High School Sports Notebook: PIAA still planning to play fall sports

5 more MLB players positive for COVID, raising total to 80

We&rsquo;re midway through 2020 now (thankfully), and the future is just as uncertain today as it was back in March.
				Things are changing daily for all of us &#8211; which has been the only constant this year. We are often struck by how surreal these last few months have been, which has included things we had never expected to be commonplace: masks, social distancing, and the high demand for toilet paper.
				And while the pandemic has certainly affected us all by changing our routines and daily lives, it has not changed the importance and need for community services that help those most vulnerable in our local community. In fact, in many cases, it has even increased those needs.
				Talk to any nonprofit organization and they&rsquo;ll tell you the same. Regardless of the conditions of our current lives, at Northeast Sight Services, we&rsquo;ve seen our needs as an organization and of our clients&rsquo; increase.
				We&rsquo;ve also seen funding drop.
				As a result of multiple factors &#8211; struggling businesses, foundation and individual support being directed at specific COVID-19 related issues, and the fact that unemployment has skyrocketed &#8211; fundraising has been a challenge this year.
				Our organization, specifically, relies heavily on local individual and organizational contributions. Without this support, there is no doubt that services would have to be cut &#8211; and at a time when they are most needed.
				Undoubtedly our programs have needed to change due to the pandemic. Considering most of our clients are at the highest risk of serious complications due to COVID-19, we&rsquo;ve ensured that we&rsquo;re not only following all federal and statewide protocols but that we are cautious in all services provided. Our monthly in-person group educational and social programs have been changed to virtual calls, which include book clubs, trivia nights, support groups, and so much more! These connections are more important to our clients than ever.
				We also want to ensure that people remain in their homes through these trying times &#8211; and so we have made it an important goal to continue to help people read their mail, get their groceries, write checks and fill out applications and paperwork. But this has been done in a thoughtful and safe manner, in order to mitigate the spread of this virus.
				All of this said, we couldn&rsquo;t do this without you &#8211; which is why it is so essential to continue to support your favorite local nonprofits &#8211; and if that is Northeast Sight Services, better yet! While we (and all of our community partners throughout Luzerne County) understand that not everyone is in a position to help this year, we hope you&rsquo;ll consider a gift to our agency.
				A mailing and email donation request was sent to Northeast Sight Services&rsquo; past contributors this week. If you were not included, and would like to be, contact us at 570-693-3555 or visit us at www.northeastsight.org.
				Thank you again for your wonderful support to our agency and to those who are blind and visually impaired in our local community.
				We continue to be fortunate that so many of our partners and contributors are still involved and want to make a difference &#8211; both voluntarily and through monetary support.

Their view: Continued support of nonprofits is vital