Yablonski first to make double charity donation

Jul. 29—WILKES-BARRE — Ed Yablonski said his wife, Cathy, has been attending the St. Ann's Solemn Novena in Scranton since she was an infant.

Now 68, Mrs. Yablonski still faithfully attends the Novena each year.

"We even plan our vacations around the Novena," Ed Yablonski said. "My wife and I are very dedicated to the Novena. My wife's mother, Molly Akulonis, would take her to the Novena ever since she was a baby."

So it's not surprising that Yablonski and his wife chose the St. Ann's as one of the recipients of a $1,000 donation — Yablonski, of Avoca, was randomly selected as the tenth weekly $1,000 winner in the TL Cares program.

As part of the program, weekly winners receive $1,000 and then they are able to choose an area charity or nonprofit to receive a $1,000 donation from the Times Leader. Yablonski has asked for the Times Leader to donate $1,000 to St. Joseph's Center — and he and his wife opted to donate their $1,000 winnings to St. Ann's Monastery and Shrine Basilica.

"My wife is very devoted to the Novena," Yablonski said. "It's a wonderful place to go."

Yablonski said St. Ann was the grandmother of Jesus Christ. The Novena runs for nine days and a feast is held on the tenth day.

Yablonski and his wife have been Times Leader subscribers for "at least" 20 years, and as subscribers were automatically entered into the TL Cares contest. Subscribing to the Times Leader is the best and easiest way to take part in the TL Cares program.

Ed may be the tenth winner, but he's the first to make a double charity donation.

St. Joseph's Center is an independent Catholic agency sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that provides individuals and families who have special needs the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential to the fullest extent possible.

"We do this through residential, community and home-based services, outpatient therapy, maternity, family and adoption services," the center's website states.

St. Ann's "has been a beacon of light and a place of prayer, reconciliation and solidarity" since the early 1900s.

"This place of pilgrimage is primarily a place of prayer. St. Ann's is a destination for countless people who pray for their families, their own intentions and for the needs of others," according to its website.

Met in high school

Ed and Cathy attended Pittston Area High School , but never met there. They met while working at baseball card giant Topps Co. in Duryea and have been together ever since.

Asked if he has a collection of baseball cards at home, Ed smiled and said, "I do."

His favorite issue of Topps cards is the 1987 edition.

"They had a wood-grain border," he said. "They are my favorite."

Ed said many of his family members worked at Topps, which began in Brooklyn N.Y. in the 1940s. The Duryea plant stopped making cards at that facility in 1996 — the cards are made elsewhere now, but Topps did keep some operations in Duryea. Ed left the company in 2015 after 44 years — the last 25 as a production planner.

"It was a great place to work," he said, noting that the plant is now home to Pride Mobility.

Ed and Cathy are now retired. He said they enjoy gardening together and his wife loves to bake and Ed is an avid golfer and fisherman. They have three children and six grandchildren.

"We've been blessed," Ed said.

Got the call

Ed said when he received the call that he had won $1,000 from the Times Leader, he was skeptical, thinking it might be one of those scams you read about. So he checked it out.

"I called the newspaper and they verified that Mr. (Mike) Murray, the publisher, was the one who called me."

Ed said he and his wife are grateful to have won the money and they are very happy to be able to donate their winnings to St. Joe's and direct the other $1,000 from the Times Leader to St. Ann's.

"We read everything in the paper," he said. "I like the sports and the editorials and my wife and I enjoy reading the recipes from the Test Kitchen of Mary Therese Biebel and Mark Guydish."

Each week through Nov. 12, the Times Leader will pick one lucky winner to receive $1,000. That winner will then pick a charity of their choice and the Times Leader will present the charity with an additional $1,000.

On Nov. 26, the Times Leader will pick one lucky winner to receive $25,000.