news and highlights

There are many transport assistance programs available in Allegheny County. In fact for many people, the real challenge isn’t finding a service — it’s navigating the many options and their accompanying rules and regulations to actually get a ride.

That can be especially daunting for the older and disabled commuters who rely on these programs most.

To help close the transit gap, The Port Authority has teamed up with the advocacy group Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh to create A to B, an online portal that connects county residents with the more than 20 different transport providers across the region.

“A to B offers freedom, opportunity and access, regardless of age or ability,” said Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman in an announcement about the program. “So riders can determine for themselves the best transportation option that meets their unique mobility needs.”

Users begin by filling out a 10-minute survey with basic information such as age, insurance coverage and general internet literacy. From there, they receive a list of programs and providers based on their needs and preferences.

The service was designed in collaboration with a range of regional stakeholders, including the County Health Department, Wesley Family Services, the City of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Age-Friendly, which is supported by the Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, advocates a wide range of public policies aimed at supporting and enhancing the lives of our region’s aging residents.

In the next two decades, the number of residents over age 65 in our region is projected to increase by 40 percent, making programs like A to B a necessity.

“The ability to have diverse and easily accessible transportation options is important for Allegheny County residents of all ages and abilities,” said Laura Poskin, director of Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh. “This is one way of connecting riders with resources to get them where they need to go.”

Read the full article on nextpittsburgh.com.

Wesley Family Services is a member of Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh. 

Recently, our Foster Grandparent Program held its annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. Almost 200 people attended the event, where 100 local Foster Grandparent volunteers were honored for their service and dedication to their communities.

Melissa Sipusic of UnitedHealthcare emceed the luncheon while volunteers, guests, and staff enjoyed the afternoon with a 50’s flair full of delicious diner-style appetizers and root beer floats, a photo booth, and prizes. Six Foster Grandparents were recognized for milestone years of service: Geraldine Fleming (5 years), Janice Taylor (10 years), Barbara Gans (15 years), Lucile Brown, Mary Ann Carlock, and Lexie McLeod (20 years).

Winners of the Senior Corps Legacy Award were selected based on years of service outside of milestone years, testimonials from their stations, and contributions to the Program as a whole that made each winner stand out in different ways. One winner, Lucile Brown, received the award based on her years of service to one station, Gwen’s Montessori School, at the age of 95 years young. Margaret Cox goes above and beyond and developed an art gallery at her station, Blueprints Washington Park Pre-K. Hazel Lewis serves at two different stations in Washington County for average of 35 hours a week and has made a great impact on her students, including one who made a surprise appearance at the event. Lillian Rainey has put children first for 23 years; her most recent teacher at Weil Pre-K in Pittsburgh, Rebecca Habay, questioned why she did not have a Foster Grandparent in her classroom sooner.

Mary Clark, who has been a Foster Grandparent since 2006, was the last winner of the Legacy Award based on her love of helping children to be the best that they could be and her devotion to growing the Program by recruiting new volunteers. To this day, Mary has a drawer in her home filled with keepsakes from the hundreds of children between the ages of 3 and 5 that she has mentored.

“I really think it’s important to empathize with each child that I would mentor. Many of them are dealing with difficult situations at an early age and sometimes they would act out,” Mary stated. “I always say the kids are just busy—not bad. Once a child hears that an adult thinks that they are bad, that’s all they will start to think of themselves.”

Mary is also part of the first multigenerational pair of volunteers in the history of the Foster Grandparent Program of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Her daughter, Leila Clark, who recently completed her orientation to become a Foster Grandparent, was inspired to join the Program after seeing her mom volunteer for so many years. “Children are the future. Nothing but good comes out of doing this,” said Leila.

Rep. Conor Lamb spoke about the dedication and hard work it takes to be a mentor and his admiration of the volunteers who are committed to the children they serve. As a mentor himself, Lamb understands the personal investment of these volunteers. Following his speech, Lamb presented Foster Grandparents who have 15 or more years of service with Proclamations from the United States House of Representatives, honoring 12 women who have been part of the Program for a combined 226 years.

The ceremony ended with the presentation of the Director’s Award, given annually to three Foster Grandparents who are nominated by their stations for their exceptional skills, love, and efforts of dedication. This year’s winners were Elizabeth Anderson of Urban Academy Charter School in Allegheny County, nominated by her teacher Cicely Hanner; Emma Fraley of Ringgold Elementary School South in Washington County, nominated by Janice Zurenski; and Hazel Lewis of Blueprints Canonsburg Head Start, Washington County, nominated by Sarah Wessel.

The Foster Grandparent Program, a federal program funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, was founded in 1965 to provide individuals age 55 and older with the opportunity to serve their community through one-on-one mentoring to children who are at-risk or have special needs. We run this program locally and administer it in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties. If you are interested in becoming involved with the program or know someone who would want to become a Foster Grandparent, call Rebecca Maletto-Cornell, our Team Leader for the Foster Grandparent program, at 412-660-6841.

“Site preparation work has started on the Pioneer Apartments complex being built by Wesley Family Services in a former parking lot between 10th and 11th streets and Fourth Avenue and Cherry Alley in New Kensington. The four-story, 36-unit building is expected to cost $18.2 million.

Construction is expected to be completed and the building opened by July 2020.

On Tuesday, earth movers from Pittsburgh-based Mistick Construction were busy clearing the site.”

Read more about Pioneer Apartments on TribLive.com. 

Learn more about Pioneer Apartments at wfspa.org/pioneer.

“Work is set to start this month on a long-awaited complex in New Kensington that will provide affordable housing and behavioral health services under one roof.

The Pioneer Apartments is being built by Wesley Family Services on a former parking lot between 10th and 11th streets and Fourth Avenue and Cherry Alley in the city. It will be a four story, 36-unit building that’s expected to cost $18.2 million.”

Read more about Pioneer Apartments on TribLive.com.

Learn more about Pioneer Apartments at wfspa.org/pioneer.

WQED’s documentary “Serving Time, Too” follows the children of incarcerated parents and the local organizations providing family support.

Wesley Family Services’ Families Outside program was featured in the documentary.  The Families Outside program provides low-cost transportation for families to visit their incarcerated loved ones at state correctional facilities.

Learn more about the documentary and watch the trailer here. 

“Bullying is more than joking with, picking on someone or putting them down, said Lindsay Brain of Wesley Family Services.

Those who witness bullying need to step forward to stop it, she said. One person who helps in that way can help foster the innate resilience of the person being bullied to overcome.

“We all have the capacity to do that for each other,” Brain said.”

Read more from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the Anti-Bullying Day event in Lower Burrell and the 9-year-old who became mayor for the day!