Hope
From running sports fundraisers to building a network of
steadfast volunteers, Larry Bridges has been active
in the McKeesport community for more than 20 years. And
with the development of a nonprofit called Another Shoulder,
he’s embarking on a mission to install Survivor Bells in non-
participating hospitals.
“When you hear that bell ring three times, it’s like a victory,”
Larry said.
Bell-ringing ritual at the end of chemotherapy and radiation
treatments has become widespread in hospitals and clinics
across the country. Bridges was involved in bringing a bell to
UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital and is now bringing one to
UPMC McKeesport. Through his Another Shoulder nonprofit
organization, Larry hopes to bring Survivor Bells to as many
hospitals as possible. He even has a traveling bell that he will
bring to anyone at any time.
“Recovery takes love. It takes strength. It takes prayer,” Larry
said. “And if that bell can add to it, it takes that, too.”
June 2 is Cancer Survivors Day. The tradition is meant to bring
survivors together with their families, friends, and medical teams
to celebrate their victories. It also inspires those undergoing
treatment to move ahead with courage.
Larry asked community members to set alarms to sound at
noon, in time with planned bell-ringing ceremonies to mark this
special day.
A survivor himself, Larry said it’s important to provide patients
with the hope they need to continue through their recovery. His
goal is to install 50 bells in 2019, and he thanked the McKeesport
community for standing behind his fundraising efforts.
In addition to its Survivor Bell program, Another Shoulder is a
networking group that helps individuals through difficult times.
It is a one-stop organization that provides a shoulder for clients,
assisting them with information and guiding them to valuable
resources.
Additional information is available online at
https://bridge29.wixsite.com/anothershoulder.
organizations, we will find acts of kindness for which we all can be proud.
Living the Message awards are intended to showcase these individuals and give
the community an opportunity to share its good news. Awards are given quarterly.
Using 250 words or fewer, describe how the individual of your choice embodies
one of the four words.
Love
Lois Brown spent her youth traveling between
McKeesport and Charlottesville, Va. Her father and grandfather
worked in steel mills during wartime, which brought her to the
area from her native Virginia.
Lois stayed in McKeesport to start her own family – raising
five children in the McKeesport Area school system and working
in the district, piloting its first daycare program more than 40
years ago. As her children and household demands grew, Lois
went on to be a tractor operator at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works, and
eventually moved into the nonprofit sector with McKeesport’s
Weed and Seed youth development and crime prevention
initiative.
Today, Lois is busy in her role as an outreach specialist at the
Intersection soup kitchen and support center, where she helps
clients meet their daily needs in times of financial distress.
Whether its utilities, leases, or human services, the Intersection
can meet those needs or refer clients to additional resources for
low-income households or the newly poor.
“I’ve been in that situation,” Lois recalled. “Being a former steel
worker who made a decent wage and lost a job, I know what it
means to be able to pay a mortgage and make car payments
with kids to take care of.”
Lois’ commitment to service doesn’t stop at the Intersection.
She is active in Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, which is a
support group that helps caregivers navigate the rewards and
challenges of parenting “the second time around.”
She is an active member of the Joyful Bloomers Garden Club
and sits on the board of the McKeesport Housing Corp. She has
served on Human Relations Boards in McKeesport and across
Pennsylvania, and been involved in the Mayor’s Committee on
Community Issues and the Bridge to Recovery. She has served
on regional advisory boards for children’s welfare and organized
cleanup crews and other volunteer groups throughout the city
of McKeesport.
For more information, contact the mayor’s office at 412-675-5020, ext. 605.
Nominations can be mailed to the mayor’s assistant Jennifer Vertullo, 500 Fifth
Avenue, McKeesport, PA 15132, or emailed to [email protected]. The
deadline for the next round of nominations is May 17, 2019.
MCKEESPORT AREA
❘
SPRING 2019
27