Awards honor library supporters
CRANBERRY TWP — A longtime volunteer and a past board president are being honored this year with the Cranberry Public Library's Mazzoni Spirit of Giving Award.
Jane Ellis and Michelle Switala will be honored at a reception at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the library, 2525 Rochester Road.
Ellis of Jackson Township said she was shocked when she found out she'd be receiving the award. She started volunteering more than 30 years ago to keep busy after having an empty nest at home.
“Cranberry seemed to be an up and coming place and I wanted to be where the action was,” she said. “It's been marvelous to see all the growth here.”
Ellis has seen the library move from its old building on Rochester Road to the new municipal center. She also remembers when the library got computers and recalls when Route 279 was built.
Leslie Pallotta, library director, described Ellis as “a ball of energy and willing to jump in and help with whatever we need her to do.”
Switala is a past president of the library board who created a legacy fund in 2009 to fund the library in the future.
“She's one of those people that always thinks of the greater good,” Pallotta said of Switala. “She has the ability to see the bigger picture and has the ability to see things in the long term. It's a great asset to the library to have that vision and frame of mind.”Switala teaches math and physics at Pine-Richland High School and was named the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 2010.She got involved with the library at the suggestion of some colleagues who knew her love for reading and community involvement. Switala said she loves the library for its free and public access to vetted information and its ability to enhance the community's quality of life.Switala committed $10,000 to an endowment that would give the library financial security for the future.“I'm always talking to my students about making your actions match your words,” she said. “Basically put your money where your mouth is … Libraries are vital to having informed citizens.”The recipients of the Mazzoni Spirit of Giving Award are selected by the library board each year.
