MIGHTY OAK AWARDS 2022

MIGHTY OAK AWARDS

The Mighty Oak Awards is an annual event celebrating pillars in our community for their dedication and support of improving the lives of others through civic engagement and philanthropy.

Mighty Oak Award honorees for 2022 are former Executive Director of Outreach, Linda Ciampi, M.C. Ed., and Daniel Santaniello, President and CEO of Fidelity Bank.

This year Outreach has created the Beth Beh Community Spirit Award in recognition of a group or individual that has a long-standing devotion to community service through education, volunteer work, and citizen connections. 2022’s recipients are the Penn State Master Gardeners.

History of Mighty Oak

After Executive Director Sharon McCrone sat against an oak tree in Nay Aug park and reflected upon her personal time of transition, she had an epiphany regarding the people served by the EOTC’s mission. The acorn developing into a mighty oak was symbolic of the possibility of all people to grow into and beyond their full potential.

Upon creating the Mighty Oak Award, Sharon noted “Our logo is an acorn. It’s both fruit and seed of the oak tree, an age-old symbol of strength, stability, and grandeur. What better name for our award. What better way to describe Beth, Mary and Randy(the first recipients of the Mighty Oak Award) who stand so tall for EOTC and so solidly support our mission.”

Sharon McCrone

Former Executive Director

Beth Beh

Founder of the Women’s Employment Program

Beth Beh Community Spirit Award

Outreach-Center for Community Resources recognizes and honors an individual or group that has a long-standing devotion to community service through education, volunteer work, and citizen connections.

Beth Beh was the original founder of the Women’s Employment Program (WEP) in 1986, which was the flagship program of the Employment Opportunity Training Center (EOTC), now Outreach-Center for Community Resources, established as a nonprofit organization in 1987. She devoted her life to developing and expanding community services that focused on single mothers and children in the region and provided mentorship to childcare professionals.

Award Criteria

Willingly gives their time to community activities
Sparks ingenuity in solving problems
Improves the quality of life of others and their surroundings
Furthers the mission of a community, non-profit organization
Exemplifies a sense of caring and promotes healthy living throughout the community

2022 Mighty Oak Award Honorees

Linda Ciampi, M.C. Ed., held senior-level positions with several social service organizations during her 25+year career, providing administration for programs that included behavioral healthcare, counseling, day care centers, adoption and foster care, residential and community-based programs for children and youth, hospice, and senior day care and community programs.

In 2011 Ms. Ciampi was the Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network Award recipient for individual lifetime commitment and dedication to enhancing permanency efforts on behalf of Pennsylvania’s children, youth and families. She has served as a board member, vice-president, and president for the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth, and Families.

Ms. Ciampi began her service at Outreach – Center for Community Resources in the role of the Operations Director in 2014 and was promoted to lead the organization as the Executive Director in January, 2016. Under her leadership the organization was recognized by the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce as the SAGE Award Non-Profit of the year in 2018. Outreach in 2021 was recognized as a Blue-Ribbon Parents as Teacher® National Affiliate.

As executive director of Outreach, she had overall strategic and operational responsibility for agency staff, programs, and finances. Ms. Ciampi provided leadership to ensure programmatic excellence, consistent quality of administration, fundraising, communications, and operational effectiveness.

Daniel J. Santaniello was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank in December 2010. From 2001 to December 2010, served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and head of Retail Banking of Fidelity Bank. Since his appointment to President and CEO, Fidelity Bank been named “Top 200 Community Banks in the Country” for eight consecutive years by American Banker, as well as the number one community bank brand as measured by a blind market study. It has been given a five-star “Superior” rating by watchdog agency, Bauer Financial and has also succeeded in earning the rank of number one mortgage lender in Lackawanna County Pennsylvania for twelve successive years, as noted by peer community bank and HMDA data.

Independent Banker named Fidelity a Top Industry Loan Producer, and in 2018 and 2019, Forbes named Fidelity Bank a “Best In-State Bank”. Through his vision for the future of community banking, he has successfully transformed Fidelity Bank into an organization passionate on delivering an unparalleled client experience by focusing on the needs of its Bankers, clients, community, and shareholders. Under Mr. Santaniello’s leadership, Fidelity Bank’s assets have increased 329.95%.

Mr. Santaniello is dedicated to both his profession and to many local philanthropic and civic organizations throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. He proudly served on the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Association of Bankers and his commitment to his community has been honored by several civic and cultural organizations. Currently, he serves as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and the Scranton Cultural Center, Chairman of the Board of Director’s for Friendship House, Board of Trustees for Marywood University. Committee member for the Lackawanna County Northeast Visitors Bureau, IHM Finance Committee and the Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprises. Mr. Santaniello is also the former Treasurer of St. Joseph’s Center Foundation He is a passionate volunteer of his time and talent through fundraising for the Women’s Resource Center, his alma mater Marywood University and its Bold Heart Steering Committee, and he serves on his church’s Finance Council at Saint Eulalia’s Parish, Moscow.

Born and raised in Lackawanna County, Mr. Santaniello is a 1990 graduate of Marywood University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

2022 Beth Beh Community Spirit Award Honorees

The Penn State Master Gardeners Extension of Lackawanna County are the recipients of the 2022 award for their contribution to the beautification of the grounds of the Outreach building on 7th Avenue, Scranton, PA, and their ongoing commitment to providing educational programs, youth mentoring, advanced training, and collaborative research opportunities in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The Penn State Master Gardeners designed and planted the green space adjacent to the Outreach building while teaching volunteers how to plant, mulch, weed, and care for the space.

On an annual basis, the organization continues to provide for the upkeep of the gardens from Spring through Fall.