Bethel Park district judge honors Outstanding Citizens of Year

One has roots in Bethel Park going back several generations. The other moved to the municipality 11 years ago.

But no matter when the family of each arrived, Lisa Jenkins and Pamela Tiano share the goal, with plenty on their résumés to prove it, of making their community a better place.

For their efforts, District Judge Ron Arnoni selected the women as Outstanding Citizens of the Year in a recognition program that he started in 2017.

“The citizens who have been honored before me, and many more to come, are just another reason that Bethel Park is a great place to live,” Jenkins, a lifelong resident, said during a March 1 ceremony in Arnoni’s courtroom.

Along with Bethel Park, Arnoni’s district covers Upper St. Clair, where both recipients have had a strong presence. Jenkins is general manager and co-owner with her husband of Jim Jenkins Lawn and Garden Center on Painters Run Road, and Tiano was a member of the Rotary Club of Upper St. Clair-Bethel Park (Breakfast).

Tiano’s father was in the military, which meant she moved a lot, living in four states and three other countries.

“When it was time for her to settle down and raise a family, there was no doubt where she wanted to be: the South Hills of Pittsburgh,” Arnoni said.

Lisa and Jim Jenkins remained in their hometown after graduating from Bethel Park High School.

“We kind of come as a team,” Lisa said. “So whatever I’m involved in, he’s right there to back me up and help me.”

Likewise, Tiano acknowledged the support of spouse Justin in her many community-oriented endeavors.

“I couldn’t do what I do without my husband, because he does tolerate all the things,” she said. “It’s like, we’re going to do this. We’re going to do that. And he says, ‘OK.’”

‘I wanted to do more’

She joined Rotary, one of the world’s premier service organizations, in 2019 and quickly established herself as one of her club’s more active members, earning Rotarian of the Year honors just three years later.

“Rotary opened my eyes to so many organizations that are working incredibly hard to help those in need, in many different ways,” she wrote as part of background information she provided to Arnoni. “I wanted to do more. I wanted to give back, but I am only one person. What could I do?”

The answer was to form a Rotary-sponsored Interact Club in Bethel Park for students ages 12 to 18, laying the groundwork for a new generation to follow Rotary International’s motto: service above self.

Since its first meeting with a dozen members, the club has grown to more than 100, supporting a variety of projects to help benefit others. Tiano reported that Bethel Park was presented with the Outstanding Club Award at the most recent Interact district conference.

Through Interact, she met Maria Rovers and her son Sean, now a Bethel Park High School freshman. After his surgery for a rare type of brain tumor, he and his mother founded Smiles from Sean, which provides gift baskets for children undergoing cancer treatment, and Tiano serves as treasurer of the nonprofit.

She also has worked since 2017 with A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, a Pittsburgh-area organization dedicated to the fight against breast cancer, and is a member of the Bethel Park Historical Society.

“Deciding to raise my family in Bethel Park was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she wrote to Arnoni. “It is full of heart, great people and amazing local businesses. I have made lifelong friends and am proud every day to serve this community.”

Tiano has gotten to know fellow historical society members Jim and Lisa Jenkins quite well, and vice versa.

“I am honored to share today with Pam Tiano. I have immense respect for her and the work she does with the young people, especially in this community,” Lisa said. “And on top of that, she’s a great mother and wife, and I don’t know how you do everything you do, Pam.”

‘So much more rewarding’

Lisa serves on the society’s board, and her other activities include:

• Service on the board of the Bethel Fife & Drum Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, for which she also is recording secretary and acting chairwoman of veterans committee. Her great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolution.

• Chaplain for South Hills Elks Lodge 2213 in Bethel Park.

• Board member for the Blackhawk Family Relief Fund, founded by Becky Luzier, whom Arnoni honored as a previous Citizen of the Year for her efforts toward helping residents who were affected adversely by severe flooding in June 2018.

• Committeewoman for the Bethel Park Republican Committee.

• Local coordinator for the Wreaths Across America program, organizing events at Bethel and and Peters Creek cemeteries.

• Participant in the Bethel Park Trolley Beautification Program, maintaining three flower beds.

“My life has become so much more rewarding since I started becoming involved more,” she said. “I encourage each and every resident to get more involved, in some small way. Do one good thing for someone else. Volunteer even one hour with one of the many of great organizations here in Bethel Park. See the positive in our community.

“Once you feel that pride and happiness, you won’t be able to stop helping.”