Jan 17, 2018 By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read

Almost a year after the fact, Carly Beer had the opportunity to see what the Valentines for Veterans program she started has meant to the recipients.

“I was telling the kids that I came back to the VA hospital, and some of the veterans still had these cards hanging up,” she said about a recent trip to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ facility in O’Hara Township. “It brings them so much joy, because sometimes they’re the last ones left in their families, or their immediately family might live too far away to come visit them.”

The Coast Guard veteran spent Jan. 15 helping youngsters work on a new batch of cards during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Upper St. Clair Community and Recreation Center.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade were invited to take part in the annual program, which also included projects such as making quilts for Head Start children and playthings for rescued dogs.

She worked with youngsters in making posters expressing appreciation for local police, firefighters and emergency responders, in addition to the cards that veterans will receive as mid-February approaches.

“This reminds them that the community really, really cares about them,” the Mt. Lebanon resident said. “It really makes their day and helps them get through whatever they’re battling.”

Participants in the day of service were able to help their canine friends, specifically ones being aided by Hello Bully, a North Hills-based nonprofit that works throughout the region to rescue, rehabilitate and repair the reputation of the American pit bull terrier.

The applicable project involved using strips from old blankets to create “snuffle mats” for dogs housed in Hello Bully’s shelter, providing them with a way to exercise by digging around for treats that are hidden within the folds.

Stella, one of the organization’s “spokesbulls,” attended the event with Penn Hills resident Rachelle Gratkowski, who adopted her through Hello Bully.

“She likes going out and meeting everybody, and showing that pit bulls aren’t the bad dogs that sometimes the media say that they are,” Gratkowski explained as youngsters stopped by to pet the friendly pooch.

Serving in supervisory capacities for the day of service were University of Pittsburgh students with Jumpstart, a national early education organization that primarily serves preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. Members volunteer for activities throughout the region, wherever needs arise.

“So we’re not just saying, ‘We’re going to serve on our terms and we’re going to do things the way we see fit,'” senior Maddie Robison, a Jumpstart team leader majoring in urban studies, said. “We’re actually listening to people and helping them in the most sustainable way that we can.”

Among the other Jumpstart members traveling to Upper St. Clair was senior Casey Courogen, who is studying applied developmental psychology:

“Instead of having a day off, it’s a day on,” she said while at work on a snuffle mat. “I could be sleeping in right now, but it feels good to be helping and to see that you’re making a finished product.”

Community and recreation center staff members were enthusiastic about the turnout for the event.

“We’re so appreciative that the parents are supporting this by sending their children for a day of service,” art instructor Rikki Walsh said. “That way, they learn skills of being compassionate, of humility and giving of themselves unselfishly.”