Champion for social services in county’s northern suburbs
When a small social services center known as the Sharpsburg Office of Economic Opportunity opened in a storefront in 1968, Jerome Donatelli was there to write about it as editor of the community’s weekly newspaper, The Herald.
The next year, Mr. Donatelli— “Jerry” to everyone — was instead the one running the center. And over decades, he built it up as a sprawling, comprehensive network of programs that became known as the Northern Area Multi-Service Center, an umbrella agency assisting elderly, disabled and low-income individuals across northern Allegheny County from end to end.
Mr. Donatelli died Sunday at Concordia at Rebecca Residence in West Deer after suffering from kidney and lung ailments late in life. The longtime Indiana Township resident was 80.
Mr. Donatelli never married, instead devoting himself to the broad family of employees and clients associated with Northern Area, which today serves about 6,000 different individuals with an annual budget exceeding $12 million. He was the agency’s chief executive officer until 2008 and is largely credited with its growth and success. He still visited its Sharpsburg center of operations frequently in retirement.
“He was always the driving force behind the organization’s development,” said Charles Teese, Mr. Donatelli’s successor as CEO. “This was something he nurtured, celebrating its achievements and commiserating over its missteps like a parent. He lived it every day of his life.”
The center got its start in the riverfront community as an offshoot of federal government War on Poverty programs. It gradually broadened in scope and geography as more funding became available through the Older Americans Act and other federal, state and county initiatives, as well as the United Way.
Today, the agency runs four senior centers, provides an ACCESS-contracted transportation service for those with disabilities, operates Meals on Wheels and home care programs, and assists individuals who have mental illness or retardation, in addition to helping refugees among other services.
Carl R. Leya, Northern Area’s board chairman, knew Mr. Donatelli from the time he was running the local newspaper as a graduate of Duquesne University’s journalism program. His transition to community service did not surprise Mr. Leya.
“Jerry was just always interested in helping people out, starting out from this original idea of just helping out different people that were hungry or didn’t have enough to pay for this or that bill,” Mr. Leya said.
Raised in Homewood and a graduate of Central Catholic High School, Mr. Donatelli had a passion throughout life for attending Pirates games, first at Forbes Field with his father, then as a season ticket holder at Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park. He even took to regularly spending a full month in Bradenton, Fla., each year attending spring training games. During the season, he frequently sent letters to the Post-Gazette to offer published commentary on his favorite team, for better or worse.
Mr. Donatelli, preceded in death by his seven siblings, is survived by two nephews.
Northern Area Multi-Service Center is holding an informal memorial service to honor him at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at its headquarters. Memorial contributions may also be sent there, made out to: Northern Area Multi-Service Center, 209 13th St., Sharpsburg PA 15215.