Foundation Report

TOWN MEETING

The town meeting is held annually in February at the Edgewood Club. In 2006, we heard Mayor Jean Davin give the traditional "State of the Borough" addresses. The William D. Limpert Volunteer Award was presented to Laura Horner. The evening ended with acknowledgements and announcements by representatives of other community organizations.

WILLIAM D. LIMPERT VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD

This prestigious award named in honor of the Foundation's founding president, Bill Limpert, was created in 1991 to honor him at his retirement from the Foundation Board. Nominations are solicited annually and an impartial, anonymous panel judges nominees. Their selection is announced at the town meeting. A plaque listing all recipients is on display in the C.C. Mellor Library and a tree is planted at an appropriate site within the borough to honor the recipient. Last year, Laura Horner was honored and joined the distinguished list of previous awardees:

1991 The Edgewood Foundation creates the William D. Limpert Award for Community Service to honor William D. Limpert, the first president of the Edgewood Foundation.

1992 John B. Major

1993 Angelina Sammarone

1994 Robert R. Fuchs

1995 Robert P. Gibson (Posthumously)

1996 Nevin Rodes

1997 Susan Bailey

1998 Doris D. Jones

1999 Brian Nogrady

2000 Jay Bush

2001 Dick Monheim

2002 Mary Limpert

2003 Louis Boccio Jr.

2004 Dick Lithgow.

2005 Tom Herward

2006 Laura Horner

WINE & CHOCOLATE

The Edgewood Foundation recently held the first of what looks like a longstanding tradition of Wine & Chocolate Affaires. The Edgewood Symphony's Quintet and Quartet provided background music. Our guests tasted wines that were especially selected for pairing with chocolate. Participants viewed art from some of our local artists, bid on many of the lovely baskets of goodies and shared in good times with neighbors and friends. Thanks to all of our wonderful donors and volunteers.

COMMUNITY DAY

Community Days 2006 featured all the old favorites - the 5k Race, the parade, the Edgewood Fire Department chicken and ribs dinners, food and entertainment on the field all day Saturday. Unfortunately, the Edgewood Symphony was rained out for the second year in a row.. On Sunday, the booths, although slightly soggy, were opened for new and different activities. Borough manager Kurt Ferguson kept the hotdogs and hamburgers cooking all day Sunday. The bubbles kept floating, and the Children's Museum self-portraits decorated the fence. Scooby-Doo greeted guests, and our new Recreation Director Amber Barrante got her first taste of this wonderful tradition. The Sunday schedule also allowed for an automatic rain night for the fireworks display. We had a great time with a group of great people.

EDGEWOOD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

The Edgewood Symphony Orchestra is now in its second decade as one of Pittsburgh's leading community orchestras. The ESO is a non-profit organization with over 70 volunteer musicians with extensive backgrounds of musical training and experience who dedicate their time and talents to bringing the classics to you. Experience the powerful sound of the ESO under the leadership of musical director, Walter Morales, as we perform a wide range of musical favorites. Whether you are an avid symphony lover or experiencing live symphonic music for the first time, don't miss ESO's series of exciting concerts highlighted by performances from top professionals. The ESO performs in Edgewood at the First Presbyterian Church of Edgewood in addition to outreach venues such as: East Allegheny High School in North Versailles and Rodef Shalom Levy Hall in Oakland. An ESO outdoor concert is a feature each year at Citiparks Bach, Beethoven and Brunch at Mellon Park in Shadyside and at the Edgewood Community Days at Koenig Field. For more information about the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra, concert dates and ticket information, visit online at www.edgewoodsymphony.org or call 412-473-8880.

NEWCOMERS' RECEPTION

Under the leadership of Jan Carr & Donna Lewis, the Foundation hosts a welcoming reception for new residents of the community in the fall. These events, held in private homes, are an opportunity to meet with community representatives and other newcomers. This year's reception was very well attended and we would like to thank our hosts, Niki & Chad Augustine, who graciously opened their lovely home to our new neighbors.

SENIOR CELEBRATION

In May, the Edgewood Foundation, together with parents and friends honored our borough's graduating high school seniors. The keynote speaker was Congressman Mike Doyle who had a wonderful inspiring speech for the entire group. Organizers of this year's event were Karen Oleyar, Laura Horner, Suzan Lami, Rose Steiner, Mary and Marty Reidell, Sharon Kiely, and Pat Doyle. Gifts for the seniors and other donations that made the event truly special came from Jay Bush, Chef Chuck Kerber, the DeVita/Kiely family, the Horners, the Reidells, the Steiners, the Oleyar/Doyle family, Congressman Mike Doyle, Copy Stop in Swissvale, Hepatica, the C.C. Mellor Memorial Library, the Edgewood Foundation, The Edgewood Club, Clipps Salon, Katerbean, GAI Consultants of Swissvale, Eat 'n Park, K-Mart, Gerenyi Sunoco, Stonebraker's Jewelers, and The Square Café. In a new twist on an old tradition, seniors were presented with green roses as well as a certificate to commemorate the event.

SENIOR CELEBRATION SCHOLARSHIPS

The long-standing tradition, first of the Civic Club, then of its successor, the Civic Association, ended at last year's Senior Brunch, when the final three scholarships were awarded to very worthy Edgewood residents graduating from high school. The Awards Committee was proud to note that the academic level of this year's graduates, as well as their level of participation and leadership in school activities and in community service, was among the highest they have seen. The $900 award for each graduate was sent to their college when they registered.

Students receiving the scholarships were: Christine Miller, graduating from Oakland Catholic, will attend Dickinson College. Katherine Benedict, also graduating from Oakland Catholic, will attend St. Vincent College. Jonathan Steinitz, graduating from Schenley High School, will attend the University of Wisconsin. In addition, Steiner Reality gave a $500 scholarship award that was granted to Gina Grubb

PROGRESSIVE DINNER

The Progressive Dinner, organized in 1997 by a cadre of dedicated neighbors and led by Foundation member Amy Andrews, continued to be a great social success with more than 150 people attending. Residents opened their homes for a round of cocktails and dinner followed by dessert held in the Edgewood Club. The Foundation believes that the sponsorship of such events allows neighbors to gather and bind together in a friendly social situation that helps define the sense of where we belong.

BEAUTIFICATION

Greer and Gary Mulholland and a group of intrepid volunteers devoted many hours of hard labor to help make Edgewood a community full of flowers. With the financial help of a grant from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, magnificent flowerbeds were once again planted at the parkway interchange and other areas within the borough. The Foundation again participated in a community-wide Edgewood clean-up day in April in conjunction with the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup. This effort was sponsored by Edgewood Foundation recognizing Earth Day, which is celebrated in April each year. In addition, this year we improved an area that was recently adopted by the Foundation along Edgewood Avenue. The area is owned by the Port Authority and we signed an agreement that allows us to regularly maintain and beautify this area.

LIGHT UP NIGHT

Light Up Night, sponsored by the Foundation, is an exciting tradition that kicks off the holiday season. This year Donna Hansen and Donna Lewis organized this popular event at the Edgewood Club on a very cold and wintery night. Light Up Night 2006 featured Cookies and Punch that has become such a tradition. The Oakland Girls Choir also performed for all to enjoy. They were formed in 2005 under the direction of Kathryn Barnard. There are 26 girls, age 8 - 18 in the choir.

FOUNDATION

Recently, the Foundation Board voted to change the bylaws of our foundation from a seven-person board to a nine-person board. This expansion helped ease the workload of our dedicated and involved volunteer group. In 2006, we very reluctantly accepted the resignation of board member Donna Lewis who has been an inspiration to us all as those who continually and selflessly served their community. If you are interested in becoming a part of the exciting happenings in Edgewood and would like to volunteer your time and energies with the Edgewood Foundation, please contact us for more information.

FOUNDATION WEBSITE

We encourage you to visit us for the latest information on events and happenings in the borough, at our website www.edgewoodfoundation.org, and to share with us your thoughts