WQED Pittsburgh: Media-Only Press Room

2004 VITA Award Winners
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WQED MULTIMEDIA AND THE DOMINION FOUNDATION
CELEBRATE A YEAR OF VOLUNTEERS

WQED Multimedia and The Dominion Foundation
present
A Year of Volunteers
A special luncheon celebrating the contributions of the 2004 Dominion VITA Award winners
Friday, September 24, 2004
11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel
107 Sixth Street
Downtown, Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, PA - For sixteen years, the Dominion VITA (Volunteer In the Arts) Award, coordinated by WQED Multimedia, has honored dedicated individuals who have given their time and talents to ensure that the arts thrive in our region.

The Dominion VITA Award was established in 1988 to recognize the efforts of volunteers
of all ages who give of themselves to help keep arts and cultural programs in Western Pennsylvania alive and thriving.

Each year, VITA awardees are selected from hundreds of nominations received. A committee of Pittsburgh area professionals interested in cultivating the invaluable volunteer arts force selects the winners.

“Volunteers are the heart and soul of any arts organization,” said William C. Hall Jr., Dominion’s vice president of external affairs and corporate communications. “Dominion is pleased to help honor those people who keep the arts in our community vibrant.”

“It’s exciting to see the VITA Awards program continue to grow,” said George L. Miles, Jr., president and CEO of WQED Multimedia. “WQED is proud to spotlight the extraordinary dedication, generosity and leadership of these volunteers, whose time and talents are essential to the Arts community.”

The 2004 Dominion VITA Award winners are:

· Mary Berger, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
· Patricia Beyer, Orchard Performing Arts Company
· Brian Britza, Steel Valley Arts Council
· Kevin DeLuca, North Pittsburgh Philharmonic
· Jay Douglas, Dance Alloy
· Robin Godfrey, Renaissance City Choirs
· Suzanne Heatheringtom, McKeesport Symphony Orchestra
· Edith Isacke, Altoona Symphony Orchestra
· Patricia Kraft, South Arts
· Harry Savisky, Butler County Symphony Association
· Marcia Walls, Associated Artists of Butler County
· James Winegar, Artist’s Co-op

Winners are honored with daily on-air salutes on WQED fm89.3 and WQED tv13, a full-page ad in PITTSBURGH magazine, on WQED Multimedia’s website, www.wqed.org, a $1000 honorarium for their organization and a plaque to commemorate their achievements. The VITA of the Year’s organization is awarded a $2500 gift.

The VITA of the Year Award winner will be announced at the luncheon.

For more information, contact Gigi Saladna, WQED’s promotion manager, or Denise Hughes, Dominion’s media relations representative.

Arts organizations interested in nominating volunteers can obtain Dominion VITA award applications on the WQED website at www.wqed.org, by calling 412-622-1363 or by writing to Dominion VITA Awards, WQED Multimedia, 4802 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

The VITA Awards is a joint community partnership between Dominion and WQED Multimedia. It is funded by an annual grant from Dominion Foundation.

Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers of energy with an energy portfolio of about 25,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion also serves about 5 million retail energy customers in nine states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s Web site at www.dom.com.