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WB General nurses union votes to authorize strike notice if deemed necessary

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Our View: Time for U.S. to look at medical marijuana’s status

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; About 25 volunteers Tuesday quietly wrapped Christmas presents at the Jewish Community Center that will be delivered to more than 600 children in need in Luzerne County.</p><p>The project &#8212; Toys from Heidi &#8212; is in its seventh year and is named after Heidi Mitchneck Seeherman, who died in June 2012 at age 40. Heidi&#8217;s parents, Joe and Bedonna Mitchneck, started the program to memorialize and honor their daughter who worked with children for many years.</p><p>&#8220;Heidi worked with children who were physically challenged and who had special needs,&#8221; Bedonna said. &#8220;Many of the parents of the children Heidi worked with attended her funeral. We never forgot that and we decided to start this program.&#8221;</p><p>Toys from Heidi is a joint project of Temple Israel, the Jewish Community Center of Wyoming Valley, Temple B&#8217;nai B&#8217;rith and Congregation Ohav Zedek. A label goes on every gift. It states: &#8220;Heidi was a young mom who loved her kids and passed away &#8212; so we&#8217;re sharing the love.&#8221;</p><p>Joe and Bedonna Mitchneck, former owners of Master Chemical in Wilkes-Barre, have been married 48 years. They have two other daughters, one is Heidi&#8217;s twin.</p><p>The Mitchnecks said the project is funded through donations. All the gifts are donated, as is the wrapping paper and even Scotch tape.</p><p>&#8220;Donors can purchase gifts and drop them off, or they can send a check,&#8221; Bedonna said. &#8220;We select people to do the shopping and all the gifts are brought here to the JCC for wrapping. The recipients range in age from infants to 12 years old, but some are older.&#8221;</p><p>Sharon Cohen was wrapping gifts for the first time. Her sister, Connie Roth, was also wrapping, along with Sharon&#8217;s friend, Cindy Levinson, who has been wrapping gifts since the program began.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s such a good cause,&#8221; Cohen said. &#8220;I just wanted to come over and help out.&#8221;</p><p>Levinson said the program seems to grow every year.</p><p>The gift wrapping session will last all day, Joe Mitchneck said. And when the wrapping is done, the gifts will be placed in boxes and delivered to all the participating agencies who then distribute them to kids.</p><p>&#8220;Over the years, we&#8217;ve gotten it down to a smooth operation,&#8221; Joe said. &#8220;Everything moves along.&#8221;</p><p>Bedonna said there is no limit on what a donor can spend on a gift.</p><p>Barbara Sugarman, adult cultural director at the JCC, called Toys from Heidi an awesome project.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important for all of us to work together,&#8221; Sugarman said. &#8220;Every year, this project meets a lot of community needs that wouldn&#8217;t be met otherwise.&#8221;</p><p>Added Bedonna: &#8220;We hope that children who don&#8217;t have a lot get something special through Toys from Heidi.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Anita Coplan, Pat Dobrowski, Teena Wrubel and Marlene Lukacinsky wrap gifts for children during the Toys from Heidi wrapping session at the Jewish Community Center in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. The project will deliver gifts to more than 600 needy children this holiday season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Wrap1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Anita Coplan, Pat Dobrowski, Teena Wrubel and Marlene Lukacinsky wrap gifts for children during the Toys from Heidi wrapping session at the Jewish Community Center in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday. The project will deliver gifts to more than 600 needy children this holiday season. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Wrap3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Cindy Levinson, Sara Pisarz and Connie Roth wrap gifts for the Toys from Heidi project at the Jewish Community Center on Tuesday. The gifts will help brighten the holidays for some 600 children in need. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Wrap3.jpg</photo1><caption1>Cindy Levinson, Sara Pisarz and Connie Roth wrap gifts for the Toys from Heidi project at the Jewish Community Center on Tuesday. The gifts will help brighten the holidays for some 600 children in need. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Wrap2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joe and Bedonna Mitchneck sort through children&#8217;s gifts at the Jewish Community Center during a wrapping session Tuesday for Toys from Heidi, a project in honor of their late daughter. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_TTL121218Wrap2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Joe and Bedonna Mitchneck sort through children&#8217;s gifts at the Jewish Community Center during a wrapping session Tuesday for Toys from Heidi, a project in honor of their late daughter. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></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>

More than 600 children to receive Toys from Heidi this Christmas