military ID card, VA Medical Card or Certificate of Discharge. They then received their commemorative pin, which served as their bus ticket for the entire day.</p><p>LCTA also presents pins to employees who are veterans &#8212; from drivers to mechanics to administrative staff who collectively represent every branch and numerous operations.</p><p>&#8220;As a veteran myself, I am happy to be part of an organization that recognizes the sacrifices made by the brave men and women that have served our country in the Armed Forces,&#8221; said Lou Lyons, U.S. Army veteran and LCTA bus driver.</p><p>The promotion hit home with Lorri Vandermark, LCTA marketing coordinator. Vandermark&#8217;s husband, Frank, died on Aug. 13. He was a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force.</p><p>&#8220;It means a lot to me for my employer, LCTA, to do this for all veterans,&#8221; Vandermark said.</p><p>She said her father served during World War II and her son also served in the U.S. Air Force.</p><p>Eric Pandiscio, 82, of Wilkes-Barre, served in the U.S. Air Force in 1951-52 during the Korean War. A native of Brooklyn, NY, Pandiscio said he already rides LCTA buses free with his senior citizens status.</p><p>&#8220;I just wanted a pin,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a nice thing they are doing for veterans.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111215VetsLCTA.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Norm Gavlick Executive Director of LCTA thanks  Mike Gasson a disbaled Vietnam Air Force veteran for his service after giving him a LCTA thank you button that will allow Mike to ride the LCTA buses for free all day Wednesday.  Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111215VetsLCTA.jpg</photo0><caption0>Norm Gavlick Executive Director of LCTA thanks  Mike Gasson a disbaled Vietnam Air Force veteran for his service after giving him a LCTA thank you button that will allow Mike to ride the LCTA buses for free all day Wednesday.  Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111215VetsLCTA2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">LCTA gave commemorative pins to veterans Wednesday, allowing them to ride free all day. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111215VetsLCTA2.jpg</photo1><caption1>LCTA gave commemorative pins to veterans Wednesday, allowing them to ride free all day. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Veterans offered free rides on LCTA buses on Veterans Day