Recognizing service to others by several individuals who have done so in an outstanding and dedicated way will be the focus of the Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance when they hold their annual banquet on May 1 at the Genetti Hotel. This is a celebration of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to serve their community and make it better.

Earl Granville is the guest speaker for the event. He is an extraordinary individual who has turned a negative into a positive.

Granville served in the National Guard for nine years as an infantryman, serving in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. It was while he was serving in Afghanistan that his world was turned upside down. On June 3, 2008, the vehicle he was riding in hit a roadside mine, resulting in the death of two of his fellow soldiers and Granville being seriously wounded. It turned out that he would have his left leg amputated. He would spend a lot of time recovering from his wounds at Walter Reed Hospital.

While at Walter Reed, he battled in a new, personal war and embarked on the grueling task of learning how to stand, walk, and eventually run again on a prosthetic leg. Unfortunately, more trauma followed. Two years after losing his leg, Earl received a devastating phone call. While his twin brother Joe was on active duty, he passed away by his own hands. Remembering the call from his mother, Earl reflects, “As her words sank in, I asked myself, how did I get this second chance out of life only to have my own twin brother take his away?”

A dark road followed, but Earl started to find purpose again through the power of being physically active. Between CrossFit and finding a passion through obstacle racing, Earl became a part of a community that helps people with disabilities. This led him to be a part of charities to help lead individuals to reach their physical goals after injury from service.

Earl now spends most of his time traveling the country as a public speaker, discussing healthy ways to battle adversity, the importance of having a purpose in your life, and never carrying the weight by yourself.

Now for the honorees of the banquet.

The William Pickelner Brotherhood Award winners are Timothy Smith and Karen Young.

Tim is a well-known community advocate with a passion for loving and serving those whom he has the opportunity to interact with in his career as a social worker, youth sports coach, outreach leader for his church, and organically throughout the community. Born and raised in the Williamsport area, Tim graduated from Williamsport Area High School in 1995, received his bachelor’s degree from Lycoming College in 1999, and completed his master’s degree in School Counseling at Bloomsburg University in 2013.

After receiving his undergraduate degree in 1999, Tim began his career at the Lycoming County Prison as a resident supervisor at the Pre-Release Work Center. Around this time, he also took on a second job with Lycoming County Children and Youth, starting as a house parent at a shelter facility. Later that year, Tim transitioned to evening treatment services with Children and Youth, where he remained until August of 2007, when he became a school-based outreach worker for Loyalsock and Montoursville School Districts. In 2016, Tim transitioned to serve the Loyalsock Township School District exclusively.

As an advocate for youth engagement, Tim understands the transformative power of extra-curricular activities and athletics. Over the years, he has supported students after school and during summer school with field trips throughout the county, visits to the Loyalsock pool, and projects such as building cornhole boards, birdhouses, and greenhouses.

In addition, he coached various teams in Loyalsock Township, including Little League Baseball and Little Lancer Basketball, and most recently, he assisted with the club volleyball team at Loyalsock Township Middle School.

Karen Young is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Jersey Shore State Bank. She is a financial and customer service veteran with more than 40 years of experience in leadership roles in banking and the community.

She graduated from the Lycoming County Leadership program and has continued to serve that organization and her community through the Leadership Lycoming Selection and the Jr. Leadership Lycoming Selection Committees.

Her focused, service-driven approach continues to make the community, specifically Lycoming County, a better place to live and invest in. She has held positions with the Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Williamsport/Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce Executive Board of Directors, the Revolving Loan Committee, and the selection committee for the Phillips-Plankenhorn Small Business of the Year award.

A committed advocate for women and children in Lycoming County, Karen served on the YWCA North Central Pa. Board of Directors, dedicating herself to help provide women and their families with opportunities to live with dignity and peace and to live better lives. She also volunteered with the Children’s Discovery Workshop. Seeking to affect the community in a positive way, Karen serves on the Penn College Foundation Board of Directors as well as the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania Board of Directors. Karen’s involvement with the FCFP reflects her personal desire to improve the quality of life in the region through community leadership and philanthropy.

David G. Bower, II, Ph.D., is this year’s Ray Keyes Sports Award Recipient. He had an outstanding career as a quarterback at Lock Haven State College in the early 1970s, receiving All-State Honorable Mention for Pennsylvania Colleges and Universities. He went on to a successful teaching career at Williamsport Area High School, where he taught Health Education.

He has spent extensive time volunteering with numerous and various community organizations, including being a Mentor for the Veterans’ Drug Court, serving on the DUI Advisory Committee, and giving seminars in state correctional facilities connected with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). He has served on the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission’s Advisory Committee and is now an outreach educator for them. He has been a Hospice volunteer.

Through his coaching and volunteer work, he has touched the lives of countless people in a positive way.

Finally, the “Unsung Heroes” to be honored are Stacey Feinberg, Dayl “Doc” McClintock, Greg Ousley, Sr., and Edward Souter, Sr. These individuals have excelled in their dedication to senior citizen services, recreation, youth, and veterans.

The mission of the Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance is to actively promote tolerance of all religious, civic, and political beliefs and demonstrate commitment to promoting and maintaining the cultural, racial, and social fabric of the greater Williamsport Area and all of Lycoming County.

The LCBA sponsors an annual trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. This annual trip is for high school and college students and has taken place every year since the Museum opened.

The LCBA sponsors a Diversity Tour, which was started in 2018 to help individuals better understand the different cultures in our immediate area.

The Community Outreach mission of the LCBA is focused on promoting brotherhood throughout the community through the use of speakers, projects, and events throughout the year. These programs are designed by LCBA in conjunction with community leaders with a two-fold purpose: to meet a specific need within the community and, by doing so, promote brotherhood, tolerance, and harmony through the activities or functions of the project/event.