LH senior says volunteering gives her purpose in life
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of nine stories.
For Breanna Marie Muha, volunteering is a way to be involved in her community, and, in the process, helps her feel like she’s part of something bigger than herself.
“[Because of volunteering], I am more aware of the needs of the people in our community,” she said. “Volunteering can help you get the focus off yourself and your own personal problems, and then your problems no longer seem as big or overwhelming.”
A versatile volunteer, Muha has given her time to several different organizations in and around Fayette County, including Uniontown Hospital, SADD, Glad Tidings Assembly of God, and area nursing homes, where she sang for delighted residents.
“Many residents said we ‘brightened their day’ and they would request a lot of classic country music,” Muha said.
“Johnny Cash was always a favorite. It was very rewarding and heart-warming to see many seniors clapping and tapping their feet to the music.”
Muha, daughter of Richard and Lisa Muha, attends Laurel Highlands High School and the Fayette County Career and Technical Institute, where she hones her skills in the Health Occupation Program and maintains a 3.64 GPA.
In the fall, she will begin coursework at California University of Pennsylvania in order to become a physical therapy assistant, a career decision affirmed by the hours she logs aiding a physical therapist at Uniontown Hospital.
Many of the patients she assists the therapist with are children with special needs.
“I have learned a lot about the various disorders and techniques used to evaluate and help the patients,” she said, adding that this volunteer work also “increased [her] level of compassion and sensitivity.”
Muha’s passion for volunteering will naturally lead into her career in helping others. But she won’t stop there.
Muha said she plans to continue her volunteer work in Fayette County throughout her life, to “give back, and continue to make this area a desirable place to live.”
For her community service efforts, Muha has been awarded the Fayette County Community All-Star Award.
She’s among nine local students being honored for putting forth an extra effort to make a difference in their communities.
Participants include students from Albert Gallatin, Brownsville Area, Frazier, Connellsville Area, Geibel, Laurel Highlands and Uniontown Area high schools, along with Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus and the Laurel Business Institute. Each school selects its own award winner based on the student’s community service endeavors over the last three years. Students must have a minimum 3.25 grade-point average.
Under the program’s guidelines, a $500 check will be sent to California University for Muha.The students can also receive a matching grant from the Community Foundation of Fayette County, depending on certain requirements.
Sponsors include the Herald-Standard, Dave and Linda Meredith, Jes Hutson, Cherokee Fur, Inc., Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Paul and Shelley Songer, United Bank, Ben and Dr. Barbara Wright, Russell Blaho, Coldwell Banker, Dan Evans, Hartsek Catering, Kisiel and Associates PC, Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus Alumni Society, Joe and Katie Price, Sepic Orthodontics, Jim Saul, Abby’s Gold and Gems, Martha Brownfield, Larry and Carol George, Leda Gismondi, Tim and Debbie Seeger, Doug Wood, Upper Room, Inc., Slavik’s, Inc.
Committee Trustees are Paul Bortz, Cindy Digga, Leda Gismondi, Dave Meredith, Tara Phillips, Jim Saul, Katie Semans, Mark Skoric and Jes Hutson.
The students will be honored at a 7:30 a.m. breakfast Wednesday, May 8 at the Holiday Inn in Uniontown.
Ben Wright will be the master of ceremonies and Gina Jones, a professor at Penn State Fayette, the Eberly Campus, will be the guest speaker.
Two co-captains will be named in honor and memory of Harry Brownfield and Jim Gismondi.
The co-captains will receive an extra $100. This is the tenth year for the program, which started in 2004.