Pennsylvania PBS honors eight Champions of Lifelong Learning

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania PBS and its seven member stations celebrated public media and eight Champions of Lifelong Learning award winners during “A Beautiful Day in the Capitol” at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, June 12.  

“Public media stands as a beacon of truth and is essential for empowering our communities and fostering a more equitable media landscape,” stated WVIA President and CEO Carla McCabe. “Since 1967, public media has made educational and inspirational programming accessible to people of all ages and all walks of life, and we have done so with the support of our communities and local legislators.” 

Each member station honored an elected official or Commonwealth employee, and Pennsylvania PBS celebrated one honoree collectively with a Good Neighbor Award at a presentation in the East Wing Rotunda of the Capitol.  

This year’s Champions of Lifelong Learning award honorees and their presenting stations are: 

• Representative Matthew Bradford, presented by WHYY 
• Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, presented by Pennsylvania PBS 
• Senator Marty Flynn, presented by WVIA 
• Senator Wayne Fontana, presented by WQED 
• Representative Robert Merski, presented by WQLN 
• Kristin Paradise, Governor’s Office, presented by WITF 
• Representative Joshua Siegel, presented by Lehigh Valley Public Media 
• Representative Jesse Topper, presented by WPSU 

Champions of Lifelong Learning honorees regard public media as a community asset. They support Pennsylvania PBS and its member stations’ mission to inspire lifelong learning, engage audiences in civic leadership and be a valued partner in public safety across the Commonwealth.  

“Our presence in communities helps us to engage directly with the people we serve and be responsive to their changing needs,” said WHYY’s President and CEO William Marrazzo. “WHYY’s Media Labs along with our workforce training, production classes, afterschool programs and summer camps fill a great need for youth and young adults in greater Philadelphia and have a proven track record of developing the necessary life skills for our students to succeed in the workplace.”  

Visitors to the East Wing Rotunda were greeted by PBS KIDS’ character Clifford the Big Red Dog, and had an opportunity to meet with representatives from all seven Pennsylvania PBS member stations to learn more about their educational and civic engagement initiatives. 

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About Pennsylvania PBS  

Pennsylvania PBS (PA PBS) is the collective name for seven public media organizations located throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These include  WHYY/Philadelphia, WITF/Harrisburg, PBS39/WLVT/Lehigh Valley, WPSU/State College, WQED/Pittsburgh, WQLN/Erie, and WVIA/Scranton. Together we are a resource for all Pennsylvanians by providing civic, educational, and cultural programs and events. For more information, visit pennsylvania pbs.org. 

Photos of the honorees can be found on WITF’s Sharepoint: 2024 A Beautiful Day in the Capitol 

For more information, please contact: Christina Zeiders, christina_zeiders@witf.org, 717-910-2621 or 717-380-0548