PR&LA Fall 2018

16  • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Fall 2018 Doing Good in Your Neighborhood With more than 90 percent of restaurants and 85 percent of hotels involved in community activities, our members and our industry are doing good in their neighborhoods. The tricky part is getting you to talk about the good that you do. Share your story with us at www.prla.org/yourstory , and we’ll talk about your good work on your behalf. The Little Things Make aBigDifference As former PRLA chairman Michael Passalacqua, owner of Angelo’s Restaurant in Washington, Pa., says, “I always try to fly under the radar on this [community service].” However, this fall he will be honored with the Washington County Community Foundation Keller Corporate Philanthropy Award for his cumulative years of flying under the radar. He has sponsored numerous spaghetti and meatball dinners for various community charities, including the Citizens Library, Teen Outreach, First Love Christian Academy, the Humane Society, a Christmas lunch for the cancer ward of the Children’s Hospital in honor of the Olivia Scott Foundation, and numerous individual fundraisers. Not to mention the restaurant gift cards and food he donates to groups with regularity. The individual fundraiser for a young girl who nearly drowned in her family bathtub was the spark that ignited Michael’s passion for helping individuals within his community. “It was my AHA-moment,” said Michael. “I had done a few before hers but when I did her fundraiser it hit me that I can really help people by doing this. I made a plan to do more and help the fundraiser organizers with a strategy for success.” Since that AHA-moment, he has helped coordinate individual fundraisers for 6–10 people annually for the last six years. “These are good, hard-working people who have experienced an unfortunate situation.”