Pittsburg, PA
Beaver County woman selected as Pittsburgh Steelers nominee for 2024 NFL Changemakers
PITTSBURGH — Chippewa Township resident Carolina Frantz was recently recognized as the Pittsburgh Steelers nominee for the 2024 NFL Changemakers.
The National Football League and the Pittsburgh Steelers have worked together to showcase local leaders who are making a difference in their communities during the NFL’s Inspire Change Weeks since 2017.
“It is exciting and a humbling experience for me,” Frantz said. “I had mentioned to them [the Steelers] when I won the award that I couldn’t believe that I could have won it because there are so many people out there in the community doing all sorts of things. I am just a normal human being, a nurse, looking to make things better for people. I am truly honored to have been chosen for it.”
For Pittsburgh Steelers senior director of community relations Blayre Holmes Davis, honoring Frantz, who has given so much to the community, is an important thing to do.
“We want to take the time to recognize the unsung heroes in our community and we appreciate folks like Carolina who are there to do the work and are there to receive services. We are honored to uplift her story and the work that she has done over the years and everything that is going to come along with it,” Holmes Davis said.
Frantz is currently the BSN-AID Program Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Duquesne University where she helps support students and mentor underrepresented students in nursing.
Back in 2018, Frantz decided to found the Western Pennsylvania Area Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses with an old colleague who worked at Pittsburgh Mercy.
She signed up the chapter to become a distributor of socks from the company Bomba’s. For every pair of socks purchased, the company would also donate a pair.
For three years, the chapter had to wait to become distributors but once Frantz was chosen, she hit the ground running helping the Pittsburgh region all while sorting and distributing socks out of her garage.
“After I received the socks, I contacted my friend at Pittsburgh Mercy who gave me a list of all of the shelters in the Pittsburgh area that needed sock donations to help move product. After contacting them, all of those boxes were offloaded quickly, and I took a day trip in my husband’s pickup truck delivering socks to different homeless shelters in the Pittsburgh region. After that, I just kept expanding donations and continued to distribute them throughout the Pittsburgh region.”
Since 2023, Frantz has delivered over 15,000 pairs of socks to the Pittsburgh community.
While she continues to make impressive strides with her efforts, Frantz’s extensive work within the healthcare field has given her a deeper understanding of what her work can do for a community.
“It is more than just delivering socks,” Frantz said. “I have gotten to see what things look like in the healthcare space. To see people come into the healthcare system with foot ulcers, or other people that are at a higher risk for injuries and wounds. Unfortunately, a lot of people who are experiencing those ailments are part of the unhoused population. People most of the time that are unhoused don’t have proper footwear and socks which place them at a higher risk to develop those wounds.”
While she did not grow up a Beaver County resident, Frantz moved into the Pittsburgh region when she was 12 years old after immigrating from Colombia.
After moving around Western Pennsylvania, she, her husband and three kids moved to the Beaver County area around six years ago after her husband started to work at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant.
While being involved with the community close to home along with volunteer work, she has also started a new position in the Beaver County area.
“Recently I made an addition to my career working for the Gateway Rehab Center, and that was purposeful to give myself more experience in the behavioral health space,” Frantz said. “I have gotten a better understanding of people who have the most needs and continue to be able to give back. I work there once a week as a nurse at the Aliquippa facility, which is another part that I am giving to the community. Hopefully, some of the sock donations from the bigger organizations will touch the Beaver County community soon.”
By being nominated, Frantz will also receive a $10,000 donation from the NFL Foundation paid directly to the non-profit of her choice, which is Pittsburgh Mercy.
Frantz will also be recognized at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 17 game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
Though she won’t be able to be recognized in person at the game, Holmes Davis believes that her story can continue to push change in the community.
“We are a city that helps each other to create the needs for people,” Holmes Davis said. “We are excited to be able to share her story with our fanbase and hopefully through her work, people in the community will feel inspired to do something in their community as well.”
As Frantz continues to help the community with her various endeavors, she hopes that the work that she did can show people that putting a small effort into helping a cause can go a long way.
“It doesn’t take a lot of sacrifice to make a difference. We have been blessed with the ability to have a garage big enough and I am just one human being. If you take all the people that live in a five-mile region, you can do big things. People can make a lot of difference in the world by doing small things.”
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have had a strong showing so far in the Grapefruit League, but suffered a surprising defeat.
The Pirates lost 3-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., taking just their third defeat in Spring Training so far, dropping to 9-3 in the Grapefruit League.
Pittsburgh saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, but they are still level with the New York Yankees at the top of the Grapefruit League standings.
This game also came after the first off day for the Pirates on March 4 and a 7-1 win over Team Colombia in an exhibition at LECOM Park on March 3.
How the Pirates Fell to the Cardinals
Pirates right-handed pitcher Mitch Keller made his third start in the Grapefruit League and threw three scoreless innings, before giving up a solo home run to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Gorman on a slider down in the zone, putting the road team up 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning.
That represented the first run that Keller gave up all Spring Training and Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Derek Diamond came in for him after he gave up a single to Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker.
Keller has just a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League, a good start for the veteran on the starting rotation.
St. Louis loaded the bases against Pirates left-handed relief pitcher Evan Sisk in the top of the fifth inning with three walks, but Sisk struckout top prospect in shortstop JJ Wetherholt and forced Gorman into a double play to keep it a one-run game.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Chris Devenski gave up a run in the top of the sixth inning, as he walked second baseman Ramón Urías, who stole second base, then gave up a single to catcher Pedro Pagés, doubling the Cardinals’ lead at 2-0.
The Pirates tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, as shortstop Alika Williams hit a two-run home run off of Cardinals left-handed pitcher Quinn Mathews.
Pirates right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders gave up the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning, hitting leadoff batter Joshua Baez with a pitch and then giving up a single to pinch-hitter Jimmy Crooks to make it 3-2.
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn had a strong showing for the Pirates in the loss to the Cardinals with two hits in two at-bats. He is now slashing .462/.563/.769 for an OPS of 1.332 in six Grapefruit League games.
Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had a hit off the bench for the Pirates, as he is now slashing .533/.611/.733 for an OPS of 1.344 in seven games.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
Pittsburg, PA
As his polarizing Pitt career winds down, a banged-up Cam Corhen has saved his best for last
Along with the best football prospects the season has to offer, the NFL Draft promises to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.
If the turnout approaches that of Detroit in 2023, those descending on the North Shore and Downtown could reach 700,000 over the three days. For reference, that’s more than 10 times Acrisure Stadium’s 68,400 seats, and more than double the city’s roughly 308,000 residents.
Where will they stay? How will they get around?
Event planners at VisitPittsburgh say the city is up to the task.
“They picked us out of several cities because we have the infrastructure,” said Perry Ivery, general manager of the Oaklander Hotel and board chair of VisitPittsburgh.
Last year, Wisconsin’s Green Bay comfortably accommodated a unique visitor count three times its 106,000 population, according to residents and local leaders.
Rooms Enough?
Ivery said there are some 26,000 hotel rooms across the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, the bulk of which are concentrated in and around Downtown.
Even if each room holds two to four people, the total still appears to fall short. But Ivery said many attendees will be locals, whether from Pittsburgh, surrounding counties or neighboring states within a day’s drive.
Plus, a high proportion of out-of-town guests could have Pittsburgh roots and a free bed to claim in a family home, he added.
There are also around 3,500 units available for short-term rental in and around Pittsburgh through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
“We’re all working together to make sure everybody has a great hospitality experience in the City of Pittsburgh,” Ivery said.
Infrastructure from roads to parking, and bus and light rail routes, will also feel the strain.
Strain on the Train?
Pittsburgh Regional Transit normally services around 100,000 riders on an average weekday, across its entire network. Spokesperson Adam Brandolph said the agency is prepared for the transit demands of what’s expected to be the biggest event the city has hosted.
“We’re confident that we’ll be able to meet the needs of visitors to the draft as well as daily riders,” he said, noting “no major closures or detours” are planned for the event other than the University Line project, which may see less construction during that week.
Brandolph said the agency is finalizing plans and intends to make more information public soon.
A spokesperson for VisitPittsburgh said a local committee is working with a range of stakeholders including transportation agencies, engineering partners and local government “to deliver a coordinated and comprehensive plan for the region.”
“This includes collaboration with public transit agencies on adjusted service plans, clearly marked detour routes, designated rideshare zones and proactive communication with residents, businesses and commuters,” said Alex Kenzakoski, communications director for VisitPittsburgh.
“Our shared goal is to minimize disruption, keep the region moving and make travel as predictable and seamless as possible for both fans and locals.”
Kenzakoski said details on road closures, transit adjustments and travel guidance will be made known ahead of the draft, and encouraged fans to download the NFL OnePass app for transportation information and updates.
Ivery said a successful draft week execution could line Pittsburgh up for future hosting prospects.
“There’re going to be folks that come in that have never been to Pittsburgh … This is a case to showcase our town, and our hotels,” he said.
“We’re friendly, we have grit, we’re very excited to showcase that we can do large-scale activities.”
This story first appeared in Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Read the original here.
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