The Children’s Hospital
of Pittsburgh Foundation
honored Andy Sandusky,
a retired McKeesport
police officer, with the
2016 Albert Lexie Award
for years of contributions
to its Free Care Fund.
Sandusky has collected
more than $200,000 to the
hospital since 1973. In recent years, he has raised funds through
local collections, motorcycle runs and a golf outing. He has been
making annual donations to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Free Care Fund since 1973.
That year, it was an on-the-job encounter with a McKeesport
youth that brought him to Children’s Hospital in 1973; an Irwin
Street boy had injured himself by running through a glass door.
Sandusky rushed the boy to McKeesport Hospital, where his
bleeding was stopped. Then, he transported the boy to Children’s.
Sandusky said he can’t forget the feeling of walking into the
intensive care unit and thinking there was more he could do to
help innocent children in desperate need of health care.
“I started with little donation cans,” Sandusky said, recalling an
annual trek to the KDKA telethon for the Free Care Fund. “You used
to walk up, give your name and dump in what you collected. There
was never an amount because you just threw it in.”
By the mid-1980s, Sandusky’s collections became too large to
lump into telethon proceeds, and he began to give the hospital
several thousand dollars per year through his own drive.
In 2015, proceeds generated by a successful boot collection
among regional fire departments, a summer motorcycle run and
an early autumn golf outing led to Sandusky’s record-breaking
donation of $30,000. He was the foundation’s only non-corporate
top donor last year.
HIV
Testing
Day
On June 4, members of the Partnership for Minority HIV/
AIDS Prevention offered wisdom, prayer and free, confidential
testing for community members who want to be involved in
stopping the spread of HIV.
Dr. Rudolph A. Antoncic Jr., a practicing physician in the
McKeesport Area for 30 years, spoke about his commitment
to his patients and the Mon-Yough region. He shared statistics
and spoke about medical concerns that relate to HIV/AIDS –
also dispelling myths associated with the virus and various
treatments.
McKeesport Past and Present Reunion
The McKeesport Past and Present committee continued its
traditional summer celebration with a full weekend schedule
on July 8-10. The gathering brought McKeesporters from across
the country together with old friends for a banquet, a family
fun day and church service. During the banquet, the committee
recognized members of the Stinson family as guests of honor.
McKeesport Area | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 29
C I T Y OF MC KE E SP OR T N E WS
The Kiwanis Club of McKeesport/White Oak and the
McKeesport Trail Commission hosted the city’s inaugural
Going for the Goal sprint triathlon on June 26. As individual
competitors and in teams, more than 60 participants toured
the city during an athletic competition of swimming, cycling
and running.
With tremendous support from state Senator James R.
Brewster, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko, McKeesport
Area School District and the McKeesport Hospital Foundation,
the triathlon was a great success.
“How many of you had never been to McKeesport before
today?” the senator asked, with several folks from Aliquippa
and further destinations raising their hands. He was met with
a strong round of applause when he asked them if they liked
what they saw.
Organizers said Going for the Goal is a great opportunity to
show off some of McKeesport’s greatest assets – its schools,
its portion of the Great Allegheny Passage and Renziehausen
Park. Next year’s event tentatively is planned for June 25.
A. Sandusky Free Care Friends
McKeespor t
Go for
the Goal
Sprint Triathlon