The Jim Thorpe High School National Honor Society (NHS) is assisting with floral creations for a special event.

On Thursday morning, members of the group helped St. Luke's Miners Campus Black Diamond Community Chair, Diane Luicana, and the Black Diamond Creative volunteer, David Lautt, to create the upcoming Black Diamond Garden Party floral silk centerpieces and to discuss decorating for the event on May 31.This year's event will be a business-casual Garden Party featuring food throughout stations in Kemmerer Park and the Asa and Harry Packer mansion lawns. Live classical and contemporary music and other engaging activities await those that attend. Tours will also be available in the Asa Packer Mansion."This year the Black Diamond Garden Party event is a special celebration with our community due to our honorary chair, Peggy Sue O'Donnell," Luicana said. "Ms. O'Donnell embodies community spirit and has recently had great success in her health with the St. Luke's Miners Campus and the St. Luke's University Health Network."Lautt, who currently resides in Jim Thorpe, has twice received the Best of Show award at the Philadelphia Flower Show and was the FTD Florist of the Year."We are so happy that he has designed the fresh and silk arrangements for the Black Diamond Garden Party and is willing to help the students replicate the flower arrangements," said Luicana.In addition to creating floral arrangements, the students also coordinated the mailing and assembly of the Black Diamond Garden Party invitations, according to Thomas Lesisko, principal of Jim Thorpe High School, and will be volunteering at the event on May 31 to help before and following the garden party.Both National Honor Society advisers, Robert Podlinski and Suzanne Milkowich, will attend May 31 as a show of support for this annual community charitable event."We are pleased to have our students and advisers help the hospital with this worthwhile endeavor," said Dr. Barbara Conway, superintendent of Jim Thorpe School District and a member of the board of directors, St. Luke's Miners Campus.Past Black Diamond events have helped create a Medical Scholarship Fund, construct a new Heart and Vascular Center and Critical Care Unit, establish a new Day Room for the Nursing Home Residents, develop a Cardiopulmonary Rehab Unit and has helped the hospital move forward with plans for a new surgical suite, according to Bill Moyer, president of St. Luke's Miners Campus.Proceeds from this year's Black Diamond Garden Party will be used to purchase high technology patient beds.For more information on tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Micah Gursky at 570-645-8118 or visit

www.slhn.org/blackdiamond.