Plum-Oakmont Area Ranks Among Top 30 Percent Most Generous ZIP Code Areas

The Chronicle of Philanthropy has released detailed information on philanthropy by state, county, town and ZIP Code after comparing 2008 U.S. tax returns for charitable giving.

The 15239, 15139 and 15147 ZIP Codes rank among the top 30 percent of the country's most generous ZIP Code areas, according to a survey released Monday, even though the Northeast has the lowest giving charitable giving levels in the country. The Chronicle of Philanthropy's "How America Gives" study reported that the 15239 ZIP Code, which mostly includes Plum Borough, ranked 6,066 most generous out of 28,725 ZIP Code areas in the nation. The 15147 ZIP Code, which includes Verona, Penn Hills and parts of Plum, ranked 7,235. The 15139 ZIP Code, which is Oakmont's, ranked 8,748. The study is based on exact dollar amounts released by the Internal Revenue Service that show the value of charitable deductions claimed by American taxpayers in 2008…

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Plum Alum Sing for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Local talent Kelsey Purcell and Alex McDaniel, both of Plum Borough, are belting out tunes for “Cabaret for a Cause,” a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Kelsey Purcell and Alex McDaniel will be performing at “Cabaret for a Cause, an Entertaining Fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis” on Thursday, July 26, at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club. At Donna’s School of Dance (3819 Old William Penn Hwy, in Murrysville), Purcell and McDaniel rehearsed with the show’s musical director, Alicia Giove, and the other members of the Cabaret cast, Lindsay Pingor, George Heigel and Patrick Bovo. Purcell and McDaniel and their fellow cast mates are singing solo numbers, duets, and participating in two ensemble numbers. The songs are a mix of Broadway show tunes, standards and contemporary pop music. Purcell, 22, cites singing as her greatest passion. The young songstress has been singing and dancing since she was seven. …

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The Oakmont Lions Present 'Hooray for Hollywood!'

Tickets are on sale for the Nov. 11 to 13 shows.

The Oakmont Lions will present their annual performance show next week. This year's show is called "Hooray for Hollywood." The show will feature favorite songs and dance numbers from the Hollywood big screen. Director, Sue Lowery, choreographer Anne Dapra and producer Al Kennedy have been hard at work putting together this year’s show. The show includes a cast of 30 performers accompanied by a 24 piece orchestra. The show will be held Nov. 11 to 13 at the Tenth Street Elementary School auditorium. The cast members have been busy practicing their song and dance numbers and the popular singing group, the Three J’s will perform. The cast is comprised of a variety of talented members of the community who enjoy singing, dancing and acting and …

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Get Rid of the Junk: A Local Spring Cleaning Guide

If you're clearing out the house, there is a potential new place for each item with which you're parting.

Our possessions reproduce rampantly over the winter months — it's a known fact. From the time you bought replacement mittens only to find the lost pair an hour later to the hoarding of clothes you might fit into in a season, a year can mean a lot of stuff. Even if you do an annual spring cleaning, life has a way of giving us an entire collection of things we don't need — leftover macaroni covered in paint from your second-grader's school project, "unique" sweaters from grandma, empty aquariums and socks missing their match. Usually when you're done sorting, though, you're left with looming piles of junk and an even more looming question — what do I do with all this? Sometimes the process of getting rid of the stuff is as much work — if not…

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Carabella Collects $100,000 For Alzheimers One Dollar at a Time

Oakmont boutique owner Carol Kinkela hopes to surpass previous fundraising efforts for Alzheimer's disease by collecting 100,000 dollar bills.

Local Oakmont retailer Carabella is raising money for Alzheimer’s disease one bill at a time. Owner Carol Kinkela is aiming to collect $100,000 in one-dollar bills for the Alzheimer's Association. "I have always tried to raise awareness and funds to support those less promoted," said Kinkela, who has fundraised for the association for five years. Kinkela has a deep connection to Alzheimer’s disease after watching her mother suffer from it. “I realized my mom was struggling and became determined to raise money and find a cure,” she said. “My beautiful mother lost her fight in August of 2006," Kinkela said, and that September, she held her first event. As a fashion boutique owner, Kinkela took her own unique approach to raising funds and …

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Local Companies Reach Out to Locals in Need

Plum and Oakmont businesses share their goods and services with those in need during the holiday season.

For local businesses, this time of year is not only about helping customers choose perfect presents. Many Plum and Oakmont business owners give as much as they receive. "I believe in giving to the community — especially this time of year," said Barbara Greene, owner of Forever Greene Flowers Inc. in Plum. "I'm glad to do it," she said. Greene, who has donated many floral displays, wreaths, bouquets and plants over the years, recently donated poinsettias to the American Legion Post 980 in Plum. The American Legion used the plants as decoration and door prizes at the Snowflake Fashion Show, a woman's fashion show and luncheon.   The fashion show raised money for four local veterans hospitals and the Southwestern Veterans Center in Pittsburgh…

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Looking on the Light Side

Volunteering: What a Selfish Thing to Do

Volunteering not only helps others, but helps you feel good about yourself and your accomplishment.

Every year I write up a gift-giving list. It has the usual suspects on it with blank lines next to their names to start. What did my husband say he needed six months ago? What on Earth should I get my dad? What kind of jewelry doesn't my mom have? It's my son's first Christmas — what does a baby want for Christmas? It's difficult and stressful sometimes to figure out what to get the people in our lives for the holiday, isn't it? What about people you don't know who need something more important than that calendar you get your parents every year? Well, that's easy. This year, I wanted to give to my community. I feel I have so much, including a wonderful community in which to live, but, what could little ol' me give? It didn't take long to …

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Cookie Coates to Be Remembered for Selflessness, Generosity

Former Borough Receptionist Carol Ann "Cookie" Coates has left behind a legacy of charity and kindness.

A light went out in Oakmont on Thursday. The death of Carol Ann "Cookie" Coates will affect not just family and her wide circle of friends, but the lives of people she touched every day through unseen charity work, her friends say. Cookie died Dec. 9 at age 69 after a two-month battle with multiple myeloma — a cancer of the plasma cells in bone marrow. In September, she was still unaware of her illness, serving as receptionist at the Oakmont Borough building and preparing for a trip to Texas to see her first great-grandchild, Sophie. On Sept. 13, shortly after concern about facial numbness sent her to the doctor, she was diagnosed and soon hospitalized. The disease causes tumors on the bone, and Cookie found out she had broken a rib …

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