Distinguished Service Awards bestowed on pair
Two women have been named the county's 2017 Distinguished Service Award winners for their volunteer service throughout the area.
Judy Neigh was named the Senior Distinguished Service Award winner and Meghan Lucas the Junior Distinguished Service Award winner.
The women will be honored at a dinner May 2 at Butler Country Club. The Butler Eagle and Rotary Club of Butler sponsor the award each year.
Judy Neigh
Neigh began her lifetime of service to others as a young woman while dating her husband of more than 50 years, Joe.
The couple regularly drove a priest to the small coal mining community of Argentine to celebrate Mass for the residents.
Neigh also taught Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes for the Catholic children of Argentine, beginning at age 15.
Neigh has been very active in her parish, St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, since marrying Joe and joining the congregation there.
Neigh serves as a eucharistic minister, counts the Sunday collection, is a member of the Women's Council, delivers flowers to shut-ins, works on the Octoberfest festival, and is a lifetime member of the Butler Catholic Daughters of America.
For more than 22 years, she and Joe have served communion Wednesday nights at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where Judy is now the leader of the Wednesday night communion volunteers.
Neigh is a longtime member of the Intermediate League of Butler, which started out as the Butler Junior Women's Club. She served as president of the Junior Women's Club and was selected in 1978 as that club's Woman of the Year.
Neigh has chaired nearly every committee in the Intermediate League, which she joined in 1983, and has served twice as president.
She is involved in and has chaired the league's annual fundraiser, the Antiques Show and Sale, which benefits various local agencies.
Neigh is the current chairman of the business managers committee for the Intermediate League.
In her professional life, Neigh was employed at Mellon Bank for many years as a teller. She then moved to the comptroller position at the YWCA, and now serves as assistant comptroller in semi-retirement.
Neigh was named YWCA Woman of the Year in 1993.
She also served two terms on the Center for Community Resources board of directors, and is on the volunteer advisory board with the county Area Agency on Aging.
Neigh received a special award from the Rotary Club of Butler for her work, although she is not a member.
She also received the Soroptimist International Ruby Award in 2016 for community service.
The Neighs have three adult children and six grandchildren, and both Judy and Joe have siblings with special needs.
Judy cared for her sister, Virginia, until her death and the couple welcomes Joe's brother, George, into their home for dinner three evenings a week and assists him in many ways.
Neigh said she developed her penchant for service several years ago, when she witnessed the kindness and caring of many people upon the illness and death of her mother.
She said she is humbly honored by the Distinguished Service Award, and will continue to serve others as long as she can.“I always say you have to take time to care about people,” Neigh said.Meghan LucasThe Junior Distinguished Service Award winner is a fourth-grade teacher at Emily Brittain School on North Washington Street.Lucas' students are often the recipient of various lessons regarding service to others, including making busy bags for hospital waiting rooms and Christmas cards for overseas troops.Lucas walks in the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure each year in Pittsburgh, makes and delivers meals to shut-ins and volunteers at her church, St. Wendelin Roman Catholic Church, where she has served on many committees including grounds cleanup and planting flowers as well as serving on church council.Lucas has taught CCD classes for many years and coached the church volleyball team and organized games along with serving dinner at the annual church picnic.Lucas has packed bags at Thanksgiving for St. Vincent de Paul and worked at community meals.She helped launch the Kids' Weekend Backpack program at Emily Brittain in which students in need receive food to take home and in the upcoming “Stuff-a-Bus” fundraiser there.Lucas also participates in Cure Search fundraisers like the Ultimate Hike.She has participated in food drives and projects to get produce to people in need.Lucas developed the boys baseball “Potter Tour” into an entity that holds co-ed volleyball tournament charity fundraisers. She is also a member of the Butler Lions Club, co-authored a book for a fundraiser, helps clean up the Father Marinaro ball fields each year, helps East Butler baseball with signage and landscaping needs, and participates in the Alameda Park cleanup and the North Park Hike.As the Butler High School girls varsity volleyball coach, Lucas was devastated a few years ago at the loss of a player to leukemia and the loss of a young friend to cancer.As a result, she organized fundraisers that now occur each year and bring in thousands for childhood cancer research.Asked why she spends so much time serving others, Lucas said once she got the bug of service, she couldn't stop.She also shares the importance of serving others with all of the many young people with whom she comes in contact.“I think it's important to teach kids how to give back and help others, because it feels better to give back than receive,” Lucas said.Lucas was surprised that she was nominated for and won the Distinguished Service Award.“I am honored, humbled and thankful for the award,” she said.
