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Pictured: Sydney Mulrooney, Susan Bartels, Ema, William, Bruce Wynocker and Mike Starner at BBBSLV Holiday Party
Commemorating More Than 25 Years of Support and Contributions
Lehigh Valley, PA – December 16, 2021 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley (BBBSLV) recently honored Service Electric Cable TV & Communications with The BIG Impact Award at their 50th Anniversary Gala. This award commemorates a longstanding relationship of more than 25 years between the two organizations. The Walson family, who founded Service Electric, began supporting the nonprofit in the early 1990’s under the leadership of John E. Walson. He was instrumental in creating the John Walson Jr. Golf For Kids’ Sake golf fundraiser. Each year Service Electric hosts and broadcasts this golf outing and also televises the Bowl for Kids’ Sake bowling tournament, in addition to making numerous in-kind and monetary donations to BBBSLV.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters has always been special to the Walson family and to Service Electric employees, and we are honored to accept this award,” noted Mike Starner, Sr. Business Development & Government Affairs Manager for Service Electric. “One of our missions is to serve the Greater Lehigh Valley, not as a cable company, but as a philanthropic community leader. The opportunity to effect positive change in young people helps guarantee a bright future for generations to come.”
Service Electric continues to support BBBSLV through sponsorship and specialty services, giving more than $500,000 in monetary and in-kind donations over the years, with $18,000 of that coming in 2021. Fundraising from the John Walson Jr. Golf For Kids’ Sake tournament has helped to build the BBBSLV mentoring program and to create the STEAM lab at the Youth Mentoring Center. With the onset of COVID-19, BBBSLV is able to tackle a host of new challenges thanks to supporters like Service Electric.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary as the premiere long-term, highly impactful one-to-one mentoring organization in the Lehigh Valley,” commented Susan Bartels, Chief Executive Officer of BBBSLV. “As we researched our roots in the community, Service Electric Cable TV & Communications emerged as a prominent long-standing partner of ours. Year after year, Service Electric has helped us communicate our story in a powerful and meaningful way and provided financial support. Their support has impacted thousands of children in the Lehigh Valley and for that we are profoundly grateful.”
About Service Electric Cable TV and Communications
In 1948, John Walson ran a cable to connect his appliance store in Mahanoy City, PA to an antenna tower on top of a nearby mountain, eventually connecting homes in the community. As a result, the cable television industry was started in America. This model was copied throughout the country in areas where TV reception was difficult or impossible. Service Electric is also the birthplace of Home Box Office (HBO), launching the country’s first premium subscription service in the Wilkes-Barre market in 1972. Mr. Walson was guided by one fundamental principle; people wanted quality access to television and his duty was to provide it. Still family owned, Service Electric continues to build its positive reputation in the community and the cable industry, offering a variety of TV, Internet, telephone and telecommunication services. www.sectv.com
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley
Founded in 1971, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley (BBBSLV) is a part of a national organization working to clear the path to a child’s biggest possible future. The BBBSLV vision is that all youth achieve their full potential. Their mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
BBBSLV is a movement of change-makers creating a powerful ripple effect in our communities, our nation and our world. Joining parents with their staff, they match each child with a mentor to foster a friendship built on trust, learning and growth. “Together, we are Defenders of Potential.” www.bbbslv.org
Information provided to TVL by:
Service Electric Cable TV & Communications
Jim Macdonald
https://www.sectv.com/
