The Clarksburg League for Service is currently in its 82nd year, and throughout its history, its members have donated their time and talents to service projects that help others. Member and past president Susie Pastorik explained that much of the organization’s focus in on children and the underprivileged in Harrison County.
“For years we sponsored the Mother & Baby Clinic and that was a big project,” Pastorik said. “Now we fund Amy’s Attic which provides new items for people in need – whether it be clothing, diapers and baby items, or household necessities that might aid a family recovering from a fire for instance. And we also give scholarships; last year we gave over $10,000 in scholarships! We are very proud to serve our area and to help those who need it.”
For the past eleven years, the Clarksburg League for Service has recognized someone who embodies the spirit of service. The award is called “Woman of Enduring Spirit”, and a special luncheon will be hosted at the Bridgeport Country Club tomorrow to present this year’s award. The honoree is Shinnston resident Mary Ann Spadafore.
Born and raised in Clarksburg, Mary Ann’s professional career included ten years as a Medical Lab Technician at United Hospital Center, 20 years working for Dr. M.V. Kalaycioglu in Shinnston, and later helping her husband John with office work at his former business – Affiliated Physical Therapy.
Balancing a career with raising three children, Mary Ann also found time to support many of her children’s school activities and she assumed leadership roles in academic, athletic and band boosters organizations. Now that her children are grown with families of their own, she still finds time to do a lot of service work while maintaining a home, being a wife, mother and devoted grandmother!
Mary Ann has been a member of the Junior Woman’s Club and the Woman’s Club of Shinnston for years. She has served several terms as Woman’s Club president, a capacity in which she still serves – as well as Clubhouse Manager. She is also 2nd vice-president of the GFWC North Central Junior Alumnae and treasurer of the GFWC North Central District.
In 2006, Mary Ann was named ‘Ambassador of the Year’ by the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce. She has served and continues to serve on numerous boards of other organizations. She has voluntarily given her time to the Harrison County Academic Achievement Awards, The Shinnston Blueprint Community project, and the Shinnston Area Development Board; she delivers Meals on Wheels, and is an active member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church where she is a member of the Altar Society and serves as treasurer; she is a choir member, a mass lector, and an attendant of the Blessed Margaret of Castello Perpetual Adoration Chapel. She also chaired the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball and has worked the Medbrook Children’s Charity Golf Classic every year.
Mary Ann joined the Clarksburg League for Service in 1990 and became its president in 2003. She has chaired that organization’s Mothers Clinic, served as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer and Chairman of the Past Presidents, Newsletter and Scholarship Committees. She is currently the League’s chairperson for Amy’s Attic.
In her spare time – which must be limited – Mary Ann enjoys knitting, sewing, quilting, gardening, and spending time with her grandchildren.
It is obvious that Mary Ann Spadafore is no stranger to volunteerism and charitable endeavors! According to Susie Pastorik, who co-chairs the League’s award committee, “We could not find a better person than Mary Ann to receive our ‘Woman of Enduring Spirit’ award! We look for a woman in the community who continually give of her time in service to others, and Mary Ann does that willingly. Her giving spirit filters to other people, and she certainly exemplifies exactly what we look for when choosing a candidate for this award. We feel very fortunate to have someone with her genuine qualities to be a part of our organization. She truly is a ‘Woman of Enduring Spirit’!”
