South Fayette Township thanks event sponsors
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Appreciation for Partner-level sponsors: from left, Commissioner Rebecca Sray; Bob Garvin of Goldberg, Kamin & Garvin LLC; Brian Turnwald of Dollar Bank; Stacie Riley of Washington Financial Bank; and Commissioner Gwen Rodi
Harry Funk/The Almanac
South Fayette Township communications director Andrea Iglar and township manager John Barrett
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Drea Altic of Greer Chiropractic
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Gina Kampi, left, served as an intern for South Fayette Township, and Asmita Srivastava is on the committee for South Fayette’s Community Day.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Melissa Wiater, left, and Stacie Riley of Washington Financial Bank
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Kevin Webb, left, and Steven Webb of I.M. Entertainment Inc. provide music for the event.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Farley Wood and Katie Pugh of Tetra Tech
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Kevin Kraft and Christine Knapik of Topgolf
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Don Housley, left, and D.J. Housley of the Mitall Division of KU Resources Inc.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Charlene Smith, left, and June Chase of Silhol Builders
The count is in for the amount that sponsors contributed toward South Fayette Township events this year, and the total exceeds $43,000.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Paula Willis, South Fayette Township parks and recreation director, greets Thanks for Giving guests.
“That represents the vast majority of the expenses, so we’re not having to spend taxpayer money,” township communications director Andrea Iglar said. “We’re able to get you involved as the sponsors and offer these wonderful programs to the community for free, which is an amazing thing to be able to do.”
Iglar served as emcee for South Fayette’s annual Thanks for Giving event, to which representatives of sponsoring businesses and other organizations were invited for lunch and recognition.
Sponsors for the Nov. 1 gathering at the Fairview Sunset Room were Dollar Bank, which has a South Fayette branch, and John Kosky Contracting, based in the township on Millers Run Road.
The township offers a variety of events throughout the year, as detailed by Paula Willis, parks and recreation director. The largest is Community Day, held in August at Fairview Park.
The event drew more than 6,000 people this year, almost double the attendance for 2018. More than 110 vendors participated, representing a 97% increase since Community Day returned to the township in 2016, and the event had 39 sponsors in 2019, up 457% from three years ago.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Andrea Iglar, South Fayette Township communications director, emcees the event.
“We appreciate all the business support, whether it’s through vendors or sponsorships or volunteering,” Willis said. “Because it’s such a large-scale event, it would not be possible without all those involved.”
Overall, the township set a new record with 47 sponsors for events such as Earth Cleanup Day, Movies in the Park, Touch-a-Truck and the annual holiday celebration, which is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at South Fayette Volunteer Fire Department, 661 Millers Run Road.
The longest-running event is the Disabled Sportsmen’s Deer Hunt, in its 18th year. Seven hunters and more than 50 volunteers participated in 2019, with nine sponsors.
During Thanks for Giving, South Fayette commissioners Gwen Rodi and Rebecca Sray presented appreciation certificates and trophies to event sponsors, including:
- Partner level, $2,500-plus – Dollar Bank, Kiddie Academy of South Fayette, Washington Financial Bank and the law firm Goldberg, Kamin & Garvin LLC.
- Ambassador, $1,500-2,499 – John Kosky Contracting, Stepping Stones Psychiatric Care and the Mitall Division of KU Resources Inc.
- Champion, $1,000-1,499 -Dunkin’, FedEx, Realtor Jen Crouse, Silhol Builders Supply Co., TreeLine Church, Topgolf and Watson Institute.
Other sponsors received acknowledgement, along with organizations that were presented with special recognition, including the South West Communities Chamber of Commerce for its support.
Sponsoring four of more events during the year Kiddie Academy of South Fayette, John Kosky Contracting and Goldberg, Kamin & Garvin. The highest amount donated was by Dollar Bank, and Washington Financial Bank had the most overall giving to the township, including the company’s donation toward the summer playground camp program.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Gina Kampi captures the proceedings on video.