FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 22, 2026

PRIMARY CONTACT:
Will Craven, Operations and Grants Officer, Moses Taylor Foundation
570.207.3731 | wcraven@mosestaylorfoundation.org

SECONDARY CONTACT:
Jenny Hetro, Communications Consultant
570.574.7344 | jenny@jennyhetro.com

Moses Taylor Foundation Hosts Biennial Event:
Kelly Ranieli Honored with Douglas G. Allen Leadership Award
and Mental Health Learning Community Cohort Recognized

Scranton, PA: Moses Taylor Foundation, a private foundation with a mission to improve the health of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania, hosted its biennial meeting on Thursday, October 8, 2026. Danielle Breslin, President and CEO of Moses Taylor Foundation, shared a strategic update on the Foundation’s four focus areas of Health Care Access and Quality, Older Adult Health, School-Based Health, and Nonprofit Effectiveness.

Kelly Ranieli, Executive Director of Volunteers in Medicine, received the Douglas G. Allen Leadership Award. The award, established in 2019, honors Doug Allen’s leadership as Founding Chair of the Moses Taylor Foundation Board of Directors. It is awarded biennially to a community leader who shares his commitment to improving the health of people in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Ranieli has served as Volunteers in Medicine’s Executive Director since its inception in 2008. For 18 years, she has worked diligently to generate funding, recruit volunteers and staff, implement programs, and expand access to high-quality, comprehensive health care for underserved populations. She has positioned the unique nonprofit as a nationally certified Patient-Centered Medical Home with a multitude of services to ensure holistic, high-quality, coordinated health care. Through her strategic leadership, unwavering commitment to health equity, and ambitious vision to further integrate innovative services and programs, Ranieli continues to advance the organization’s mission of providing health, hope, and healing to those who need it most.

At the event, Allen spoke of Ranieli’s dedication to others and pursuit of excellence in care, noting, “On behalf of the Board and staff, I am delighted to recognize Kelly and her unwavering commitment to this community.”

The Foundation also recognized nine regional nonprofits participating in its Mental Health Learning Community Cohort at the event. Lisa Savero, Senior Program Officer, shared, “The collaboration between the organizations and professionals invested in this work has been nothing short of inspiring. We are grateful for each cohort member’s collaboration, openness, and shared purpose, which make this Learning Community especially meaningful. We appreciate how you’ve helped bring our framework to life and advance community-based systems change.”

The Mental Health Learning Community Cohort includes participants from Catholic Social Services, Diocese of Scranton; Community Care Behavioral Health Organization; Geisinger Health Foundation; Greater Scranton YMCA; Healthy Family Partnerships/Wyoming County Commissioners; Keystone Human Services; The Wright Center for Community Health; United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania; and Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers.

Keynote speaker Alex Briscoe, Principal, Strategy and Systems Change at Public Works Alliance, delivered an inspiring message about valuing and integrating mental and behavioral health care, listening to the community served, and understanding how systems-based frameworks affect regional communities. He also led a 90-minute workshop that explored what it will take—practically and systemically—to build a new model of care centered on community and lived expertise in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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Photos attached and labeled as follows:

Kelly Ranieli Honored with Douglas G Allen Leadership Award
L-R: Kelly Ranieli, Executive Director, Volunteers in Medicine, and Douglas G. Allen, Founding Chairman, Moses Taylor Foundation Board of Directors

Kelly Ranieli Honored with Douglas G Allen Leadership Award
L-R: Danielle Breslin, President and CEO, Moses Taylor Foundation; Kelly Ranieli, Executive Director, Volunteers in Medicine; and Lisa Savero, Senior Program Officer, Moses Taylor Foundation 

3 - Core Members of the Mental Health Learning Community Cohort.jpg
President and CEO Danielle Breslin Delivers Strategic Update

 Alex Briscoe Addresses Attendees During Keynote

Moses Taylor Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to building healthy communities and providing opportunities for people in Northeastern Pennsylvania to lead healthier lives. Since its founding in 2012, the Foundation has approved over 600 grants for a total of more than $45 million invested throughout the region. The Foundation has four areas of focus: Health Care Access and Quality (including primary care, oral health, mental health, and health care workforce), Older Adult Health, School-Based Health, and Nonprofit Effectiveness. The 11-county service area includes Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming Counties.

For more information about Moses Taylor Foundation, visit mosestaylorfoundation.org

To learn about the Mental Health Learning Community Cohort and each organization’s project, visit mosestaylorfoundation.org/focus-areas/health-care-access-quality/mental-health-grantee-cohort