Stankiewicz brings her voice to Cantate Carlisle

Cantate Carlisle’s newest member of the Board of Directors is Ginny Stankiewicz. Ginny and I took a moment to share a meal and some conversation at One13Social. We covered all the topics of family, education, volunteer work, and Cantate. It was truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know Ginny, and now, I introduce this amazing human to you….

The Soundtrack of Childhood

Ginny was born in New York, but early in her life, her family moved to Camp Hill, and she and her husband Tom have lived in Boiling Springs since 1985.

As with many of our singers and Board members, music has long been a part of Ginny’s life. Her father was a Jazz guitarist who introduced her and her three siblings to the jazz greats. He also discovered Bob Dylan and introduced them to Dylan’s genre of music.

Her mother also loved music, so their home was filled with harmonizing among the family of six.

Ginny and her brother were self-taught guitarists. Her brother out-paced her in the guitar playing, so she sang while he played. Two of their favorite artists were Neil Young and James Taylor. Ginny was also in high school chorus and sang in her church choir.

The Education Connection

Ginny attended Penn State where she earned her degree in social work. She took a job working at a group home for at-risk young girls. Later, Ginny accepted an entry-level position at IBM where she worked while earning her MBA from Drexel. She would work for IBM for over 35 years before retiring.

Drexel and her IBM position were in Philadelphia, but as fate would have it, she would be transferred to a new facility in Mechanicsburg and soon met Tom Stankiewicz who had also been transferred to the new facility – he was smart and funny. They were married a year later. That was in 1984. Two children and two grandchildren later, they are still going strong.

For the Love of Children

Ginny and Tom have two children – Ella, who works in real estate and is married with two great little boys, and Walt, who teaches Spanish and has a band called “Soup Kitchen.” As we spoke, Ginny shared photos and radiated all the mom-pride and grandma-joy.

The Driving Force

Ginny first joined the voices of Cantate during the Fall 2021 season, making her debut at our first post-pandemic live concert. She has always valued music, particularly live music. Music and the arts have played a large role in forging lasting relastionships and connections throughout her life.

Ginny, always game for a challenge, states that she has been “impressed with the level of musicianship” among her Cantate comrades-in-song.

A lifelong, enthusiastic volunteer, Ginny has served our community through the United Way, CASA, and the KEYS program, to name a few, so it was only natural for her to join the volunteer forces of Cantate and bring her commitment and enthusiasm to our beautiful mix.