00:00 - Thank you so much for being here.

00:02 - Before we get started, I would like to ask miss Wilkes-Barre Scranton.

00:07 - Victoria Waskow to join us and lead us in the Pledge

00:10 - of Allegiance.

00:17 - Yes. Please rise.

00:21 - I pledge allegiance

00:22 - to the flag of the United States of America.

00:26 - And to the Republic for which it stands.

00:28 - One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

00:34 - Thank you.

00:35 - Thank you.

00:40 - So thank you so much, Victoria.

00:42 - And I would be remiss if I didn't give a huge shout out to Victoria

00:46 - and all of her sister Queens in the Miss Pennsylvania organization,

00:51 - who are such amazing partners to us in all of our programs, projects and events.

00:56 - And they always offer help and they always do it with a smile.

00:59 - So thank you so much.

01:06 - So again, welcome.

01:08 - for those who may not know me and tonight that's probably not the case

01:12 - because this is home for me.

01:14 - But, maybe for those watching on PCN,

01:18 - who's also an amazing statewide partner for us, I am Cassandra Coleman,

01:23 - and I have the distinct honor of serving as the Executive Director of America

01:26 - and FPA, and we are the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's commission

01:30 - that was charged with planning and coordinating all of the programing,

01:34 - projects and events around the 250th anniversary

01:37 - of the United States in 2026.

01:41 - I would also like to recognize

01:43 - some of our commission members who are in the audience tonight.

01:46 - We have attorney Tim Wachter.

01:49 - We have Lynn Herman, Vince Gallego, and Kevin Von.

01:53 - So if you guys want to just wave, thank you so much for being here.

02:00 - And we also have a

02:01 - number of our America team

02:04 - who I would not be able to do this day in and day in, day in and day out without.

02:09 - so we have Teresa Casey, Leo Maskey, Bri Farrand, Brian Langan,

02:14 - Danny DeMarco, Andre Castillo and Amanda Lavin.

02:18 - So thank you to all of you.

02:24 - So tonight's

02:25 - event is extremely special to me as we stand on this

02:30 - beautiful campus of Kings College, a college

02:33 - of which I am one proud alum,

02:36 - an institution that I personally credit for providing me

02:40 - with support and encouragement for helping me discover my strengths,

02:46 - identify and work on my weaknesses, and most importantly, King's College.

02:51 - Not only taught me how to make a living, but truly taught me how to live,

02:56 - how to be that agent of change in my community.

03:00 - The importance of giving back and most importantly,

03:04 - how important it

03:05 - is to have that strong educational foundation

03:09 - and what happens when you have that and always have someone cheering you on.

03:13 - My situation was unique.

03:16 - I was a junior here at King's when I was sworn in

03:20 - as the mayor of Exeter Borough at the age of 20,

03:24 - making me the youngest serving female mayor in the country at the time.

03:29 - Thank you.

03:34 - And as you can imagine,

03:36 - that's sometimes interfered with class times and schedules.

03:40 - But it was the support of the faculty and the staff here under the leadership of

03:45 - then President Father O'Hara, who is also here with us tonight.

03:49 - So, father, please thank.

03:55 - That truly taught me and helped me learn and excel.

03:59 - I will forever be grateful for my experience here

04:02 - and the role that this institution played in shaping me into the person I am today.

04:07 - So thank you.

04:08 - We're joined tonight

04:10 - by an avid supporter of American EPA and a very dear

04:13 - friend, the current president of King's College, father Tom Looney.

04:17 - And he'll provide some welcoming remarks.

04:19 - Father Looney.

04:25 - Thank you.

04:25 - Cassandra, it's my great honor and privilege

04:27 - as the president of King's College to welcome you to our community tonight.

04:31 - We are so proud of what has taken place here at this noble institution

04:35 - over the past more than 75 years.

04:38 - When Father James Connaughton came by train from the University

04:41 - of Notre Dame in 1946 with $300 in his pocket and a typewriter.

04:47 - King's College was born.

04:49 - It was born to serve the sons of coal miners.

04:52 - It was called to be a place where people experienced the gift of new life.

04:56 - The founder of our congregation, Father Morrow, called it

04:59 - education, a work of resurrection, of bringing people to new life.

05:03 - And King's is proud of so many alumni who have gone forth

05:06 - from our institution and are doing amazing things in the world.

05:09 - We are so proud of our alumna, Cassandra Coleman, for the great work

05:12 - she's doing on this great project of leading the state to celebrate

05:16 - the 250 anniversary of the founding of our great country.

05:20 - And you know that when a college founded for the Sons of Coal miners has a coal

05:25 - miner's son, go to that college and become the president of that college.

05:29 - Father Tom O'Hara, you know that amazing outcomes are happening here at King's.

05:39 - When Father Cunnington came to found Kings, he brought with it

05:41 - the educational philosophy of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

05:45 - And in it, our founders said it's a work of resurrection.

05:48 - And our goal is to form great citizens for earth and for heaven.

05:53 - As we are about to celebrate this amazing anniversary of the birth of our nation.

05:57 - King's College, as a liberal arts institution, is deeply,

06:01 - deeply committed to forming great citizens in our curriculum.

06:05 - We have our students

06:06 - examine what we call life's great questions of meaning and purpose.

06:11 - Who am I?

06:12 - What kind of a human being do I want to be?

06:14 - What kind of communities do I want to be a part of?

06:17 - Inform.

06:18 - How do I want to be a citizen and a wonderful

06:21 - and amazing the greatest democracy in the world?

06:24 - Kings is so deeply embedded in this community.

06:27 - From the moment we arrived,

06:28 - we were embraced by the great people of the state of Pennsylvania.

06:32 - $300 on a typewriter is not a great formula for starting a college,

06:36 - but when the neighbors here gathered around us, they saw the vision

06:40 - that we brought to the congregation of Holy Cross priests and brothers.

06:43 - They wrapped their arms around us in great welcome and enabled us to do

06:47 - what so many noble institutions here in Northeast

06:50 - Pennsylvania do great educational opportunities.

06:53 - It's wonderful to have witness with us this evening, the president of Wilkes

06:56 - University, my great friend Great Count is with us.

07:00 - Hey, welcome.

07:05 - And so here in this

07:05 - community of Wilkes-Barre, great amazing things happen in terms of education.

07:09 - Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

07:11 - We know that our campus is a hidden gem in the heart of this city.

07:15 - So now that you're here, now that you see what's happening,

07:18 - we're going to convert the former times Leader

07:20 - building into a brand new doctoral program in occupational therapy.

07:24 - We're renovating our library as a student success center.

07:27 - great things are happening here.

07:29 - Great things are happening in this community.

07:31 - We're so proud to welcome you here tonight.

07:32 - Thank you so much for being with us.

07:40 - Thanks again for hosting us.

07:41 - Father Lenny.

07:43 - So tonight is a little different than the usual

07:46 - fundraising events we hold across the Commonwealth.

07:49 - Tonight's event raised funds towards one of America 50 programs.

07:54 - Our semicolon Centennial scholarships.

07:57 - In 2026, America

08:00 - will award $250,000 in scholarships to Pennsylvania seniors

08:05 - who decide to remain within the Commonwealth and attend

08:09 - one of our post-secondary institutions, including an emphasis

08:13 - on supporting those seniors attending our community colleges.

08:16 - I want to thank our host sponsors for tonight who made tonight a success.

08:21 - King's College, the Luzerne Foundation, the Wright Center,

08:25 - Southwestern Energy Children's Service Center, Earth Conservancy,

08:30 - O'Donnell Law Offices, Luzerne County Community College,

08:34 - the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust, Mister Tom Smith,

08:38 - Lizzy Brezhnev and her family, Williams Energy,

08:42 - the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors,

08:45 - Wilkes University, Wet Paint, Misericordia University, and Wilkes-Barre Metro.

08:51 - So thank you.

08:58 - As a scholarship recipient

08:59 - myself, I know just how important these help and helpful

09:02 - these dollars are to students and their families, which is why

09:05 - we decided we wanted to make them as impactful as possible.

09:10 - The Commonwealth is divided into six regions for America to work.

09:15 - There will be 4 or $10,000

09:18 - scholarships awarded in each of the six regions, with the 25th

09:22 - being chosen from any of the six regions

09:25 - by our education and Innovation subcommittee.

09:28 - I am so excited to announce tonight that King's College

09:33 - is the first college in the Commonwealth to partner with America

09:37 - 50 on the Semi Quinn Scholarships by providing an in-kind match

09:42 - to any of the 25 recipients who choose

09:46 - to attend King's with the support of these scholarship dollars.

09:49 - So thank you.

09:55 - Again, on behalf of Chairman Burns,

09:58 - who was unable to be here tonight and our entire America to 50 commission.

10:02 - Again, I want to thank President Mooney.

10:05 - I want to thank Greg Morgan and chairman of the King's College

10:08 - Board, Tom Smith, for working with us to make this possible.

10:11 - So thank you again.

10:16 - I know there are

10:17 - other, post-secondary institutions in the room with us tonight.

10:21 - We would love to work with you.

10:22 - We want to make sure that we have as many opportunities

10:25 - for an in-kind match for these scholarships as possible.

10:29 - This anniversary is a historic moment in time, and we hope that this commission

10:35 - provides us with an opportunity to learn from our history,

10:39 - embrace our present, and truly reimagine the future.

10:44 - Our next generation of Pennsylvanians are our future,

10:48 - and we want to encourage and incentivize them to stay here,

10:52 - to learn, to work, to raise their families and build their future businesses.

10:58 - This is our opportunity, and we cannot miss the mark.

11:03 - Our next speaker tonight is a history maker himself,

11:06 - being the first African-American elected to a statewide office

11:09 - here in the Commonwealth.

11:10 - Auditor General Tim DeFore, who also serves on our commission,

11:14 - understands just how important this program is,

11:18 - but also all of the other work of America

11:21 - and and we are so honored to always have his support

11:25 - and most importantly, his friendship under General.

11:34 - So let's have a round of applause

11:35 - for Cassandra and her entire team.

11:41 - The hardest

11:42 - working people on this side of the Mississippi.

11:45 - So thank you.

11:47 - And as we head into this semicolon centennial, this scholarship

11:51 - that senator just talked about

11:54 - is a great example of how America two

11:57 - is not only celebrating Pennsylvania's history,

11:59 - but also paving the way for its future.

12:04 - The scholarships are especially meaningful to me because students

12:07 - going to community colleges are going to be able to participate.

12:11 - So why is it important to me?

12:14 - Because I graduated from a community college

12:16 - with an associate's degree in paralegal studies,

12:19 - and it was that my community college was my community

12:22 - college experience that helped me get to where I am today,

12:27 - and it helped spark my love

12:29 - for education and for history.

12:32 - I was able to use my associate's degree

12:35 - to achieve my career goals and explore my love of history,

12:38 - while going on to earn a bachelor's degree in a master's degree.

12:43 - A $10,000 scholarship

12:46 - can be life changing for any kid.

12:48 - Planning on going to community college?

12:52 - It puts them in reach to their educational and career goals,

12:56 - and it means

12:58 - they will have a strong foundation to be successful.

13:02 - Cassandra, you in America two

13:05 - £0.50 are truly leading the way,

13:09 - not only in commemorating our nation's history,

13:12 - but leaving a legacy that will last for the next 250 years.

13:17 - Thank you.

13:27 - Thank you, Auditor General.

13:28 - And in addition to the Auditor General, we also wanted to thank our two local U.S.

13:32 - congressman who are in D.C.

13:35 - right now, but who lent their names to the invitation for tonight,

13:39 - Congressman Matt Cartwright and Congressman Dan Musser.

13:41 - And I do believe that James May is here representing Congressman User's office.

13:46 - So I want to thank them as well.

13:52 - So America was created

13:54 - back in 2018, but without a funding source.

13:58 - However, I think that we have proven the impact that can be had

14:03 - and are so grateful for the ongoing support

14:06 - from the legislature and the governor since inception.

14:10 - America to EPA has been able to match every public dollar

14:15 - received with private support, amplifying our work statewide.

14:20 - Another supporter of our work in the state Senate is here with us tonight.

14:24 - And let me introduce you to Senator Marty Flynn.

14:33 - Thank you.

14:36 - Thanks, Cassandra,

14:37 - and thank you for the work that you do in the work that all of you do.

14:40 - It's unbelievable. Unbelievable.

14:43 - Ladies and gentlemen, it's with great pride that we gather here today

14:46 - to commemorate, as an important occasion,

14:49 - the 250th anniversary of our great nation.

14:52 - As we reflect on this milestone, it's important to recognize the huge role

14:56 - that Pennsylvania has played in shaping the very fabric of America.

15:01 - From the halls of independence to the busy streets of progress, Pennsylvania

15:06 - has been the forefront of our nation's journey since its beginning.

15:10 - It was here in Pennsylvania that the Declaration of Independence

15:13 - was signed, igniting the flame of liberty that would inspire generations to come.

15:19 - It was on Pennsylvania ground that our founding fathers

15:22 - gathered to draft the Constitution, laying the groundwork

15:25 - for a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

15:31 - But our state's

15:31 - contributions to America's story extend far beyond its beginnings.

15:36 - Pennsylvania has been a beacon of innovation,

15:38 - a strong hold of industry, and a champion of progress.

15:42 - From the steel mills of Pittsburgh to the coal mines of the northeast.

15:47 - My hometown, Scranton, and

15:50 - Wilkes-Barre and Schuylkill and all of the anthracite country.

15:54 - The best coal.

15:56 - Our state has been a testament to the resilience,

15:59 - ingenuity, and determination of the American spirit.

16:04 - As we celebrate this historic milestone,

16:06 - let us also rededicate ourselves to the principles that guided us

16:10 - for the past two and a half centuries liberty,

16:13 - equality, and justice for all.

16:16 - Let us honor the sacrifices of those who came before us and recommit ourselves

16:22 - to building a more perfect union for future generations.

16:26 - In the words of Pennsylvania's own Benjamin Franklin,

16:29 - we must all hang together.

16:32 - Or assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

16:36 - Let us stand together as one nation,

16:38 - indivisible, united in our pursuit of a brighter tomorrow.

16:42 - Thank you.

16:52 - Thank you.

16:52 - Senator.

16:53 - And in addition to Senator Flynn, we also wanted to thank Senators Dave

16:57 - Argyle and Lisa Baker as well for lending their names in promoting this event.

17:03 - And last but certainly not least,

17:06 - we have a member of the Pennsylvania House

17:08 - who, like Senator Flynn, we are standing in their district.

17:12 - Representative Eddie de Linsky has been advocating for

17:15 - and supporting this commission from day one.

17:18 - And we're so honored that he's here with us tonight.

17:20 - Today.

17:27 - Thank you very much, Cassandra.

17:30 - Hi. Yes.

17:31 - How are you?

17:32 - I miss you. How did I miss you?

17:35 - I need a hug. I'm.

17:37 - I'm coming over.

17:40 - You know,

17:42 - as I look out here, I'm sure you could see a big smile on my face,

17:46 - because, again, it's so uplifting to see all of you here today.

17:51 - All of you who care about

17:55 - this great country

17:58 - 250 years.

18:03 - Are you kidding me?

18:04 - 250 years.

18:07 - I thought they said we were an experiment.

18:10 - I think we're a success.

18:12 - We're a success.

18:13 - We're the wealthiest, most powerful nation in the world.

18:17 - And it's because of you.

18:19 - It's because of the hard work of people.

18:22 - It's because of our ancestors who came here to build a better life.

18:26 - But we were given that opportunity because of our democracy,

18:31 - because of the rule of law,

18:33 - because of the opportunity

18:34 - to give every kid, no matter what side of the aisle you come from, no matter

18:38 - what side of the side of the tracks you come from.

18:40 - You have a chance to become successful.

18:44 - Kings.

18:45 - Wilkes El-Sisi has given

18:48 - so many kids that chance to be successful.

18:51 - And you're in here today.

18:54 - It's just so uplifting

18:56 - that we can be a part of history so that as

19:02 - as Attorney General de force said,

19:05 - two, 50, 250 years later, they're going to be talking about us.

19:09 - What do you think?

19:11 - You're darn right they are.

19:13 - Because we're going to make sure that the PA to 50, America

19:17 - to 50 in the next two years is celebrated appropriately.

19:21 - This young lady here.

19:22 - I have so much respect for Cassandra.

19:24 - She's done such a great job bringing together the organization

19:28 - to set this all up and work so hard.

19:31 - Those scholarship is just one other step

19:34 - to make this incredible event so important.

19:38 - Yes, and there will be music.

19:41 - Yes, there is art.

19:43 - It is our expression.

19:46 - It comes from the heart and the soul.

19:49 - And we can see within our community

19:52 - all the great things that happen because of your heart,

19:55 - because your soul, because of the people with the determination to do good.

20:01 - Once again, we had the opportunity

20:03 - just a little while ago and I said, can you feel it?

20:07 - And some people said, what do you mean?

20:08 - I said, can you feel it?

20:10 - Can you feel the love in this room?

20:12 - Can you feel the love in this room?

20:15 - The desire to make sure our PA 250.

20:18 - Our America 250 will be remembered forever.

20:22 - And we will be certainly proud to make sure we contributed towards that.

20:26 - It's an honor to serve in the House.

20:28 - It's an honor to be on this committee.

20:30 - I'm going to work my tail off, along with Senator

20:33 - Flynn and my colleagues, to do whatever we have to

20:36 - to make sure we fund this project and make it a success.

20:40 - Beyond comparison.

20:42 - Thank you so much.

20:43 - Let's get excited, get excited.

20:51 - How do I follow that?

20:54 - So thank you representative.

20:56 - And in addition to representative efficiency

20:59 - we also want to thank representatives Jamie Barton, Mike Coble, Kyle Donahue,

21:05 - Jonathan Fritz, Jim haddock, Doyle Heffley, who I know is in the room.

21:10 - Aaron Cofer, Bridget Hauser, Maureen

21:13 - Madden, Kyle Mullins, Tina Pickett, Tara Probst,

21:17 - Jack Rader, Alex Savage, Joanne Stair, Tim towards Nick

21:21 - also was yep, there he is.

21:24 - And Dean Ouattara,

21:25 - as well as Wilkes-Barre City Mayor George Brown also for all of the support.

21:29 - And I believe Tyler Ryan is here representing the mayor

21:31 - who did have to leave

21:32 - the Tyler's here as well. But

21:34 - thank you so much for lending your name and your support to this event as well.

21:38 - So thank you.

21:44 - I would also be remiss

21:46 - if we didn't thank our epic Semi Centennial Founder's

21:50 - Circle sponsors who supported us so generously when we needed it the most.

21:55 - Bold Gold Media Group, Comcast, NBC

21:58 - Universal Co, Tara Energy, discover, Nepa who you see in the room tonight,

22:03 - Duane Morris, The Hershey Company,

22:06 - Highmark, independence, Blue Cross, miracle, Commercial Real Estate,

22:11 - Settlers hospitality, Utz Quality Foods, and Wawa.

22:15 - So thank you.

22:21 - So northeastern Pennsylvania is a special place.

22:25 - I will never stop saying that.

22:28 - I cannot believe that it was almost six years ago

22:30 - that I embarked on this journey with this commission.

22:33 - And as I mentioned earlier, upon inception, we were unfunded.

22:38 - I recognized the potential that this initiative had,

22:42 - but I needed to find support to get others to recognize that, too.

22:47 - So where did I go first?

22:49 - I went to the folks who have been supporting me,

22:52 - but more importantly, this community for as long as I could remember.

22:56 - But would folks support this simply on what it could be?

23:01 - I had no collateral.

23:03 - I had no pitch deck.

23:05 - I had ideas and a hell of a lot of passion.

23:09 - I sat down with someone in this community and gave my pitch.

23:15 - They asked me for my materials. I had none.

23:19 - I explained that I

23:20 - knew that if we were able to secure the funds,

23:24 - we would be able to have impact on all 67 counties

23:29 - and so many communities across this Commonwealth.

23:32 - But more importantly, I was determined to make Pennsylvania

23:37 - the national leader on the 250th efforts, as we should be.

23:43 - They looked at me.

23:45 - I thought they were going to ask me to leave, but instead

23:49 - they gave me our first $25,000 check

23:53 - and told me to go get some materials printed.

23:57 - I will never forget that initial support and will always be

24:02 - grateful for this community and that continued support.

24:06 - But again, it shows what this community is.

24:10 - It shows that we are truly the valley with a heart.

24:14 - And it shows that we in this community support our community.

24:17 - We support our state and we support each other.

24:20 - And that support was what was needed.

24:22 - It lit the fire, and I don't think I've stopped ever since.

24:27 - Pennsylvania is now

24:29 - the national leader on the 250th efforts.

24:33 - We are looked at as the gold standard across the country,

24:37 - and the spotlight will be here in 2026.

24:46 - We are the first state in the nation

24:48 - to have all 67 counties

24:51 - pass a 250th resolution

24:55 - to become official partners, and we're so darn proud of that.

24:59 - We do have two individuals here tonight representing two of our Nepa counties.

25:03 - We have Leanne McDermott

25:04 - from Luzerne County Council and Monroe County Commissioner Dave Parker.

25:07 - So thank you for being here.

25:13 - And again,

25:13 - we would not be able to have built this solid foundation without that support

25:18 - of those counties and municipalities, as well as all of our nonprofit partners.

25:22 - We appreciate each of you so much.

25:25 - Before we end our program tonight, I'd like to ask our elected officials

25:30 - here in the room to join me up front, like Victoria, to join me up front.

25:36 - Elected officials.

25:37 - Doyle. Tim.

25:39 - Come on. Leann.

25:41 - Dave.

25:43 - Everybody okay?

25:47 - Yeah.

25:47 - Okay.

25:49 - So I mentioned numerous times just how special this place is,

25:54 - but also, that means we have truly special people here as well.

25:58 - And there's someone

25:59 - in the audience tonight who has been such a fan of America, too.

26:02 - And how about our commissioners, too?

26:04 - Let's have our commissioners come forward.

26:06 - Vince. Tim,

26:08 - this person has been such a fan of America from the beginning

26:12 - and has had all of our events and is an inspiration to all of us.

26:16 - She even once gave Governor Schwager a firecracker on live TV.

26:23 - There is no one else who deserves to join us

26:27 - and become a part of history more than our own.

26:31 - Lizzie Brezhnev, to whom?

26:36 - To whom?

26:37 - Tonight

26:39 - I want everyone to hear this part.

26:41 - To whom?

26:41 - Tonight, America 250 PA is bestowing the first statewide

26:47 - title of America 250 PA ambassador.

26:51 - So Lizzie.

26:58 - So in addition,

27:00 - in addition to what Bri.

27:02 - Has here for you, I also have a letter from governor Josh Shapiro.

27:07 - So greetings, Lizzie.

27:09 - Congratulations on being named the first statewide America 250 P.A.

27:14 - ambassador America 250 PA is all about educating, preserving, innovating,

27:21 - and celebrating our Commonwealth's rich history, culture, and diversity.

27:26 - When we celebrate Pennsylvania, we recognize the traits

27:29 - that make up what it means to be a proud Pennsylvanian.

27:34 - Being named the first statewide ambassador

27:36 - is a true testament to the type of Pennsylvanian that you are.

27:41 - Through your caliber of leadership, commitment to others,

27:44 - and desire for leaving a lasting impact on future generations.

27:49 - You have been an instrumental.

27:51 - You've been instrumental in inspiring and empowering.

27:53 - Empowering others.

27:54 - Excuse me to fulfill their dreams and aspirations

27:58 - regardless of what challenges may be faced.

28:01 - I am proud to recognize you for all of your achievements,

28:05 - and I'm confident that you will continue having a positive impact

28:09 - on our Commonwealth for many years to come.

28:12 - As governor and on behalf of all Pennsylvanians,

28:14 - I am thrilled to congratulate you on this remarkable achievement.

28:18 - Please accept my best wishes for continued success.

28:21 - Signed governor Josh Shapiro.

28:36 - Thank you.

28:36 - Thank. You.

28:43 - Thank you.

28:44 - Thank. Me.

28:54 - So I just want to thank everybody again for being here with us tonight.

28:57 - And thank you for your continued support.

28:59 - Have a wonderful evening.