*NEPA Sings winner Talia Johnson. Photo by Kyle Kraemer*

THANK YOU for making our second annual NEPA Sings event a resounding success!

This year featured 12 of the most unbelievably talented singers in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and we are so grateful to them for sharing their gifts to help raise awareness and funds for CASA of Luzerne County.

Our winner, Talia Johnson, wowed the crowd of almost 300 with her flawless rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

To hear Talia perform her winning song on PA Live, click here! You can also watch the amazing video of Talia performing another Whitney hit during the show’s finale by clicking here.

We also want to thank all of our sponsors, especially PNC and Geisinger for signing on as our presenting sponsors for the second year in a row.

We’re also grateful to Republic Audio Studio for providing Talia with a 3-hour studio recording session and the chance to produce her own demo. And thank you to Assured Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania for sponsoring our runner-up prize — a music store gift card presented to Marina Rinkunas.

The money raised from events like NEPA Sings allow CASA of Luzerne County to reach more of the children in the local foster care system.

In January 2017, our program had 18 volunteer advocates. Because of the support from our community, we now have 41 advocates who are speaking up for the best interests of 60 children.

Our goal is to ultimately provide a volunteer advocate for each of the 440 children currently in dependency.

Thank you — every sponsor, advertiser, performer, ticket purchaser, supporter — for helping us work toward that goal.

We look forward to seeing you at NEPA Sings again next year!