The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties put the final stamp on its 2014 campaign Thursday.

In November, attorneys Joe and Judy Price, who headed the campaign, revealed the $3.59 million total was reached through the support of Northeast Pennsylvanians. On Thursday, United Way honored companies and employees who pushed the campaign to that figure, which exceeded the goal, and awarded an accolade not given since 2008, during the Annual Community Awards Celebration at the Radisson at Lackawanna Station hotel.

"We go out and we ask these people to do so much to raise all this money and volunteer all this time," United Way President and CEO Gary Drapek said. "This is an hour and a half where we could sit back and say thank you."

The event honored the 10 pillars or companies whose employee and corporate contributions served as the 10 highest grossing of the campaign. These companies include: Fidelity Bank; PNC Bank; PPL Utilities; P&G Paper Products Co. -- Mehoopany Plant; Scranton School District; Times-Shamrock Communications; and TMG Health Inc. Their campaigns combined to raise more than $1 million.

The Prices also had the opportunity to give their appreciation to companies and employees through the Spirit of Caring Chairman's Award.

"Joe and I looked at results of the campaign and considered the personal commitment, generosity and willingness to meet the employee campaigns that were conducted by these various organizations," Mrs. Price said.

Chairman's award winners include: the Attorney's Division; employees of Boscov's; the City of Scranton employees; Times-Shamrock Communications and its employees; employees of Sordoni Construction Services; and TMG Health Inc. and its employees.

United Way highlighted its event by surprising employees of Bank of America became the first to receive the honor in seven years as the United Way doesn't give the award annually.

"They have organized this vast group of volunteers that every month get together," Mr. Drapek said. "What they're doing goes above and beyond, and we were just absolutely thrilled to honor them."

In partnership with the Commission on Economic Opportunity/Weinberg Food Bank and United Way, Bank of America employees help set up and distribute fruit, vegetables and other canned items to McNichols Plaza Elementary families during the school year.

"We were totally caught off guard to be recognized for the United Way/Weinberg partnership," said lead volunteer of Bank of America's Corporate Social Responsibility. "It's been great for our associates."

Employees of the bank aided in helping more than 370 households in the McNichols community, and will continue to support the program for the rest of the school year.

"The best part is when my associates come back and tell me about their experiences interacting with the families and seeing the children," Ms. Saunders said. "Just that whole end-to-end process is just very rewarding for them all."

Contact the writer:

jbaress@timesshamrock.com

Other United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties award categories and honorees include:

2014 WILLIAM E. COCKERILL SR. MEMORIAL AWARD WINNER

The Greater Scranton Central Labor Union

RISING STAR AWARDS

Companies with 1-49 employees

Jacobson Hat Co. Inc.

One Point Inc.

Scranton Primary Health Care Center

Software Engineering Associates

Sordoni Construction Services Inc.

Companies with 50-99 employees

Johnson College

Material Technology & Logistics Inc.

UGI Utilities, Inc.

Universal Printing Co.

WVIA

Companies with 100 or more employees

Delta Medix PC

Gentex Corporation

NBT Bank

Times-Shamrock Communications

TMG Health Inc.

PLATINUM HAND AWARD

Corporate Winners

Blue Cross of NEPA

Delta Medix PC

Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply

Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank

Genetti Manor

Gentex Corporation

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Inc

Lamar Advertising Co.

M&T Bank

Material Technology & Logistics,Inc

McGrail Merkel Quinn & Associates

Nivert Metal Supply Co.

One Point Inc.

Peoples Security Bank & Trust

PNC Bank

PPL Utilities

Sanofi Pasteur/VaxServe Inc.

The Dime Bank

The Honesdale National Bank

Times-Shamrock Communications

Universal Printing Company LLC.

Wayne Bank

Employee Group Winners

Jewish Family Service of NEPA

Software Engineering Associates

TMG Health Inc.

United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA

United Way of Lackawanna & Wayne Counties

GOLD HAND AWARD

Corporate Winners

Northeast Radiation Oncology Center

Penn Foster

Sordoni Construction Services, Inc.

GOLD HAND AWARD

Employee Group Winner

Condron & Cosgrove

Times-Shamrock Communications

SILVER HAND AWARD

Corporate Winners

AAA North Penn

Community Bank, N.A.

NBT Bank

Northeastern Envelope Co.

SILVER HAND AWARD

Employee Group Winners

Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania

BRONZE HAND AWARD

Corporate Winners

Condron & Cosgrove

EPSCO (C.B. Scott Co.)

Kane Warehousing Inc.

BRONZE HAND AWARD

Employee Group Winners

Delta Medix PC

Gentex Corporation

Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co.

Sordoni Construction Services Inc.

The Greater Carbondale YMCA

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Corporate Winners

Citizens Savings Bank

Highland Associates

Procter & Gamble Paper Products Co.

TMG Health Inc.

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Employee Group Winners

NBT Bank

Wegmans Food Markets Inc.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Corporate Winners

Baptist Bible College (Now Summit University)

BDA Architects Inc.

BMC Inc.

D.G. Nicholas Company

Hendrick Mfg. Co.

JC Penney Co. Inc. 1134-6

Macy's

Morton Salt

Nexstar WBRE / WYOU TV

PDQ Print Center

Pena Plas Co.

UGI Utilities Inc.

United Parcel Service

Wegmans Food Markets Inc.

WNEP TV

AWARDS OF MERIT

Employee Group Winners

Boscov's Department Store, Inc.

Catholic Social Services Inc.

Day Nursery Association

Genetti Manor

Peoples Security Bank & Trust

PNC Bank

Sanofi Pasteur/VaxServe Inc.

Serving Seniors Inc.

The Arc of Lackawanna County

The Dime Bank

United Parcel Service

Voluntary Action Center

Wayne Bank

PROGRESS AWARDS

Corporate Winners

First National Community Bank

Highlights for Children

Knowles Associates

UPS Supply Chain Solutions

PROGRESS AWARDS

Employee Group Winners

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP

City of Scranton

Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank

Highlights for Children

Lackawanna Blind Association

M & T Bank

Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Coggin

McGrail Merkel Quinn & Associates

Moses Taylor Hospital

Northeastern Eye Institute

One Point Inc.

PDQ Print Center

Quadrant Epp

Scranton Primary Health Care Center

Scranton School District

SLHDA

The Commonwealth Medical College

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce

The Jewish Home

UPS Supply Chain Solutions

Women's Resource Center

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

Corporate Winners

General Dynamics Land Systems Division

General Dynamics Ordnance Tactical Systems -- Scranton Ops

Grasselli-SSI

Judge Lumber Co.

Lackawanna Bar Association

Lenahan & Dempsey

McGregor Industries Inc.

Metropolitan Life Info. System Ctr.

Prudential Retirement

Schiff's Restaurant Service Inc.

The Quandel Group Inc.

CERTIFICATES OF APPRECIATION

Employee Group Winners

Astro Apparel Inc.

Bank of America

Benco Dental Supply

Boys & Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania

CIGNA Health Care

Citizens Savings Bank

Community Bank, N.A.

EPSCO (C.B. Scott Co.)

First National Community Bank

Geisinger Community Medical Center

Hendrick Manufacturing Co.

Highland Associates

Johnson College

Lackawanna County Employees

Lamar Advertising Company

Mactac A Bemis Company

Macy's

Marywood University

Penn Foster

Physician's Health Alliance

PPL Utilities

Prudential Retirement

Schiff's Restaurant Service Inc.

St. Joseph's Center

Telespond Senior Services Inc.

The Advocacy Alliance

The Honesdale National Bank

UGI Energy Services

UGI Utilities Inc.

United Cerebral Palsy of NEPA

University of Scranton

LABOR AWARDS

Carpenters Local 645

FOP E.B. Jermyn Lodge 2 -- City of Scranton

IAFF Local 60 -- City of Scranton

IBEW Local 81

SEIU 32BJ District 1201- Employed by Scranton School District

SFT Local 1147 -- Employed by Scranton School District

Teamsters Local 229 -- Employed by UPS

FOUNDATION AWARDS

Margaret Briggs Foundation

Scranton Area Foundation

Villaume Foundation

GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN AWARD STATE EMPLOYEE COMBINED APPEAL

Department of Corrections -- SCI Waymart

TAX CREDIT PARTICIPANTS

Absolute Distribution Inc. -- A Times-Shamrock Company

AQUA Pennsylvania

Community Bank, N.A.

Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply

The Dime Bank

Fidelity Bank

First National Community Bank

Gertrude Hawk Chocolates

The Honesdale National Bank

M & T Bank

NBT Bank

PNC Bank

PNC Capital Advisors, LLC

PPL Electric Utilities

Towanda Printing Company -- A Times-Shamrock Company

Wayne Bank

Weis Markets

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