FAMILY MEMBERS OF HONOREE THORVARD HARDIMON, AT THE AUG. 24 EVENT IN PLEASANT HILLS. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Secret to living is ‘to love and trust God,’ one honoree says
by Genea L. Webb
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Rev. Dr. Judith C. Moore noticed how isolated the elderly are in the Mon Valley and she wanted to do something special to combat it.
“I have a love for Clairton and I was concerned about the isolation of the elderly. Some of the people have deteriorated. We wanted them to know that they are cared for and we wanted to acknowledge their work in their churches and in the community. We wanted to do it in the Mon Valley because Clairton and communities in the Mon Valley are forgotten about,” she said.
WELCOMING BY REV. JUDITH MOORE
Rev. Moore, CEO and founder of Sisters Saving Ourselves Now (SSON)/Black Women’s Roundtable, and her committee of dedicated, community-oriented ladies came up with the idea of the Senior B.A.L.L. (Brave Amazing Living Legends) award. The event took place on Aug. 24 at the Georgetown Center in Pleasant Hills. The event was sponsored by Highmark Wholecare, Black Women’s Roundtable and Allen Place Community Center
MANY OF THE HONOREES WITH REV. JUDITH MOORE. (PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Pastors at six area churches were asked to select two people from their congregations to be awarded. The churches were: Morning Star Baptist Church, Clairton; Mount Olive First Baptist Church, Clairton; Kingdom COME Ministries, Clairton; Gethsemane C.O.G.I.C., Clairton; New Evangelistic Ministries, Duquesne; Payne Chapel AME, Duquesne, Bethlehem Baptist Church, McKeesport.
HONOREE HERMINIA GATEWAY-CARATTINI
The award recipients were: Mamie and Kevin Underwood, New Evangelistic Ministries; Thorvard R. Hardimon and Mable Brooks, Bethlehem Baptist Church; Rev. Deborah Marshall and Trustee John Moore, Morning Star Baptist Church; Martha Wade and Eula Mae Williams, Mount Olive First Baptist Church; Regina Meacham-McKenzie and Bernadette Holly, Kingdom COME Ministries; Cheryl and O’Neil Cozart, Payne Chapel AME; and Herminia “Meme” and Ozzie Carattini, Gethsemane C.O.G.I.C.
HONOREE REGINA MEACHAN-MCKENZIE
Sisters Saving Ourselves Now is a non-profit organization dedicated to actionable steps facing women of color with a specific focus on underserved Black women. The objective of the organization is to convene other like-minded organizations, other female groups, local and state officials. SSON has a signature program, Black Women’s Roundtable, a program of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, which is a national organization under the leadership of Melanie Campbell. Black Women’s Roundtable’s mission is to fight for policies that promote racial, economic and gender equality and to improve the lives of African American women and girls. Its key areas of focus are health and wellness, economic security, education and global empowerment.
HONOREE O’NEIL COZART
Moore started Sisters Saving Ourselves Now in 2012 when she became pastor of First AME Church in Clairton.
“I saw mostly women—not only women, but single moms and they wanted to start ministries,” explained Rev. Moore. “We interviewed them and asked them what they needed. They wanted things like sustainability, self-improvement, nutrition, physical health and diabetes conversations.”
BROTHER OF HONOREE KEVIN J. UNDERWOOD SR.
Sisters Saving Ourselves Now serves Homewood, Duquesne and Aliquippa. “We are currently doing self-development courses in Duquesne and we are headed to Aliquippa and Homewood,” Rev. Moore told the New Pittsburgh Courier. “We are also starting a grief and trauma component because a lot of us have gone through grief. We see that more and more and we keep moving, but trauma has a memory. Some of us are stuck and we have to get away from that.”
HONOREE DEACONESS EULA MAE WILLIAMS
Sisters Saving Ourselves Now is headquartered is headquartered in New Kensington and currently has a membership of between 22 and 35. Reverend Moore estimates that the organization has helped provide resources for over 500 people.
Offering a hand up to her fellow sisters is why Pauline Callaway Long decided to join Sisters Saving Ourselves Now and help facilitate the inaugural Seniors B.A.L.L.
HONOREE MAMIE L. UNDERWOOD
“Seniors don’t get enough recognition. Based on the 2020 census, they dominate the U.S. We want to honor them. We want them to pass their wisdom on to the young people because they are the ones who will be doing the work,” said Long, a three-year member of SSON who handles social media for the organization. “I am about the purpose of moving myself and any other sister to the next level.”
HONOREE MARTHA WADE
For one evening, 12 seniors were asked to don their best outfits for an evening of dinner, dancing, raffles and awards. The mood was light and festive as the honorees enjoyed mixing and mingling with one another and applauding each other.
HONOREE MABLE BROOKS
“I am happy and blessed to be honored,” said Mount Olive First Baptist Church deaconess Eula Mae Williams. “I thank the Lord. He is great forever. I was happy and surprised to learn that I was being honored and I’m happy God has kept me all these 91 years. The secret is to love and trust God. I thank him for keeping me day by day.”
FRIENDS OF HONOREE JOHN MOORE III
“We do what we do for our church because we love our church, and we love God. You never work for the Lord to put yourself first, but when it happens, it’s special,” said Cheryl Jefferies Cozart, who, along with her husband of 50 years, O’Neil Cozart, were among the awardees.
HONOREE CHERYL JEFFERIES COZART WITH HUSBAND
Juwanna Warren became involved with Sisters Saving Ourselves Now because she heard about it through Long. Now, three years later, she is glad to be a part of such a worthy cause. She was excited to help organize the B.A.L.L.
“This was a way of giving the ladies (and gentlemen) their flowers while they are still here. It’s a great thing to honor people who have done a lot in the community. It’s a privilege to be a part of this organization,” Warren told the Courier.
HONOREE BERNADETTE HOLLY
In addition to the B.A.L.L., Sisters Saving Ourselves Now held a workshop a few days after the awards dinner, entitled, “Surviving to Thriving,” where attendees discussed how people sometimes get stuck and how they can re-learn who they are and what they are called to do.
In the first quarter of 2025, the group will be collaborating with Connie Portis and traveling to Barbados to do a podcast with women there to see what the two groups have in common.
“Anyone is welcome, but we are looking to improve the economic insecurities that have us bound,” Rev. Moore said. “We are focused on the mental and physical health of Black women and their families. I’m never too busy to help a sister.”
HONOREE REV. DEBORAH A. BATTLE-MARSHALL
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