< Previous%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced Steubenville Pike Auto donates ninth vehicle STORY SUBMITTED PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY Steubenville Pike Auto in Robinson Township donated its ninth vehicle through its SPARC (Steubenville Pike Auto Repair Charity) program in December. Just a few days before Christmas, the business surprised Montour High School senior Rebekah Taylor with a Chevy Malibu. Taylor’s mother and grandmother brought her to Steubenville Pike Auto under the pretense of perusing the vehicle inventory. Taylor was reluctant to go because she could not afford a vehicle. She was also unaware that her mother had submitted a nomination to Steubenville Pike Auto on her behalf after seeing an article about the program in Allegheny West Magazine. SPARC’s selection committee chose Taylor after reviewing numerous deserving nominations. In Taylor’s nomination letter, her mother, Lisa, wrote about how hard working and dedicated Rebekah has been to her coursework and community. The high school senior is currently studying electrical systems technology at Parkway West Career and Technology Center. Each of the past three years, she has placed first at the district level in the SkillsUSA tele- communications-cabling competition. She is also the vice president of the student council at PWCTC and a co-founder of The Future is Mine club. After graduating, she plans to join IBEW Local #5. Rebekah needed a car to get to work after her old car, a 15-year-old Chevy Malibu, quit. Her grandmother does not drive and also recently lost her husband. She said that this car will dramatically change the entire family’s life. Steubenville Pike Auto is grateful, especially given the year that has passed, to be able to help the Taylor family. This vehicle was given to Steubenville Pike Auto for use in its SPARC program by an anonymous donor. Steubenville Pike Auto refurbished the vehicle with its signature 100-point inspection, new brakes and detail, and current state inspection and emissions. Heroes Supporting Heroes once again graciously paid the taxes and state transfer fees. “Our program continues to change lives one vehicle at a time!” Jason Pottle, president of Steubenville Pike Auto, commented. Steubenville Pike Auto currently gives away two vehicles per year through its SPARC program. Steubenville Pike Auto will be giving away another vehicle to a deserving individual or family in the spring of 2021. For more information, and to nominate, visit www.steubenvillepike.com and click on the SPARC icon. Steubenville Pike Auto president Jason Pottle (inside right) and his wife, Linda (to his left), surprised Rebekah Taylor (inside left) with a refurbished vehicle Dec. 22. Rebekah is pictured with her mother, Lisa, and grandmother. The Pottles are pictured with associate Oliva Noble. STORY SUBMITTED Pittsburgh’s premier award-winning pet photographer Jessica Wasik of Bark & Gold Photography has partnered with Biggies Bullies for their fifth annual pet calendar contest fundraiser. Pet owners may enter their furry friend in this online contest by submitting a photo along with a $5 entry fee that is donated directly to Biggies Bullies to help the rescue continue its efforts. Entries and votes will be accepted through March 6, 2021 and will be used to help determine the top 13 grand prize winners that will be photographed by Bark & Gold Photography during a professional on-location photography session for its 2022 Biggies Bullies pet calendar. The highest vote-getter will be featured on the coveted cover spot. In 2020, this popular effort raised nearly $13,000 via entries, votes, and subsequent calendar sales, which became a safety net during COVID-19 when many in-person events and galas were not possible. This year’s calendar contest fundraising goal is set at $20,000, all of which will benefit Biggies Bullies and events like its free vaccine clinics, its Hungry Hippos Food Pantry and Freedom Harness Exchange programs. Wasik, who formerly interned with Allegheny West Magazine, adds that several pet- friendly businesses located in Pittsburgh and throughout the country have donated more than $500 in weekly mini-contest prizes for even more fun and increased participation. Biggies Bullies is a 501c3 nonprofit foster home-based rescue that was founded in 2011. It is dedicated to rescuing and re-homing pit bull type dogs in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. For more information, visit www.gogophotocontest.com/biggies2022 or contact Jessica Wasik with Bark & Gold Photography at (724) 913-2275 or jessica@ barkandgoldphotography.com. Annual pet calendar contest returns for fifth year 10 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2021CAround Your Town Around Your Town For about 10 years, Erin Dougherty had a children’s book she’d written sitting in a corner collecting dust. She’d written it about her nephew, Evan Henry, and the experiences he was having in third grade. Her protagonist was a shy, kind dinosaur aptly named Eugene who didn’t quite fit in with his carnivorous ilk. It was a story about alienation, friendship and learning to cope with social pressures. “It’s really an allegory or a fable for how we should get along with each other because it’s a story of inclusion and seeing beyond labels and prejudices,” she says. “That’s the message I want to promote.” Last year, Dougherty, who teaches elementary education in Santa Barbara, California, found just the person she needed to help finish her book. That person turned out to be Evan’s brother, Levi Frey, who is currently a fifth-grader at McKee Elementary School. Dougherty needed an illustrator for the book and Levi had developed into quite an artist. This past summer, Levi went out to Santa Barbara to visit his aunt and grandmother. While he was there, he helped his aunt finish her book. Each day, Dougherty discussed what she wanted Levi to draw and she says he would work for about an hour and a half in the morning on the illustrations. Late last year, Dougherty finally published her book, which she titled “Eugene the Shy Dinosaur.” It’s since gotten a nice review from best-selling author and former New Yorker columnist Simon Van Booy. Levi’s illustrations, done in marker, appear at the beginning of each chapter. The characters’ subtle expressions complement the text nicely and help tell the story. While Levi’s illustrations are very good for a fifth-grader, what’s perhaps even more remarkable is that Levi is on the autism spectrum. As an educator, Dougherty knew that her nephew’s ability to recognize and depict facial expressions with such a high degree of sophistication and detail was something special. “It was interesting because, being autistic, he has a harder time reading facial expressions and understanding emotions,” she says. “What I found was while he was reading the book he was capturing emotion on the characters’ faces. It blew me away.” She says it was fascinating seeing how art opened up his emotional world. Levi’s mother, Rachel Henry, says that her son started drawing when he was in kindergarten and that he sometimes creates upwards of 20 drawings each day. She says he does his drawings from memory and that the work he did on his aunt’s book marked a big step for him. “He doesn’t always do stuff like that,” she says. “It was a ‘wow’ moment.” Levi’s father, Jamie, says he thinks his son has drawn some inspiration from the “Dog Man” series and that Levi tends get focused on a particular task at hand. He says he’s been amazed by the level of creativity he displays through his illustrations. Late last year, he says Levi was determined to win this publication’s elementary holiday coloring contest. Readers may recall seeing Levi’s winning drawing on the cover of December’s holiday edition. After working with Levi on her book, Dougherty says “Eugene the Shy Dinosaur” has taken on new meaning. She thinks it can also help raise awareness of autism. “Maybe his autism has given him a gift of seeing the world in a certain way,” she says. However, there’s also another message to this particular real-life story. “If you put your mind to something you can do anything. You can become a published illustrator at 10,” she says. The book is currently available as a paperback at Amazon.com and will be downloadable in the future as an e-pub. McKee fifth-grader illustrates new children’s book STORY BY DOUG HUGHEY PHOTO SUBMITTED Levi Frey is pictured with his aunt, Erin Dougherty, as the two were working on “Eugene the Shy Dinosaur.” February/March 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 11February 2021 Milestone Anniversaries Welcome New Members! CoStar Dobil Laboratories, Inc. K & B Doormasters Long Consulting Group, LLC Party On! Entertainment, LLC Viqtory Cyber 15 years Pittsburgh Transportation Group Chapman Properties HRV Conformance Verification Associates Inc. 10 years Scrub Pro / Gallo Clothing 5 years Range Resources Security America Best Western PLUS The Inn at Franciscan Square Pittsburgh Community Television (PCTV) 850 Beaver Grade Rd. Suite 101 Moon Twp., PA 15108 412-264-6270 | paacc.com #PAACC Follow Us!! Inspired Learning LLC Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies Plan Your Next Getaway! No membership required! For more information about any of our trips or to register, please call Michelle Kreutzer at 412-203-0257. A Taste of Tyrol - Innsbruck, Austria Featuring Oktoberfest Includes: RT Air from PIT, hotels, Meals, Day Trips, Local English Speaking Guides, Transportation, and so much more! Sept. 17 - 25, 2021 | Early Bird Pricing- $3,399 Free Informational Meeting: April 6, 2021 For more information on this cost saving program, please contact Michelle Kreutzer at 412-264-6270. 12 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2021February/March 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 13CAround Your Town Around Your Town It takes a special kind of person to be the superintendent of a cemetery. It’s a job that requires compassion, an attention to detail and steadiness when working with people going through one of the most difficult times in their lives. For the past 50 years, that person at Robinson’s Run Cemetery in South Fayette Township just outside of McDonald has been RuthAnn Porter. Between individuals pre-planning for the future and families searching for a final resting place for their loved ones, RuthAnn estimates she’s arranged grave sites for 5,000 individuals. That’s almost half of the cemetery’s approximately 11,000 internments. She says every person who has called or walked through the office door there has been different - and that the most rewarding aspect of her job has been having families she’s helped come back to tell her how much they appreciated it. “That makes you feel good,” she says. “I always said from day one, ‘I’ll treat you the way I want to be treated.’” At the start of this year, RuthAnn handed over the bulk of her superintendent duties to longtime cemetery caretaker Bob Moreau and his wife, Dawn. Bob first came to the cemetery in 1985 and has been working closely alongside RuthAnn for the past 35 years. These past seven years, Bob has also been helping families and individuals make final arrangements. Locally born and raised, Bob knows the area well and holds a deep affection for Robinson’s Run Cemetery. Like RuthAnn, he has family members interred there, including his father and grandparents. He lives on the grounds and has been known for his willingness to assist visitors at pretty much any hour. Bob says that he, too, approaches each family or individual with a unique perspective, as each has different needs and sensitivities. An attention to detail is paramount when helping them make arrangements, he says. “When a grieving family comes to us, everything for them is going a million miles per hour,” he says. “So, you try to guide them in a way you know they’ll be happy when the dust settles.” He says that when it comes to helping individuals make pre- arrangements, he takes just as much care. Bob served for 10 years with the McDonald VFD and knows many local families. Like RuthAnn, he’s developed an almost encyclopedic knowledge of where every grave is located on the cemetery grounds. Visitors in the past have been shocked when either one of the pair has been able to tell them exactly where a particular grave is located. “This was a natural transition for Bob after working and caring for the cemetery for so many years,” says Robinson’s Run Cemetery board president Alan Amoroso. “He has a deep respect for funerary tradition and the needs of families. We look forward to him continuing his fantastic work.” Robinson’s Run Cemetery News Longtime Robinson’s Run Cemetery superintendent RuthAnn Porter (right) handed over the bulk of her duties to Bob Moreau (left) and his wife, Dawn (not pictured), at the beginning of this year. Bob and RuthAnn have been operating the cemetery alongside each other for the past 35 years. Holiday wreaths decorate gravestones at Robinson’s Run Cemetery in this photo taken in December. These two solid granite vases were recently donated to Robinson’s Run Cemetery for its columbarium. STORIES AND PHOTOS BY DOUG HUGHEY Vases donated for columbarium Thanks to a generous contribution, Robinson’s Run Cemetery now has two granite vases located adjacent to its columbarium. The two vases allow family members to plant flowers for loved ones who have their ashes interred in the columbarium. The vases are both cut from large pieces of solid granite that match the columbarium granite. For more information about traditional burials, cremations and pre-planning arrangements, call (724) 926-8511 or (724) 288-4216. Visit www. RobinsonsRunCemetery.org to download a brochure or request a free paper copy. Longtime superintendent handing over reins 14 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2021CAround Your Town Around Your Town Even in normal years, senior citizens tend to struggle with socialization due to a number of factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the restrictions and social distancing measures they’ve had to abide by have exacerbated the issue to crisis levels. To combat the issue in this area, the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging has amped up its Senior Companion Program and altered its format to adjust to the pandemic. The Senior Companion Program is a federally funded initiative that was started in 1974 to provide income-eligible county residents aged 55 and older who are homebound or isolated with visits from volunteers. Though not mandated, companions typically visit seniors once or twice a week for a few hours each time. According to program manager John Miller, in-home visits were suspended last March for the safety of both program recipients and companions. However, volunteers were asked to continue making calls to check on their designated seniors, and even received new awareness training for serious side effects of depression and isolation. “One thing we were hearing is that the seniors still benefited from being connected to their companions by phone,” said Miller, adding “a friendly voice goes a long way in helping with loneliness.” Miller mentioned that the companions are also positively affected by knowing that someone is counting on them. Miller reported that, as the pandemic dragged into the summer with no end in sight, the county decided to advertise the service in the hopes of reaching more seniors. After revising the name to the “Friendly Caller” program, the Department of Human Services began social media campaigns and neighborhood website messaging to spread the word. Between September and the time of this writing, roughly 60 new seniors have enrolled in the program, said Miller. The program now has approximately 260 participants. That expanded client base has increased the need for more than the 97 companions and friendly callers currently on the books. Miller reported that companions receive training, a small stipend and meal and travel expenses. Each companion is matched with a senior in an attempt to create the most rewarding relationship. For more information about the Senior Companion/Friendly Caller program, call the SeniorLine at (412) 350-4061 or email Miller at john.miller@alleghenycounty.us. County’s Senior Companion Program revises and expands during COVID-19 STORY BY JILL BORDO 16 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2021y > Learning Curves Learning Curves We’ve all heard that, just as the eye sees “out,” our eyes are also windows into our bodies. It turns out that this is true, as the eye is the only place in the body where we can easily get such a good view of the body’s blood vessels, which are covered up by skin and fat elsewhere. What we can infer from examining these vessels in the eye during a regular eye exam can have serious health implications beyond just eye health. In 2019, a patient came to see me for a regular eye exam. While examining the retina of this patient, I noticed something odd. I could tell that the blood in the retinal veins was backing up. These veins run from the optic nerve about two inches to the brain. Somewhere past the optic nerve there was a blockage. What I was seeing was a stroke in progress, and this patient was just 48 years old. One of the reasons I could tell what was happening was because of this patient’s past retinal photos that had been taken during previous eye exams. These photos are extremely important, as they allow us to follow the progress of a patient’s overall health. Comparing past photos to present ones help us track if a patient is getting better or worse, or staying the same. While these photos tend to be nearly identical, small changes can be indicative of serious health conditions. Now, what if I didn’t have the first photo for comparison? There’s a very good chance I would have missed what was occurring. Since I had the old photo, however, the evidence of a blockage was easy to see. To make a long story short, the patient was sent to the hospital and did not have a stroke. That’s a good day at the office! This wasn’t the only time I’d conducted a routine eye exam only to discover that a patient had a serious underlying condition. For example, while examining another patient, I could see plaque buildup in the retinal vessels. This indicated that a similar amount of plaque had almost certainly built up in vessels in other parts of When an eye exam catches a medical emergency before it happens BY DR. CLAUDIA WENDEL the body. Most worrying, it could be inferred that these vessels, including the heart vessels, likely looked similar. This patient was referred to a cardiologist, who said the patient would probably not have made it another five months without serious medical intervention - and we learned all of that from an eye exam! Yet another condition that we can monitor through regular eye exams is blood vessel health. This is particularly important for people such as diabetics who have high blood sugar. This condition weakens the vessels and can cause them to bleed. If we can see hemorrhages in the retinal vessels during an eye exam, it can be assumed that these hemorrhages are also occurring elsewhere in the body. These hemorrhages, or the leaking of the blood vessels, can wreak havoc on tissues, leading to foot problems, kidney and liver problems, and cardiovascular issues, just to name a few. Note that none of these conditions are tied at all to vision and it was not important that the patients mentioned had glasses. Whether you have good eyesight or not, it’s important for everyone to get a routine eye exam. If you read my reviews online at local.demandforce.com/b/eyegotcha, you’ll find I do one of the best. ABOVE: These two pictures were taken of a patient’s retina by EyeGotcha. The one on the left was taken in 2017 and the one on the right in 2019. Though nearly identical, the white arrows point to retinal vessels that, in the 2019 photo, have become bunched, indicating the presence of a blockage. These vessels run about another two inches to the brain. Were it not for the eye exam that caught these images, this patient would have likely suffered a stroke. BELOW: This image taken during an eye exam shows hemorrhaging caused by high blood sugar, a condition that can lead to liver damage, cardiovascular issues, and other problems. Dr. Claudia Wendel has owned and operated EyeGotcha optical center in McKees Rocks since 1986. She is accepting new patients. Call her at (412) 331-9696 and visit them online at eyegotcha.net. February/March 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 17y > Learning Curves Learning Curves One of the first calls a family usually makes after a loved one passes is to their attorney, at which point we begin to explain the process of settling the estate. And the response is unanimous - it costs how much?!? Among the ever-increasing funeral expenses is the cost to settle the estate, which ranges from 1% to 7%, between the court costs and attorney fees. Then, you need to factor in a reasonable executor fee, which can be another 5% of the estate’s value. On top of that, depending on the beneficiary’s relationship to the decedent, Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax can be as high as 15%: Whoa … it costs a lot to die BY MICHELE P. CONTI Spouse Children/Grandchildren Siblings Everyone Else 0% 4.5% 12% 15% We also must take into consideration other possible tax consequences, such as income tax and federal estate tax, plus any debts the decedent owed upon their passing or expenses incurred because of their passing. In addition to the above-listed expenses, if the decedent received governmental benefits from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (i.e. Medicaid) they must be reimbursed for benefits paid. Pennsylvania has a priority of creditors list which the executor must be aware of so that the correct creditors get paid in the correct order. Settling an estate is time consuming and can be very complicated. The executor is a fiduciary under the law who must act in the best interest of the estate and who owes the utmost care while acting. Without a professional walking him/her through the process, there is not only the stress of missing a key step but, more importantly, paying more than what is legally required. Also, if the fiduciary breaches his/her duty, they may face personal financial liability. Add to that the complexities and sometimes strained dynamics of a blended family, second marriage and discord amongst siblings. Ornery beneficiaries don’t help matters, either. We often receive inquiries asking when they’ll receive their share. But probate can be lengthy, averaging over a year. And, if there are creditors, we must factor in an additional court process concerning the audit of the estate. If a beneficiary contests, the estate faces the time and cost associated with defending the claim, too. As estate and tax professionals, we assist our clients with all the necessary administrative steps and tax returns, helping them reduce their stress and the applicable tax due with our expertise. What costs are permitted deductions? Which creditors get paid before others? Does an executor pay tax on their commission? All of these are factors in reducing the tax owed by the estate. And if we are proactive, the estate may receive an additional 5% discount if the return is filed within a timely manner. The passing of a loved one is hard enough without having to worry about the settlement of their estate. We would rather family members rejoice in the memory of their loved one than struggle with locating documents, fumbling through files or dealing with family turmoil. The proper plan can allow those family members time to grieve and reduce the likelihood that family relationships will be fractured due to procrastination. Contact us today to help you develop your estate plan or administer your loved one’s estate. Michele P. Conti is an estate planning and elder law attorney. Conti attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Oxford University and Duquesne University School of Law. She received her LL.M. in taxation from Villanova University. 18 • Allegheny West Magazine • February/March 2021y > Learning Curves Learning Curves SUBMITTED BY MIA A. KOVACS, CFP®, BILL FEW ASSOCIATES It is more common today for individuals to change jobs several times throughout their careers than to remain with one company for the duration. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans, on average, will hold a dozen different jobs in their lifetime. Many workers spend five years or less at each job. This can lead to having retirement plans strewn about and it begs the question: Who is in charge of your retirement? Having multiple company plans can lead to forgotten assets, unintended investment allocations and unintended beneficiaries. Naming your parents as your beneficiary may have been a good idea in your 20s, but I doubt you and your spouse would make that same beneficiary designation today. As for your investment allocation, you may not even be aware today of what fund choices you made a year ago, let alone 10 years ago. I’ve had clients tell me they are extremely risk adverse, only to look through their older company plans to find rather aggressive investments. That being said, deciding on whether or where to consolidate old company plans requires the consideration of multiple factors. Investment choices IRAs provide a large array of investment choices. Company plans limit you to a finite amount of investment choices that are dependent on the company handling your retirement plan. If you determine that an IRA isn’t the right vehicle to consolidate your company plans into, consolidating your company plans into your current employer plan may or may not make sense based on the investment choices available. Access to funds Company retirement plans can be accessed penalty free as early as age 55. Funds within an IRA cannot be accessed penalty free until age 59 and one-half. In both company retirement plans and IRAs, a 10% penalty will apply for early distribution unless you meet an exception. Certain exceptions, though, are only available with an IRA, such as withdrawal for health insurance payments while unemployed, higher education expenses and a first-time home purchase. Roth IRA contributions Roth IRAs are great retirement vehicles. Roth IRAs allow you to contribute after-tax funds that grow tax-free and remain tax-free upon distribution. However, there are income limits that restrict some higher income earners from contributing directly to this type of account. For a high-income earner who wants to contribute to a Roth, it is actually beneficial not to have an existing IRA balance so we can employ backdoor Roth contributions. There are a lot of considerations when it comes to your retirement. A financial planner can assist you with devising an appropriate strategy for your retirement plans, putting you in charge of your retirement. Changing jobs? Be sure you’re tracking your investments Mia A. Kovacs, CFP®, is a vice president and a financial consultant with Bill Few Associates. She can be reached at (412) 630-6041 or at mkovacs@billfew.com. February/March 2021 • www.awmagazine.com • 19Next >