The Dignity & Respect Champion for August is…Kathleen Horner

Kathleen “Katie” Horner just started her junior year of high school at Oakland Catholic.  She is beginning to think about college and still not sure what she wants to study when she gets there.  But, she does know one thing that is very important to her: helping others.  Community service and giving back to other is a big part of who she is, having volunteered nearly 400 hours in less than two years.
Katie, who lives downtown with her parents Lorraine and John, serves as a tutor for the Homeless Children’s Education Fund.  Each Monday after school, she goes to Mom’s House in East Liberty where she works with elementary aged kids helping them with their reading, doing science projects, and playing educational games.  Katie says, “I love working with younger children and seeing them grow.  It makes me feel so good when I walk in and they are excited to see me.  I’m just as excited to see them each week and help them learn.”
When asked what traits she finds most admirable in others, Katie responded, “When people think of others more than themselves.  We all need to realize that it’s not all about me, me, me.  We must have respect for everyone and exclude no one,” she continued, “That’s what my parents have instilled in me and I’m grateful they did.”  Katie and her parents participated in the D&R Campaign’s Ceramic Tile Quilt project, where members of the community came together to paint individual ceramic tiles that an artist then constructed into a large “quilt.”  The project’s purpose was to raise awareness of domestic violence and the finished quilt has been installed at the Women’s Center and Shelter of Pittsburgh.
Additionally, Katie volunteers at the Squirrel Hill Community Food Bank stocking shelves and filling grocery bags to be delivered to homebound senior citizens in need; at Marion Manor where she escorts the elderly residents to religious services, plans birthday parties, and helps them participate in social activities; served as a volunteer camp counselor at the Shadyside Academy Children’s Summer Camp; and participated in Oakland Catholic service trip to Washington, DC during her spring break last year.
Katie was nominated by Sister Michele Bisbey of La Roche College who says, “Katie is an exceptional young woman who is bright, cheerful, and very poised.  Her most outstanding trait is her dedication to caring for and helping others.  She has made community service a priority, even skipping lacrosse practice, so as not to disappoint the young kids she mentors.”
Nominate a Champion
Do you know an individual who makes a positive impact and promotes an environment of inclusion? If so, nominate the person in your life you feel has made a difference for the Dignity & Respect Champion Award! This prestigious award recognizes people who are engaged in their communities, live by the principles of dignity and respect, and promote an environment of inclusion.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L2YHWGZ?utm_source=August+2014+Champion+%26+Newsletter&utm_campaign=July+Champion&utm_medium=email
The Dignity & Respect Campaign is an awareness campaign designed to join individuals, community leaders, community organizations, educational institutions, businesses, and corporations under the common notion that everyone deserves dignity and respect. What started in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a local community effort, has now become a national initiative dedicated to driving inclusion and promoting campaign launch efforts in every major city in the U.S.