‘LOCAL HEROES’ HONORED
Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge Chapter holds annual awards gala
PHOENIXVILLE » Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge Chapter recently recognized the recipients of its 2020 Local Heroes Awards. The winners were honored at the fourth annual Local Heroes Gala at the
Freedoms Foundation headquarters.
Each year Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge Chapter honors outstanding individuals and other non-profit organizations that exemplify what Freedoms Foundation of Valley Forge tries to instill within our younger generations. The Local
Heroes of 2020 have shown acts of heroism, kindness and respect for others by going above and beyond their civic duties.
The foundation added two new categories this year: Its first-ever Lifetime
Achievement Award and its Courage Award.
The winners are as follows:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Mae Krier, 93, is one of the original Rosie the Riveters. Mae was one of the roughly 16 million women at age 17 and 18 years old, who went to work back home in support of the World War II effort. Mae was an American woman who stayed behind and worked in the factories to build the planes and ships the men needed for war. Mae built B-17s and B-29s and was one of the many women who drilled some of the one million rivets from the nose to tail of the 99-foot-long B-29 aerial giant, spreading 141-foot-long wings, 65 tons of fighting fury, the biggest, fastest and most powerful bomber in the world. Mae is one of the nine surviving Rosies who raised $30,000 to travel to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Mae Krier stated, “You know about until 1941, it was a man’s world; they didn’t know how capable American women were. And as I look back, I’m just amazed. I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”
“Mae exemplifies and models what it means to be an American woman, “said Valley Forge Chapter President Amy Russell-Braccia. “She is an example of true patriotism, strength and dedication to our country and all we stand for. Mae has proved that women of America are a force to be reckoned with and has set the stage for generations to come. Our young women are fortunate to have such a role model as Mae to propel them toward their own hopes, dreams and goals in life.”
Mae lives in Levittown.
Courage Award
David Wisnia, 93, and David Tuck, 90, were honored for their courage during World War II. Both men are Holocaust survivors and endured the horrors of the Nazi Death Camps at Auschwitz and other camps.
“Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge Chapter is truly honored for the opportunity to present our first-ever Courage Award to both Mr. David Tuck and Mr. David Wisnia. The courage and strength that they showed at such a young age is extraordinary and inspirational,” Russell-Braccia said. “What they have to offer our youth is beyond textbook reading. They bring history to life through the words they speak while sharing their experiences during World War II. Hearing Mr. Tuck and Mr. Wisnia speak of America and what it meant to them makes us realize how very lucky we are to be free.” Both men will tell their stories with supporting photographs and videos.
Each man now lives in Levittown Bucks County and they, along with Mae Krier, met for the first time at the Gala.
The Gift of Life Program
Gift of Life Donor Program is the largest organ procurement organization (OPO) in the United States serving more than 11 million people across the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. They help heal lives by coordinating the recovery and distribution of organs and tissues used in lifesaving and life-enhancing transplants. Freedoms Foundation is honoring the children who have donated the most precious gift of all ... Life. Through their tragedies and the loved ones left behind, they have become heroes to many and will never be forgotten, Russell-Braccia said.
Bob Lohr
Bob Lohr served on active duty in the Unites States Marine Corps from 1976-1987, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant (E6) before being honorably discharged. He joined the National Guard for another eight years, once being deployed to Kosovo. In 2005 he was awarded the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Award. Bob is a member of the George Pron-Paul Seton Detachment #405 Marine Corps League. The detachment’s involvement with the Toys-for-Tots campaign originated around 1994. Bob took over running the area program in 1998.
Under Bob’s supervision and leadership, the number of volunteers grew exponentially, and he also recruited various companies who loyally dedicated their annual volunteer day to the program. Since Bob’s involvement and dedication to the Toys-for-Tots program, it has grown from 2,000 toys collected in 1998 to an astounding 45,561 toys in 2018. Bob handles all aspects of the initiative, including scheduling volunteers, picking up and returning trucks used to pick up boxes, schedules charity pickups — all while working a full-time job. Bob has used his own vacation days from work to drive a U-Haul truck to pick up toys and then supervises sorting, bagging and distributing the toys to charities.
Lohr lives in Spring City.
Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove
The 42-acre Medal of Honor Grove is the oldest living memorial to our Medal of Honor recipients in the nation and is located on the campus of Freedoms Foundation. It is now protected in perpetuity due to the conservation easement placed on it in 2017 by Freedoms Foundation, Schuylkill Township, Natural Lands Trust and Chester County.
Freedoms Foundation owns the Medal of Honor Grove; however the Friends of the Medal of Honor Grove maintains and enhances it. Founded by Wally Nunn, the Friends became a 501c3 in 2011. Through the dedication of the Friends Board of Directors and thousands of volunteers, the Grove has been restored and now the enhancements are underway. Honoring and respecting our nation’s heroes is of the utmost importance to the Freedoms Foundation Valley Forge Chapter.
In addition to our Local Heroes, the foundation also honored national George Washington Honor Medal recipients and students for the Arthur Russell and Tony DiPietro Scholarships for Spirit of America Youth Leadership programs.
Arthur Russell Scholarship Recipients
Siena Cervino, freshman at Phoenixville Area High School
Siena’s accomplishments include:
Best Buddies – Siena dedicated time to establish friendships for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Builders Club – As a member of this community-focused organization, Siena participated in a variety of activities. She collected dog toys for the Pennsylvania SPCA, wrote letters to veterans of the armed forces, and spent time reading to children.
Pride Club – She dedicated her time to build school pride in the student community and was also asked by teachers to assist in clubs for elementary school children due to her maturity and her willingness to build a positive experience throughout the school community.
Drew Landis, Souderton Area High School
Vice president of the “Support our Troops” club. He also helped repair a home damaged by Hurricane Harvey on a missions trip to Houston, Texas. The homeowners could not afford to repair their home and were living in two rooms upstairs that didn’t have mold.
Aniya Wesley, senior at STEM Academy, a magnet high school in the ChesterUpland School District. She is senior class president, cocaptain of the cheerleading squad and distinguished honor roll student for all high school reporting periods.
Tony DiPietro Scholarship Recipients
Destiny Miller, a junior at Chester Upland H.S. and Kayani Staples, a junior at Chester Upland H.S.
Freedoms Foundation National Award — Recipients receive the George Washington Honor Medal
Joel Moore, Public Communications Recipient
Moore wrote “Journey into Darkness,” a work of historical fiction about the Civil War and a young Arkansas boy’s experiences on both sides of the battle. Moore is also a United States Navy veteran and was a teacher for 42 years. He resides in Lancaster County.
George Daka, Educator Recipient
Daka connects history and government to his students and emphasizes lessons from the past to bring meaning to the present. He also runs weekend tours for his students and has taken them to places of history including the Constitution Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Independence Hall and the Senate for a Day program in cooperation with State Sen. Robert Tomlinson. Daka lives in Croydon, Bucks County.