Larry Berg

The list of Larry Berg's service to the county's nonprofits over 53 years is enough to run a printer dry.

That's why Berg, a stalwart Butler media man and volunteer, will receive the Jean B. Purvis Community Cornerstone Award on June 15 at the Butler Community Health Clinic's annual award banquet. The event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Butler Country Club in Penn Township.

“I'm really humbled because there are so many people around the community who do so many things,” Berg said. “I'm just honored that they picked me.”

In addition to serving as the past president of the Butler County Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club and B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Berg, 87, was a founding member of the Visiting Nurses Association of Western Pennsylvania and the Maridon Museum.

Berg also served on the board of directors at the Butler Public Library, Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, United Way of Butler, Salvation Army, Moraine Trails Council Boy Scouts of America, Jaycees, Easter Seals Society (now Lifesteps), Butler County Symphony Association, Alzheimer's Association of Pittsburgh and Butler County Music and Arts Festival.

“He was selected because the criteria for this award is people who have had a profound effect on Butler County and in particular its nonprofit community,” said John Righetti of the Community Health Clinic. “Larry is that overall citizen who has made Butler County a better place to live and service people in need.”

Having lived in many cities with his wife, Judy, and three children, Berg moved to Butler in 1964 and bought a local radio station.

“We came here as strangers,” Berg said. “We knew no one in town.”

Berg decided to get involved in the community for business reasons then, but ended up impressed with the amount of important work being completed by Butler's volunteers.

Businessman John Chiprean asked him to join the local Rotary International chapter and ushered him onto the Easter Seals Society's first board of directors.

“Little by little, various people started asking me to get involved,” Berg recalled.

He soon learned that Butler is comprised of many dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to make the county a better place.

“I thought, 'This is wonderful, and really something I have to do because this is a terrific community,'” Berg said.

He is particularly thrilled to receive an award from the health clinic, which he said is a vital commodity in the area.

“It's a remarkable organization because it's free and provides service for those people who fall between the cracks,” Berg said.

He also admires Jean Purvis, for whom the award is named, because she observed the health clinic model in Hilton Head, S.C., brought it to Butler and sold it to donors.

Purvis also brought the Visiting Nurses Association to Butler.

“Because it's named after her, it means all the more to me because she's someone I've known since I came here,” Berg said.

Righetti said the award banquet is also a major fundraiser for the health clinic. Last year, the banquet raised about $30,000.

Righetti said a dinner, music, basket and live raffles and the ability to donate to the clinic, in addition to a handful of speakers giving testimonials about Berg, will be included in the event.

Berg will receive an engraved clock as a memento of his award.

The public is invited to attend the June 15 awards banquet. Tickets are $125 and are available by emailing Righetti at jrighetti@butlerhealthclinic.org.