NEPA Sings: Meet the Contestants

Hannah Danielowski, left, and Marina Rinkunas

The importance and necessity of having a voice is not lost on Archbald’s Hannah Danielowski, 16, and Clarks Summit’s Marina Rinkunas, 17.

They understand that many foster children are attempting to navigate their situations without anyone to speak up for them.

“I’ve gone through my moments of feeling like I have no voice and just those little moments are terrible,” Marina said. “I can’t even begin to imagine the pain of those who deal with it every day.”

By lending their voices to NEPA Sings, our amazingly talented singers are showing people why we need CASA in our community.  

“Being a part of this event is such an honor knowing that it’s helping to give children a voice,” Hannah said.

Both Hannah and Marina share a love of musical theatre and have found their homes on the stage. Marina, who came in second place at last year’s NEPA Sings, is going to perform “Breathe” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. Hannah will perform “Monster” from Disney’s Frozen musical.

If you want to experience off-Broadway performances here in NEPA, click here to get your tickets!

For $25 you’ll get a cocktail hour with delicious food, wine, and beer from SBC AND an evening of amazing talent and inspiring stories, all to benefit CASA of Luzerne County which helps give abused and neglected children a voice from a volunteer advocate who is committed to doing the most good.

If you’d prefer to purchase your tickets with cash or check, please call the CASA office at (570) 855-2247. We’d also love to talk to you about what it means to be a volunteer advocate, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can’t wait to see you at NEPA Sings on Thursday, April 2 at the Kirby Center for Creative Arts on Wyoming Seminary’s Upper Campus in Kingston. Cocktail hour starts at 5 p.m. at the show begins at 6. See you there!

Advocate Spotlight: Jeff and Diane Dreier

“Being around our young grandchildren inspired us to look into CASA,” said volunteer advocate Diane Dreier. “They are being raised in loving, patient and nurturing families with every opportunity to become happy and successful members of society. We feel that every child deserves to have that opportunity.”

 Diane and her husband, Jeff, have been important members in the Wyoming Valley community for most of their lives. Their commitment to their family is what led them to commit that same kind of love and care to the two children for whom they advocate.

 “The idea of becoming an advocate had been in the back of our minds, but it was after a hot August day with our grandchildren at the pool at Newberry that we decided to take the first step in becoming an advocate,” Diane said. “That day, there were lots of children with the latest in bathing suits, beach towels, and backpacks. Moms and Dads were keeping a keen eye on their children, swimming with them, and making sure that they had sunscreen, drinks and snacks. Later that day, Jeff and I talked about children who do not experience caring parents.”

 Jeff and Diane approach their advocacy as a team, working together to be the voices for a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old who have both come to believe their lives can be different because of the time and care their advocates show them.

 “We advocate for the girls to be in a safe home, to receive the counseling that they need, and to do well in school,” Diane said. “Each time we see them, we tell them that they can be anything that they want to be when they grow up – as long as they are willing to work hard enough. We hope that we can be at least a small part of the reason that they might have the opportunity to be happy and successful adults.”

 Given what their two CASA kids have gone through in their young lives, the gift of hope they receive from their advocates is literally transformative.

 “During our last visit, we again told the girls that they could be anything that they wanted to be,” Diane said. “One of the girls volunteered that she might be a teacher, a nurse, a caseworker – or even a CASA!”

 Jeff and Diane have seen firsthand the value in investing in the community in this way. In helping build a strong foundation by supporting the children who need it most. They’ve also seen that while sometimes difficult, advocacy is not done alone.

 “The advice that we would have for potential advocates is that you owe it to yourself (and a child) to fully investigate whether this type of volunteer work is for you,” Diane said. “You may find, as we did, that your preconceived ideas and reservations melt away. Also, it is important that potential advocates know that they will not take this journey alone – the CASA staff, with their valuable experience and common sense, will be with them every step of the way.

 We wish that more people in the community knew how many children are waiting for adults who will take the time to get to know them, to care about what happens to them and to advocate in their best interests within a complicated system.”

 If you’ve been considering advocacy, attending an info session with us is a perfect first step. And if, like Jeff and Diane, you’d like to advocate as a team, we’d love to invite you to be part of our upcoming spring training class which begins on March 25.