Penn College students to serve teams, fans at Little League World Series

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Two Williamsport-area nonprofits will again support one another during the Little League Baseball World Series, as budding culinary artists and paramedics from Pennsylvania College of Technology gain experience, and Little League players and fans benefit from their skill.

The nationally televised series, scheduled Aug. 16-27, draws tens of thousands of spectators each day to the Little League World Series complex in South Williamsport, just a few miles from the Penn College campus.

Students in the college’s culinary and baking majors will work alongside their chef-instructors and the professional staff of Le Jeune Chef Restaurant — the Penn College hospitality program’s live-learning lab — as the restaurant caters meals for the 20 participating teams throughout their time in South Williamsport.

They will provide three kid-friendly meals a day inside the Creighton J. Hale International Grove, where teams stay. When all 20 teams are present, that adds up to 1,200 meals — and 40 pounds of bacon — each day. Breakfast is prepared at Little League, while lunch and supper are prepared on campus and delivered to the site. Baking and culinary classes, which began Aug. 14, help with meals prepared on campus, while some students also will work on-site in the International Grove.

Meanwhile, 10 students in the college’s paramedic program will be on hand in the stadiums to provide for the emergency health needs of spectators. The students work under the guidance of certified professionals from Susquehanna Regional Emergency Medical Services.

The students will serve in various locations throughout the grounds, including the on-site health clinic, safety points throughout the stadiums, and various transporting locations. The international event exposes the paramedic students to diversity in health care and to the time, preparation and interagency cooperation required to provide care at a large-scale event.

Participating paramedic students are Margaret T. Belokur, of Towanda; Aaron R. Benfer, of Winfield; Cole N. Hillyer, of Renovo; Deven H. Jenkins, of State College; Matthew P. Kieffer, of Jersey Shore; Daniel L. Medford, of York; Kiley G. Morgan, of Annville; Ashley M. Shamblen, of Milton; Paige A. Shivery, of Bellefonte; and Joshua C. Wilk, of Williamsport.

All 10 are enrolled in the paramedic science and paramedic practice majors. Morgan and Hillyer are dual-enrolled in the college’s paramedic and emergency management & homeland security degrees.

When they are not at the World Series, the paramedic students gain additional hands-on experience providing care with advanced providers on various local advanced life support ambulances.

To learn more about business and hospitality majors at Penn College, call 570-327-4505 or visit pct.edu/bh. For information about the college’s paramedic certificate, visit pct.edu/paracert.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.