There are those among us who do good: deeds without the slightest amount of recognition.
The Golden Heart group and its founder, Dr. Janna Mallis, are all about seeing the extraordinary in ordinary people and ensuring that those traits be recognized.
An annual banquet Friday in Horsham will see 45 Golden Heart Award winners from all walks of life lauded for a common trait of compassion. Some may be more well known than others, but most are what can be considered everyday heroes.
"It will always stand out to me if someone has a particularly kind nature," said Mallis, a Cheltenham resident. "It's about seeing that divine spark in everyday people who do these wonderful things."
Anna and Joseph Monaghan of Willow Grove will be the first to tell you they are ordinary.
Their friend Joan Evans has a different opinion.
"Their life has not been that easy and yet there is always a sense of joy," said Evans, a parish nurse for St. David's Catholic Church in Willow Grove.
She has come to know this couple who have experienced numerous physical ail-ments over the years and the death of a child in 1996. A stroke in 1983 left Joseph unable to speak and with limited mobility. He has had surgery for cancer involving the lymph nodes, and Anna suffered a mild
"We can really make people feel good about themselves," said Mallis.
Rabbi Richard Allen has enjoyed doing that for others for decades.
Allen was a professional opera singer and Cantor at Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel for more than 20 years.
Since officially retiring in 1997 he has maintained a busy schedule of counseling, visiting the sick, teaching and performing weddings.
"My main objective is to be of service," said Allen, who lives in Elkins Park with his wife, Valerie. They have four children and six grandchildren.
He works mainly on a pro bono basis when it comes to his family counseling or counseling those with drug and alcohol issues. |
"I do it because I want to," Allen said. :1 The Golden Heart Awards banquet will take place Friday at Williamson Restaurant in Horsham.
Through it all the Monaghans have bolstered each other with their positive attitudes.
They will celebrate 50 years of marriage in January.
"I think what I do is what anyone would do for someone they love," said Anna, 73, who added she takes one day at a time.
She said her husband's positive outlook on life is part of his basic nature.
"That's been always that way," she said.
"In them you see life, you see freedom, you see joy," said Evans.
It was Evans who submitted a proposal about the Monaghans to Mallis for consideration of a Golden Heart Award.
Mallis has been a psychologist for nearly 25 years. The Golden Heart group grew out of a meditation group she started in 1993 after dealing for years with patients who were chronically or terminally ill.
"We started to look at the greater issues of life and death," Mallis said. "Then we branched out into some community service and meeting the needs of many people com-ing to us."
Her focus shifted to giving awards to area residents. This year's banquet will be the fifth. The list of award recipients keeps growing.
This year's list includes several teachers, community volunteers, and members of law enforcement. There is a nun noted for car-ing for the sick; A Cheltenham college stu-dent in need of a kidney transplant is being recognized for his determination and help-ing raise awareness of organ donations.
"It gives me joy to see people who have never been recognized in their life," she said. "It means the world to everybody."
Community leaders, politicians and others recommend awardees. |
