An old hymn says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.”
Supporters of the St. Anne Home are accustomed to doing that yearly at the Harvest of Blessings gala.
They were especially grateful to gather Nov. 6 in the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College for the 25th annual event, after a pandemic year hiatus. The theme of the evening was resilience.
“We’re celebrating resilience on the part of our residents and everything they’ve been through with covid, and not just through this time but throughout their lives,” said director of development and marketing Mary Dreliszak.
The tribute took the form of a video showcasing the stories of individual residents of the skilled nursing facility in Greensburg and the adjacent Villa Angela apartments. Residents also were featured in two new commercials, which also debuted during the evening.
Those video and ad stars included Marilyn Hartman, Roz McGrew, Tom Kissell, Bea Funk and John and Jean Tozier.
They all embody the qualities of “strength, determination and making the most of every minute of life,” Dreliszak said.
The 100 guests were welcomed by CEO Jeffrey Long and treated to dinner, raffles and live and silent auctions, with fun and eclectic prizes including a Ladies Day Out, a Laurel Highlands Experience, tickets to Art on Tap happy hour at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and an array of food products from Saint Vincent Gristmill.
Saint Anne Home chaplain, Father Liber Ortega, offered the blessing and board chairman John Kline offered final words at evening’s end.
Fred A. Peters served as auctioneer and DJ Glenn Raymer provided mood music.
Seen: Lori Long, Gretchen Kline, Ann Donovan, Vince Morich, Glenn and Carole Johnson, Monsignor Michael Begolly, Michael and Suzanne Dominick, Jennie Long, Andrea Porterfield, Sandy Brammell, Dea Tomsic, Rob Fountaine, Dave Gress, John and Julie Cummings, Erin Cummings, Michael Ware Jr., Allison Ware, Anna Edwards, Lauren Deemer, Larry and Connie Deemer, Bud and Evelyn Wilson and Jeff and Judy Caldwell.
