Ten special individuals who work tirelessly to improve their community through various endeavors will be honored at the annual Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance banquet, to be held at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport on Wednesday, May 6. These individuals will be honored across several categories. They are Marvin and Debbie Hurwitz, Vince Reeder, George Lepley, Breanna Nixon, Diana Logan, Steve Moff, Marc and Marianna Tupper, and Christine Atkins.
“The Lycoming Brotherhood Banquet is our organization’s opportunity to honor those in the community who best represent our values — serving our neighbors regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or economic status. Self-sacrifice and a commitment to serving others are the bedrock of our organization, and those we recognize on this special night truly exemplify that mission,” Cody Hoover, President of Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance, told Webb Weekly.
He continued, “Our organization believes strongly in the enduring truth we celebrate as our nation marks 250 years: ‘That all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.’ We also hold that all people are created in the image of God, and therefore possess intrinsic value and deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and care.
“This fundamental truth is reflected in each of our awards, expressed through different avenues and forms. The Pickelner Award recognizes those who embody these values through their professional careers. The Ray Keyes Sports Award highlights sportsmanship and teamwork. The Unsung Hero Award honors neighbors who help others without seeking recognition. The Rising Leader Award celebrates young individuals who are already making a meaningful impact on Lycoming County and beyond.
“The Brotherhood Banquet is a time for us to come together in unity; to honor that shared bond, the divine spark within each of us, and to celebrate the impact it has on our community. It also serves as a reminder of the responsibility we carry and the drive within our hearts to make our community a better place for all.”
Receiving the William Pickelner Award is Vince Reeder, President and Co-Founder of a non-profit organization called Hats for Heat, and owner of an HVAC/heating oil business since 1998. He was born and raised outside of Montoursville on his family’s farm. He was taught at a young age that “If you have the means to help someone in any way possible, do it.” Vince never forgot the life lesson he learned from his dad and has instilled it in both his kids, Gage and Natalie Reeder.
Also receiving the Pickelner award are Debbie and Marvin Hurwitz. Debbie and Marvin Hurwitz exemplify a shared commitment to leadership, service, education, and community building. Through professional achievement, volunteerism, and their steadfast dedication to their Jewish faith and interfaith engagements, they have strengthened institutions, inspired individuals, and enriched Lycoming County.
Marvin has devoted over 50 years to professional excellence and community leadership.
For over 35 years, Marvin has been an active interfaith speaker and educator through United Churches of Lycoming County.
His service extends to fundraising and volunteer efforts that support education, remembrance, and community well-being. He contributes to initiatives such as the Lycoming County Brotherhood Alliance’s Holocaust Museum educational trip for local students and the Tony DiSalvo Flag Fund endowment. He also volunteers with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Journey Bank Community Arts Center, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to serving neighbors in need and to strengthening the region’s cultural life.
Debbie’s volunteer service includes WeCare Sycamore Nursing Home, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, the local Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), and the Journey Bank Community Arts Center. In each setting, Debbie offers compassionate presence and meaningful engagement.
Within the Jewish community, Debbie serves as Temple Gram Chair at Temple Beth Ha Sholom and as a board member and secretary of the Williamsport Federation of Jewish Charities.
George Lepley is the recipient of the Ray Keyes Sports Award.
George Lepley is a lawyer by profession, but for nearly 60 years, he has played or coached sports. He estimates he has coached 60 regular-season baseball teams, more than 30 All-Star teams, five travel teams, and more than 30 teams in the John H. Bower Sunday School League. He estimates he has coached well over 1,000 players from different school districts. “They may start the season thinking that they are opponents, and they end up being lifelong friends,” says Lepley. Almost every year for the past 30 years, he has taken his teams to MLB and NBA games in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, paying for travel, hotels, and game tickets.
He achieved great success at the Big-League Little League level, managing a regular-season team and coaching an All-Star team. Those teams won the state title every year except 1997, reached the regional level, and went to the World Series in South Carolina in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2009, where they finished 2nd and 3rd. With the West End Babe Ruth League, George coached every year from 1994 through 2024. These teams reached the World Series level in 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2018, and earned a 3rd-place finish in three of those years.
The “Unsung Hero” Awards include Diana Logan, who has touched the lives of so many individuals with diverse abilities in Lycoming County. Her kindness, strength, and unwavering dedication have created opportunities that simply wouldn’t exist without her vision and her heart. Her vision has transformed lives and created lasting opportunities for inclusion and joy within our community. She began the YMCA Superstars program with just a handful of participants on a Saturday morning. What started small has blossomed into a program that now runs multiple days a week, giving countless individuals a place to belong, grow, and shine.
She has done this through her organization of the YMCA’s “Superstars” program and, in the last two years, “Music from the Heart.”
Dr. Steven Moff is a founding volunteer for the Little League Challenger Division, which continues to improve the lives of those with special needs here and around the world.
Steven’s own children participated in the initial Challenger program games, and he has helped grow the program to over 950 leagues worldwide. During its infancy, Steven took Challenger players, including his own children, to the While House for a ceremony held by President George W. Bush and his wife Laura. This milestone has not been repeated. He was also instrumental in the program’s growth, including having the games televised. Each summer, Steven organizes and manages (2) selected Challenger teams as they come to Williamsport to participate in the annual Challenger Exhibition game held at the Little League Complex. He has been the heart and soul of the Challenger program since its inception and continues to make it a world-class program that enriches those with special needs.
In addition to his work with Challenger baseball, Steven is a historian who has been traveling to Germany for years, speaking with and sharing stories of holocaust survivors. His efforts led to a visit by a German holocaust survivor to Williamsport, who shared his stories at the Community Arts Center.
Marc and Marianne Tupper were active in a wide variety of activities. While they were raising their three children, Marianne became involved with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, being a “big’ for a “little,” who adopted the Tupper Family as her second family, vacationed with them, and continues to keep in contact. The Newberry Lions Club is close to their hearts. Marc has two “special” projects. One, to deliver walkers, wheelchairs, hospital beds, etc., throughout our community. The other is to continue working with the group that maintains the three Welcome to Newberry signs he proposed and helped to build some years ago. Marianne has delivered Meals-On-Wheels one day a week for years. Marc, now retired again, has joined her. Both volunteered at the West End Christian Community Center (WECCC), most recently helping to fill backpacks with food for children who are food insecure. Those backpacks provided nutritious and easily prepared food for weekends. Both remain very involved with their church family.
Christine Atkins’ concern for others shines through her passion for needlework. She makes quilts for patients at the Gatehouse inpatient hospice unit at UPMC Williamsport Divine Providence Campus. Using her time, talent, and treasury, she provides 75-100 each year, choosing and cutting fabric, piecing, sewing, and finally quilting. She also occasionally quilts the projects sewn by others in her quilt guild.
Her beautiful elephants are stuffed full of love. They provide hope and comfort amid stressful health issues or as a joyful reminder of a special event or interest. Some go to children who are grieving the absence of a parent due to death or incarceration. No two are alike. Over the years, she’s made hundreds of elephants, some on consignment as gifts, others donated.
The “Rising Leader” Award goes to Breanna Nixon, an honor student at St. John Newmann Regional Academy.
She hails from the Bahamas and is active in several school activities at Neumann, including National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Key Club, Student Council, Be a Force for Good Club, and SADD.
For her senior project, she had the opportunity to work with Dwell, an organization that supports foster parents and children. This year, she partnered with Dwell to organize a donation drive for teenage girls at Clear Vision in Montgomery, Pennsylvania, providing them with essential items and Christmas gifts.
