The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau held its annual holiday dinner last month at Mount Airy Casino Resort.

In the tradition of holiday giving, the bureau finalized an endowment to East Stroudsburg University that will provide scholarships to students studying hotel, restaurant and tourism management.The Bob Uguccioni Endowed Scholarship Fund is established to perpetuate the legacy of Bob Uguccioni, who served as the bureau's executive director for over 40 years, and ensure the future success of Pocono Mountains tourism.Nearly 35 percent of the workforce in the four-county region is employed in the tourism and hospitality industry and generates almost half of the labor income; and approximately $40,000 has been raised for the endowed scholarship fund."This endowment will help prepare students who plan to enter the expanding Pocono Mountains tourism industry," said Carl Wilgus, the bureau's president and CEO. "We are going to need the best and the brightest young minds to deliver the Pocono Mountains brand. The region is growing, our future is bright."The first look into the region's immediate future is through the new winter cooperative advertising campaign. The winter campaign, which began in December, is visible within the metropolitan areas of New York City and Philadelphia, as well as along their major arteries and the New Jersey Transit system. The campaign features the visitors bureau and 10 leading regional partners: Blue Mountain Ski Area, Camelback Mountain, Cove Haven Entertainment Resort, Fernwood Resort, Great Wolf Lodge, The Inn at Pocono Manor, Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, Shawnee Mountain Ski Area, the PMVB Ski Committee and Woodloch Resort.Commercials from four partners will also air on area stations through the winter. The live webcams are available in a new, redesigned format on the bureau's website. The new layout allows visitors to see more clearly the locations of the cameras throughout the region.The campaign is expected to reach and increase visitation to the four-county destination by capturing the energy and natural elements of the destination.Find the bureau on Twitter at @PoconoTourism and Facebook at facebook.com/poconotourism.Officials ask people to participate in the campaign by tweeting and posting photographs and sharing Pocono Mountains photos on Instagram with the hashtag #TakeONPocono.