First Posted: 3/25/2015
PITTSTON — The Gramercy Restaurant was the scene of the 2014 Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year and Joseph Soporito Sr. Lifetime of Service award ceremony on Tuesday, March 24. More than 200 guests attended the event to honor Barbara Sciandra, Person of the Year, and Gloria Blandina, Lifetime of Service award recipient.
Sciandra, a breast cancer survivor, was honored for Paint Pittston Pink, a weekend-long event spearheaded by Sciandra and held in October that raised $30,000 for the University of Pennsylvania’s Pennies in Action fund for breast cancer research. Blandina, also a cancer survivor, was recognized for her service with the Care and Concern Free Health Clinic in Pittston.
The Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year represents the person/persons who had the greatest impact on life in Greater Pittston. Nominations are solicited from the community with the final vote being made by the Dispatch editorial staff.
The first Lifetime of Service Award was presented posthumously to Saporito in 2000 and was accepted by his widow, Yolanda “Dolly” Saporito, who has since passed away, and his sons, Carlo Saporito and Atty. Joseph Saporito Jr. Thereafter, the award is not only presented in Saporito’s memory, it is also named for him.
To be nominated for the prestigious award, a person must have dedicated a lifetime of service to making a difference in the Greater Pittston area. Nominations are accepted from the community with the final decision resting with members of the Dispatch editorial staff.
