Pennsylvania PBS honors eight Champions of Lifelong Learning
Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania PBS and its seven member stations celebrated public media and eight Champions of Lifelong Learning award winners during “A Beautiful Day in the Capitol” at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, June 12.
“Public media stands as a beacon of truth and is essential for empowering our communities and fostering a more equitable media landscape,” stated WVIA President and CEO Carla McCabe. “Since 1967, public media has made educational and inspirational programming accessible to people of all ages and all walks of life, and we have done so with the support of our communities and local legislators.”
Each member station honored an elected official or Commonwealth employee, and Pennsylvania PBS celebrated one honoree collectively with a Good Neighbor Award at a presentation in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol.
This year’s Champions of Lifelong Learning award honorees and their presenting stations are:
- Representative Matthew Bradford, presented by WHYY
- Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, presented by Pennsylvania PBS
- Senator Marty Flynn, presented by WVIA
- Senator Wayne Fontana, presented by WQED
- Representative Robert Merski, presented by WQLN
- Kristin Paradise, Governor’s Office, presented by WITF
- Representative Joshua Siegel, presented by Lehigh Valley Public Media
- Representative Jesse Topper, presented by WPSU
- Representative Matthew Bradford (c) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Pennsylvania PBS member station WHYY, with WHYY President Bill Marrazzo (l) and WITF President Ron Hetrick (r) in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis (left center) takes a photo after receiving a Good Neighbor Award from Pennsylvania PBS, with (from left to right) Jim Britt of WQED, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Ron Hetrick of WITF and Bill Marrazzo of WHYY in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Senator Marty Flynn (c) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Kate Sickora (l) and Vicki Austin (r) of Pennsylvania PBS member station WVIA in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Senator Wayne Fontana (l) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Jim Britt of Pennsylvania PBS member station WQED in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Representative Robert Merski (c) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Jocelyn Taylor (l) and Cindy Spizarny (r) of PBS member station WQLN in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Kristin Paradise (l), of the Governor’s Office received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Ron Hetrick, president and CEO of Pennsylvania PBS member station WITF in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Representative Joshua Siegel (r) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Tracey Werner (l) of PBS39 in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
- Representative Jesse Topper (c) received a Good Neighbor Award for being a Champion of Lifelong Learning from Brooke Greybush (l) and Sydney Forde (r) of PBS member station WPSU in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol in Harrisburg on June 12, 2024. (Photo credit: Charity Kennedy Bixler)
Champions of Lifelong Learning honorees regard public media as a community asset. They support Pennsylvania PBS and its member stations’ mission to inspire lifelong learning, engage audiences in civic leadership and be a valued partner in public safety across the Commonwealth.
“Our presence in communities helps us to engage directly with the people we serve and be responsive to their changing needs,” said WHYY’s President and CEO William Marrazzo. “WHYY’s Media Labs along with our workforce training, production classes, afterschool programs and summer camps fill a great need for youth and young adults in greater Philadelphia and have a proven track record of developing the necessary life skills for our students to succeed in the workplace.”
Visitors to the East Wing Rotunda were greeted by PBS KIDS’ character Clifford the Big Red Dog, and had an opportunity to meet with representatives from all seven Pennsylvania PBS member stations to learn more about their educational and civic engagement initiatives.
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About Pennsylvania PBS
Pennsylvania PBS (PA PBS) is the collective name for seven public media organizations located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These include WHYY/Philadelphia, WITF/Harrisburg, PBS39/WLVT/Lehigh Valley, WPSU/State College, WQED/Pittsburgh, WQLN/Erie, and WVIA/Scranton. Together we are a resource for all Pennsylvanians by providing civic, educational, and cultural programs and events. For more information, visit pennsylvania pbs.org.
Photos of the honorees can be found on WITF’s Sharepoint: 2024 A Beautiful Day in the Capitol
For more information, please contact: Christina Zeiders, christina_zeiders@witf.org, 717-910-2621 or 717-380-0548