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Wesley High School Hosts Celebration for a Forthcoming Recreational Field

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This article was published in the Almanac

June 5, 2022 * The Almanac

Ground has been broken on a new athletic field at the Wesley Family Services high school facility in Whitehall.

The “Field of Opportunities” will be constructed in a way that it provides students with recreational, academic and therapeutic activities. The official groundbreaking took place May 25 at the site on Caste Drive.

Doug Muetzel, CEO of Wesley Family Services, said the school is installing a 60-by-30-yard all-purpose artificial surface comparable to many local high schools.

“It’s for our kids to not only compete interscholastically, but to also have access to a field that can deal with Southwestern Pennsylvania’s weather on a more year-round basis and also provide academic opportunities, as we’ve put academic resources around the field that teachers can use,” he said.     

The new field is the largest capital undertaking the organization has ever done for its student body. Muetzel said it carries a price tag of about $700,000.

Wesley Family Services is a nonprofit organization that serves about 20,000 people annually. Wesley High School provides local students with a supportive and inclusive environment for those navigating the challenges of autism, a learning disability or a behavioral health issue. Students who attend Wesley come from more than 40 school districts across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The idea for the athletic field actually was first hatched about 20 years ago.

“We had a staff member that really wanted to provide extracurricular interscholastic athletic competition for our kids,” Muetzel explained.

With that in mind, Wesley Family Services founded a league that gave schools with similar students that chance to compete against each other in various sports.

“Our student athletes oftentimes would not have the opportunity to compete or play a sport,” Muetzel said. “The vision of this teacher 20-plus years ago has now morphed into a special needs league. It’s a league that’s designed to give these student athletes an opportunity to play sports and compete. It just reflects the can-do vision of the people that work at Wesley Family Services to provide an opportunity and an environment that these kids deserve.”

Sports in which the students currently compete are flag football, soccer, basketball and cheerleading.

This new “Field of Opportunities” will be used for flag football and soccer. Also, Muetzel said it may be used for lacrosse and maybe even will serve as a place for the students to play kickball.

“It really enhances the physical program we have for the kids,” Muetzel said. “Kickball is one of their favorites.”

The field also will come equipped with an electronic scoreboard that can be converted into an interactive smart board for teachers to provide lessons. There also will be portable bleachers that can be put into place to allow for a classroom setting.

“With our population of kids that we serve, oftentimes changing the environment and providing an outdoor venue for our kids provides a tremendous therapeutic benefit to our kids,” Muetzel said. “Something like this is just being embraced by our teachers, our therapists and, most importantly, by our students, who are just as excited as they can be.”

Muetzel said the field will be an asset the community can use as well.

“We’ve really tried to make sure we provide a benefit to the largest amount of people possible,” he said.

MBM Contracting Inc. is overseeing the construction.

Muetzel is confident the field will be completed by August.

“We are excited,” he said. “We think the design, the usability and the vision really provide our student athletes an opportunity their fellow kids in the neighborhood get to experience in a public-school setting. It’s a significant commitment and investment that we think communicates to these kids that they’re valuable. This will go on from generation to generation and literally will help hundreds of thousands of kids.”

Observer-Reporter: ‘Field of Opportunities’ coming to Wesley Family Services

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This article was originally published in the Observer-Reporter

By Paul Paterra| June 5, 2022

Ground has been broken on a new athletic field at the Wesley Family Services high school facility in Whitehall.

The “Field of Opportunities” will be constructed in a way that it provides students with recreational, academic and therapeutic activities. The official groundbreaking took place May 25 at the site on Caste Drive.

Doug Muetzel, CEO of Wesley Family Services, said the school is installing a 60-by-30-yard all-purpose artificial surface comparable to many local high schools.

“It’s for our kids to not only compete interscholastically, but to also have access to a field that can deal with Southwestern Pennsylvania’s weather on a more year-round basis and also provide academic opportunities, as we’ve put academic resources around the field that teachers can use,” he said.     

The new field is the largest capital undertaking the organization has ever done for its student body. Muetzel said it carries a price tag of about $700,000.

Wesley Family Services is a nonprofit organization that serves about 20,000 people annually. Wesley High School provides local students with a supportive and inclusive environment for those navigating the challenges of autism, a learning disability or a behavioral health issue. Students who attend Wesley come from more than 40 school districts across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The idea for the athletic field actually was first hatched about 20 years ago.

“We had a staff member that really wanted to provide extracurricular interscholastic athletic competition for our kids,” Muetzel explained.

With that in mind, Wesley Family Services founded a league that gave schools with similar students that chance to compete against each other in various sports.

“Our student athletes oftentimes would not have the opportunity to compete or play a sport,” Muetzel said. “The vision of this teacher 20-plus years ago has now morphed into a special needs league. It’s a league that’s designed to give these student athletes an opportunity to play sports and compete. It just reflects the can-do vision of the people that work at Wesley Family Services to provide an opportunity and an environment that these kids deserve.”

Sports in which the students currently compete are flag football, soccer, basketball and cheerleading.

This new “Field of Opportunities” will be used for flag football and soccer. Also, Muetzel said it may be used for lacrosse and maybe even will serve as a place for the students to play kickball.

“It really enhances the physical program we have for the kids,” Muetzel said. “Kickball is one of their favorites.”

The field also will come equipped with an electronic scoreboard that can be converted into an interactive smart board for teachers to provide lessons. There also will be portable bleachers that can be put into place to allow for a classroom setting.

“With our population of kids that we serve, oftentimes changing the environment and providing an outdoor venue for our kids provides a tremendous therapeutic benefit to our kids,” Muetzel said. “Something like this is just being embraced by our teachers, our therapists and, most importantly, by our students, who are just as excited as they can be.”

Muetzel said the field will be an asset the community can use as well.

“We’ve really tried to make sure we provide a benefit to the largest amount of people possible,” he said.

MBM Contracting Inc. is overseeing the construction.

Muetzel is confident the field will be completed by August.

“We are excited,” he said. “We think the design, the usability and the vision really provide our student athletes an opportunity their fellow kids in the neighborhood get to experience in a public-school setting. It’s a significant commitment and investment that we think communicates to these kids that they’re valuable. This will go on from generation to generation and literally will help hundreds of thousands of kids.”

Pittsburgh Business Times: Highmark Health charts new course for social services reimbursement

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This article was originally published in the Pittsburgh Business Times

By Paul J. Gough| June 6, 2022

Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network have begun a pilot program that seeks to bring a similar reimbursement system to what it uses for health care providers to nonprofits that provide social services.

Recently, health insurers and hospitals have spent a significant amount of time on what are called the social determinants of health, which are factors like housing, food and transportation that impact health and welfare beyond illness and other medical issues. The impact of nonmedical issues on an individual’s health can be vast: Studies show about 80% of health is made up of these social determinants.

Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health is working with 20 nonprofits in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties to pay them for providing services to members and patients who are referred to them for social services, food, job counseling and transportation. It plans to add 20 more nonprofits next year, said Nebeyou Abebe, Highmark Health’s SVP of social determinants of health.

“There’s a recognition across the country that we need to focus on the root causes of poor health, and that is what is driving the work,” said Abebe.

Highmark Health has been reaching so-called value-based reimbursement arrangements with doctors, hospitals and, increasingly, pharmaceutical companies in recent years as a way to rein in costs and improve health for patients. The idea is that reimbursement is tied to the patient’s overall health outcome or whether the medication met benchmarks.

The pilot program extends that to social services, which are often referred at the provider or hospital level when there’s a concern. It’s being stepped up even more at AHN and Highmark, where patients and members are being screened for social needs and risk under nine categories that include food insecurity, transportation and social isolation. The patients are then referred first to case managers or social workers at AHN, and then to the social service agencies.

“But historically we have no idea whether that social need has been met,” Abebe said. “The community benefit organizations have now been incentivized to share whether or not they were able to address the need.”

In the case of a referral to a food bank, for instance, then Highmark and AHN will be able to know whether hunger and food insecurity has been addressed. That information can go into the patient’s electronic health record.

“As the result of social need being met, we have removed that barrier to allow the person to focus on their health and well being,” Abebe said. “That’s the kind of insight we need and which is critical to understanding the true impact of addressing the social determinants of health and the long-term health outcomes.”

The plan is to use the learnings from the pilot program to scale it up to the other states and regions of Pennsylvania where Highmark Health operates.

“We will also be able to create the much-needed link between those patients whose social needs are addressed and the health care delivery system so that their health outcomes are improved and the burden of the otherwise avoidable health care costs is reduced,” said Dr. Tony Farah, Highmark Health’s EVP and chief medical officer.

The $1 million pilot is being funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, which in May 2021 gave Highmark Health a $5 million grant for the development of digital health solutions like its Living Health initiative that provides personalized and digitally-based care for whole health.

“Through the Foundation’s Health & Well-Being program, we seek to ensure that everyone in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, particularly the most vulnerable, have the opportunity to live a healthy life,” said R.K. Mellon Foundation Director Sam Reiman in a statement.

Abebe said that each nonprofit involved has the opportunity to earn up to $50,000 from the program, depending on the number of referrals. They’ll be paid on a semi-annual basis.

“The services CBOs (community benefit organizations) provide are free or low costs. There’s a direct benefit for members to seek out that service to address their social needs, and the CBOs have been doing this for years but they haven’t been properly reimbursed for the services they’re providing,” Abebe said.

The pilot will last three years.

Highmark Health members across its service lines will be eligible for the programs, and Abebe said that it’s a myth that it’s just Medicaid and Medicare members who will need the services. He said that within commercial insurance, there are employers who have a large number of employees who are either the working poor or who are struggling with transportation and housing issues.

“Maybe the need is greater in the Medicaid space … but we recognize that our commercial customers are also struggling and that we need to provide the right level of support for them as well,” Abebe said. “Many of them aren’t able to address their health needs because of these social barriers.”

The nonprofits involved in the first-year pilot program are: Action-Housing Inc.; Adagio Health Inc.; Allegheny Valley Association of Churches; Cornerstone Care Community Health Centers; Crisis Center North Inc.; Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank; Holy Family Institute; Jewish Family and Community Services; Just Harvest; Mon Valley Initiative; Pittsburgh Community Services Inc.; Pittsburgh Financial Empowerment Center; Rebuilding Together; Society of St. Vincent de Paul Central Council of Pittsburgh; South Hills Interfaith Movement; Traveler’s Aid Society of Pittsburgh; Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Inc.; Wesley Family Services and Westmoreland Community Action.

SEEN: Wesley Family Services Gala

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This article was originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

By Patricia Sheridan| March 30, 2022

A night of disco dancing and dinner greeted supporters of Wesley Family Services during its gala Saturday at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh hotel, Downtown. It was the nonprofit’s first in-person benefit in three years and drew 350 exuberant guests.

“It’s great to see everyone here unmasked,” said board member and event chair Richard Beynon.

The evening began with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction. WTAE’s Shannon Perrine emceed the event, which raised $190,000. Wesley Family Services operates in five counties, providing foster care, autism support and programs that address intellectual and developmental issues in adults with disabilities.

“This event is all about the family and kids of Wesley and the tremendous work the staff does for all the kids and adults in this region,” said Beynon.

After dinner, Giant Eagle’s Jim Faccenda (with his wife, Cheri) was honored for his generosity and understanding of the mission of WFS.

“This is truly an honor,” he said. “I embraced the Wesley culture many years ago because the work they do is always inspirational.”

Among the guests enjoying dancing under the disco ball were board chair Benjamin Ciocco, Drew Schauble, Beverly Moore, Danny Brown, Richard Zahren, Leonard Corton, Laura Miller, Shanicka Kennedy, Amy Herschell, Kellie Charles and Len Corton, Art Cipriani, Bevin Baker, Tom Walenchok and Alec Stone.

Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com.

First Published March 30, 2022, 6:00am

Two of our Foster Grandparent Volunteers Honored by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and Pennserve for Mentoring Local Children

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This article was originally published in  Pennsylvania Pressroom

March 17, 2022

Harrisburg – Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jennifer Berrier this week recognized the important work of dedicated AmeriCorps members as part of national AmeriCorps Week during a visit Wednesday at the Olivet Boys and Girls Club in Reading.

The week of celebration – from March 13 through March 19 – highlights the commitment of millions of Americans who have chosen to step up and serve their communities through a variety of diverse, public-focused programs.

“Here at L&I, our PennSERVE staff work every single day to support organizations that utilize service and volunteerism to tackle Pennsylvania’s most pressing challenges,” said Secretary Berrier. “As the state service commission, PennSERVE helped to engage more than 1,000 AmeriCorps members last year. Those members served more 32,000 kids, provided job training to 450 Pennsylvanians, served more than 200 veterans and military families, treated 645 acres of public land, and provided essential supports to communities throughout the COVD-19 pandemic. Programs like the one we are visiting this week truly show the power of serving your community and prove that by working together, a difference can be made.”

Secretary Berrier was joined by PennSERVE Executive Director Maureen Eccleston for the visit to Reading, where they met AmeriCorps members, staff and club kids of the Olivet Community Builders AmeriCorps program. Each year, the Olivet Boys & Girls Club engages up to 68 AmeriCorps members who support the delivery of afterschool and summer academic initiatives including homework help, high-yield learning activities, reading enrichment, and STEM programming for K-8 club members across 10 club locations in Reading, Robesonia, and Shillington.

“AmeriCorps Week gives us the opportunity to be reminded of the power of service to lift up communities,” said Executive Director Eccleston. “Pennsylvania AmeriCorps members are building literal homes and figurative bridges. They are tutoring and mentoring youth, college students, refugees and immigrants. They are fighting the ongoing impacts of a global pandemic, while also restoring our natural environment for the benefit of generations to come. PennSERVE is proud to support 25 AmeriCorps programs as they engage Pennsylvanians in meeting critical needs.”

Secretary Berrier and Executive Director Eccleston observed and participated in reading enrichment activities with club kids and learned about the new “Hubs of Hope” Care Closet, which was developed to respond to emergent needs during the pandemic.

Earlier in the week, L&I and PennSERVE announced the recipients of the 2022 PennSERVE AmeriCorps Week Awards. The following awards were presented to individuals who provided exceptional service to the commonwealth as participants in, or supporters of, AmeriCorps:

Elizabeth Anderson
AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer of the Year
Elizabeth Anderson, known as Grandma Elizabeth, is an AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program volunteer with Wesley Family Services in Pittsburgh. Grandma Elizabeth has served for over eight years, continuing through the pandemic so her students – her children – would know she cares and is there for them. At the Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School, teacher Ms. Hanner once said that Grandma Elizabeth is “the greatest addition” to her classroom. Grandma Elizabeth builds strong relationships with everyone she meets at the school including children, teachers, staff, and the families of the children she serves.

Art Block
Exemplary Supporter of National Service
Art Block is a proud graduate of Philadelphia public schools and has served as a Board member for City Year Philadelphia for nearly 20 years. Having faced challenges in his own life, Art recognized that he had a village of people who helped him stay on track to complete high school, college, and law school. Art’s support of AmeriCorps and City Year knows no bounds, having served as the Board co-chair and development chair. He has leveraged corporate sponsorships to generate more than $5 million in donations to City Year Philadelphia. Art has met with elected officials, reached out to leaders of major corporations, and engaged with School District leaders and other decision makers on City Year’s behalf.

Devoratt Martinez
AmeriCorps member of The Year
Devoratt Martinez is a full-time AmeriCorps member with CarbonCorps, serving the Weatherly Area School District. In this role, Devoratt mentors up to 10 students weekly and meets with groups of kindergarten through third graders to facilitate social-emotional learning opportunities. In all her service activities, Devoratt goes above and beyond, collaborating with guidance counselors, faculty, and families to provide progress updates and determine if there are new areas to be addressed. With the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, she helped to provide students with a “hope chest” full of holiday gifts. With the BRC TV13 hat and glove drive, she made sure that all students in need received donated hats and gloves.

Carol Overly
Lifetime of Service Award
On October 31, 1994, Carol Overly began a term of service in the inaugural class of AmeriCorps with the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps. With her team, Carol earned a Governor’s Excellence Award for producing a video on the dangers of childhood lead poisoning. In the same year, Carol co-authored a book titled “My Mommy’s in Prison” as a resource for families engaged with the local Head Start; that book is registered with the Library of Congress. After her AmeriCorps term, Carol was hired as a Regional Coordinator and, in December 2000, she became the Program Director of the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps. As Director, Carol led the program through substantial growth; once a program of nine counties and 40 AmeriCorps members, the PMSC later covered 16 counties and engaged up to 157 members per year.

Emily Riccione
AmeriCorps Member Perseverance in Service Award
As an AmeriCorps member with Compass AmeriCorps in Pittsburgh, Emily teaches an adult English as a Second Language class to Congolese refugees. With a can-do spirit, Emily has faced an ever-changing service placement, constantly switching back and forth from in-person service to remote. Still, she has provided continuity across her lessons to ensure she meets the critical learning needs of her students. Emily shows up with the utmost positivity and is prepared for any outcome that may arise that day. She has the leadership and organizational skills that are needed to help lead and thrive in the classroom. Emily keeps her students engaged and connects them to external resources such as the community library, organizing a field trip to help her students access the library as a resource for them and their families.

Dr. Dominique Thornhill
Exemplary Supporter of National Service
Dr. Dominique Thornhill is the Owner and Director of Each One Teach One Childcare & Learning Center. The Center serves children from infancy to high school with childcare, tutoring, and summer enrichment; and is a volunteer station for AmeriCorps Seniors, Foster Grandparent Program, sponsored by Wesley Family Services. With safety precautions at the forefront, Dr. Thornhill’s Center was the only virtual learning service for school-age children in Wilkinsburg – outside of Pittsburgh – in 2021. Dr. Dominique Thornhill dreams big, makes things happen, and provides incredible support for AmeriCorps Seniors and youth.

About PennSERVE

In Pennsylvania, AmeriCorps programs are funded through PennSERVE, which L&I oversees. Each year, PennSERVE awards approximately $12 million in federal funding from the federal AmeriCorps agency to various programs across Pennsylvania. Those programs are responsible for vital work in their respective communities, like helping to manage COVID-19 response, ensuring students stay on track to graduate, combatting hunger and homelessness, responding to natural disasters, fighting the opioid epidemic, helping seniors live independently, supporting veterans and military families, and much more.

Learn more about PennSERVE on our website, and be sure to follow us on FacebookOpens In A New Window, TwitterOpens In A New Window, and LinkedInOpens In A New Window.

MEDIA CONTACT: Alex Peterson, dlipress@pa.gov

Health Fair Returns to Hempfield

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This article was originally published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

By Megan Tomasic| March 16, 2022

After being canceled last year because of the covid-19 pandemic, Hempfield’s health and wellness fair is set to return this weekend.

The Healthy, Happy Hempfield — Community Health & Wellness Fair is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the township athletic complex, 220 Forbes Trail Road. The free event focuses on the township’s commitment to providing impactful community enrichment opportunities, said Aaron Siko, director of parks and recreation.

“This will be our second health, wellness and safety fair that we hope to continue annually,” Siko said. “It’s a great way to bring community resources together in one place.”

The first health and wellness fair was held in 2020. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to meet with various organizations from across the county and learn about their services. The township tried to hold the event last year, but it ultimately was canceled as covid cases surged.

This year, almost 30 organizations are scheduled to attend, including Allegheny Health Network, UPMC and Excela Health. Other organizations cover a range of topics, including youth sports, mental health and veteran, child and senior services. Information related to food banks and recycling also will be available.

Siko noted participation during the 2020 event encouraged the township to continue with the fair this year.

“The 2020 event had a tremendous response, which is what encouraged us to continue to try to offer this event to the community again in 2021,” Siko said. “We are happy to be able to bring the event back this year and look forward to the event growing each year to come.”

Megan Tomasic is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter .