Their view: Hugs are free, but they’re not for everybody

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What a magical night it was.

If you’ve been reading this paper and my columns over the last few weeks, you may know I am referring to NEPA Sings – the CASA of Luzerne County fundraiser that happened Thursday night at Wyoming Seminary’s Kirby Center for the Creative Arts.

Throughout the night, which was hosted by media personality Dave Kuharchik, the audience was constantly mesmerized by the talent of the twelve finalists on stage – many young people from Northeastern Pennsylvania.

It was the end of the night that truly left the most lasting impression as winner Talia Johnson encouraged the crowd to clap and her fellow contestants to dance along as she sang “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston after her name was announced as the victor.

Chris Bohinski, another contestant who is known locally as the “Smile Guy,” went out into the crowd, encouraging them along in his fun-loving, animated fashion.

This moment showed the camaraderie of the contestants and the respect they had for one another.

As Judge Amanda Greene of 98.5 KRZ said, that was her favorite aspect of the show: the way the singers supported each other, despite a fierce competition. Other judges included Doc Medek of Froggy 101, Leeann Burke of local band M80 and Lorenzo Medico, who at one point performed and sang with his cousin Jamie Anzalone on guitar and had the crowd enthralled.

Second-place winner was 16-year-old Marina Rinkunas from Clarks Summit who received a $500 gift card to the Guitar Center, thanks to a donation by Derek Zambino of AssuredPartners.

Johnson, the first-place winner, received a studio recording session and one-track demo opportunity with Republic Audio Studio valued at more than $1,000 thanks to Jason Valenti.

It was such a privilege to be a part of the planning committee for the event this year, and I have to give a shoutout to the other committee members: Lindsay Griffin of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Sarah Mule of CASA, Alison Zurawski of Community Bank N.A., Julie Bean of Wyoming Seminary, Alex Macnamara of Wyoming Seminary, Anothony Melf of EDSI Solutions, Dave Kuharchik of Discover NEPA, Kathi Bankes of Ruth’s Chris/Metz Culinary Management, Lorenzo Medico of Medico Industries and John Aciukewicz of CASA.

Thanks to PNC and Geisinger for being the presenting sponsors and making it all possible.

Also, I’d be remiss not to mention the moment in the night when Luzerne County Judge Jennifer Rogers was honored as CASA’s Champion of Children Award recipient. She deals with many of the childhood cases in which CASA is involved, making informed and impactful decisions in the best interest of children each day, so executive director John Aciukewicz was elated to recognize her this year.

Judge Rogers also impressed the audience with a CASA-customized rendition of Lee Ann Womack’s “Something Worth Leaving Behind,” which was truly exceptional and showed off her own beautiful voice.

With so much packed into just a few hours, I couldn’t believe when the night was over.

Something I do believe: next year will be even bigger and better.

Thank you, CASA, for giving us a reason to bring beautiful voices together – and I’m glad in doing so that we’re helping voiceless children in Luzerne County.

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Mike McGinley

Around Town

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Around town: A memorable evening for a worthy cause