WGF Celebrates woMEN!

Women and Girls Foundation Honors Men for the First Time

PITTSBURGH, Penn., October 1, 2012 – For the first time in its history, the Women and Girls Foundation will honor MEN who are helping to advance women’s rights and opportunities in the greater Pittsburgh region. The awards will be presented at the organization’s annual gala which will take place on Saturday, December 1, 2012, from 6 to 9:00 p.m. at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. The presenting sponsor of this event is UPMC. Tickets may be purchased online at www.wgfpa.org or by calling 412-434-4883.

“Celebrating Women began eight years ago as an annual event to recognize and honor amazing women from myriad disciplines who are serving as role models and breaking barriers in our region,” says Heather Arnet, chief executive officer, Women and Girls Foundation. “With so many men from our area standing up for women and serving as champions and advocates in the workplace and the community, we thought it was time to shine a light on them. This year, the name of the event stayed the same but with a slight twist to focus on those being honored – Celebrating woMEN!”

The following men are being honored at the December 1 event:

Jim Abraham, Law Office of James E. Abraham LLC
Gregg Dietz, University of Pittsburgh and Shaler Area High School
Tanner Fitzgerald, Pennsylvania State University Student
Rep. Dan Frankel, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Dr. Freddie Fu, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine
William Gay, formerly on the Pittsburgh Steelers
Michael Aaron Glass, Dress for Success Pittsburgh
George Greer, The Eden Hall Foundation and H.J. Heinz Company
Andrew Hoover, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania
George Kantor, Carnegie Mellon University and Girls of Steel
Maxwell King, Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media
Lou Rood, Belle Vernon Area School District and Pittsburgh Passion
Hon. Gene Strassburger, Superior Court of Pennsylvania

Demi Brae Cuccia

A Special Award of Distinction will be issued to Dr. Garry Cuccia for his heroic efforts to advocate for teen dating violence prevention programs, through the Demi Brae Cuccia Bill, a law named after his daughter who was killed by her boyfriend at age 16.

The event is co-chaired by Gregg and Yu-Ling Behr and Tom and Bonnie VanKirk.

Women and Girls Foundation
The Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest Pennsylvania (WGF) is an independent, community-based foundation serving Southwest Pennsylvania. Our vision is to create a region where women and girls have equal access, opportunity, and influence in all aspects of their public and private lives. To realize this vision, the organizationʼs active mission is to achieve gender equity by investing in public policy initiatives that will result in long-term systemic change impacting women and girls lives for generations to come.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh