CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY OF PEOPLE’S LIVES
BIG NEWS!
As of April 20, 2026, Outreach’s LEAD Center has relocated from the Outreach 7th Avenue Center to The Marketplace at Steamtown!
"Learning never stopped — it just changed classrooms."
Melissa's Story
When Melissa Sullo entered Lackawanna County Prison, she had a bachelor’s degree, a background in corrections, and a life derailed by addiction. Thirty days later, she walked out with something she hadn’t expected: a road map. Outreach’s reentry staff had spent that time teaching her what was possible.
“The outreach staff helped me immensely,” she recalls. “They were probably the best service offered to the inmates. They connected me to agencies I didn’t know were available — and they listened to my story and my needs.” For Melissa, that listening was itself a lesson: that asking for help is the first step toward learning how to build something new.
After release, she came to Outreach’s Lead Center with a clear goal: get back into school. She’d dropped out after earning her bachelor’s, and she wasn’t going to let that be the end of the story. Working with case manager Stephanie, she figured out how to balance coursework with single motherhood to four children, with job hunting, with the ordinary chaos of rebuilding a life. Today she’s pursuing an MBA at Western Governors University, entirely online, on her own schedule.
“The tuition is affordable, the schedule fits my schedule,” she says. And beyond the MBA, she’s already looking further: a PhD, a doctorate, a research-focused career. “I love research,” she says simply. “And I like helping people.” Education, for Melissa, isn’t a credential to collect — it’s a lens for understanding the world she wants to change.
Melissa Sullo, Mission Support Coordinator & lifelong learner
The education doesn’t stop at her own desk. At Providence Pregnancy Center — where she started as a weekly cleaner and grew into the Mission Support Coordinator role — Melissa teaches life skills to women in crisis: how to cook, how to clean, how to navigate sobriety, how to access resources, how to rebuild. “A lot of people are living out of vehicles, pregnant, using drugs,” she says. “Somebody who has been in that situation before can just be a shoulder to lean on. A mentor.”
That mentorship extends into her own home too. Her 15-year-old daughter just landed her first job, is enrolled in a gifted and talented program, goes to the gym, and is involved with community organizations. Melissa lights up talking about it. “Teaching my children how to navigate life — that’s one of the biggest things that fulfills me.” She teaches them how to cook, how to work, how to show up. The classroom, for Melissa, is everywhere.
“I’m not ashamed of my past any longer. I am so thankful and humble for everything I’ve received from this community.”
— Melissa Sullo
When she looks ahead, the thread is consistent: finish the MBA, buy a house, pursue the doctorate, keep giving back at Providence. “Education is how I bring those things together,” she says. What Outreach gave her wasn’t just a job lead or a housing referral — it was the knowledge that learning, in all its forms, was still available to her. She hasn’t stopped since.
The Scranton Chapter of UNICO National will conduct its annual charity golf tournament on Monday, May 18 at Elmhurst Country Club in Moscow, PA!
Proceeds will benefit Outreach – Center for Community Resources, helping our organization to support thousands of adults, children, and families each year.
The tournament is SOLD OUT, but DINNER tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available.
For more information, please visit our registration page!
Pictured from left are: Chapter President Mike Linko, Outreach Development Associate Shannon Mills, Dr. Peter Cognetti, Outreach President and CEO Lori Chaffers, Chris DiMattio
Our vision and purpose are to ensure everyone has a chance to succeed in life, no matter circumstance or background.
ABOUT US
Since 1988, Outreach (formerly EOTC) has made helping families thrive our highest priority. By offering resources for life skills, literacy, employment training, parenting, early childhood education, youth mentoring, wrap-around case management, and more, Outreach builds strong families. And strong families build strong communities.
Outreach engages thousands of adults and children each year with award-winning workforce and family development programs that support individuals as they navigate through life’s challenges. Giving respect. Cultivating trust. Believing in growth.
President/CEO Lori Chaffers paints a mural as part of the Annual United Way Day of Caring.
OUR IMPACT
Outreach – Center for Community Resources positively impacts the community by helping families overcome barriers to financial stability and economic self-sufficiency. Each year, we improve the lives of individuals in our programs at our Seventh Avenue Center, our downtown Wilkes-Barre office, and at other area sites throughout the community. We find that each participating family has a unique set of needs, often enrolling in several Outreach programs and taking advantage of our diverse network of community services.
Business Impact
Neighborhood Assistance Program Partners
Our 2024-2025 sponsors through the Pennsylvania Neighborhood Assistance Program made available by the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development make a powerful difference by fueling our programs with vital resources and support. Their generous contributions enable us to reach more community members, deliver higher-quality services, and create lasting change where it’s needed most. Through their partnership, we transform possibilities into realities, helping individuals achieve their full potential. Every sponsorship directly strengthens our mission and amplifies our collective impact, creating a better future for all those we serve.
MISSION
MISIÓN
With respect for the individual and with the highest professional standards, Outreach – Center for Community Resources offers a variety of programs that promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency.
Con respeto por el individuo y con los más altos estándares profesionales, Outreach – Center for Community Resources ofrece una variedad de programas que promueven la estabilidad familiar y la autosuficiencia económica.
CHILDREN
Our youth-centered services focus on educating and enhancing each child, ensuring they are ready to succeed in school and life.
COMMUNITY
We believe in community and collective strengths. That’s why we collaborate with other agencies and providers in our community.
JOB SEEKERS
Outreach began as a workforce development agency. As community needs changed, our agency diversified to meet the changing needs of families.