in
the
Loop
What’s
news in
McKeesport
Area
JDRF’s 22nd annual
Rainbow Gala
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s 22nd
annual Rainbow Gala will be held Saturday,
April 12, 2014, at the Westin Convention
Center Pittsburgh. This year’s gala will
honor Arthur J. Rooney, II, president of the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Corporate chairs are Leo
W. Gerard, international president of United
Steelworkers and David J. Malone, president
and CEO of Gateway Financial. JDRF is the
leading global organization focused on type
1 diabetes (T1D) research. The goal of JDRF
research is to improve the lives of all people
affected by T1D by accelerating progress on
the most promising opportunities for curing,
better treating, and preventing T1D. Over
the years, the Rainbow Gala has raised more
than $16 million for promising T1D research.
Nearly 800 people attended the 2013 gala
which was voted one of Pittsburgh’s best
parties of the year.
For ticket or sponsorship information,
contact the western Pennsylvania chapter
of JDRF at 412.471.1414, extension 7, or
visit westernpa.jdrf.org.
Let’s Pick it up PA March 1 to May 31
Join over 4 million volunteers in the nation’s
largest annual community improvement
program! Get involved in your community
and register your event today!
Registered events receive free cleanup
supplies, such as bags, gloves and vests
donated by PennDOT, the Department of
Environmental Protection, and Keep America
Beautiful (as supplies last).
Free disposal during Pick It Up PA Days
from April 12 to May 5 is sponsored by the
Department of Environmental Protection,
Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association,
and participating landfills.
To register, visit the Great American
Cleanup of Pennsylvania official website
at www.gacofpa.org or contact
Michelle Dunn at 877.772.3673 x113
or [email protected].
6 724.942.0940 to advertise | McKeesport Area
No Veteran Dies Alone
Program Shows
Ultimate Care at Time
of Passing
As part of the recently launched No Veteran
Dies Alone (NVDA) Program, volunteers
give “the most precious gift,” according to
VA Pittsburgh Chaplain Alan Morris – their
presence to veterans who may not have anyone
to be with them in their final hour.
Volunteers can speak, read or hold the hand
of a veteran and be a comfort to him/her. They
are on call when needed and often stay longer
than required – because they want to.
Susan Rogers of O’Hara and George
Coppola of Collier are two volunteers who
graduated from the first class of NVDA
training in August. Since then, they have been
on two vigils each with dying patients.
Coppola, a Vietnam veteran, has extensive
hospice experience with his mother and other
loved ones in his life. He’s also known other
veterans who died alone and wants to prevent
that from happening to anyone else.
Rogers has a 92-year-old World War Two
veteran father who lives in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
She knows that if unable to be at his bedside
should the time come, she’d like somebody to
be there.
Those who want to be on the NVDA team
must first become registered VA Pittsburgh
volunteers and train in the hospice or palliative
care functions at the hospital before receiving
additional NVDA training. All interested
candidates will be evaluated through
Chaplain Alan Morris, BCC, who can be
reached at: [email protected] or by calling
412.822.1861.
McKeesport
Resident Selected as
Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest
For the past 17 years, the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation has been choosing 50 of
Pittsburgh’s most outstanding individuals
based upon their career success and
involvement in the community. A lifelong
McKeesport resident has been chosen for the
honor for 2013, Ryan H. James.
James, founder and owner of James Law, is
a 2003 graduate of McKeesport Area Senior
High School and received his Bachelor of
Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from
Allegheny College. He earned his Juris Doctor
degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School,
graduating fifth in his class.
James is currently managing associate editor
of the Law Review and a member of his law
school’s National Moot Court team.