CARBONDALE - Amidst a crowd of balloon animals, face-painted children and smiling parents, Bill Riiff prepared to make an exciting announcement at the Greater Carbondale YMCA.
The market manager for Wal-Mart's Northeastern Pennsylvania Region was joined by associates and store managers who had traveled more than an hour to be there when he handed over an oversized $7,500 check to the organization.
"It's an amazing honor to know that the money we're providing will help Carbondale families," he said. "It's great to be able to support programming and children with needed education."
The crowd of 500, including Mr. Riiff's wife and three children, gathered at the YMCA for its annual Summer Carnival, which summer camp counselors and campers organize and run each year. His daughter, Devan, 8, was happy to join her family at the event where she won a pet goldfish.
"The people here are absolutely amazing," Mr. Riff said of the staff, counselors and children. "I've been hugged by about four children already."
The Wal-Mart Foundation awarded $5 million to the YMCA of the USA and the Carbondale YMCA was one of 20 in Pennsylvania awarded funds from the grant. The money is part of a $20 million initiative purposed to provide healthy opportunities for children, like the free meals the YMCA provides for children in the summer camp.
Approximately 230 children are served by the summer program, according to Mary Pantzar, 54, the director of childcare at the organization.
"If we didn't have families and area businesses, we wouldn't be able to serve the community as well as we do," she said, beaming after accepting the donation. The carnival "just got a little better."
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