Bethlehem
The Broughal Community School, in conjunction with ArtsQuest, rallied its students, families and community members in support of after school programming at Broughal Middle School. The group walked from Broughal Middle School to the ArtsQuest and once at the SteelStacks Campus, they lit up five blast furnaces from the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation in blue and yellow for Lights On Afterschool. SteelStacks is an arts and culture campus located at the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. The site represents the redevelopment of the largest industrial brownfield in the country. Musical performances and artwork by Broughal students were, as well as the premiere of the Broughal Community School video in the new SteelStacks Theater. The event closed with the group lighting up the Bridge Sculpture, which spans 70 feet in length and is 30 feet tall, with a natural gas flame.
Easton
YMCA School Age Childcare program hosted a Lights On Afterschool celebration with a talent showcase, a mad scientist demonstration, and a family-style dinner at the Easton YMCA.
Gettysburg
Adams County celebrated at Gettysburg Area Middle School to raise awareness among community leaders and families about the number of youth left unsupervised after school and the cost-effectiveness of quality afterschool programs. This year, the event also highlighted the migrant education program’s selection as one of five MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards. These $10,000 awards are given to five programs from around the country from the MetLife Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance. Lights On in Adams County also featured a fair/carnival with booths, and each of the 30 area afterschool providers showcased their different activities.
Nesquehoning
Hundreds of afterschool youth in Lehigh Carbon Community College SHINE 21st Century After-School program, located in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, gathered to celebrate Lights On Afterschool. The event had a surprise visitor from UPS who delivered a package containing a SHINE drum made in a village in Africa to the president of the local community college. This prompted a chorus of “That’s Logistics,” as the curtain rose on children from six SHINE centers, outfitted in their SHINE STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) t-shirts. Afterschool youth performed a musical on logistics, which is one of the many STEM focused high-priority careers the youth have studied. A local judge talked about how afterschool programs keep children safe and out of trouble. An event highlight was youth from one afterschool site demonstrating different types of alternative energy through wind bags, sailboats in a mini swimming pool and student-made hover crafts. Students performed an anatomy and physiology musical dance and sang a Caribbean culture song they learned during their summer enrichment camp. Local policymakers and parents discussed the merits of afterschool and how these programs help children succeed in school and expose them to the careers of the future. SHINE concluded its 2011 Lights On event by rolling out its new DVD, “The Future Is Now,” which focuses on the effectiveness of teaching STEM in afterschool programs.
Philadelphia
City of Philadelphia
The City of Philadelphia hosted a Lights On Afterschool celebration across from City Hall at the Municipal Services Building – Thomas Paine Plaza. The rally featured youth performances and Mayor Nutter proclaimed October 20th Lights On Afterschool Day. City council members, local sports celebrities, and local TV personalities attended. National leaders from the Afterschool Alliance and JCPenney shared the new 2011 State-by-State Afterschool Progress Reports and Consumer Guides. A rally of youth performances and inspirational speakers sent the message that afterschool is key to youth success and that Philadelphia must keep the lights on and the doors open after school. In honor of Lights On Afterschool, Philadelphia’s famous LOVE Park fountain was colored dark blue and Boathouse Row, a historic national landmark, was trimmed in blue. In the days leading up to the event, the message “National Lights On for Afterschool Programs – 10/20 www.afterschoolalliance.org” was displayed across the Philadelphia skyline on a prominent landmark, the PECO Crown Lights.
Click here to view photos of the event.
Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative
Photo caption: Fleisher Art Memorial youth artist, Samantha Steeman, displays her work proudly during the Juried Lobby Art Exhibit at the Kimmel Center.
The Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative (SEPC) is a network of 7 youth serving agencies and informs, educates and organizes a broad and diverse network of community partners, policymakers and stakeholders to leverage greater access to resources and opportunities that address the needs of youth in Southeast Philadelphia.
On Saturday, November 12, 2011, 44 youth visual artists and 94 youth performers ranging in age from 6-18 years old participated in SEPC's 5th Annual After School Idol Talent Show at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. For the first time ever the show was completely sold out and all 600 seats in the theater were filled with cheering audience members. From 6-7pm we hosted our first ever Juried Lobby Art Exhibit filled with youth created drawings, paintings, sculpture and photography. We also displayed our Public Interventions Project, a collaboration of our three Teen Lounges hosted by Fleisher Art Memorial, Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative and Caring People Alliance. Youth from all three Teen Lounges came together to create a stop motion video called “What’s in Your Backpack?” which played in the lobby as well as the big screen video cube outside on the Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts. During this time our youth were also videotaped and photographed on a real red carpet.
At 7pm our audience was seated and the show began. We had a panel of expert judges and 11 performances, group and solo, including singing and dancing. Youth came from Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, Caring People Alliance, City Year, EducationWorks, Fleisher Art Memorial, Pennsylvania Migrant Education, School District of Philadelphia Talent Centers, Sunrise of Philadelphia and United Communities Southeast Philadelphia. Performances even included a choir, glee club and traditional Cambodian dance. All of our spotlighted youth at our Lights On After School event helped highlight the importance of afterschool programming and opportunities and how key they are for our youth to grow and develop their confidence. Pictures and video of our performances will be available soon at our website at www.sephillyyouth.com
Pittsburgh
APOST
Approximately 150 afterschool providers, youth, families, county and city leaders, state legislators, local endowment leaders, and school districts officials joined in a parade to the Fred Rogers Memorial Statue for a ceremonial lighting in honor of 
Lights On Afterschool. This was the culminating event of the APOST (Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time) Lights On Afterschool celebration at the Carnegie Science Center, where more than 650 out-of-school time providers showed off their programs, engaged folks in 
hands-on activities, and united in building a public to support the out-of-school-time profession. The APOST Quality Campaign has the capacity to host such an event because it is a partnership of funders, intermediaries and providers dedicated to building a quality out-of-school time system. The goal of APOST is to contribute to the healthy, successful development of young people as they progress through their school years, graduate from high school and become adults.
Photos top to bottom, left to right:
1) Bob Nelkin - President of United Way of Allegheny County; Aimee LeFevers - APOST Quality Campaign Director; Mr. McFeely; Kenzie LeFevers; Bill Isler - President of Family Communications, Inc.
2) Bill Peduto - Councilman; Bob Nelkin - President of United Way of Allegheny County; Mr. McFeely; Bill Isler - President of Family Communications, Inc.
3) Mr. Rogers
Melting Pot Ministries
Melting Pot Ministries, a nonprofit community organization located in the South Hills area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, held its "Lights on After School" Reading Event on October 20, 2011. Melting Pot provide services to help children and their families with multiple risk factors including behavioral health issues, live exemplary lives, commit to good works and help others in their communities.
The October 20th event focused on a new reading initiative that would encourage children to read or be read to from ages 18 months to 18 years old. Melting Pot reached out to local business and community leaders as well as parents, school officials and elected government officials to encourage them to help place a book in the hands of every child in need.
More than 80 children, parents, community/business leaders along with teachers and school officials, gathered to watch a storytelling drama centered on the book "Wednesday Surprise". Actors includeda reading specialist, a teacher, a parent, children and Melting Pot's Chief Executive Officer.
Melting Pot will continue in the effort to place books in the hands of children throughout the school year. At the October 20th event, children received a bag filled with books as well as school supplies donated by a local church.
Penn Hills School District
On October 20, Linton's 21st Century Community Learning Center Program hosted an event at the William E. Anderson Library of Penn Hills celebrating its afterschool program.
Approximately 150 of Linton's 21st Century students and parents joined school officials, politicians and others at a dinner for safe afterschool programs on the 11th Annual Lights on Afterschool Day. This event was intended to provide parents, educators and others with an opportunity to know how students feel about their afterschool program.
More than 21,000 students across Pennsylvania took part in Lights on Afterschool Day celebratory events, sending a message that afterschool programs are critical to their success. Linton students hung their signature Lights on Afterschool Light Bulbs in the school with their names attached during the week leading up to the special day. In addition to dinner, the event at the library included a video presentation of the activities that the students engaged in during the 2010-11 school year.
State Representative Anthony DeLuca was on hand to present students with a proclamation for the event and told them how important their education was to their future success. School Board Member Robert Hudak read a proclamation on behalf of State Senator Jay Costa, and winners of the programs essay contest were invited forward to read their work.
This year in the Penn Hills program, the focus is going to be more on reading, math, and science outside of the regular school day. Mr. Mark Wolfe, 21st Century “Magic in the Middle” Administrator said that it is necessary to ensure that students are getting the academic support they need in order to be prepared for their high school years.
Penn Hills School District has been a part of Lights on Afterschool Program for more than seven years. The program is a partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Penn Hills School District, and Communities In Schools.
Click here to view photos of the event.
West Chester
To highlight the importance of quality afterschool programs, hundreds of area families participated in the Lights On Afterschool at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square. The event, sponsored by YMCA of the Brandywine Valley, included free admission for YMCA families to Longwood Gardens and a program in the main fountain area; followed by an illuminated, Lights On group photograph of participants.