Living the Message
Honoring those who show Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love
Respect
Dignity
Ernie Oatneal is committed to recreation and veterans
programming in the City of McKeesport. He’s a member of the
McKeesport Recreation Board, McKeesport’s Veterans Activities
Committee, McKeesport Lions Club, the Rotary Club of White Oak,
and the Burt Foster American Legion Post 361 of White Oak.
“A busy mind makes a happier person,” Ernie said with a smile.
“That’s the great part about it. When you do something nice for
someone, a smile comes across their face, and it reflects back.”
With the Rotary and Lions clubs, Ernie volunteers at Greater
Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, helps area residents with
disabilities, and participates in countless community activities,
including Toys for Tots drives and the Summer Concert Series.
With the recreation board, he assists fellow volunteers with the
Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Parade, and Movies in the Park; but his
favorite activity every year is the Salute to Santa Parade, where he
serves as the lead lineup coordinator.
“It’s joyful,” Ernie said. “The little ones are full of joy and
happiness. We’ve had rain, we’ve had cold. The enthusiasm of
these children, whether they’re marching in the parade, riding on
the floats, or watching from the sidewalks, it doesn’t change.”
An Army veteran who served in Yokohama, Japan, during the
Vietnam era, Ernie has been loyal to his fellow servicemen and
women by helping to plan local veterans activities, including a
visit from the Wall that Heals in 2018, and participating in biannual
ceremonies to honor fallen Vietnam Veterans at the LaRosa Boys
and Girls Club.
“Veterans serve this country, and they give 100 percent,” he said.
“No matter what branch of the service you’re in, we all become
brothers. When you’ve been in a combat situation, you know what
other people experience when they serve. I try to do what I can
now to keep those thoughts alive.”
Living the Message
The McKeesport Message Committee, a subgroup of McKeesport Mayor Michael
Cherepko’s Select Committee on Crime and Violence, invites the public to nominate
community members who exemplify the words, “Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love.”
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MCKEESPORT AREA
Barbara Williams is a lifelong McKeesporter who has dedicated
her life to education through the course of her work and
volunteerism.
Today, Barbara is a substitute teacher by day and a community
liaison for the rest of her waking hours. With a bachelor’s degree
in education from California University of Pennsylvania and a
master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, her background
has been educating those in the criminal justice system and other
special populations. She has worked for the St. Francis Medical
Center, Mon Yough Community Services, and the McKeesport Area
School District.
It was during her time as a Mon Yough therapist that Barbara
became the agency’s first staff member certified to work with HIV-
positive clients who were navigating a full range of medical and
social services. She became active in Pittsburgh-based initiatives
for HIV/AIDS education and was moved to serve as the first
president of the McKeesport-based Community Partnership for
Minority HIV/AIDS Prevention. That group hosts two annual events
at Zion Baptist Church with support from St. Paul AME and other
organizations – the Balm in Gilead prayer service and a full day of
outreach on National HIV Testing Day.
“Everything we do for the public is free of charge because we
have such amazing community partners,” Barbara said. “We’ve
come a long way, and I think that’s because McKeesport is such a
tight-knit community. We are teaching young people, especially
young women, to communicate with their partners, to be healthy,
and to teach others to do the same. They take our message out
into the community.”
In addition to her roles in HIV/AIDS prevention, Barbara also
serves on the boards of the McKeesport Little Theater and the
NAACP McKeesport Unit. She is a mother of two, grandmother of
five, and great-grandmother of seven.
McKeesporters of all ages – from youth volunteers to senior citizens – display
characteristics of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love on a daily basis in our community.
Whether through organizing community activities or offering a helping hand to
those in need, everyday people are doing their part to make our city a better place. If
we look within our schools, our neighborhoods, our churches and our service