Local People

Last Updated on Friday, 08 June 2018 03:27

Julie Kingsley will be one of six honorees at the Zonta Washington Club’s 33rd Anniversary and Rose Day Celebration Luncheon, set for 1 p.m. June 3 at the Lone Pine Country Club, in Washington, PA.

Julie Kingsley

Julie Kingsley’s exemplary volunteer work, particularly community service activities focused on cancer prevention, is being noticed.

Kingsley, who has worked at Cal U for more than 30 years, is a clerical supervisor in the Department of University Printing Services. This summer she will receive a Rose Day Award for Volunteerism from the Zonta Club of Washington County.

Founded in 2000, Zonta is an international service organization dedicated to advancing the status of women.

The annual Zonta Rose Day awards honor women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service in the spheres of business, community service, nonprofit work, education, volunteerism, health services and government.

Kingsley lost her mother, Patty, to colon cancer in 2000.

“At the end of her time with us she did not want us, as she said, wallowing in grief,” Kingsley recalled. “She wanted us to do something good, and (my service in) the years to follow has been in her memory.”

Kingsley initially became involved with South Hills Interfaith Movement. She organized family and friends to crochet more than 250 hats and scarves. She soon began collecting and donating clothing for Goodwill Industries, churches and several school districts through the “Back to School” program.

For many years she has been active with the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days event, with considerable support from Cal U employees.

This spring she is helping to collect gently used bras and camisoles for the Cal U’s women’s studies program, “Free the Girls,” an initiative to fight human trafficking.

Her many on-campus activities include serving as a mentor, organizing office food drives for the Cal U Cupboard food pantry, and serving on the President’s Commission for the Status of Women.

“Working at Cal U has helped to educate me about diversity and be very accepting of people,” Kingsley said. “I can make a difference by doing one small gesture at a time. I am finding my voice – not only for myself, but for others, by leading by example.”

Kingsley is a two-time Cal U Women’s Center WOW (Women on Wednesday) recipient, an honor that recognizes the work of women on campus who share a commitment to service and social justice issues.

Sara Schumacher and Melissa Marion, who are the vice president and director of fund development, respectively, at Monongahela Valley Hospital, nominated Kingsley for the Rose Day Award. They first met her when planning for the Ducoeur walk in 2013.

Cheryl Hopper, co-chair of Zonta Club of Washington County, said the organization takes the awards and selection process very seriously. “Julie’s information stood out and was very impressive,” she said. “The fact that Mon Valley Hospital nominated someone who does not work for them shows the impact Julie has made.”