In June 2016, Jo retired after 37 years as an elementary educator for the Kane Area School District. Her next venture was spending summers at the Chautauqua Institution working at The Presbyterian House, where she discovered her passion for helping people extended beyond little children. Then an opportunity opened to be part of the PA Wilds Team at the Kinzua Bridge State Park's Conservation Gift Shop. In Jo's role as a Community Connector at the Conservation Shop, her mission is to truly make someone's day by promoting the PA Wilds region (and her hometown of Kane), finding customers the perfect gift for their grandchildren, listening to their stories of "back-in-the-day", or just offering someone a smile--or even a song. Jo's community service includes being an active member of The Presbyterian Church of Kane, singing in the church choir, being a McKean County (Court Appointed Special Advocate for children) volunteer, as well as serving as President of the Board of Trustees for the Kane Area Children's Museum. When she is not working or doing community service, Jo enjoys playing the piano, swimming laps at the Bradford Family YMCA, or walking Beau-Beau, her family's dog, with her husband. Amtrak trains are her favorite mode of transportation to visit their two children, in Seattle and the Berkshires of Massachusetts, or her brother in Texas.
Jo Wolfe, a Community Connector at the PA Wilds Conservation Shop at Kinzua Bridge, admits that Christmas shopping for friends and family was a challenge for her. She was seeking to just find a perfect gift instead of finding perfect presents that are also representative of what she values: nature, artistic beauty and her community. The Pennsylvania Wilds Marketplace is now her “go-to” holiday shopping destination.
