WHAT’S NEWS IN
CARLYNTON-MONTOUR
cancers and ensure that patients have
access to lifesaving treatments.
When Vergenes learned she was
named the local Student of the Year she
was thrilled, “I thought that I could raise
maybe $1,000 at most. The fact that I
raised over $33,000 is just so shocking to
me and I still can’t comprehend it. This
experience has changed me so much as
a person and I hope to become better
because of it.”
Vergenes ran an incredible fundraising
campaign that involved sharing her
passion for helping others with friends,
family, community members, and local
businesses and business leaders and
encouraging them to donate in support
of her efforts.
LOCAL STUDENT
NAMED A LEUKEMIA &
LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
STUDENT OF THE YEAR
Through the Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society (LLS) Western PA & West
Virginia Chapter’s newest innovation
in fundraising, Students of the Year, 19
motivated high school students raised
significant funds for LLS’s cutting-edge
cancer research and patient services.
Students of the Year is a seven-week
philanthropic leadership development
program during which students
foster professional skills such as
entrepreneurship, marketing, and project
management in order to raise funds
for LLS, the world’s largest nonprofit
fighting blood cancer.
The title of Student(s) of the Year
is awarded to the candidate or co-
candidates in each community who raise
the most funds during the competition.
Top local fundraisers become eligible
to win the national title. The students
raise money in honor of a local patient
hero who is currently battling or is in
remission from a blood cancer.
Paige Vergenes, 16, of Montour High
School, raised the most funds across the
Western PA & West Virginia chapter area
and earned the title Student of the Year.
This fundraising superstar raised funds to
support LLS’s goal to find cures for blood
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“Congratulations to Paige and all our
candidates, supporters and volunteers
who helped to make Students of the
Year a huge success,” said Tina Massari-
Thompson, LLS Western PA & West
Virginia Executive Director. “For these
incredible individuals, it’s not just about
winning a title; it’s all about the impact
they are making in their communities
and the generations ahead of them.”
In addition to Vergenes, two other
students earned recognition for their
efforts. Alaina Mulvihill, 17, of Thomas
Jefferson High School, and Neila
McElfresh, 15, of Pittsburgh CAPA,
each earned a 2019 Citizenship Award
for going above and beyond with their
fundraising campaigns.
Mulvihill was awarded the UPMC
Mission Award for the way she
incorporated the LLS mission into her
campaign efforts. McElfresh received
the Community Engagement Award
for the way in which she engaged her
community throughout her campaign.
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SOUTH HILLS SENIOR
SOFTBALL LOOKING
FOR MEMBERS
The South Hills Senior Softball
League registration is open for its 2019
season. The league is for players 55 years
old and up. (Players who are 54 can
join at any time during the year they
turn 55.) Information and forms for
registration are on the league’s website at
seniorsoftballleague.com. Practices and
games are held through August or early
September at fields in South Park and
elsewhere in the South Hills.
“You’ll feel like a kid again when you
play,” says Doug Houston, commissioner
of the nonprofit group. “The average player
is about 66, and our softball rules are age-
appropriate.”
Players are chosen for teams each spring
in a draft, ensuring that talent is spread
more or less evenly among the teams. The
league holds a catered picnic at the end of
each season.
Players come from all over the
area, including Baldwin, Bethel Park,
Bridgeville, Carnegie, Castle Shannon,
Chartiers Valley, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon,
Peters Township, South Park, Upper St.
Clair, Whitehall and others.
JOIN MT. LEBANON
SENIOR MEN’S
GOLF CLUB
Mt. Lebanon Senior Men’s
Golf Club is open to all men age
55 or older. The club will golf at
Mt. Lebanon Golf Course on
Wednesday mornings
through Oct. 10 with six
away events. Membership