More than 30 nominations were received this year, said Donna Gority, tribute committee chair. Honorees are then chosen by a selection committee, she added.

WISE stands for Women Involved in Scholarship and Empowerment and the organization is dedicated to empowering women and eliminating racism through collaboration, service and education.​ Through the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation, funds raised at the annual tribute dinner are used for educational scholarships and award grants to benefit Blair County nonprofit organizations that provide services and programs to aid women and children.

This year’s honorees are: Kay Stephens, Arts & Letters; Pam Root-Baechle, Business & Professional; Juls Bratton, Community Service Volunteer; Joan Salvi Donnelly, Education; Michelle A. McIntyre, NonProfit/Government; Rylee Marie Bush, Rising Star; and Dee Martin-Spallone, Lifetime Achievement.

Following is a closer look at the 2024 honorees and their achievements.

Pam Root-Baechle, Business & Professional honoree

Arts & Letters

Those selected in the Arts & Letters category contribute significantly to the culinary, literary, performing or visual arts. This year, Kay Stephens, a news reporter with the Altoona Mirror, will be honored.

Stephens, 68, of Altoona, is an award-winning reporter who has worked at the Mirror for 47 years. Her coverage has included education, breaking news, feature writing, county and municipal government and county court proceedings.

She is a repeat winner in annual journalism contests sponsored by the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association, the Western Pennsylvania Press Club, the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association, Pennsylvania Press Club and the National Federation of Press Women.

Stephens serves as president of the Pennsylvania Press Club, an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. She manages the membership’s annual communications contest as well as an annual journalism contest for high school journalists. Her support of future journalists extends through her membership in the Penn State Alumni Association and as a supporter of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications and its annual Tom Gibb Memorial Scholarship.

Juls Bratton, Community Service Volunteer honoree

Stephens enjoys playing handbells, primarily bass, for the bell choir at First United Church of Christ in Ebensburg.

She is also a longtime volunteer for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Blair County, having mentored three little sisters.

When asked about the mission of WISE Women of Blair County, which is to eliminate racism and empower women, Stephens said: “I think Blair County will only benefit from the mission,” Stephens said. “Both efforts — to eliminate racism and empower women — will take time. Calling attention to the mission — through a tribute honoree program, fundraising, scholarships — are contributions in that direction.”

Business & Professional

Honorees in the Business & Professional category provide leadership in business and industry, profit-oriented services or work in a field requiring advanced training/certification.

Joan Salvi Donnelly, Education honoree

Pam Root-Baechle, clinical social worker/private practitioner, is this year’s honoree.

As a masters level psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker in Blair County, Root-Baechle, 68, of Hollidaysburg, has provided support, encouragement and a path to healing and well-being for hundreds of area women for over 40 years. Additionally, she has been a leader among local mental health clinicians and an advocate for mental health services.

She started her local career in 1983 and served as a clinical social worker with Family and Children’s Service in Altoona, where she provided assessment and therapy to women who had been sexually abused, victims of domestic violence and were in need of divorce mediation. While there, she built and trained a network of volunteers who worked in these programs. After a decade there, she moved into supervision of clinical staff who worked with domestic abuse survivors, women reentering the workforce and consulted with business leaders at The Lytle Group, where she also presented workshops on various topics.

In 1994, Root-Baechle served as clinical social worker at an inpatient geropsychiatric unit at Mercy Hospital for seven years and then entered private practice in 1998, where she currently provides clinical services to mostly women aged 15 and older who seek relief and healing from trauma, grief and other psychological distress.

Root-Baechle volunteers with St. Vincent de Paul/Monastery Community Gardens and has served as a senior companion with Blair Senior Services, a guardian through Blair County Mental Health and volunteer with the Mental Health Association.

Michelle McIntyre, Nonprofit/Government honoree

Root-Baechle said she has been motivated by and “is optimistic about the ability of human beings to be able to heal from wounds experienced in their lives. Through my experience with clients, I have been blessed to see that as people become more reflective and understanding of themselves, they become more loving and compassionate people. Otherwise, they project their pain on their community and their thoughts and behavior become the norm.”

Community Service Volunteer

Those honored in the Community Service Volunteer category perform outstanding service to the community by demonstrating distinctive and unique contributions and benefits as an unpaid volunteer.

Juls Bratton will be honored this year as the founder and president of Girls Night Out, a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization that has raised and donated $1.5 million to four regional breast treatment and research facilities over the past 15 years.

Bratton lives in New Enterprise and was inspired after her former boss at the American Red Cross, Taunia Oeschlin, succumbed to breast cancer after a three-year fight.

Rylee Bush, Rising Star honoree

Girls Night Out was created to educate women about breast cancer, the value of early detection and proper treatment.

Bratton is described as the “go-to person in our community when there’s a need” to lead fundraising efforts, whether that be for a child diagnosed with cancer, a grandfather in need of an organ transplant or a community benefit. Additionally, she has served on various boards and organizations for the past 30 years, including the Church of the Brethren Disaster Response, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Pennsylvania FFA board, Blair County Relay for Life, MS Society/Lobsterfest Committee, American Red Cross, Family Services Inc., Daughters of the Nile, Ladies Oriental Shrine of North America and the Northern Bedford Community Athletic Association.

When a Northern Bedford High School alumni offered $1 million in matching funds to the association, she spearheaded a fundraising effort that raised $1.6 million to build Panther Community Stadium.

Additionally, Bratton is active in her church, where she serves on the leadership team and is a pianist. She also enjoys singing with her sisters as The 3 Js.

Education

Joan Salvi Donnelly, chief education officer at Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, will be honored in the education category, recognizing those who work in a formal education setting and demonstrate exceptional leadership or innovation.

Donnelly, 66, of Altoona has provided 43 years of service to BG, 10 of which were as principal. She was one of the first teachers to offer college in high school credits.

She is described as a leader “in delivering, improving and transforming education for generations of students and teachers. Her contributions improved the lives of students as a teacher, and even more importantly she has led the transformation of Bishop Guilfoyle’s educational experience to become a premier experience that is on par with leading schools nationally,” according to her nomination letter.

She has developed new programs, new teaching standards and her “impact benefitted students who went on to become leaders, good neighbors in our local community and it also benefited other schools and students through the excellent teachers and students who were trained at BG and went on to new opportunities at public schools. The vision of innovation and the values of goodness and strong ethics learned under Joan’s leadership has made an impact through multiple generations of our community,” the letter states.

Donnelly said her motivation comes from a “deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of education. I am driven by a vision of creating a learning environment where every student is empowered to reach their full potential. I see education not just as a means to acquire knowledge, but as a tool to foster critical thinking, creativity and empathy. My goal is to inspire a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom and prepares students to thrive in an ever-changing world. I am committed to challenging the status quo, embracing innovation, and creating opportunities for all students to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. My motivation is centered in the belief that education has the power to change lives and shape a brighter future for generations to come.”

Additionally, she sees the mission of WISE Women as “essential. Education plays a pivotal role in shaping attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. By addressing issues of racism and empowering women, we are not only creating a more inclusive and just society, but also ensuring that all individuals have equal access to opportunities and resources. This mission aligns with my core values as an educator, which include promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of education.”

Nonprofit/Government

Roaring Spring Community Library Director Michelle A. McIntyre will be honored in the

NonProfit/Government category, where honorees who work in a nonprofit organization or in a governmental/political environment demonstrate visionary leadership for the community’s betterment.

As director of the library, McIntyre has positioned the library as “a hub for anyone experiencing food insecurity through (her) unending tenacity and willingness to provide for her community,” according to her nominator. Its multifaceted approach includes a seed library, educational programs designed to help people grow a portion of their own food and a food pantry, with locally donated products for neighbors and even pet food. There’s a free coat room and a section for feminine hygiene products.

“Michelle works very hard to recognize what the Roaring Spring community needs and tirelessly writes grants to help get those items. And, yes, the books are invaluable, too,” the letter states.

McIntyre, 51, lives in Duncansville. She has an associate of science degree in criminology, a bachelor of science degree in behavioral social science and a master of science in library science with a concentration in rural and small public libraries.

McIntyre is a Penn State Master Gardener, committee member of the Healthy Blair County Coalition Food for Life and Blair County Health and Welfare Council, as well as vice president of the Morrisons Cove 1st Federal Credit Union and board member of the St. Vincent de Paul Community Gardens at the Monastery.

She is a third generation public servant where working for the public “has been ingrained,” she stated. She’s worked to create “a space where people can better themselves and access the tools to lead their best lives.

“Knowing each day I go into work, I am making a difference in my community. … My passion for helping others, finding solutions, and working to improve the community inspires and motivates me.”

Rising Star

Rising Star honorees provide self-initiated community service that have significant and positive impact. This year, 15-year-old Rylee Marie Bush, lifetime ambassador of Beauty, Brains and Heart, will be honored with the Rising Star award.

Rylee is a sophomore at Altoona Area High School where she is a majorette, participates in chorus and has accrued more than 500 hours in community service with Special Olympics of Pennsylvania, Tim Tebow Night to Shine Prom, Toys for Tots, Children’s Miracle Network, March of Dimes, Sideline Cancer, Relay for Life and the Central Pennsylvania Humane Society.

She is the daughter of Briana Bush.

“Rylee is extremely active in her community and has been since she was a young child. Her volunteerism began with her affiliation as a team queen with Beauty, Brains and Heart and is now a Lifetime Ambassador with BBH,” said her nominator. “Rylee has continued to share her compassion and time to volunteering.”

Additionally, she collects and organizes donations for Rachel’s Closet, a school classroom transformed into a boutique to provide clothing, personal hygiene products and school supplies to students in need. Rylee participates in Altoona Area Public Library activities with the organization Beauty, Brains and Heart. As a lifetime ambassador for the program, Rylee mentors young girls and serves as a role model.

“For years, I have been passionate about helping those with special needs. I am motivated by the hearts of those who persevere regardless of their disabilities,” she stated. “Each day I see the bullying and cruelty in today’s world and I am motivated to strive to be the voice for those who need uplifting.”

Lifetime Achievement

Dee Martin-Spallone will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to an honoree who has exemplified during her lifetime or career the mission of WISE Women and has made creative contributions of outstanding significance to the mission by the way she has lived.

Martin-Spallone is a past president of WISE Women, a former board member and serves on the Scholarship and Grant committees.

Martin-Spallone has worked as an advocate for family literacy and for those in need in a myriad of ways. She founded a local chapter of First Book, a national organization that provides free new books to children, and founded the Juniata United Methodist Church’s Angel Feet Ministry, a sneaker shoe bank for children and youth in the county. More than 2,800 individuals have received help through the shoe bank, which has distributed over 6,850 pairs of sneakers.

An Altoona resident whose paternal relatives came from Roaring Spring, she is an active volunteer and supporter of the Roaring Spring Community Library. She helped create a food pantry, which she regularly stocks, and has written “countless” letters seeking donations and support and grants. She annually plants a flower garden using the expertise she’s gained as a Penn State Master Gardener and handcrafts wreaths to raise money to pay the library’s heat bill. Since 2019, her wreath fundraiser has raised over $4,000.

For 30 years as a Master Gardener, Martin-Spallone has educated the public about many aspects of gardening as a volunteer and presenter and is a member of Growing Gardeners, a statewide initiative,which assists with curriculum development for toddlers and children for programs at the Penn State Arboretum and around the state.

She is motivated by her faith and being in service to others, which she learned from her family. “It is the example of the servant that guides me,” she said.

Her nominator called her “the best brain-stormer I have ever encountered. Dee creates opportunities. She works with you to overcome the hurdles and find reasonable solutions to problems. She works tirelessly to find the right answers that will make a huge difference. Dee is comfortable in many settings; she is approachable, makes introductions and creates connections within the community.”

If you go

What: WISE Women of Blair County tribute dinner

When: 6 p.m. April 17

Where: The Casino at Lakemont Park

Reservations: Must be made by April 5. For information and reservations, email tribute@wisewomenofblaircounty.org.

Cost: $60 per adult; $20 per child 16 years and younger

Dee Martin-Spallone, Lifetime Achievement honoree