Robert H. Spitz Foundation Grant Continues Generous Support of Marywood University’s S.T.A.R.S. Program

Marywood University received a 2026 Robert H. Spitz Foundation Grant for $20,000, which further strengthens the foundation’s longstanding, generous support of the STARS (Students Together Achieving Remarkable Success) Program. To date, the Robert H. Spitz Foundation has been a significant source of funding, awarding $93,000 to STARS since its inception in 2018.

Marywood’s STARS Program offers youth of all backgrounds in grades 3-12 the opportunity to explore their long-term career goals through one-on-one academic assistance and exposure to a variety of post-secondary educational paths, trades, and careers. Marywood students serve as tutors and mentors to the youth participants. In addition, quarterly workshops, held in English and Spanish, provide parents with similar information about potential opportunities for their children and families. Additionally, Marywood University, as well as other local institutions’ academic departments, host students on campus 2-3 times a year, providing information and experiential activities that are focused on various majors and careers. This includes small-group and individual mentorship for students using a college and career readiness curriculum, as well as individual tutoring/mentoring sessions with local college and graduate students from Marywood University, the University of Scranton and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.

While the STARS Program’s focus is on diverse youth, the program is open to all students regardless of race, color, and national and ethnic origin. Marywood University admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

The Robert H. Spitz Foundation is a registered non-profit organization that supports initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Robert H. Spitz was born in Scranton and was a 1955 graduate of Scranton Central High School and the University of Miami, Florida. Prior to retirement, Spitz had been employed by the U.S. Department of Labor and was also the owner of several local Arby’s restaurants. The Robert H. Spitz Foundation was established from his estate in 2015. To date, the Foundation has provided more than $4.6 million in funding to the community. The Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as the administrator of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.

For additional information about Marywood University’s S.T.A.R.S. program, please visit marywood.edu/community/youth-programs/stars/, or call (570) 961-4559. For additional information about The Robert H. Spitz Foundation, please visit https://safdn.org/foundation/robert-spitz-foundation or call (570) 347-6203.