24 minute read
FINDING THE HELPERS A LEGACY OF KINDNESS
JOANNE ROGERS
SARA “JOANNE” BYRD ROGERS was a talented concert duo-pianist. She was married for more than 50 years to Fred Rogers, the longtime TV host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The show’s puppet, Queen Sara Saturday was named after her. While Fred was alive, she was only peripherally involved in the neighborhood, but had her own causes, mostly involving music. After Fred died in 2003, she became the primary spokesperson for Fred’s legacy continuing his message of kindness. Joanne loved the recent renewed interest in Fred’s work, participated in the PBS 50th tribute, was in the documentary film “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” And she was thrilled with her cameo appearance in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,”
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To celebrate Joanne, it took a year to convince her to have a 90th Birthday party – the event was finally marked on her 91st!
Joanne was special and will be missed by many. She was a hoot, funny and entertaining, she always had a story to tell. To mimic the sing-songy way she said good bye or good night, “whoo hoo” Joanne!
JEAN ROBINSON
Jean Robinson could be seen at the Post Office parklet frequently. With the help of Seeders and Weeders Garden Club, she purchased all the bulbs, perennials and annuals for the Post Office Parklet and then lovingly planted, weeded and tended the garden, literally on her hands and knees for as long as was needed during Pittsburgh’s growing season. The abundance of daffodils she planted there are a gorgeous sight in early spring.
Jean will be missed mostly for her delightful self. She was upbeat and cheery as she walked our streets, stopping to talk to those she knew – which was a very long list in Squirrel Hill.
Jean made many contributions to Pittsburgh, serving on boards of organizations that make Pittsburgh unique. Not one for accolades, Jean was honored to be named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania and a recipient of the Jefferson Award for Community Service.
SHUC’s memory of Jean will be the beauty and joy she added to our vibrant Squirrel Hill neighborhood. CONTINUED on page 22
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STEEL CITY HELPING HANDS
What began as a partnership between neighbors, grew into an army of helpers; neighbors helping neighbors, whatever the need.
Steel City Helping Hands (SCHH) began at the start of the pandemic. It was several friends collaborating to provide food support to vulnerable Pittsburgh families, specifically those with in-home children with disabilities. These were some of our city’s most vulnerable, families unable to leave the home to receive assistance or help.
Volunteers were coordinated to deliver food/toiletry items on a weekly basis, supporting the families for several months. As organizations and nonprofit leaders learned of the group, more families were identified. Word of mouth fueled our efforts. Founder Jen Tepe fielded independent requests, while the group simultaneously began operating as a pantry out of Jen’s garage. Partners in the field would send an “ask” and SCHH would respond with a delivery on demand. The group worked to network neighbors, helping to stock and re-stock the pantry as needed; utilizing neighborhood porch drop-offs, which then flowed back to the garage pantry.
The four administrators are Jen Tepe, Jacquelyn Cynkar, Karen DiVito and Amy Mann. As they spent more time in the field, covering many neighborhoods throughout our city, new needs arose. Household items and furniture asks came in; homeless encampments and shelters were supported; the group responded to a displaced family, re-located due to a home fire; housing insecure families requested apartment set-up help. The operations grew and they added a storage space, alongside the pantry staples, to temporarily house furniture, clothing, shoes and other household items - all donated by the kindness of neighbors and held ready to go back out into the communities in need.
Additionally, with the shift of many schools to online learning, the organization hosted a schoolsupplies drive and a desk/table drive, allowing them to give specific assistance to families grappling with the transition of children with disabilities and their siblings now schooling from home.
At the heart of Steel City Helping Hands is generosity and a quiet kindness; in the spirit of CONTINUED on page 23
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Fred Rogers they act as and look for the helpers, while working to create connections within our city: connecting an ask to a volunteer and connecting neighbors to new neighborhoods. They deliver directly to homes, in a no-contact style during the pandemic. Their Helpers are a group of over 79 volunteers who have donated money, food and/or household items to the organization. Some have given time or made deliveries or supported collection drives. All are neighbors who are thinking about and supporting our city neighborhoods. At the heart of the mission is its flexibility to respond, to a front door. The group is limber, adjusting to lend a helping hand in whatever ways arise.
If you’d like to get involved with Steel City Helping Hands, please reach out to add your helping hands to the group. If you know of someone in need, please reach out to connect them to available support.
You can follow Steel City Helping Hands on Facebook @SteelCityHelpingHands. You can email them at steelcityhelpinghands@gmail.com. You can always reach out to one of the four administrators, as they aim to do small things with great love.
JCC
CENTER FOR LOVINGKINDNESS
Founded in 2017, The JCC Center for LovingKindness is an incredible resource for our Squirrel Hill community and our neighbors in other Pittsburgh communities. Their team of UPstanders has worked to support the community to help combat Hate/ Racial Injustice/anti-Semitism, worked to get as much Census participation as possible, has hosted many Interfaith Events, hosts weekly classes on engaging. challenging topics, has helped to get the vaccine to many Pittsburgh residents, especially the more vulnerable population and so much more.
Melissa Hiller of the JCC shares “Reinforcing Joanne and Fred Rogers’ belief that there are helpers all around us, JCC Center for Loving Kindness UPstanders are strengthening the fabric of community and showing up to assist people at vaccination clinics and making appointment and reassurance phone calls to folks––neighbors––who need some extra support. UPstanders are living out that neighbor is a moral concept, not a geographic term.”
The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition proudly partners with the JCC Center for Loving Kindness. We are very proud that Melissa is also a SHUC board member focusing on supporting our community. You can find out more abut the Healing Partnership at jccpgh.org/center-for-loving-kindness. CONTINUED on page 24
CONTINUED from page 23 THE 10.27 HEALING PARTNERSHIP
The 10.27 Healing Partnership was founded after the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue to support the community. All of the local Squirrel Hill businesses stepped up immediately. The group continues its healing work into the pandemic.
The JCC 10.27 Healing Partnership teamed up with local merchants including Starbucks Forbes Ave, EvelynJames Interiors, Littles and Coffee Tree Forbes Ave to create “Unity in the Community.” with Healing posters for local artist of all ages. You can view the Healing Posters online at 1027healingpartnership.org/ poster-gallery.
CONTINUED from page 24 past three years. “When you open the doors, it seems like the store goes on forever,” Garrett told us. But they feel fortunate to occupy the space they do. “Sure, it’s the wonder of going off the beaten trail, but it’s not any more difficult to get to than anywhere else,” says Garrett, which really works for them. “We like having an element of being where hidden treasure would be. Parking is free.”
Artist & Craftsman has recently partnered with 412 Food Rescue, the 10.27 Healing Partnership, the JCC, and others, and they’re grateful for those collaborations. “Those partnerships have been really great for us. We feel a connection to our community, even while the store was closed or we couldn’t do in-person demos. We can still engage with people and show them that we care and that we’re still here, and that stuff feels really good. Especially right now.”
What does Garrett want people to know about the store? “My job is trying to engage our community, get people into the store and get interested in the materials we have. And encourage them to be creative and to engage with those things that they might, maybe have never really seen themselves sort of playing around with before. We’ve got something for everyone. We’re always excited to help young or old artists, anyone in between, any sort of skill range. We’re happy to see you.”
ACTON-Housing is converting the old Squirrel Hill Theater site into 43 new units of housing as well as first floor commercial space.
CONSTRUCTION OF 43 AFFORDABLE UNITS
ACTION-HOUSING IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE that construction has begun on the site of the former Squirrel Hill theater (5824 Forward Avenue), converting this blighted site into 43 new units of affordable housing as well as first floor commercial space. The development team has been hard at work over the last year finalizing the design and financing for the project and it is finally time to begin work.
The design team for this project includes ACTIONHousing (developer), Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (architect), PJ Dick (contractor), Iams Consulting (MEP engineer), and Morris Knowles (civil engineer).
Ever since Krause Commons opened next door on the former Poli’s site, and ACTION-Housing received hundreds of applications on the first day, it was clear that there was unmet demand for affordable apartments in Squirrel Hill. ACTION-Housing is looking forward to bringing new affordable housing to the neighborhood.
If anyone has any questions about the project, they can contact Lena Andrews at landrews@ actionhousing.org.
PHASE TWO OF WIGHTMAN PROJECT UNDERWAY
In October of 2020, four years of work culminated in the re-opening of Squirrel Hill’s Wightman Park. Improved amenities to this neighborhood asset include a new playground, distinct age appropriate play areas, a wooden pavilion, green space, and an accessible bathroom.
Not only is this park an improvement for the children and families that will use the amenities, but it also has been an immense undertaking to address the stormwater and flooding in the neighborhood. The park has improved stormwater drainage features, including a rain garden that will hold over 52,000 gallons of water and underground stormwater storage below the baseball field. In recognition of this effort to combat stormwater overflow, the Wightman Park stormwater project won the 2020 Sustainability Award through the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority’s (PWSA) Phase Two of this project will design a network of stormwater “green streets” in Squirrel Hill to direct stormwater to the improved infrastructure within Wightman Park, with construction expected to be completed at the end of 2021. By capturing the stormwater in the park, the project will reduce overflows of combined stormwater and sewage into the Monongahela River, flooding in the park itself, and basement sewage backups in the neighborhood.
While PWSA is constructing Phase Two, the volunteer-run organization Friends of Wightman Park will begin efforts to maintain and take care of the park. The group has been tasked with beautifying and ensuring long term maintenance through annual plantings, mulching, weeding, litter pick up, CONTINUED on page 27
CONTINUED from page 26 fundraising, and more. If you are interested in volunteering, email info@shuc.org.
Thank you to our partners at the City of Pittsburgh, PWSA, and ALCOSAN for making this project a huge success. Be sure to bring your family and friends over to Wightman Park this summer and enjoy all that this wonderful park has to offer!
Artist in Residence
Mimie Zlotnik
UPDATES TO WIGHTMAN PARK
The Shriber family (Doug, Sarah and Nate) generously made a significant donation to help us get much closer to our fundraising goal and to open the park amenities including the bathrooms at Wightman Park. We are so thankful to the Shribers and hope that you will be able to enjoy all that newly renovated park has to offer!
Mimie is not a senior who makes art. She’s an artist whose studio happens to be at JAA’s Weinberg Terrace.
Being who you are, no matter your age. That’s Aging. Creatively.
412-420-4000 | jaapgh.org
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In our shifting world, CDS is inspiring our students with learning that is joyful, engaging, experiential, and enduring
Visit comday.org/visit to schedule your virtual tour of Pittsburgh's co-ed, independent, Jewish day school
Reach out to marketing@shuc.org for our 2021 Media Kit.
LET ME HELP YOU MAKE YOUR NEXT MOVE
Linda Corcoran, Realtor®
Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services Squirrel Hill Office C. 412.848.6967 O. 412.521.2222 ext. 258 E: linda.corcoran@pittsburghmoves.com W: lindacorcoran.cbintouch.com
Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2019 Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services. All rights reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 19FMOX_PIT_4/19
WHAT “ONE HEALTH” MEANS FOR YOUR PET
By Dr. Lawrence Gerson, V.M.D.
THE CDC’S ONE HEALTH OFFICE LEADS the agency’s One Health efforts in the United States and abroad. “One Health” is a comprehensive way to look at the intersection of human health, animal health and environmental health. The health of people is interdependent on both a healthy environment and healthy animals. Of all the 1,461 human diseases, 60% of them can be seen in multiple species. Additionally, the American Veterinary Medical Association states that in the past 30 years, 75% of the new human infectious diseases can pass to people from animals.
Examples of the ‘One Health’ concept include food borne illness. As a veterinarian, I have found clients way too casual in the feeding of raw meat. E. coli is a bacteria that can be found in contaminated meat products if not cooked properly. Salmonella found in poultry requires proper heating to destroy the pathogens. A current trend is to feed some pets raw food. But both home-prepared and commercial raw pet foods can have inherent dangers with pathogenic bacteria. Once fed, the raw product can carry bacteria
to pets that can transmit and ultimately infect humans. Especially vulnerable are children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people.
Both human and animal health requires a healthy farm environment. Animals are used for food production in meat, as well as dairy and poultry, including eggs. And everyone, including vegetarians, must rely on pollinators for crop fertilization. How we raise crops requires proper sanitation and the cautious use of chemicals. Failure of keeping a clean environment can have implications to the health of everyone. The transition to large scale factory farming is very different from the small family farm of the past.
Lyme disease is common in Pennsylvania—in fact, we have more cases here than any other state. Parks and woods are the perfect environment for the propagation of ticks. Pet owners and the general public have to be vigilant to prevent the spread of Lyme disease which can easily be missed initially as a diagnosis. Fortunately, there are several products available for pets that will prevent transmission of Lyme disease. Consultation with a veterinarian is recommended to discuss the best prevention for your pet’s particular exposure and situation. I prefer an oral product to minimize exposure of chemicals to people, and especially for clients with children or multiple CONTINUED on page 34
shuc snapshots
NOTES FROM YOUR SQUIRREL HILL URBAN COALITION STAFF
Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition Update
By Maria Cohen, SHUC Executive Director
AS THE FALL APPROACHES and many more of us are vaccinated, we have enjoyed a small return to some semblance of normalcy with the understanding that some things just will not be the same and that we don’t yet understand how the variants, boosters and potential approval of a vaccine for children under 12 in the fall will affect our quality of life as we transition into the School Year. Fortunately, many of us have had a chance to enjoy a few moments of respite with some dinners out, concerts and fun with friends and family! After over a year of being in a Global Pandemic we have all very much need to heal, see each other again and have some fun!
Issues of anger, violence and hate that were somewhat hidden percolated to the surface and smacked us in the face especially in the Spring and early Summer. We have been called to stand in solidary with our Asian community members and have done so by attending events to better understand the struggles and show our unbending support for our Asian community members, signing a letter against Asian Hate for the APALA, and have been sharing Anti-hate resources.
Jasmine Cho, 2020 Squirrel Hill Treasure, demonstrated what it is to be a true community treasure with her tireless efforts to strongly combat hate in the Asian Community and for other Marginalized voices as well. She boldly and bravely shared her personal story. We are so proud to call Jasmine a Squirrel Hill Treasure!
In late April, the verdict guilty on all three charges for Chauvin in the George Floyd case demonstrated accountability and was a step toward justice and hopefully healing.
We understand that more needs to be done with reforms and changes to our system. SHUC stands in strong support of our Asian, Black and all other Marginalized Community Members. Squirrel Hill is still Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood and No Place for Hate.
When crisis occurs, it is impressive to see our Squirrel Hill neighbors rise to the challenge. We are a community of Upstanders, a term coined by JCC Center for Loving Kindness to honor its volunteers.
The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition is humbled and privileged to have collaborated with the JCC to serve our community in so many fundamentally important ways. In partnership with the Squirrel Hill Health Network, the JCC and the Allegheny Health Network, many volunteers and healthcare professional distributed the vaccines to our Squirrel Hill community and many other neighboring communities at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh and other community centers. It CONTINUED on page 31
CONTINUED from page 30 may soon be necessary to reignite vaccine distribution for booster shots in our community and neighboring communities. These incredible organization have demonstrated that the will be continuously nimble and do what they need to do to support the safety of all of our community members and neighbors. We are very thankful!
SHUC is also a supportive sponsor for the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness Yom Kippur Service, A Yom Kippur Commitment: Moving Beyond Hate: Lessons from Billings, MT and Life in Pittsburgh, PA. A three part discussion collaboration hosted by the JCC Center for Loving Kindness and SHUC, to continue the discussion of how our community can combat hate will begin in October and be will be hosted monthly through December. We hope that you can join us!
We are so thankful to our volunteers and regular Litter Patrol members who made the Squirrel Hill Grand Pandemic Litter Patrol Event happen and such a success. Special thanks to Barb Grover and her Litter Patrol team for their hard work and dedication! Another special thank you to Pittsburgh Honey and its team of volunteers who are caretakers for the I-376 Squirrel Hill interchange through the PenDOT Adopt-A-Highway program for that past several years. Their team of customers, independent volunteers, and members of the Lower Murray Merchants Association have been, and remain, dedicated to the beautification and improvement of the Gateway to Squirrel Hill, it’s five corner intersection, and the lower Murray corridor through to Browns Hill Road. Another big thank you to Solevo Wellness, whose team worked to clean the area around the Welcome Sign in our Squirrel Hill Gateway. It takes a village and we are thankful to our community for your support to keep Squirrel Hill clean!
SHUC is cautiously optimistic and excited about the return to in person events! We were very excited to be a part of the successful return to Bach, Beethoven and Brunches. We are very happy about the return of our Night Market Events this month and in October this year. We will be flexible and follow CDC guidelines as we host.
Our annual Treasure Awards Dinner Event is planned for in-person on Thursday, November 11th. We are cautiously optimistic and will make adjustments to ensure the safety of our guests as needed. Please mark your calendars. We really hope to see you there!
Please reach out to share with me what you would like the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition to continue, feedback about changes that you would like to see in our Squirrel Hill community and your thoughts and ideas to help support us in preserving, improving and celebrating the quality of life in our vibrant Squirrel Hill community. You can connect with me at mcohen@ shuc.org.
Squirrel Hill Rewards Give Back
It is almost time for fall and we have another reason for you to visit Squirrel Hill. Now when you use Squirrel Hill Rewards to shop local and earn rewards you can donate your neighborhood points to some of your favorite local charities! Uncover Squirrel Hill has partnered with Saltwater Loyalty to add the option of donating points to one of three Pittsburgh based charitable organizations, including; the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, Brother’s Brother and 1HOOD. CONTINUED on page 32
CONTINUED from page 31 The charities that are featured will rotate so keep an eye out for your favorites!
Squirrel Hill Rewards provides “local love” to the Squirrel Hill business district by incentivizing sales through promotional offers and rewards. It’s a turnkey program for merchants to publish promotional offers where consumers simply register, view and redeem these offers.
Saltwater Loyalty has designed a platform for destinations, such as Squirrel Hill, to unify their merchants under a branded, best-in-class, loyalty rewards program. The program is the first of its kind to create a coalition of merchants that provides consumers rewards for shopping and dining in the community. Most exciting, Squirrel Hill is the first business district to launch the program nationwide! Jason Gilbert of Saltwater Loyalty shared, “There has been a lot of talk about the importance of ‘buying local.’ One of the things I love about this program is that it provides residents a platform to be rewarded for keeping their dollars local. The addition of local charities naturally continues the cycle of community support.”
Here’s how it works. New users simply create an account at SquirrelHillRewards.com. The program is secured by partnerships with Visa, MasterCard and American Express so customer information is always safe. Next shop or dine at local Squirrel Hill businesses using the credit card that’s been registered to your account. Finally, get rewarded! Instant rewards when you shop or dine. The community benefits, the consumer benefits and now charities benefit. Participating merchants include; ViviPilates, Silk Elephant, Kiin Lao & Thai Eatery, Bull River Tacos, European Wax Center, Global Market Retail, Chocolate Moose, Sunburst School of Music, I am Yoga and we are excited to announce our newest merchant to join, Little’s Shoes.
We encourage our local Squirrel Hillers and Merchants to sign up for this exciting program!
SHUC Litter Patrol Update
The 1st Annual Grand Pandemic Litter Clean Up took place April 18 through April 24 in Squirrel Hill, where over 100 volunteers donned gloves and grabbed some blue Giant Eagle bags to put litter in its place, making everything look free and new again.
Led by Mr. Murray the Squirrel (a good friend of Johnny Patrus) and some great advertising by Barbara Jones, volunteers cleaned some areas that just needed a little tender loving care.
SHUC wishes to thank Melissa Lysagh and her fellow Starbucks employees for lending a hand in the business district; Hayley Moffett and friends who cleaned up Commercial Avenue; and Jennifer Golovin and the cub scouts of Troop 1818 who scoured Wightman Park and surrounding streets. And thanks to all those couples and individuals who took a walk with a bag in hand and made our world here in Squirrel Hill a little brighter!
Congratulations to all of our photos contest winners including the Yuans, Roslands, Ingrams, Hershbergs, District 8, Starbuck’s on Forbes/Shady, Bob Dannenberg and Jamison Combs! CONTINUED on page 33
CONTINUED on page 32 Photos show all the hard work done, which can be viewed on the SHUC.org website. And finally, thank you generous sponsors - Bagel Factory, Coffee Tree Roasters, Little’s Shoes and Mineos for your generous gift cards. It was truly a great effort by all and we can all enjoy their efforts!
In Memoriam Ceci Sommers
Ceci Summers was known for her many contributions to Pittsburgh but for the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition she was critical change agent. When Ceci joined the board she immediately signed up for the Magazine Committee. SHUC had recently acquired Squirrel Hill Magazine and was struggling to give it an appropriate identity. Ceci used her media savvy and her energy to help produce a publication that communicated with and served our community. She also passionately supported our efforts to improve the Squirrel Hill Gateway.
Ceci’s most significant legacy however, was the SHUC Treasure Dinner. The awards, the Charlie Humphrey videos and innovative format was part of the annual neighborhood event she envisioned and produced which literally saved SHUC. In its first year in 2011 the Treasure Dinner quadrupled the net revenues the prior dinner event had produced enabling SHUC to hire an executive director and better and more effectively serve the community. Ceci converted what she called “boring dinner events” into community parties that have sold out and enjoyed increased sponsorship support every year. We will remember Ceci fondly for her commitment and dedication to the SHUC mission.
Keeping Squirrel Hill Beautiful
We appreciate the Western PA Conversancy’s staff work to rebuild the retaining wall for the Garden at the Parkway, and Michael Rosenbaum’s continued efforts to keep the garden weeded and planted with annuals.
Thank you to Solevo for weeding and mulching the Squirrel Hill Welcome Sign, the first impression of our neighborhood when coming from the Parkway.
CONTINUED from page 29 pets in the household. We recommend a yearly Lyme disease test for all dogs along with the heartworm blood test.
Rabies vaccinations are also critical for any dog or cat. Each year 59,000 people die worldwide from rabies. In Pennsylvania last year, we had 347 positive cases in a number of species. This virus has a reservoir in wildlife and the most at risk to us are raccoons, foxes, skunks and bats, some of which are common in the City. Feral cats are a frequent cause of exposure, as well as foxes and coyotes, which are sometimes found even in urban areas.
As the CDC states, “By promoting collaboration across all sectors, a One Health approach can achieve the best health outcomes for people, animals, and plants in a shared environment.” You can learn more about this cross-disciplinary approach to animal, human, and environmental health at cdc.gov/onehealth.
Locally grown, community owned.
Offering a wide range of organic, natural, and local products.
7516 Meade Street Pittsburgh, PA 15208 www.eastendfood.coop 412.242.3598
