A late-summer headline from the Business section of the Post-Gazette told what is becoming an all-too-familiar story by declaring "Region Still Reeling from Job Losses." The text went on to state that "two years into a national recovery, Pittsburgh still is struggling to recuperate from the 2001 recession" and that "employment in every major industry group for the seven county metropolitan region remains below levels seen in 2001," with the exception of the education and health services, financial services, and leisure and hospitality sectors.

The brightest spot in that picture of generally disappointing regional performance was the education and health services sector, which posted a gain of 15,417 local jobs during the four-year period. In this regard, two other news stories from the summer are a source of inspiration for those who care about the future of Western Pennsylvania. The first reported on a $10 million gift from the Hillman foundations and family to support the pediatric transplantation program at Children's Hospital. The second reported on yet another Hillman gift, this one for $20 million, to support research at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute .

Most basically, these extraordinary investments in our shared future serve as a reminder that our home region is blessed with a rich tradition of philanthropy and a strong foundation community. Both our own quality of life and the reputation we enjoy beyond our regional borders have been enhanced immeasurably by generous and well-targeted grants to support schools of all types, the arts, libraries, conservation initiatives and a range of social programs.

Recent years also have brought a more conscious effort by major philanthropists to invest in the region's economic future by advancing our existing research strengths. The recent Hillman gifts clearly reflect that trend. And perhaps the clearest example of the regional good that can be produced by such investments is the cancer institute itself, whose principal research and treatment facility now also bears the Hillman name.

Just 20 years ago, Pittsburgh, despite its great medical traditions, had no real cancer center. However, a $10 million seed grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation permitted Pitt and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to create one. In just five years, the cancer institute had been designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, the fastest that any center ever had received that prestigious designation.

Today, on the research side, the cancer institute serves as the professional home for some 500 faculty members and staff who annually attract nearly $150 million in research support. On the clinical side, the UPMC Cancer Centers are now the busiest cancer treatment centers in the country.

To add to such strengths, the Heinz Endowments and the Hillman, McCune and R.K. Mellon Foundations have been major supporters of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. The Simmons Family Foundation first funded the Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Diseases and now is providing support for a national center to combat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The Giant Eagle Foundation and the families who created it have provided lead support for a new cancer genetics program.

Just this past Thursday, Pitt dedicated its new biomedical science tower. Built at a cost of $205 million, it is the most advanced facility of its type in the world and will position local scientists to develop new treatments for a wide range of diseases. It also will give a boost to the region's economic health by better positioning those scientists to compete nationally for research grants.

In this case, too, Pittsburgh philanthropy has played a key role, with the DSF Charitable Foundation and Scaife Family Foundation combining to make $10 million in grants to support the work of the Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. The Institute will be housed in the new tower and has as its goal the prevention and cure of such conditions as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Lou Gehrig's disease, as well as strokes.

It has been said that the proud history of our region, to a large extent, is the story of its leading families. What is becoming equally clear is that the bright future of the region is being shaped by the investments of many of those same families and their foundations. We all are the beneficiaries of their generosity.