Transitions marks 50 years of service at Lewisburg auction

More than 200 supporters, sponsors, partners and community members packed Susquehanna University’s Degenstein Event Center in Lewisburg to mark a milestone with real stakes: 50 years of Transitions serving survivors across Union County and the wider region. The 38th annual auction was both a fundraiser and a snapshot of how much the crisis center is still asked to do.

Transitions used the June 3 event to put its work in plain view. The organization serves Union, Snyder and Northumberland counties and says its mission is advocacy, empowerment and education for victims, survivors, families and communities trying to end violence and abuse. Its services include a 24/7 toll-free hotline at 1-800-850-7948, emergency shelter, counseling, advocacy, housing assistance and prevention education.

The need behind those services is growing, not shrinking. Transitions said domestic violence hotline calls rose from 2,133 to 2,867 in the first nine months of its fiscal year, a 34.4 percent increase. That kind of jump underscores the pressure on a nonprofit that is often the first place a person in crisis turns when safety, housing and a path forward all have to come at once.

The auction also showed what long-term support looks like in practice. Transitions’ current counseling program offers adult survivors 12 individual one-on-one sessions at no cost. Its housing programs can include first month’s rental assistance and a security deposit, with continued rental help for up to five additional months in some rapid rehousing cases. The organization also works with victims of trafficking through PAATH 15, a regional collaboration serving counties along Route 15 in Pennsylvania.

At the event, Transitions honored Hannah Johnson with the 2026 Pete Macky Advocacy Award. WKOK reported that Johnson is a forensic nurse coordinator at WellSpan Evangelical Hospital, where she provides trauma-informed care to survivors. Transitions also recognized WellSpan Evangelical Hospital as the evening’s premier sponsor, connecting the celebration to the healthcare partners that often see survivors at the most vulnerable moment.

The anniversary year also brought signs of expansion. Transitions said WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital donated 2.88 acres for a future crime victim center, a move that points to the next stage of the organization’s work in Lewisburg and beyond. Transitions was established as a 501(c)(3) effective Aug. 5, 1981, and after 50 years, the auction made clear that the mission is still being sustained by donors, volunteers and institutions willing to invest in survivor care.