Mind Over Matter

Amber & Jim
Since transitioning from active duty to veteran status, Amber Viola and Jim McLain have each taken up leadership positions at American Legion Post 274 and are using their respective platforms to build an inclusive community of veterans - shifting the mental health conversation from one of shame and secrecy to one of communal support.

Joseph Barna
United States Marine Corps veteran Joseph Barna of Freeland, Pennsylvania served for over a year in Korea. He found himself doing things he never imagined he was capable of and wasn't sure he could live with when he returned home. To help quiet the "devils in his mind," Barna turned to write about his experiences. The many essays and poems which have followed, along with the published memoir "God Makes Angels and Navy Corpsmen," have helped Barna and his fellow veterans heal the scars on the inside, as well as on the outside.

Chris Smith
Meet Chris Smith, Iraq Freedom veteran and team lead of Scranton Warrior Strong. Chris was deployed in 2003, and missed out on his daughters growing up. He was separated from his children, and ended up homeless, suffering from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Hear the story on where he turned to for help, and how he used these setbacks to change the path of his life.

Lives Well Lived
Thursday, April 20th 7pm

Lives Well Lived celebrates the incredible wit and wisdom of people aged 75-100, who reveal their secrets for living a meaningful life. Encompassing 3,000 years of collective life experience, diverse people share life lessons about perseverance, the human spirit, and staying positive in the midst of life's greatest challenges. Their stories will make you laugh, perhaps cry, but mostly inspire you.

Quest of Beauty
Thursday, June 15th 7pm

Our need to fit into a society, to be loved and accepted, create an abyss between who we are and who we become. Cris Saur was bullied in school for being taller and skinnier than the rest of the girls. Later she became a model for the exact same features she was bullied for. The pressure for the perfect look left her with a very low self-esteem, and she only realized how damaged her self-esteem was after being physically abused by a former partner. Her distorted ideas of her role as a woman in our society, topped with her low self-esteem were the main reasons why she stayed so long in the abusive relationship. The abuse followed by depression and panic attacks were the catalyst of her quest for beauty.