This week, staff writer Laura Rysz talks with Jeff Cavanaugh about Leadership Lackawanna’s Drive-In Trivia Night, which will raise money for the organization’s leadership programs.
Residence: Greenfield Twp.
Educational and professional background: Graduate of Lakeland Junior-Senior High School; earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Towson University; serves as communications director for state Sen. John Blake
Title: Member of the board of directors, chairman of the events committee and trivia host
Q: What inspired this event?
A: For this fundraiser, we knew we had to do something safe, socially distanced and outdoors, so the Circle Drive-In was a logical choice for the venue. They have really done a great job adapting their business to meet current policies and restrictions related to COVID-19. The Drive-In Trivia Night idea came pretty easily since I have hosted trivia nights weekly for about eight years at places like AJ’s Club Soda and McGrath’s Pub, and since March I have been hosting weekly trivia nights on Zoom with teams from across the country.
Q: What is Leadership Lackawanna’s mission?
A: Our mission is to enhance the skills, connections and knowledge of emerging and established leaders, enabling them to better serve in our communities, workplaces and organizations.
Q: Explain how the fundraiser works.
A: We will start trivia right at 7 p.m., and there will be four rounds — two rounds of questions, a music round and a picture round. Trivia teams can be as small as one person or as big as eight or 10 people. We will have some prizes for the winning teams of each round and overall.
Q: What other entertainment will there be?
A: We have a lot of great prizes for the raffle, and you can participate in the raffle even if you’re unable to attend the event. Raffle tickets are five for $10 or 10 for $15, and the prizes include a Yeti cooler, a grill, $100 gift cards to local grocery stores, a number of $50 gift cards to local restaurants and much more.
Q: How will proceeds be used?
A: Proceeds will be used to support our five great programs: Tomorrow’s Leaders Today, Leadership U, Core, Executive and Welcome Scranton. The programs are designed for everyone from high school juniors to corporate executives and provide great opportunities for leadership skill building, community service and professional networking.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.
