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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Team Navient and the Navient Foundation have again gotten into the spirit of giving this holiday season, donating $21,000 &mdash; $750 each &mdash; to 28 local charities.
				&ldquo;Additionally, as part of our year-long giving to Luzerne County Head Start, the Navient-sponsored classroom at Head Start had a virtual visit from Santa, who read the students a holiday-themed book,&rdquo; said Brianna Huff, Communications Specialist/Corporate Communications at Navient in Wilmington, Delaware. &ldquo;Each child and their family members were also given gifts.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;Navient has such great friends and community,&rdquo; said Lisa Stashik, vice president of the office of customer advocates at Navient. &ldquo;We take great pride in partnering with many of our local charities to help those in need, not just during the holidays but throughout the year. This year, we&rsquo;ve had to do things a little differently in giving back to those in need, but as we close 2020, we want to thank all those who help the less fortunate, those who care for the sick and all of us who live, work and play in Northeastern Pennsylvania.&rdquo;
				The local charities that will each receive $750 are:
				&#8226; American Red Cross
				&#8226; Candy&rsquo;s Place
				&#8226; Catholic Social Services
				&#8226; Citizens&rsquo; Voice Newspapers in Education
				&#8226; Cori&rsquo;s Place
				&#8226; Domestic Violence Service Center
				&#8226; Family Services of NEPA
				&#8226; McAuley Center
				&#8226; NEPA Philharmonic
				&#8226; Ruth&rsquo;s Place
				&#8226; Salvation Army
				&#8226; St. Vincent DePaul Kitchen
				&#8226; Victims&rsquo; Resource Center
				&#8226; Volunteers in Medicine
				&#8226; Volunteers of America
				&#8226; Wyoming Valley Children&rsquo;s Association
				&#8226; American Cancer Society
				&#8226; Geisinger Cancer Center
				&#8226; Gravestone Manor (United Way)
				&#8226; Puck Cancer/Medical Oncology Associates
				&#8226; Serendipity Therapeutic Riding, LLC
				&#8226; Valley with a Heart
				&#8226; Jewish Community Center
				&#8226; FM Kirby Center
				&#8226; Hillside Farms
				&#8226; Riverfront Parks Committee
				&#8226; WVIA
				&#8226; YMCA
				&ldquo;One of Navient&rsquo;s values is &ldquo;we&rsquo;re stronger together,&rdquo; Stashik said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s one of the reasons we focus on improving the communities in which our people live and work.&rdquo;
				In addition to supporting many local organizations in Northeast Pennsylvania, nationally, Stashik said Navient has long supported the YMCA, Junior Achievement, Reading is Fundamental, Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other organizations.
				Stashik said since Navient was established in 2014, its Wilkes Barre site has held an annual &ldquo;Day of Giving&rdquo; event with local nonprofits. Due to the pandemic, the event could not be held this year. Stashik said the &ldquo;Day of Giving&rdquo; actually dates back to 2010. At that time, the organization was Sallie Mae; Navient spun off from Sallie Mae later.
				Stashik said Navient employs more than 800 people in Northeast Pennsylvania.
				&ldquo;I feel very fortunate to work for a company that takes pride in giving back to the community,&rdquo; said Eileen Halesey, senior administrative assistant at Navient. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to be counted among the genuinely caring hearts that make up Team Navient. We are constantly striving to think of ways to give our support and we continue to expand our base of charities at every request we receive.&rdquo;

Team Navient donates$21,000 — $750 each — to 28 local charities