Four people who “volunteer and dedicate their time and talents to various local charities and organizations” were honored as “Community Heroes” by the Mauch Chunk Trust Company Wednesday evening.

About 200 people attended the dinner program held at Dean Anthony’s banquet hall in Jim Thorpe.

The four honorees each received a plaque and a $200 donation to their favorite charity.

The honorees were Mary Ann Dulaney of Coaldale, Christine LeClair of Lansford, Phyllis Lienhard of Jim Thorpe and Jack Sterling of Jim Thorpe.

They were presented with their awards by Patrick H. Reilly, president and CEO of Mauch Chunk Trust Company.

Reilly said, “We hope that in honoring these people every year we would encourage others to become involved and help to make our community a better place to live and work.”

He said this is the 20th year in honoring community heroes. In that span, including this year, Mauch Chunk Trust Company has honored 108 people.

Mary Ann Dulaney

Dulaney was honored for her work with the American Cancer Society, single-handedly running the Socks for Seniors Christmas donation drive, involvement with the Coaldale community organization C.H.O.S.E., volunteer work with St. Luke’s Miners Campus, and working with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Her $200 donation is being split between the American Cancer Society Telethon and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

She said she was “humbled and flattered” to receive the award.

Christine LeClair

LeClair served in the Army from 2001 to 2009 and was deployed to Iraq twice. During her second deployment, she volunteered at the Combat Support Hospital by visiting children who were casualties of war.

When stationed in Honduras, LeClair volunteered at a local orphanage.

She is the vice commander and auxiliary president of the Lansford American Legion and is involved in the VALOR Clinic as an outreach coordinator.

LeClair helps to deliver boxes of holiday meals to more than 20 families in Lansford.

A volunteer at the Lansford Public Library, she is a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and has served on the pastoral council at her church. She also helped start a Cub Scout Troop in Lansford.

Patrick told a story about an act of compassion by LeClair. He said LeClair helped a homeless woman who was struggling to find shelter and resources. The 55-year-old woman was forced out of her home and had nowhere to go. She stayed in a shed, then slept on benches in a local shopping plaza for a week.

LeClair found out about the woman and reached out to her, eventually helping her obtain a subsidized apartment.

Reilly said LeClair is now involved as co-facilitator for the Carbon County’s new Homelessness Task Force.

LeClair thanked her parents “for providing a shining example on what it means to serve others.”

Her $200 will be given to St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Phyllis Lienhard

Lienhard is a lifelong resident of Jim Thorpe and will be celebrating her 91st birthday next week.

For more than 50 years, she has been active in her church. She has been a Sunday school teacher for more than 30 years.

Also in church, she is a Sunday morning greeter, a member of the prayer chain, folds bulletins and helps with breakfasts.

She has been a volunteer at the L.B. Morris Elementary School in Jim Thorpe. She continues to volunteer by visiting the school weekly to support the student projects.

She also is a member of the Jim Thorpe Community Crime Watch Organization.

In 2018, she was the grand marshal of the Jim Thorpe Halloween Parade where she was honored for a lifetime of service to the town of Jim Thorpe.

She said she is donating her gift to the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, because she lost a granddaughter to cancer.

Jack Sterling

Reilly said Sterling “is known locally as a lead chronicler and dispenser of information regarding the history, genealogy, architecture and cultural development of the town he lives in and loves.” He is active in the Mauch Chunk Historical Society.

He has served in an unofficial capacity as genealogist and historian at the Dimmick Memorial Library.

He is a member of the Kemmerer Park Board and an active member of the Switchback Gravity Railroad Foundation.

He co-chaired the Mauch Chunk Bicentennial Committee.

Sterling said he felt “humbled” to be among the group of Community Heroes. “There have been some real giants amount the honorees over the years,” he said.

He is splitting his $200 award to the Mauch Chunk Museum and Cultural Center and the Carbon County Friends of Animals.

Also given special recognition at the dinner was Deb Bamford, who has been coordinator of the awards program for the past 20 years. Bamford is retiring from Mauch Chunk Trust Company.

Reilly introduced the board of directors of the bank awards selection committee and other bank and community officials.