Amelia Grudkowski, left, 19, a student at Ursinus College, and Paicey Clower, 15, a student at Crestwood High School, are seen painting windows at Children’s Service Center, South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, Friday morning. Both are students of Sue Hand Imagery, Dallas.
Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader
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Twin sisters Kristin and Alyssa Pisano, 19, paused from their painting of windows at Children’s Service Center on South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre Friday morning. Both are graduates of Sue Hand Imagery of Dallas and they both attend Drexel University. Kristin was painting Christmas presents and Alyssa was painting candles.
Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader
Evelyn Migatulski, 18, and Bailey Stavridis, 17, students at Holy Redeemer High School, were painting of windows Friday at Children’s Service Center on South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. Both are graduates of Sue Hand Imagery of Dallas and they said they were earning community service credits for their school.
Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader
Rosemary Luksha, right, discusses the annual window painting project she and her sister Barbara Roche, coordinate in memory of their brother, Edward Luksha. Painting windows are members of the Greater Federation of Women’s Club-West Side, Deidre Miller Kaminski left, and Carla Agresti Finn, second from right, and Lexie Oster, 21, a student at Penn State Wilkes-Barre.
Bill O’Boyle | Times Leader
Volunteer painters Friday decorated the outside doors and inside windows of Children’s Service Center with scenes of candy canes, hot cocoa, gingerbread men, polar bears, snowmen, gnomes, cardinals, and Charlie Brown characters. The designs will be displayed from Friday through the winter. Rosemary Luksha and Barbara Roche coordinated the 24th annual art event of remembrance of the life of their brother, Edward Luksha.
First row, from left: Mia Chitswara, Allie Stallard, Maggie Lupcho, Paicey Clower, Amelia Grudkowski, Lexie Oster, Bailey Stavridis, Evelyn Migatulski, and Molly Reott.
Second row, from left: Caroline Stallard, Becky McCuen, Christina Kinsman, Carla Finn, Anne Jenkins, Lindsay Matinas, Theresa Letner, and Nicole Delevan.
Third row, from left: Pattie Delevan, Sarah Stallard, Alyssa Pisano, Kristin Pisano, Bonnie Macdonald, Mary Pat Connell, Deidre Kaminski, Irene Mackiewicz, Maribeth Girton, Barbara Roche, and Rosemary Luksha.
Fourth row, from left: Jennifer Ardoline, Aileen Whalen, Colleen Weiss, Samantha Avery, and Maureen Finnerty.
Submitted Photo
WILKES-BARRE — For the 24th year, Rosemary Luksha and her sister, Barbara Roche, gathered a group of volunteers to honor their brother, Edward Luksha, by painting holiday scenes and characters on windows at Children’s Service Center on South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Held annually in memory of therapist Edward Luksha, the event was previously hosted by the now-closed Community Counseling Services, where Luksha worked for many years.
“We want to carry on the spirit of enrichment by painting these beautiful holiday scenes throughout CSC,” Rosemary Luksha said.
Linda R. Wiseman, Director of Development at CSC, said, “It was a very colorful Black Friday this year, when a team of seasoned and new holiday artists/painters convened at Children’s Service Center to paint holiday scenes on the Outpatient Building, which houses therapy, primary care, pharmacy and other services for the community.”
The annual remembrance honors Edward Luksha and is sponsored by the Luksha-Roche family. This year’s painters included students at Sue Hand’s Imagery, and volunteers from Greater Federation of Women’s Club-West Side, and Saint John the Baptist Church, as well as art educators Ashley Lunger (Dallas School District) and Nicole Delevan (Wallenpaupack Area School District), and other affiliated artists.
Rosemary Luksha said the group’s continued efforts “lovingly illustrate Edward Luksha’s life philosophy of enriching the lives of individuals struggling with emotional and mental health concerns.”
Children’s Service Center, in recognition of the painters’ contributions, celebrated the occasion with a pizza party for all participants.
Painters who decorated the glass windows with scenes of candy canes, gingerbread men, polar bears, and Peanuts/Charlie Brown characters included: Rosemary Luksha, Barbara Roche, Irene Mackiewicz, Maureen Finnerty, Bonnie MacDonald, Deidre Kaminski, Carla Finn, Mary Pat Connell, Christina Kinsman, Jennifer Ardoline, Theresa Letner, Aileen Whalen, Anne Jenkins, Becky McCuen, Colleen Weis, Samantha Avery, Ashley Lunger (Dallas School District), Pattie Delevan (affiliated artist), Nicole Delevan (Wallenpaupack Area School District), Amelia Grudkowski, Paicey Clower, Lexie Oster, Lindsay Matinas, Evelyn Migatulski, Bailey Stavridis, Mollie Rheott, Alyssa Pisano, Kristin Pisano, Allie Stallard, Caroline Stallard, and Sarah Stallard (Sue Hand’s Imagery).
Rosemary Luksha and Barbara Roche thanked all of the painters for their continued service in the yearly art event of remembrance honoring the life of Edward Luksha, and to Children’s Service Center for hosting the occasion.
Children’s Service Center, together with its adult care affiliate, Robinson Counseling Center, will serve a projected 13,000-plus clients in 2022 with treatment and support for mental health, substance use and autism disorders, including crisis intervention.
Earlier this year, CSC opened the Conyngham Primary Health Care Center to integrate physical and mental health services under one roof, serving people of all ages with experts in internal medicine and family medicine.
Visit — cscwv.org for more information.
“My brother, Edward, always liked to enrich the lives of people struggling with mental disorders,” said his sister, Rosemary.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
