Uniontown native honored for charity work
The National Meningitis Association recently honored Uniontown native Sara Herbert Galloway at its annual Give Kids a Shot Gala 2012 at the New York Athletic Club in New York City.
Galloway received the Nancy Ford Springer Inspiration Award at the gala, hosted by Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas with a performance by Tony Award-winning actor James Naughton.
Rachel Schuster of Alembic Health Communications explained in an email, “In 2002, the National Meningitis Association was founded by parents whose children died or live with permanent disabilities from meningococcal disease. Among the original founders was NMA’s president, Lynn Bozof, and Nancy Springer. For years, Nancy worked to raise awareness about this devastating disease until her death in 2008. NMA and her family wanted to honor her memory and keep her work alive, so they established the Nancy Ford Springer Inspiration Award. This award is given to individuals whose commitment to supporting NMA’s mission — educating families, medical professionals and others about meningococcal disease and the importance of vaccination — reflects Nancy’s dedication and spirit.”
Galloway, who has been active in the foundation for the past five years, said, “Receiving the Nancy Ford Springer Achievement Award was a tremendous honor for me. I became involved with the NMA because of Nancy’s son Nick Springer who contracted meningitis at age 14.”
According to information supplied by MNA, meningococcal disease, also known as bacterial meningitis, is a rare but sometimes deadly infection that can strike adolescents and young adults. The disease strikes quickly and has devastating complications, including hearing loss, brain damage, limb amputations, loss of kidney function and, in some cases, death.
NMA said the disease is transmitted through respiratory droplets, such as coughing and sneezing, or through direct contact with an infected person. Certain lifestyle factors increase the risk of contracting the disease for adolescents and young adults, including crowded living conditions, such as camps and dormitories, as well as crowded social situations.
NMA noted that vaccination offers the best protection against the disease.
Galloway, who has chaired the gala for the past three years, said, “We don’t know how many lives we have saved but we do know how many we have lost. There is a vaccine to help prevent this deadly disease.”
The daughter of Kenneth Herbert and the late Elaine Herbert of Uniontown, Galloway is a 1978 graduate of Uniontown Area High School and a 1981 graduate of the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh. Galloway worked in Mercy’s trauma/intensive care unit before moving to New York City in 1982.
While continuing her career as a nurse, Galloway also worked as a model and actress, often appearing as a nurse and other characters on soap operas and television commercials. She served for three years as a model and spokeswoman for Keri Lotion.
Galloway said her proudest accomplishments are her children, Justin and Alana, who recently received the titles of teen health advocates for their work with the NMA.
Galloway has been involved in charity work for several years and often photographs and writes about philanthropic events for her Herbert Collection (www.herbertcollection.com) website. Her work has also been published in magazines and other websites, including The Insider, manhattansociety.com, Black Tie, Gotham and Gladys.
She also founded a charity called Appalachia: A Diamond in the Rough. Her other affiliations include the DAR: National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Junior League of Greenwich, Conn.; and the National Arts Club. She is a former member of the board of directors for the Worldwide Children’s Foundation of New York and currently serves on several nonprofit committees: A.C.E. For the Homeless; Justin Timberlake Shriners Charity Open, The United Nationals Millennium Development Goals Awards, The Bob Woodruff Foundation, Rush Philanthropic, The David Lynch Foundation and The Women’s Project.