Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church members Mary Garber, Swallow Hill Road, and Shirley Baker, Clemson Drive, help cook for the IHN
guests. Teen volunteer Linnea Seitz, Sleepy Hollow Road, hangs out with a family during a meal. Volunteers say getting to know the families can be
the most rewarding part of the program.

program is less than a mile away…it’s incredible how little we
“Transportation was a big problem,” April says. “We had our
contribute, and how grateful these folks are, “she says.

kids in daycare in Bellevue; our school is on the North Side …it
The youth group from Sunset Hills Presbyterian Church sup- took at least two buses to get from one place to the other. Susan
ports Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church and Hamilton Donnan knew what we were up against. She found us a car in
Presbyterian Church in Bethel Park, helping to feed and entertain less than a week. It had just been donated to IHN.”
the families at the other churches. “The kids go out into the com-
Though extremely grateful, Dave explains that accepting the
munity, helping others, so they could see that with some effort, help was not easy: “It was a little hard to get used to going to the
they could effect change,” says Karin Daniels, director of Christian different churches to sleep. It was a lot harder for the kids to get
education. “They helped select the mission projects that interested used to it—different scenery each week.”
them the most…Our group brings different things to entertain
Perez knew IHN could help April and Dave find an affordable
the guest children. They even create the menus.”
apartment, which happens to be in a Baldwin complex with
“We start by asking the kids their names and ages…,” says an outdoor pool and playgrounds nearby. Through IHN, the
youth group member Sara Ann Gracey, Parkedge Avenue. Anna couple sets aside one-half their income with each paycheck for
Daniels, Briarwood Avenue, adds, “We ask
rent. IHN’s host churches came together
the parents if they need help, so they don’t
and furnished their apartment.

The thing about all families with
have to ask us.”
“I was in shock. No one ever helped
young children is that a lot of energy
“Seeing the smiles on their faces…it’s
me liked that. They found us a crib and a
like we are a big brother or sister,” says
toddler bed, other furniture, everything,”
goes toward getting their kids to eat,
Lindsay Wingold, Broadmoor Avenue.

says April. “I want to make sure we make
to feel comfortable in
“The thing about all families with young
a good life for the kids.”
children is that a lot of energy goes toward
April and Dave each have their “roads”
a strange place…
getting their kids to eat, to feel comfort-
mapped out, and they are well on their
—Ann Delo
able in a strange place…I can’t imagine
way to getting to their final destinations.

the uncertainty of it all, says Ann Delo,
Dave is getting on-the-job training in
Hoodridge Drive, the IHN team member who coordinates construction and is looking into the apprenticeships through
the dinners at Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church. “I am the local unions. April recently registered for the nursing pro-
impressed with the well-being of the children of these parents in gram at CCAC. She started August 17, just six weeks after their
the IHN. They go to enormous efforts to get their kids to school, third child was born. The Pittsburgh Project will provide tuition
get their homework done and manage what they need to accom- assistance. “Someday I’d like to work in a hospital or a nursing
plish to stay in the program.”
home,” April says.

When Perez first became April and Dave’s caseworker at the
Through her casework at the Salvation Army, Perez, has seen
Salvation Army, she told them about a school where young adults many families’ lives turned around through IHN. “There is
can spend half a day taking classes for their GEDs, and the other a language of poverty—when an individual has no hope, has
half working for the Pittsburgh Project’s Youthbuild, a paid prac- no resources, and has nowhere to turn. Interfaith Hospitality
tical leadership development program for people ages 18-24 on Network is unique. The agency, unlike no other I’ve come
Pittsburgh North Side. Getting them connected with IHN not across, restores a person’s language, and converts it from being
only provided them with temporary, and eventually permanent, poverty-driven to being faith-driven,” says Perez.

housing but also enabled them to enroll in school.

48 mtl • september 2009



Gene P
uskar O
Mt. Lebanon tennis pro Scott Kahler qualified for this
year’s National Collegiate Clay Court Championships,
held at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center.

n Tuesday nights at the Mt. Lebanon Golf Course
you’ll find a group of women always excited
about golfing. Some are interested in competi-
tion, others are just interested in amateur golf,
but for more than 15 years, the Executive Women’s Golf
Association (EWGA) has gathered women from around
the Pittsburgh area and organized league play five nights
per week around local area courses. Since its inception
in Pittsburgh in 1994, the group has grown to 130 mem-
bers. The courses vary from Quicksilver to Meadowink
but every Tuesday night at 5:30, the group gathers at
Mt. Lebanon.

In addition to weekly league play, the chapter
organizes golf outings and tee times at least twice a
month. “There’s a chapter competition for those of us
who are interested in the competitive facet of golf.

There are also organized social events during the
on and off season to allow for additional networking
opportunities for our members,” says chapter president Lisa
Dugan. Women interested in knowing more about the EWGA and membership can log on to
www.ewga.com or for the Pittsburgh’s chapter Web site, log on to www.ewgapgh.com.

S cott Kahler, one of the pros
at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis
center, played in this summer’s
National Collegiate Clay Court
“West Penn” Championships.

Kahler, a standout at Thomas
Jefferson High School, attended
Furman University in North Carolina
on a tennis scholarship, where he
received all-conference honors. He
has been with the Tennis Center
since last year. Although Kahler was
eliminated in the first round of the
doubles competition at the West Penn,
he went on to reach the finals of the
West Virginia Open in Oglebay.

E llie Donalson, Folkstone Drive, will
represent Allegheny General Hospital
at the 2009 Cameo of Caring Awards
Gala. Donalson, a registered nurse, works
in AGH’s emergency room and intensive
continued on page 51
Gene Puskar
The Executive Women’s Golf Club meets after 5 p . m . on local courses. One of their stops is the Mt. Lebanon Golf Course. Back:
Carol Wolicki, Michelle Sandoe, Theresa Wilson, Mary Russell, Anne Holmes, Monica Culver, Lisa Dugan, president; Diana Geary
and Barbara Friend. Front: Susan Pogozelski.

www.mtlebanon.org 49