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WHEREAS, Mary Haith Savage has been named Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for the local 2009 Jefferson Awards for Public Service and will now be considered for the national award; and
WHEREAS, the Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring individuals for their achievements and contributions through community and public service; and
WHEREAS, previous national winners include: Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Bush, Rosalynn Carter, Colin Powell, Peyton Manning, Sandra Day O'Connor, Thurgood Marshall, and Bob Hope; and
WHEREAS, Mary Haith Savage, affectionately known to so many as “The Flower Lady” is so much more. For more than three decades, she has initiated efforts to reclaim blighted and abandoned properties, in the Homewood neighborhood, by removing tons and tons of trash and debris and replacing them with flowers, plants and community pride; and
WHEREAS, what started as a project to brighten up the entrance of the Carnegie Library in Homewood, has grown to 12 gardens with contributions and involvement from state Senator Joseph Preston, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, residents, neighbors and the group she enjoys working with the most, children; and
WHEREAS, these children are from the neighborhood, and the YMCA's Lighthouse after school program and 4-H Clubs; Ms. Haith Savage gives the children a sense of ownership, she helps them to create a bed and design it, not just clean it and leave it for someone else; and
WHEREAS, Mary Haith Savage is now being considered by the Board of Selectors for the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for “Outstanding Community Service Benefitting Local Communities”.
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THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does, hereby, congratulate and commend Mary Haith Savage for being named the Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for the local Jefferson Awards for Public Service and wishes her well as she heads to Washington DC to receive he...
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