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Jack Williams Tire adds second downtown Scranton location

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Beyond the Byline: Congrats to George Toma ‘and then some’

PLAINS TWP. &mdash; Friends, loved ones and many more people who knew the late T.J. Long gathered on Sunday for a mini-benefit and walk in support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on Sunday afternoon.
				The event was hosted by Plains Pub, and owner Dave Kizis was more than happy to help.
				&ldquo;It feels nice to give back, and especially for a cause like this,&rdquo; Kizis said. &ldquo;This is a huge problem and any way we could help out, we will &#8230; it was a no-brainer.&rdquo;
				Long, born in Kingston and raised in Wilkes-Barre, died in 2017. He was 22 years old.
				&ldquo;They say it gets easier, but it never does,&rdquo; said T.J.&rsquo;s sister, Ashley Long. &ldquo;But to see all these people here that cared about T.J. is incredible.&rdquo;
				The benefit was organized jointly between the pub and members of Long&rsquo;s family, namely his parents Mike and Pam Elliott. They were wearing specially made shirts with the slogan &ldquo;Keep on Keepin&rsquo; On&rdquo; written on the front.
				&ldquo;It was one of T.J.&rsquo;s favorite sayings,&rdquo; Pam said. &ldquo;He was such a special kid.&rdquo;
				Others wore shirts honoring loved ones that they&rsquo;d lost to suicide, whether it be a member of their family or a friend. The colors teal and purple were prominent throughout the crowd to symbolize suicide prevention awareness.
				&ldquo;Sometimes suicide can be a bit of a hush-hush subject,&rdquo; Ashley said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to talk about.&rdquo;
				Food and drinks were served by the pub under a tent behind the building, where a big-screen TV had the Eagles game on and tables were set up for people to sit and relax. Kizis said that he would donate 25% of the proceeds from Sunday&rsquo;s food sales to AFSP.
				Along the side of the lot, a raffle table was set up with baskets containing tons of different prizes. By last count, over $1,750 was raised on just the raffle baskets alone.
				&ldquo;We started with just a couple of baskets, and then they just kept coming,&rdquo; said Mike Elliott. &ldquo;I think we ended up with around 60 baskets.&rdquo;
				Even before the actual walk, close to 200 people showed up to offer their support or to donate money to the cause, according to Elliott.
				&ldquo;We&rsquo;re so blessed to have this awesome support system,&rdquo; he said.

Event raises funds to benefit suicide prevention