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Wilkes grad Bo Ryan resigns from coaching post at Wisconsin

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Installation of traffic signals at Wilkes University crosswalk to affect traffic in South Main, South Franklin streets

<p>NANTICOKE &#8212; A Toys &#8220;R&#8221; Us gift card paid for from donations and intended to provide presents for economically disadvantaged grade school students at Greater Nanticoke Area appeared for sale on at least one Facebook page, prompting swift response from a district employee and stinging rebukes from online observers.</p><p>&#8220;I noticed the lady was selling the gift card shortly after picking up the donation for my son,&#8221; Tricia Shilanskis said. &#8220;I immediately took screen shots and sent them to the secretary at the elementary center, making them aware of her actions.&#8221;</p><p>Shilanskis said the district told her the number on the card matched one of those handed out by the district. Shortly after that, an employee from the district identifying herself as Bonnie Dembowski posted a warning urging others not to buy the cards. &#8220;These cards were given to you as a Christmas drive donation for your children,&#8221; she wrote.</p><p>Superintendent Ronald Grevera confirmed Shilanskis&#8217; account, and said he hoped the incident would not mar an otherwise worthy program conducted annually by the district.</p><p>After news of the card&#8217;s source was posted, several people who had expressed an interest quickly rescinded, and the criticism commenced.</p><p>&#8220;This is pathetic,&#8221; one person wrote.</p><p>&#8220;My daughter and other mothers would be so grateful to receive such a wonderful gift to help at Christmas,&#8221; another commented.</p><p>&#8220;My children received this last year and it was a great help &#8230; they where (sic) unfortunately denied this year, and then I see someone selling theirs when it could have been returned and given to another family,&#8221; a third offered.</p><p>Shilanskis stressed she did not forward the screen shot to the district &#8220;as a revengeful thing,&#8221; but felt the attempted sale was inappropriate. &#8220;When you donate something, you don&#8217;t take that for granted. You don&#8217;t take (the cards) knowing you are going to sell them. I think it&#8217;s a shame,&#8221; she said.</p><p>The post was removed from the site, NEPA Rummage Sale, and is no longer available. There was no response to a message sent to a person listed as one of the page&#8217;s administrators.</p><p>Superintendent Ronald Grevera said it was the first time he has seen such an attempt in his two years with the district, and it was a single bad mark on a program that has helped hundreds annually.</p><p>According to state data, 62 percent of the students in Greater Nanticoke Area schools are economically disadvantaged &#8212; the third highest rate in Luzerne County behind Hazleton Area and Wilkes-Barre Area.</p><p>Grevera said for years the district has raised money through donations from teachers, vendors, residents and by holding events, all to help low-income students or others facing hardships that year. &#8220;I gave $200 myself,&#8221; he noted.</p><p>The district also holds food drives to contribute to the local food bank, he added. In all cases, it&#8217;s donations only; no money comes from the district budget.</p><p>Teachers choose students from kindergarten to sixth grade as possible recipients, and gift cards or other items are provided until the money runs out, Grevera said. Typically, he added, they start by picking one student from each homeroom, and usually have some left to give out additional gifts.</p><p>Abuse of gift cards was a concern, Grevera added. The district switched last year from giving grocery store gift cards to cards for Toys &#8220;R&#8221; Us and Babies &#8220;R&#8221; Us because, &#8220;I was worried people might use the grocery cards to buy cigarettes or magazines,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Last year,there was enough money to give Toys &#8220;R&#8221; Us gift cards and some food items, Grevera said. This year, only gift cards were provided. He was unsure of the exact number but said about 150 cards were handed out.</p><p>District Solicitor Vito DeLuca said he was not familiar with details of the program and he had not heard about a parent trying to sell a gift card, but he suspected the district could not legally control what a person does with the card once it is provided.</p><p>For starters, DeLuca said, the district could not know the circumstances that may have prompted a person to try to sell a card.</p><p>In response to a Facebook request for comment, the parent apparently associated with the card said she had a card &#8220;from my child&#8217;s grandmother. I do not know what any of this is pertaining to,&#8221; and that people &#8220;need to get there(sic) facts straight.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Was intended to provide presents for economically disadvantaged children</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Toys R Us gift card meant for Nanticoke grade school students put up for sale online