First Posted: 4/10/2015
JENKINS TWP. — It’s only the beginning. That’s the hope for Greater Pittston Youth Soccer Organization President William Wolfe.
DeadLine Paranormal, a local non-profit group specializing in paranormal research, donated $200 to members of the organization on Thursday evening at the Lions Memorial Park in Jenkins Township.
“When an organization like DeadLine Paranormal steps in and helps us out, it takes a lot of pressure off of the officers,” Wolfe said. “A donation here and there might seem small, but to us it takes a lot of pressure off and helps us to continue the everyday grind.”
In March, authorities accused Edward Koch, 35, and Kathryn Koch, 36, of pocketing funds from the Stoners between November 2013 and late 2014.
Police said Edward Koch stole a total of $41,219, mostly from checks drawn from the group’s bank account on the pretense of purchasing soccer equipment. Kathyrn Koch, police said, took a total of $3,403 for personal use out of signup fees that were never deposited into the group’s bank account.
In addition to receiving a check from DeadLine Paranormal, the Stoners have opened up a bank account at the local Community Banks. Through this fun, anyone can make a donation to the Greater Pittston Stoners Youth Soccer Organization. Community Bank has several locations across the county.
Jim Fazzi and Tony Piontkowski, co-founders of DeadLine Paranormal, knew they had to do something when they heard the news. Fazzi is involved with youth soccer in the Back Mountain and has seen the field conditions for the Stoners deteriorate over the last several years.
All but one member of DeadLine Paranormal are law enforcement officers.
“We saw this and we thought we definitely had to do something,” Fazzi said. “My heart broke when I read the news story. The kids deserve better than that.”
Fazzi said the group used profits from selling their T-shirts to make the donation.
Piontkowski thinks this is a great way to help keep Greater Pittston area youths involved in sports.
“It’s good to keep the kids involved in sports,” Piontkowski said. “Hopefully this can get the word out to the public and people can start donating.”
The season starts on Saturday, April 25 for the Stoners. From now until then, Wolfe said it will be a challenge to get the fields ready. The money will go towards work needed on the fields and continuing to improve the facilities around Greater Pittston.
“We were very blown away by this,” Wolfe said. “They didn’t have to do anything for us but the fact they did something is amazing.”
