
You Can Also Give Through the United Way

The PVGP makes a difference in the lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by Merakey Allegheny Valley School in Western PA. Projects of the PVGP – including program development, facility renovations, and equipment – help individuals to become more independent and fulfill their potential.
This past year, the PVGP made it possible for automatic doors to be installed at our Pittsburgh Campus gym. Now, with a push of a button, individuals who utilize a wheelchair for mobility can independently enter and exit the building. Funds also helped to renovate a kitchen in one of our community homes to include technology that allows the residents of the home to participate more fully in meal preparation. Both projects, and many others, are helping individuals to learn new skills and live life more fully.
Another amazing impact of the PVGP is the community it builds. Each year the Mearkey AVS ambassadors and their friends – and our family and staff members – are active volunteering and participating in PVGP events. We love the cars, the festivities and the friendships that have developed over the years. Thank you to the PVGP for all it does for the Merakey AVS family!
The Autism Society of Pittsburgh – a chapter of the Autism Society of America – addresses the needs of individuals with autism through a comprehensive array of information, advocacy and referral services, which are provided to their families and the caring professionals and service providers who work with them. This includes creating, developing, and improving programs and approaches in diagnosis, treatment, education, training and social adjustment.
Autism is a neurological disorder that impairs behavior and communication; often tragically. More than 9,000 families in Southwestern Pennsylvania have children with this disability-close to 5,000 alone in Allegheny county- according to a 2011 census. That number has only increased; in 2018 the CDC indicated a national rate of 1 in 59 births are children with autism. Their families are often overwhelmed by the enormous task of discerning and providing for their complex needs.