SHAMOKIN - John and Constance Wheary's three children qualified for reduced school lunches when they grew up in the coal region.
Through hard work and determination, however, all three children attended college and have developed meaningful, successful careers.
And because of that, Jennifer Wheary is ready to give back.
"You don't grow up in those circumstances and forget. You are firmly rooted in the idea that people should work hard to be able to achieve something. Education is a great way to facilitate that," she said in a recent phone interview.
Wheary - the youngest of three children of Tharptown residents John and Constance Wheary - and her husband, Paul Walker, were instrumental in bringing $585,000 worth of funding to the Northumberland Regional Center of Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) in Shamokin through The Goldman Sachs Gives Charitable Foundation. The money was used to create a learning center, which was dedicated Sept. 13.
Wheary and her husband live in Brooklyn, N.Y., but she remembers where she came from.
Helping hard workers
Born in 1970, Wheary graduated in 1988 from Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School. While higher education was not something John and Constance were able to obtain, it was something they wanted for their children.
"My mother was very clear to us that we would have more opportunities and options in our lives," said Wheary.
So they saved over the years, from paper route money to part-time jobs, and Jennifer, as well as her siblings, graduated from college. Her brother is now a doctor, her sister a nurse with a master's degree and she has a Ph.D in education and is working at a nonprofit organization called Demos.
"People helped us out, we had scholarships, and the idea is you should help people who work hard. Shamokin is full of people who work hard," she said.
Although Luzerne didn't exist when Wheary was college age, she still has an appreciation for the community college and their commitment to affordable education.
'No-brainer'
To give back, she and Walker used their own money to establish the Jack and Constance Wheary Scholarship Endowment Fund in February to provide tuition assistance to students who are interested in health care training programs at LCCC's Northumberland center. Candidates must be enrolled in a health care related career program or the nursing program and must demonstrate financial need and motivation.
"They (her parents) have done so much for all of us. They stood for what is right and good and noble. I'm a believer in doing things for them while they're still here," she said.
Furthermore, in a conversation with school officials, several other options for giving back were presented to them, including the learning center.
"Even if you work hard, people sometimes need help to get through. With my experience and understanding of Shamokin, the learning center made sense in the context of the area," she explained.
According to Goldman Sachs spokesman Steve Cohen, the company's partners are allocated a certain amount of funds to provide education opportunities to underserved communities. Walker is a manager director there.
LCCC "fits squarely" in the recommendations and guidelines, said Cohen.
"It was a no-brainer," Wheary said.'
Reaching potential
The learning center was established to help all students reach their academic potential, including both advanced students and those who need assistance with basic skills. It uses such methods as collaborative study groups, computer technology, professional and peer tutoring and workshops to help students become more successful learners.
Over the summer, the center provided help for 25 students and has hosted 95 group and individual sessions on all subjects.
The money was used for upgrades in technology, including eight new computer work stations, establishing the learning center, located in room 409, and a dual enrollment program, which provided 25 scholarships to students in Shamokin Area, Mount Carmel Area, Line Mountain, Lourdes Regional and Shikellamy school districts.
Since its 1999 inception, LCCC has educated more than 4,500 students. Currently, there are 550 students enrolled. Approximately 80 percent of the students live in the greater Shamokin area, while a smaller portion live in Sunbury and surrounding communities.