Preparing tomorrow's leaders today by helping them gain education and experience is the mission of the Coro Center for Civic Leadership, an organization celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Partnering with a wide variety of local businesses and nonprofits, Coro honored those with a similar commitment Friday during the third annual Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership and Diversity Awards. The event in the East Club Lounge of Heinz Field attracted several local leaders (beginning with County Executive Dan Onorato), as well as the current crop of Coro fellows.

Cocktails and dinner stations kept 300 or so guests circulating and conversing before the awards ceremony, which was emceed by WPXI's Darieth Chisolm. Guests were welcomed by Coro president and CEO Sala Udin, board chair Antonia Macpherson and honorary chairs Jewel Amoruso and Eric Springer. Sunil Wadhwani, chairman of iGate, served as guest speaker before the nominees for both awards were acknowledged. Mark Roosevelt, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, received the Leadership Award. The Diversity Award for organizations with more than 50 employees was given to the Center for Inclusion in Healthcare at UPMC and accepted by its chief officer, Candi Castleberry-Singleton. The Diversity Award for fewer than 50 employees was received by executive director Jeffrey Dorsey on behalf of the Union Project. Among those applauding their accomplishments were planning committee members Diane Fisher and Diana Reed and selection committee members Kate Dewey and Edith Shapira.

Mackenzie Carpenter's video program, "Omnivore," is available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.