Home >  Local News

Sunday, December 30, 2001

By Bob Batz Jr., Post-Gazette Staff Writer

One positive result of the events of Sept. 11 has been an outpouring of volunteerism. But many, many caring people were making a world of difference even before that.

Six standouts from the Pittsburgh region have been selected to receive what is considered the Nobel Prize of volunteering -- the Jefferson Award.

These six will be among the pool of Jefferson Award recipients selected in 69 markets across the country from which the American Institute for Public Service will choose five to honor nationally in the nation's capital.

The southwestern Pennsylvania program is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, along with AT&T Broadband and Eat'n Park Restaurants, as well as the United Way. Working from nomination forms, a panel of judges from the community names 50 Community Champions. They are featured in public service ads that run every Monday in the Post-Gazette and in public service announcements that air on AT&T Broadband stations. The judges pick up to eight to receive the local Jefferson Awards. One winner gets to attend the national ceremony in Washington in June.

This year's local awardees help others in a variety of ways:

Ann Billak

Repairing homes. Ann Billak of Upper St. Clair gave the gift of home renovations to many low-income older residents of Allegheny County by starting a nonprofit Christmas in April program here. Billak, 43, who works full time as public relations director for the Master Builders' Association of Western Pennsylvania Inc., gave at least an additional 20 hours a week to the effort. In nominating her, Christmas in April Pittsburgh executive director Cindy Gilch wrote, "Through her continued efforts, contacts, time, enthusiasm and commitment to elderly homeowners in Pittsburgh, 270 homes and 13 community centers over the past nine years received major repairs and improvements totaling over $2.9 million. She accomplished this through a dedicated board of directors [of which she is president] and over 9,700 volunteers. There was no cost to the homeowner." Ann Billak profile

Jack Bosley

Cutting costs. Jack Bosley, 78, of Mt. Lebanon, board president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, initiated a study that helped its thrift store operation go from losing $150,000 to profiting by more than $120,000. Fellow board member Patricia Janoski, in her nomination of the retired US Steel chemical engineer, wrote that Bosley's backing for new programs to help the poor helped lead to the opening of Michael's Place, a program to help ex-offenders become productive citizens. Jack Bosley profile

	Kathryn DiPerna

Collecting food. Kathryn DiPerna, 18, of Scott is a freshman at Villanova University who earned top grades for volunteerism at Chartiers Valley High School. There, she coordinated a 40-school food drive that resulted in 14,000 pounds of food being donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. She also organized a clothing drive for a village in Haiti. The Food Bank's Debbie West, who nominated her, noted that the food drive "was very successful with not only the quantity but also quality of products that were donated." Kathryn DiPerna profile

Erin Ebeck

Teaching reading. Erin Ebeck, 17, of Ross is still in school, at North Hills Senior High School, but her volunteerism goes back to sixth grade, when she started helping younger children improve their reading skills. She hasn't stopped, not even in the summer, when she is a "reading reinforcer" for the Allegheny County Literacy Council. That group's president, William E. Kofmehl Jr., noted in his nomination, "The average reading level improvement of the hundreds of children involved was nine months, a full school year." Erin Ebeck profile

	Josephine Guy

Providing health care. Josephine Guy, 47, of Tarentum has a paying job as a purchasing manager, and a job with a lot of payoff as board vice president of the nonprofit Community Health Clinic Inc. A Jill-of-all-trades volunteer there since 1974, Guy donates about 80 hours a month to the clinic, which serves people who don't have insurance or who otherwise couldn't afford health care. Her sister, Francie Pattinato, who nominated Guy for the award, credits her with raising the funds needed to keep the clinic open. Josephine Guy profile

Karen Payne

Creating homes for the homeless. Karen Payne, 53, of Wilkinsburg is a "true unsung hero," wrote Velma Parker, a fellow staffer at the East Side Community Collaborative. She nominated Payne not because she is its project director and active in other community groups, but rather for her diligent work in opening transitional and permanent housing for homeless people. "[Her] efforts will have addressed the issue of homelessness for a minimum of 30 families" as well as provided work for others.

Each of these Jefferson Award recipients will be profiled in a series of stories that will be running in the Magazine section of the Post-Gazette beginning Tuesday.

Each also will receive a $1,000 donation to an organization each chooses. Sponsoring those donations are the Grable Family Foundation, William J. Green & Associates, Heinz North America, Kaufmann's and PNC Foundation.

In addition, the recipients will be honored at a reception with master of ceremonies Rick Sebak at 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. They will be joined by the other local Community Champions. The public is invited.

The Jefferson Awards program was founded in 1972 by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, U.S. Sen. Robert Taft and Sam Beard. The actual award is a 2 1/2-inch medallion, gold on silver, featuring on one side a replica of the Seal of the United States and on the other, "In Recognition of Outstanding Public Service." Karen Payne profile