League of Women Voters to honor three
The League of Women Voters of Washington County will recognize three citizens and an organization that have made significant contributions to the community at an annual event scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday in North Strabane Township.
Being honored are Thomas P. Northrop, publisher of the Observer-Reporter, which covers Washington and Greene counties, and The Almanac weekly, which covers northern Washington County and Pittsburgh’s South Hills; Sunny Disney Fitchett, artistic director, and Robert Fitchett, managing director, of Little Lake Theater; and the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, of which Raina Rippel is director.
The league said in a news release, “Northrop maintains a newspaper with extensive local coverage in a challenging news media environment. He has been a mainstay in cooperating with the League of Women Voters of Washington County in the twice-yearly publication of the league’s nonpartisan Voters Guide, and in supporting the league’s annual Facts for Citizens publication.”
Northrop serves his community on the boards of the Washington County Community Foundation, the Abernathy Black Community Development Education Fund, and the Washington Health System, where he is vice chairman. He also is chairman of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
Over the years, Sunny Disney Fitchett and her husband, Robert Fitchett, have made the 65-year-old Little Lake Theatre in McMurray into an attraction for Western Pennsylvania. With a cast of local volunteers, they present 11 annual mainstage productions; a summer Looking Glass Theatre series of three plays for young audiences, which is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary season; and two fall family matinees.
Little Lake also is the setting for a theater arts summer camp for those under 12, apprentice training program for 14- to 19-year-olds, acting classes for adults, and “techie training” for those who prefer to participate behind the scenes. Its educational outreach program visits approximately 30 elementary schools annually, and a speaker’s bureau entertains civic and social organizations.
The Fitchetts announced in September they will be moving to the state of California next year. Little Lake Theater was founded in 1949 by Sunny Disney Fitchett’s father, Will Disney, who retired in 1993.
The Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project, McMurray, is an environmental health organization created to assist and support Washington County residents. The group provides free guidance on assessing air and water quality in homes and free information on environmental exposures, including ways to protect health. The project uses the CATTFish water monitor and the Speck air monitor, both developed by Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab. It also offers local residents who may have been exposed to environmental hazards the opportunity to consult with a nurse practitioner.
The group offers workshops on air monitoring for municipal officials and “How’s the Weather?” an air quality model. It also has developed the “Take Steps to Health” program and a medical toolkit with information for medical practitioners and patients.
The public is invited to attend the awards reception, which begins with refreshments at 6 p.m., at BenchMark Financial’s rustic barn, the former Jay Stock Studio, 1720 Washington Road, North Strabane Township. The entrance is from Route 19 to Conklin Road.
A program by league members, “Women and the Right to Vote,” will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the awards presentations scheduled for 7 p.m. The cost is $16. Reservations can be made with Donna Riggle, chairman of the awards committee, at 724-484-7537, or by email, driggle84@gmail.com. The deadline for reservations is Wednesday.
The League of Women Voters of Washington County, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.