A variety of educational materials and supplies are being provided to students and families in the Luzerne County SHINE Program at Wilkes University. UGI Utilities, Inc., donated the supplies to prepare SHINE students for a new academic year. The supplies were delivered to the SHINE offices in August after a UGI-employee collection drive. Supplies include bookbags, notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue sticks and markers.
UGI is a member of the SHINE Advisory Board, composed of a variety of organizations, individuals and schools.
SHINE plans to return to in-person events and activities in September. During the pandemic, SHINE offered live sessions in virtual formats where students participated in hands-on STEM activities, yoga and exercise classes, art lessons and Spanish classes. They also received virtual homework assistance.
SHINE of Luzerne County at Wilkes University is a STEM-based after-school program that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades in the Hanover Area, Hazleton Area, Greater Nanticoke Area, Pittston Area, Wilkes-Barre Area and Wyoming Valley West school districts. SHINE, which stands for Schools and Homes In Education, was founded in fall 2015 in Luzerne County. State Sen. John Yudichak and former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta teamed to bring the program to the community. Wilkes University is SHINE’s higher education partner and serves as home for the program.
Families who are interested in enrolling their children in the program can contact their school district to see if they are part of SHINE. Those interested in learning more or contributing to the back-to-school supply drive should call the SHINE offices at (570) 408-4368.
