WILKES-BARRE — Tunes for Tots: A Concert to Support the Creation of a Sensory Room for Luzerne County Head Start took place on Thursday evening at the River Street Jazz Café in Wilkes-Barre.
The event collected nearly $4,800 for the project.
Organized by Leadership Northeast Community Impact Project team Head Start Heroes, the event showcased the music of five local musicians, including Bret Alexander, Nyke Van Wyke, Gracie Jane Sinclair, Justin Mazer and Joe Burke & Co., who performed for a full house.
The event also aimed to raise awareness of the Head Start Heroes’ community impact project, which is to establish a sensory room for young children at Luzerne County Head Start’s Beekman St. Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Members of the Head Start Heroes group are part of Leadership Northeast’s Core Class of 2024 and include: Chelsey Coslett, from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC); Michele Duris, from Step-by-Step, Inc.; Amy Hoyt, from Building Blocks Learning Center; AJ Jump, from the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts; Chris Mayerski, from Wilkes University; Jaclyn Reisser, from Mobiniti; and Rebecca Thomas, from Empower.
The group selected the sensory room as their community impact project because they wanted to create something sustainable that would endure for years to come.
“While reviewing the list of project requests Leadership Northeast received from various local nonprofits, our group liked the Head Start sensory room because the room we create will serve as a prototype for future sensory rooms at Head Start’s other locations throughout Luzerne and Wyoming counties,” stated Chelsey Coslett, media representative for Head Start Heroes. “Thus, our project will not only be put to good use well into the future, but it is also the beginning of a great initiative at Head Start. We also liked the fact that any child who attends Head Start’s Beekman St. Center will be able to use our sensory room as a calming environment. Most people think that only children on the autism spectrum use sensory rooms, but they benefit all children.”
“At Luzerne County Head Start, we strive to provide all students with an opportunity to succeed in not only academics, but also when looking at social and emotional skills,” commented Suzanne O’Gorman, Luzerne County Head Start teacher. “We are mindful and aware that our students are only just beginning to understand the feelings that are within themselves, and we want to continue to support the needs of all students. A sensory room, regardless of the design or featured items, will provide all students with a safe space to not only decompress and help regulate, but also to regain a sense of comfort knowing that it is okay to have feelings that we sometimes do not understand.”
