Wild Women NEPA

“Two local, woman-owned businesses collaborate to empower the women of Northeast PA to find themselves and connect with each other in nature. Melissa Roberts, Owner of outdoor store Ski Shack in Moosic, connected with holistic practitioner Kailin Bouse, Owner of Kailin of Earth Wellness Studio in Clarks Summit, to launch Wild Women NEPA Festival on August 27, 2023, where nearly 1,000 women gathered to participate in over 30 workshops ranging from sound healing to yoga to drumming and dance. The festival location, Lazybrook Park in Tunkhannock was chosen due to its ideal natural setting and centralized location between Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.” - Melissa Roberts, Co-founder of Wild Women NEPA and owner of Ski Shack & Kailin Bouse, Co-founder of Wild Women NEPA and owner of Kailin of Earth Wellness Studio

The Wild Women NEPA founders say their mission is simple: “This is really about bringing women together to build connections, find support, and lift each other up,” Roberts said. Bouse added that creating a safe space for women to connect addresses a longtime community need. “There hasn’t been an event like this available to [NEPA] women before now,” she said. “It’s really time to help women find that connection to themselves and each other.” Due to the overwhelming success of the event, the two women are planning the Winter Wellness Expo to be held on Sunday, December 10 at the Friedman JCC in Kingston and continue to host monthly workshops and social meetups to build the women’s community in Northeast PA. 

Arts at Hayfield and Penn State Wilkes-Barre

“Arts at Hayfield and Penn State Wilkes-Barre are honored to be recipients of this year’s Regional Collaboration Award. The partnership between Arts at Hayfield and Penn State Wilkes-Barre enhances the lives of numerous residents of the Wyoming Valley. A visit to Arts at Hayfield’s annual Summer Arts Festival or Homespun Holidays craft show on the campus is a tradition for many families. Artists from Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond have the opportunity to display and sell their products while they demonstrate their talents. The people who come to the campus are able to see firsthand its beauty while learning more about the rich history of the campus’ historic Hayfield House and estate through tours provided during the Summer Arts Festival.

Penn State Wilkes-Barre focuses on education in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics), and Arts at Hayfield is one of the means through which the campus champions the arts. Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s partnership with Arts at Hayfield, along with support for the Friedman Art Gallery on campus, means that students and the community alike have access to quality art in a variety of media, much of it created by local artists from the region we all call home.” - Mr. Jonathan Pineno, Arts at Hayfield President and Lecturer of Music and Art at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Dr. Lynda Goldstein, Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Penn State Wilkes-Barre

Wilkes-Barre NAACP Branch #2306

“Our community is a living and breathing body. Together we are the lifeblood, hearts, and minds of what makes this beautiful creature survive. But, like all creatures, we don’t wish to merely survive or exist, we wish to thrive; in order to thrive, we must work as a unit!

Our organizations in this community have expertise in housing, food equity, personal economics, arts, health, wellness, and family dynamics. Community members are often in need of these services, but lack the connections and resources to discover them on their own. As we network and share our capabilities, we expose our most immediate dependents to the greater capabilities of our extended networks. And what none of us can do as a single entity, we accomplish with grace as a community of organizations. We look forward to working with more organizations in the very near future!” - Daryl Lewis, Asst. Secretary, NAACP Wilkes-Barre and Developer and Director of the 2023 Wellness Fair

Make sure to join us for our Chamber Annual Dinner on November 16th to celebrate them and the rest of our honorees that night! Click here to register today!