Summit Lantern Project
Lighting the Way for Caregivers
Summit Lantern Project is a caregiver support nonprofit based at The Mountain Center in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. We help family caregivers who feel overwhelmed by the emotional, physical, and financial demands of caring for a loved one. Through small, six‑week daytime cohorts, we provide education, practical tools, and a supportive community so caregivers can sustain their own well‑being while continuing to care for others.
Located at The Mountain Center, 354 Memorial Blvd, Tobyhanna, PA 18466
Six‑week caregiver cohorts, Tuesday–Thursday, 10am–2pm
Serving family caregivers of aging, disabled, or medically fragile loved ones
Scholarships and support available for qualifying caregivers
Mission
Our mission is to help family caregivers move from overwhelm to stability by providing structured support, practical guidance, and community connection.
Who We Are
Summit Lantern Project was created to respond to the very real stress and isolation family caregivers experience every day. Our small team brings together nonprofit operations, clinical expertise, and community navigation experience to build a safe, structured space where caregivers can be seen, heard, and supported.
Michele Frakt, LCSW, LSW, SMQT
Founder, Summit Lantern Project
Michele Frakt is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience in healthcare, beginning her career in long-term care and expanding across diverse populations and clinical settings. Her work has spanned complex care coordination, mental health treatment, and systems-based support for individuals and families navigating both medical and emotional challenges.
Prior to relocating to Pennsylvania, Michele maintained a private practice in New York and worked with the New York State Department of Health in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), contributing to care oversight, regulatory compliance, and quality-focused initiatives.
Michele is licensed in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida, and provides virtual services across these states. Since moving to Monroe County, she has expanded her work throughout Monroe and surrounding Pennsylvania counties, where she offers hands-on geriatric consultation and care management services to support older adults and their families in navigating complex care needs.
Through the Summit Lantern Project, Michele integrates her extensive clinical and systems experience into a model focused on caregiver support, dementia-informed programming, and sustainable, community-based impact.
Our Team
Sonya Eddings, MBA
Business Consultant & Care Navigator
Sonya is a highly experienced business management and program development professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a strong background in nonprofit operations, grant management, project implementation, and stakeholder engagement.
Based in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, she brings decades of experience leading mission-driven initiatives across community-based organizations, workforce development programs, and grant-funded projects, with deep ties to grassroots organizations in the local community.
Sonya has a proven ability to translate vision into action through her expertise in public speaking and corporate training. She has delivered engaging presentations, workshops, and training sessions to diverse audiences, including grassroots community groups, nonprofit staff, workforce participants, and corporate teams. Her approach emphasizes practical skill-building, clear communication, and empowerment, drawing on strong relationships with local faith-based organizations, senior centers, aging agencies, and community networks to drive participation, referrals, and collaborative outcomes.
A results-oriented leader, Sonya is known for her strategic thinking, attention to detail, and ability to work across teams to solve problems and move projects forward. Her leadership roles in nonprofit program administration, grant and contract management, workforce services, and business systems operations demonstrate her skill in managing teams, improving processes, ensuring compliance, and strengthening partnerships with grassroots stakeholders, participants, and funders. She is especially passionate about work that supports families, strengthens communities, and creates meaningful pathways for people to thrive.
In her work with Summit Lantern Project, Sonya serves as Business Consultant and Care Navigator helping guide the organization’s startup and growth strategy as it develops a structured caregiver support program. Her work includes program design, budgeting, funding strategy, operational planning, partnership development, and cohort coordination.
Location and Hours
The Mountain Center
354 Memorial Blvd
Tobyhanna, PA 18466 (Coolbaugh Township)
Hours:
Monday - Thursday
9:00am - 3:00pm
AARP Report - Valuing the Invaluable 2026: Family Caregivers’ Contribution Reaches $1 Trillion
Pew Research Center - Family Caregiving in an Aging America
