Living the Message Honoring those who show Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love
Respect Dignity cKeesport CITY OF MCKEESPORT NEWS
Through the McKeesport Allied Veterans Memorial Organization, Walter Yager is working with the City of McKeesport to bring The Wall That Heals to Renziehausen Park in August.
Walter has dedicated much of his life to what he calls,“ Operation Sammy and Sean” – a program he uses to honor the late Samuel LaRosa of the local Boys & Girls Club and his own son Sean Yager, who completed a community service project on the club’ s longstanding Vietnam Memorial as his senior project for Norwin High School in 2004 before his untimely passing.
For many years, Walter has been on the committee that organizes annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at the LaRosa Boys & Girls Club to honor 11 members who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam – Norman Johnson, Michael Nemchick, James Brooks Jr., Tyrone Burse, James West, Gregory Popowitz, Curtis Gay, Thomas Sweeney, Louis Huff II, John Germek Jr., and Lee Thomas. Separately, McKeesport Area High School is home to a memorial recognizing 23 students, known as the“ McKeesport 23,” who were killed in Vietnam. Ten names appear in both locations.
Walter said The Wall That Heals is important to the McKeesport community. He wants area residents to have an opportunity to pay their respects to all Vietnam veterans.
“ It’ s of national prominence,” he said.“ In all of the years I have been working on‘ Operation Sammy and Sean,’ I wanted McKeesport to get recognized as one of the first Vietnam memorials … Now, we’ ve hit a home run in bringing The Wall here to McKeesport.”
Veterans’ organizations from across the Mon Valley and Southwestern Pennsylvania are reaching out to Yager to volunteer their time and donate funds to bring The Wall That Heals to McKeesport. The exhibit will be on display around the clock August 9 through 12 at Jimmy Long Field.
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.”
26 MCKEESPORT AREA
Tricia Hoover is doing her part to guarantee all students at Twin Rivers Elementary have access to creative programming, field trips, and other positive experiences.
As president of the Twin Rivers PTO, Tricia leads a small group of parents in organizing fundraisers – everything from candle or cookie sales to and book fairs – that that cover the cost of field days, pizza parties, assemblies, and special events.
“ Not every family can afford to donate to the school, and we understand that,” she said.“ We have them contribute in other ways, and we have creative ways to give prizes to the kids.”
This year, students attended skating parties at Eden Park Roller Rink, watched plays at the Gemini Theater, toured Triple B Farms, rode the Gateway Clipper, and visited the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
“ Whether it’ s watching a play or going to a game, kids start thinking about activities they want to join in high school or what jobs they might want to do as they get older,” Tricia said.“ They all have different interests, and we try to expose them to as many good experiences as we can. They can try new things or share their interests with their friends.”
Regardless of whether children have the means to raise funds, Tricia said, they are given every opportunity to participate.
PTO funds also provide classroom resources to enhance students’ in-school experiences, with each year focusing on a different elective. Funding in 2017-18 paid for robots used in STEM( Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math) classes.
Parents have noticed Tricia’ s effort and thanked her for putting her“ heart and soul” into the PTO program. They’ ve praised her for working tirelessly to ensure McKeesport Area students have all of the“ extras” on top of their already well-rounded curriculum.
Tricia is present during and after school on many days – completing her paperwork, organizing materials, and offering a helping hand to Twin Rivers staff. Teachers praised Tricia for her kindness and her love of the McKeesport Area School District and all of its students.
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