Roughly 28 volunteer painters participated in the 26th window-painting day at the Children’s Service Center in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. 38 windows were decorated with holiday cheer, ranging from traditional festive images to well-known children’s characters. The annual event was co-founded by RoseMary Luksha bottom left, and co-directed by Nicole Delevan, bottom right.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
Volunteers decorate Children’s Service Center windows
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A group of area artists work together to paint festive scenes and children’s characters on the second floor of the Children’s Service Center on Saturday. Many of the artists have been volunteering their time and skills for a decade or longer, including students of Sue Hand’s Imagery, members of the General Federation of Women’s Club and others.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
Anne Jenkins, left, and Marianne Gallagher shared in some light conversation while they placed finishing touches on their hand-painted candy cane and bells at the Children’s Service Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
Volunteer artists spent their Saturday morning creating a cheerful winter scene on the windows of the Children’s Service Center in Wilkes-Barre. The tradition has been upheld for 26 years. Artists worked on 38 windows on Saturday.
Marcella Kester | For Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — If you travel down South Franklin Street, you may notice some festive new additions adorning the windows of the Children’s Service Center.
Murals of reindeer and penguins to childhood favorites like Paw Patrol have been painted onto 38 of the center’s windows — an annual tradition for one volunteer group that dates back 26 years.
Making her way through the center’s floors, event co-founder Rosemary Luksha was busy lending a helping hand and observant eye to the artists well underway on their projects. Luksha began the project in honor of her late brother, Edward, who passed away in 1998.
The group now also honors Rosemary’s sister and project co-founder, Barbara Luksha Roche, who passed away in 2023.
The event originally began by painting holiday themes on the windows and doors of Community Counseling Services, where Edward was a therapist, and continued until it was sold in 2022.
With the blessing of Children’s Service Center Director of Development Linda Wiseman and CEO Mike Hopkins, Luksha and her band of merry volunteers have been decorating the center since.
What started with just 12 windows and a few volunteers has blossomed over the years. On Saturday, roughly 30 volunteer artists, ranging from local art students to church members and civic groups, came out to paint 38 windows that will help lift the spirits of clients as they walk through.
After finishing up a snowman and holly, Colleen and Samantha Weiss took a moment to discuss why they continue to participate in the program year after year. The mother-daughter duo has been one of the longest-participating volunteers in the event.
“We started in 2008, so we’ve been doing it for the last 15 years. And Ms. Luksha was my art teacher,” Colleen said. “Just seeing the joy on everybody’s face around the holidays when they come in.”
It’s a cheerful time for the group, many of whom have volunteered together for years. In between finishing brush strokes, they converse with each other, often reminiscing about past years and catching up on life.
While one group was working on the main floor, another was upstairs filling a children’s room with bright holiday images. After completing a portrait of SpongeBob SquarePants, volunteer Kira Zack stopped to explain what the project means to her.
The former Sue Hand art student — and now medical student — has been volunteering her skills for about 12 years.
“I think it’s so nice to be able to do this for patients and their families and to do something that to us (as artists) is so simple but really brightens up people’s holidays,” Zack said. I feel like it’s really worth it to do it.”
Wiseman hopes that the scenes will help brighten the days for some of their clients during the holiday season.
“This group of volunteers in particular … they use their creative skills, they use their artistic talents really to bring joy to people who sometimes need that extra lift and support,” she said. “And being a mental health organization we’re very grateful to have someone come in to really literally brighten our environment with a lot of holiday color and cheer.”