Second Annual
C SE Awards
Community Awards for Service Excellence
Sponsored by Northwest Savings Bank
Honoring Unsung Volunteers
in Penn Hills
C
ongratulations to our 2014 CASE Award Winners. The
awards are presented to individual volunteers, nonprofit
organizations and corporations who have demonstrated
exceptional service to the community through direct
volunteer efforts or support of nonprofits. They represent a cross
section of young and old from 25 western Pennsylvania communities.
Each awardee has exhibited extraordinary levels of service to the
community by donating their time, talents and money.
IN Community Magazines congratulates all of our honorees. It is
your devotion to helping others that makes our communities great
places to live. This year’s CASE Awards are sponsored by Northwest
Savings Bank.
Volunteer of the Year
It is easy to see why Summer Tissue was nominated, and awarded
the Community Awards for Service Excellence (CASE) Volunteer of
the Year Award. Not only has Tissue made a name for herself here in
Pittsburgh, she has made a positive impact overseas during the past
10 years.
Tissue ships much-needed supplies to the men and women of
our military who are stationed around the world through Military
Connections, the nonprofit organization she founded.
Tissue got the idea for Military Connections when she began
sending care packages to her brother, who was deployed with the
United States Marine Corps, and his platoon. Soon after, she found
herself sending care packages to men and women all over the world.
Each month, Tissue assembles a team of volunteers as they prepare
8 724.942.0940 to advertise | Penn Hills
and ship 600 care packages to Afghanistan and the surrounding areas.
The packages are filled with food, health care items and supplies. She
has logged thousands of hours volunteering her time to this cause
during the past 10 years, ensuring that the troops have adequate
supplies and support from home.
While many of her care packages are the standard items that
members of our military need, Tissue also takes special requests and
does everything she can to accommodate them. These requests can
range from specific books and food to air conditioners and video game
systems. She has never turned down a request since beginning Military
Connections.
“It has been 10 years since I shipped my first care package overseas
and will continue to support our men and women overseas until the
last one comes home,” Tissue said. “Military Connections is proud to
be a member of the Penn Hills community, and I am honored to be
recognized in Penn Hills for my work supporting the troops.”
Small NonProfit
It is because of Youth Project Inc.’s dedication and commitment
to changing the lives of children that the Penn Hills nonprofit
organization received the Community Awards for Service Excellence
(CASE) Small Nonprofit of the Year Award.
Youth Project Inc. is an organization that makes positive changes
in the lives of at-risk children by helping them to complete their
education and boost their skills so that they can qualify to attend
college. The aim is to enable these children to one day get good
jobs and lead productive lives so that they can be contributing