Empowering local writers through engaging events and community support.
Our Team
The Uplifting Voices Project is a passion project of two community volunteers dedicated to promoting the works of local creatives in south eastern PA. With the support of private donors, our team is able to host quarterly events in the Pottstown, PA, area.
Co-Founder, Operations Director
Iryne Carrasquillo
Iryne Carrasquillo is the Ukranian American owner, founder, and active practitioner of Iryne.org (formerly Thirdi Center, LLC). Iryne holds over 20 years of coaching, counseling, and intuitive therapy experience. She is a certified life coach, an ordained interfaith minister, and has a Master's level education in psychology, social work, and business administration. Iryne has spoken in various academic and entertainment settings, taught several sold-out classes and workshops, and served clients from all over the globe. Iryne has been married for over 20 years, is a mother to two young daughters, and resides in Eastern Pennsylvania's beautiful, rural mountains of Barto, PA.
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Co-Founder, Creative Director
Chad w. Towarnicki
Chad W. Towarnicki is an educator and author from Perkiomenville, PA. In addition to 17 years in public education, he also works as an adjunct at Montgomery County Community College. He and his wife, Justine Towarnicki, are the founders of a non-public, learner-driven school called Seeds Academy: An Acton Academy in Green Lane, PA. He has written a variety of non-fiction articles and historical fiction short stories, as well as an historical fiction novel entitled Notes from a Deserter which was released in 2025 by History Through Fiction.