Our Story

Beginnings  |  Mission, Values, Work  |  Staff  |  Advisory Board

How the Community Zone Came to Be

Co-founders: Cynthia Peltier and Farida Zaid
The CommUnity Zone is a 501(c) non-profit organization.
The CommUnity Zone opened its doors at 417 Market Street in Lewisburg, PA in February 2012. The goal of the Zone has always been to create a space where all members of the Susquehanna Valley would come together to share ideas and share all the talent and resources.
 
The inaugural event: Lewisburg to Celebrate Good Neighbors: A Beloved Community honored Doug and Margie Sturm who took the concept of what it means to be an engaged citizen to heart. Their volunteerism and creativity knew no bounds.  The day was full of entertainment and information encompassing a broad vision for bold and vigorous volunteerism expressing it through a multidisciplinary artistic expression that emerges from a love for one’s community and vision for a better world. A plaque was installed in the park to to commemorate these two exemplary people and serves as a reminder to the importance of what it means to be an engaged citizen.

The Zone Today: Community Partnerships

Toward the end of 2021, the CommUnity Zone realized that it had grown beyond the space it had used for the last decade. While that location was ideal in many ways - located in the heart of downtown, and just next door to the Campus Theatre - it was also a small, single-roomed office tucked away between larger neighbors. The Zone was also engaging more and more in collaboration with the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership, who were also looking for a new office location. And both of these groups were interested in moving from begging, borrowing, and stealing space for events to having a space of our very own for hosting friends and supporters.
With a bit of luck and a lot of elbow grease, the directors of both groups - Cynthia Peltier of the CommUnity Zone and Ellen Ruby of the Downtown Partnership - found the perfect place. In February of 2022, they joined forces at 328 Market Street to form the Community Partnerships building. In the months that have followed, this space has slowly but surely grown toward our goal of forming a central hub for all things Lewisburg, with office space for both our organizations, a central room with a stage and seating for all sorts of events, and a window front and hallway space for posters and brochures. It's even an official satellite office of the Visitor's Bureau!
Ellen Ruby (left) of the Lewisburg Downtown Partnership, Scotta Magnelli (center) of the Campus Theatre, and Cynthia Peltier (right) of the CommUnity Zone: Three community leaders representing three great partners in Lewisburg!
If you haven't managed to swing by already, we'd love for you to see the Community Partnerships office and say hello to this wonderful pair of organizations. As the CommUnity Zone moves into its second decade, we're thrilled to continue our mission in a new home that embodies all the ideals we stand for.

Diversity, Inclusion & Equality Statement

The CommUnity Zone strives to reflect the community’s needs for diversity, inclusion, and equality, as well as educating the community about diversity, inclusion & equality in order to broaden community awareness on the importance of these issues as reflected in the fine and performing arts.
The CommUnity Zone:
  • Passionately believes that Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality encompasses an appreciation for new culture, varied backgrounds, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic differences, the disabled, and other underrepresented groups.
  • Strives to present programming and events that reflect Lewisburg and surrounding communities.
  • Strives to break down traditional barriers, both physical and financial, that have caused certain members of our community to be excluded from the opportunity to experience the arts.
  • Strives to be and to be perceived as an inclusive and safe place in Union, Northumberland and Snyder Counties for everyone to work and enjoy the arts.
We are particularly interested in creating programming that is inter-generational, and we strive to develop and hold events to engage youth and their families.

Our Mission, Our Vision

The idea behind the CommUnity Zone is right in our name: the emphasis of UNITY in our COMMUNITY. We work to connect the people of the Central Susquehanna Valley with health and human services and programs focused on society, the arts, and culture, in order to build strong, diverse, and thriving bonds. Our vision is a community where all individuals, organizations, and businesses share ideas, talents, and resources to create and maintain a connected, caring, healthy, and vibrant Valley.

As a small nonprofit organization, we work hand in hand with a multitude of partners in and around Lewisburg and the Susquehanna Valley region: fellow nonprofits, local businesses, individual volunteers, and local governments and institutions. Together with our partners and donors, we’re able to enact a wide variety of programs that support our mission of promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality, through everything from rallies to arts programming to community events.

Our Work

  • Develop community engagement throughout the Central Susquehanna Valley
  • Gather multiple perspectives from throughout the valley
  • Create a variety of programming to bring people together
  • Advocate for justice, peace, and equal opportunity for all in every avenue of life
  • Support and promote sustainable initiatives
  • Leverage our network of partners and patrons to ensure resources are more readily available to all.

Our Staff

​Cynthia Peltier
Co-founder and Director
The vision is to promote community collaboration and enhance public/private partnerships in order to strategically and measurably improve the lives of the underserved and under-resourced in the Central Susquehanna Valley. She has been a community organizer throughout her life, serving in leadership roles as a board member for the Campus Theatre and the Donald Heiter Community Center in Lewisburg,  the League of Women Voters, the Central Susquehanna Valley Mediation Center, and the Community Alliance for Respect & Equity. In addition, she worked as the Operations Manager and exhibitions coordinator at Bucknell University’s Samek Art Gallery for 28 years.
Brian LeBlanc
Social Media and Technology Coordinator
Brian first moved to Central Pennsylvania about 15 years ago, and has maintained a relationship with Lewisburg for most of that time, even if he doesn't live in the city itself. After graduating from Susquehanna University in 2017 with a degree in Creative Writing, he bounced around to a few other jobs and backgrounds, including a move to Northern Virginia, before returning to the Valley and joining the CommUnity Zone in 2021. Now he's happily updating the Zone's social media and website, writing for our newsletters, and serving as our main Tech Tutor - along with anything else Cindy needs!

Our Advisory Board

 Scotta Magnelli - Rosalyn Richards - Helen Nunn - Elayne Sobel - Patti Urosevich - Daniel Wilt