Living the Message
Honoring those who show Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love
Dignity
Respect
Laura Green believes you get out of life what you put in, and as a near-lifelong
McKeesporter, she has invested countless hours in her family, career, and community.
“The word ‘respect’ is very important to me,” Laura said. “Growing up, respect was
given in the church, in our home, and in our community. The words ‘thank you,’ ‘please,’
and ‘excuse me’ were the gospel.”
Laura was born in Charleston, S.C., and moved to McKeesport as a child. Her father
sought work at National Tube Co., following the lead of extended family. The Greens
settled on Jenny Lind Street, where Laura maintains her family home to this day.
It was a diverse neighborhood where folks of different races, lifestyles, and income
levels lived close by in harmony, despite turmoil in many areas of the nation.
“There was something underlying that I certainly didn’t feel in my home or
neighborhood,” Laura recalled. “I would hear my parents tell stories, and I wouldn’t
see anything like it until I went to visit my grandmother in South Carolina.”
Laura remembers taking a train and switching to a racially separated car after
reaching Washington, D.C. She remembers using separate bathrooms and entrances
to public places in the South. But parallel to those eye-opening experiences, Laura’s
travels took her to New York City, where she visited extended family in the Bronx.
She openly attended plays and musicals on Broadway. She enjoyed the Coney Island
amusement park and shoreline.
Laura graduated from McKeesport High School in 1959 and went on to the Douglas
School of Business. She remembers interviewing with Mayor Andrew Jakomas for her
first job as an income tax clerk at McKeesport City Hall. She was the first black woman
to be hired into McKeesport’s finance office, and she worked her way through the
ranks to retire as City Treasurer during Mayor Michael Cherepko’s administration. After
her retirement, Laura managed the city’s employee credit union. She is active in the
First United Methodist Church, the McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center,
Semper Fidelis Club of McKeesport, and NAACP.
With technology and new industries making their way into the city, Laura believes,
“We are climbing the ladder to become McKeesport again. The McKeesport we know –
it won’t be exactly what it was, but who’s to say what we get can’t be better?”
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
While volunteers are the bread and butter of McKeesport Area Meals on Wheels,
the organization’s head cook Irene Scott serves as the baker who is keeping them
all together.
Irene, 80, of North Versailles Township, has been a part of the McKeesport Area
Meals on Wheels program for 20 years – 10 as a volunteer and 10 in the lead cooking
position. Before coming to Meals on Wheels, she worked in restaurants and retail.
“I like getting up in the mornings to cook and stay active,” Irene said. “I feel like we
have a family here. Our volunteers are special, and we call them angels. They’re in a
hot kitchen cooking in the summer, and they’re out delivering in ice and snow in the
winter. It’s amazing.”
Volunteers describe Irene as a friendly, organized, dependable worker who is
fun and creative with her meals. She’s conscientious about spending and will make
a hearty meal with whatever is in the Meals on Wheels pantry. Each week, the
organization receives an allotment from the Greater Pittsburgh Community food bank,
and staff members shop to fill in the gaps.
Irene is responsible for the organization’s meal planning – providing clients with a
cold lunch, snacks, and a hot dinner including soup and dessert on Monday through
Friday. At 7 o’clock in the morning, she and a handful of volunteers start preparing the
meals. They wrap cookies, make sandwiches, and wash dishes while dinner bakes in
the oven or simmers on the stovetop.
When asked what she likes to do during time away from Meals on Wheels, Irene
laughed and said she enjoys cooking at home. Her favorite meal to prepare is pasta
because it’s so versatile. Irene said her advice for retired people is to keep doing the
things you love, whether through volunteering or in a unique work environment.
“You have to get up and get active,” Irene said. “I plan to be with Meals on Wheels
as long as I can.”
Irene said Meals on Wheels is about so much more than food. It’s about getting
out into the community, talking to people, and building relationships so that they
can continue to have fulfilling lives, even if they are homebound. McKeesport Area
Meals on Wheels serves the people of McKeesport, Dravosburg, White Oak, Versailles,
Duquesne, Glassport, and Port Vue.
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 organizations, we
will find acts of kindness for which we all can be proud.