Strong communities are built on connections between neighbors, organizations, generations and people who might not otherwise cross paths. Across Pennsylvania, Window Keepers are making those connections happen, often through the simple but powerful acts of listening, bringing people together and making sure everyone has a place in the conversation.
The Window Keepers featured here are community builders in the truest sense. From Erie to Philadelphia and everywhere in between, they organize neighborhood gatherings, mentor young people, strengthen local organizations, create welcoming spaces and connect people with opportunities and with one another. Their work may look different from one community to the next, but each understands that a stronger community begins with stronger relationships.
Dr. Koreem Bell (Downingtown, Chester)
Dr. Koreem R. Bell uses the humanities to create inclusive spaces that promote education, cultural awareness, and civic participation in West Chester. Under his leadership, the West Chester Community Center functions as more than a gathering place; it is a polling site, educational resource, and social hub that supports youth and families. His active involvement with the West Chester Historical Society and lifelong membership in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity further reinforce his role in preserving and sharing community stories.
From his nomination: “Korey uses the humanities to create inclusive spaces that promote education, cultural awareness, and civic participation in West Chester. By drawing on his research about Dr. Leslie Pinckney Hill’s impact, he connects history and leadership with contemporary community-building efforts. Under his leadership, the West Chester Community Center functions as more than a gathering place; it is a polling site, educational resource, and social hub that supports youth and families.”
Alice Trowbridge (Williamsport, Lycoming County)
As a Community Heart & Soul Coach, Alice Trowbridge helps small towns across the state — including her hometown of Williamsport — to shape a better future for their communities. She has a passion for helping residents find the missing and hidden voices in their communities, use stories and conversation to learn what they love most about where they live and why, and build a bright future together based on those values.
From her nomination: “Alice is thoughtful, dedicated to community spirit and cares so much about those hidden voices and stories in small, rural communities. As a Community Heart & Soul coach she strives to find the hidden and missing voices within a small town. She knows those voices have something to stay and is dedicated to making sure communities hear them.”
Paul Hamilton (Erie, Erie County)
Paul Hamilton helps residents better understand, value and engage with Erie’s east side through community revitalization, storytelling and civic connection. Through his leadership at Eastside Renaissance, he brings together residents, businesses, healthcare providers and local leaders while preserving neighborhood identity and ensuring community voices and experiences guide efforts to create positive change. By highlighting the east side’s history, culture and resilience, Hamilton challenges negative perceptions, strengthens relationships and helps residents envision a stronger future for their community.
From his nomination: “Through storytelling, public engagement, and neighborhood-focused initiatives, he challenges negative perceptions and inspires others to see possibility where others may only see disinvestment. His work helps residents feel heard, valued, and connected to something larger than themselves. By blending history, culture, civic participation, and community dialogue, Paul uses the humanities to strengthen relationships and create lasting impact across Erie’s east side.”
Anthony Moyer (Allentown, Lehigh)
In Allentown, Anthony Moyer is a true neighborhood connector who brings people together and strengthens the sense of community in Allentown’s Deep West End with his dedication and welcoming spirit. Moyer coordinates community events including annual neighborhood picnic and holiday celebrations and consistently organizes fundraising events, ensuring that every member of his community is looked after. He also contributes to the Allentown arts and culture scene by recruiting and coordinating volunteers for the local art museum.
From his nomination: “Anthony Moyer is a unifying leader whose dedication brings people together and strengthens the sense of community in Allentown’s Deep West End. Through his welcoming spirit, Anthony helps new residents feel connected and included, fostering relationships that build trust and belonging among neighbors. He plays a key role in coordinating community events such as the annual neighborhood picnic and holiday celebrations, creating meaningful opportunities for residents to gather, engage, and form lasting connections.”
Lee Scandinaro (Meadville, Crawford County)
Lee Scandinaro works tirelessly to make sure that Meadville is a community where everyone feels welcome and has beautiful green spaces, safe and dignified housing, and community events that all neighbors can enjoy. An educator who teaches culinary arts to middle school students, Lee is also a member of several civic commissions and boards and a recognizably helpful face around town. He works with renters to organize better living conditions, goes door to door planting trees in individual yards, puts up murals and greets neighbors to ask how they’re doing, inspiring others with his vision and dedication to Meadville.
From his nomination: “From volunteering his hours and his free time to the betterment to finding trees that work in Meadville and then planting them, everything and every moment he has a vision of a Meadville that works for everybody. A Meadville that is sustainable and thriving for generations to come. He’s an inspiration to this place.”
Kevin Arrington (Erie, Erie County)
With Family Matters in Erie, Kevin Arrington provides soft skill training to students that will directly affect their future. He helps them with interviewing strategies, resume building, understanding career choices, and sets them up for successful futures. From the community college to the Martin Luther King Center, Kevin has spent the past 30 years dedicating his time and energy to improving the lives of Erie County and City residents.
From his nomination: “Kevin’s work and dedication to this community spans years and truly touches the lives of the people he teaches and encounters everyday. Kevin inspires me everyday to do better and be better. The community of Erie is blessed to have a community leader that is engaged with the future leaders of our community.”
Cindy Schultz (Bloomsburg, Columbia County)
For decades, Cindy Schultz has worked as a volunteer and as an employee for organizations at the center of civic and cultural life in her region, including the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, the Bloomsburg Public Library, Downtown Bloomsburg Inc., and Greenwood Friends School. Because of her knowledge of each of them, her deep connections with the people involved in each of them, and her conviction that rising tides lift all boats, Cindy has helped build connections among them and created a web of community that makes each organization stronger and the region more resilient.
From her nomination: “Cindy understands the importance of the humanities to each individual and to our community as a whole, and she has dedicated herself to ensuring that the humanities survive and thrive in this rural region where other endeavors may make more headlines but none provide more satisfaction to the people who benefit from them. In short, Cindy fosters support in whatever ways organizations and community members need.”
Curtis Jones, Jr. (Erie, Erie County)
Curtis Jones Jr. serves his Erie community as regional chambers director of government affairs. But outside of his official work for the community, Jones intentionally finds ways for people within the community to connect, such as small business owners and entrepreneurs. He also sponsors an annual civics bee and serves on Governor Josh Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on African American Affairs.
From his nomination: “He intentionally created a seat at the table for (people) in rooms they may not have otherwise had the means to occupy. He uses his platform to advocate for others. Very deserving of this award!”
Charlotte Brown (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County)
Charlotte Brown uses the arts, history, storytelling, education and civic engagement to unite people and improve Philadelphia. She is a special education teacher, a community member, a director in public service and has spent years supporting youth and fighting against gun violence. By listening carefully to everyone’s perspective and creating bridges between conflicting groups, Charlotte ensures that individuals will be united through the processes of problem-solving, storytelling, and counseling.
From her nomination: “Being a previous educator and civic leader, she believes everyone has his/her story, and it is essential to know these stories in order to achieve real transformation. She never hesitates to motivate others to be the best versions of themselves, point out what should be corrected, and support justice.”
Erin Wallace (Warren, Warren County)
Erin Wallace is the founding member and Coordinator of the Be Well Collaborative, initiated and supported by Warren YMCA. Using a Community Care Model, the Be Well Programs further supportive connections firmly grounded in the foundation of mental wellness. Wallace and her team create and promote resources for persons of all ages and socio-economic groups.
From her nomination: “She is a dynamo and has worked to connect individuals, agencies, groups, and organizations through networking. Erin and her team create and promote resources for persons of all ages and socio-economic groups. In addition to her job as Coordinator, she recently recruited a board and founded Create Community, our region’s Local Arts Agency.”
Zabeth Teelucksingh (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County)
Zabeth Teelucksingh leads Global Philadelphia Alliance in ways that make complex global issues accessible, personal, and relevant to local communities. She is responsible for getting Philadelphia recognized as the first World Heritage City in the United States and her continued commitment to the city has empowered people of all ages to engage with the city’s history.
From her nomination: “Her work consistently opens windows into new perspectives. Through initiatives such as GlobalPhilly, GlobalKids, PhillyThinks, the Emerging International Journalists Program, and the #IamaGlobalPhiladelphian campaign, she has created opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with history, culture, global affairs, and one another. She encourages Philadelphians to see themselves as both local citizens and members of a global community.”
Patricia ‘Ann’ Dunlavy (Huntingdon, Huntingdon County)
Ann Dunlavy manages Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon, caring for and preserving it for all visitors, local and beyond. She has curated educational children’s camps at the caverns and manages their upkeep in order to preserve the caverns as a local attraction.
From her nomination: “To Ann Dunlavy, education and preservation are of the utmost importance and through Lincoln Caverns she has brought families, friends and strangers together to celebrate the history and science behind the cavern. From hosting children’s camps geared towards learning, exploration and discovery to teaching everyone who stops by the importance of preserving the natural wonders that sit beneath our feet, she has been remarkable in making Lincoln Caverns a prime destination within Huntingdon County.”
Anna Poole (Atlantic, Crawford County)
Anna Poole, longtime teacher at Saegertown Elementary School and member of the Greenville Heritage Days committee, consistently puts her all into caring deeply for her students and young members of Atlantic. She plays Mrs. Claus for the children in the community and often runs the Easter Egg Hunt or craft activities at festivals.
From her nomination: “Her storytelling and preserving of local history may be found in all walks of life in Crawford County, and beyond, through her former students.”
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