We were thrilled to officially unveil our new Energy Discovery Zone, Solar Button Wall, and all-electric Mobile Maker Lab this month, celebrating alongside Mayor Kenya Johns, Jack Manning, representatives from Senator John Fetterman's office and Rep. Roman Kozak's office, the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, community leaders, families, and students from the RiverWise Summer Sustainability Institute.

Thank you to our partners — PA Solar Center, RiverWise, New Sun Rising, AYA Instruments, and the Environmental Mitigation Community Fund — who made this project possible.

Neighborhood North is the first RISE Project to come online, part of the Rural Innovation through Solar Empowerment initiative funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Energizing Rural Communities Prize.

But what excites us most isn't just the clean energy — it's the curiosity it sparks. Through interactive exhibits, real-time environmental data, and our Mobile Maker Lab, kids can experience renewable energy firsthand and start seeing themselves as tomorrow's innovators and engineers.

Beaver County has always been a place of builders and innovators. For generations, this region helped power America through coal, steel, manufacturing, and the skilled hands of the people who worked in those industries. That legacy isn't something we leave behind — it's something we build upon. Today, we're helping children imagine the next chapter: one where they carry forward that same tradition of making, building, and solving problems, but with new tools and ideas, whether they become engineers, electricians, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, or skilled tradespeople.

At Neighborhood North, we believe play sparks curiosity, curiosity leads to learning, and learning leads to innovation.

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