Mt. Lebanon is perceived to be a stable, relatively prosperous community, and in many ways it is. But Mt. Lebanon also is a diverse community with residents who need help dealing with chronic or acute problems: poverty, joblessness, addiction, mental and physical health challenges, grief, depression, abuse, bullying, issues prompted by aging… the list goes on and on.
Support is available for just about any conceivable problem, but everyone does not get the help they need when they need it. Some people think they can’t afford it; others simply don’t know how to find it.
Mt. Lebanon’s Community Relations Board (CRB) plans to help residents connect with the services they need. The seven appointed CRB volunteers have spent the past year talking with professionals about problems some residents face and potential solutions. The board’s goal was to identify agencies that can help Mt. Lebanon residents at no cost, low cost or on a sliding scale.
Representatives of seven of these agencies will speak on Wednesday November 12, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in a free event at the municipal building titled Getting Help in Mt. Lebanon: A Living Better Forum.
Moderating the forum will be Mt. Lebanon resident and popular KDKA-TV on-camera personality Mary Robb Jackson. Representatives of the following organizations will make presentations and then answer questions: St. Clair Hospital Support Groups, Family Hospice and Palliative Care, Mt. Lebanon Village, Outreach Teen & Family Services, South Hills Interfaith Ministries, The Samaritan Counseling Center and Gateway Rehab.
Based on what it has heard from the public, the CRB will prepare some questions for panelists in advance. People attending the forum also will be able to ask questions. To maintain privacy, they will write their questions on index cards and pass them to the front of the room, where Jackson will pose the questions to the appropriate panelists.
An informal reception with light refreshments will follow. The forum will be webcast and broadcast the following week at www.mtlebanon.org [1]and on cable channels Comcast 17 and Verizon 34.
If you have a friend, a relative or a neighbor who needs help—or if you need help yourself—watch future issues of mtl and mtl online media for more information.
Serving on the planning committee are Community Relations Board Chair Susanne Wagner and the board members:: Albert Snyder, vice chair; Dana Hackley, Dianne Wainwright, Karen Durham, Robert Taylor and Annette Sanchez. Commissioner Steve Silverman is the commission liaison and public information officer Susan Morgans is the staff liaison.