Honoring a Beloved Teacher

During her 25 years as a third- grade teacher in Pottsville, Pa. (pop. 15,549), Karen Chattin-Ney not only taught more than 700 students reading, writing and arithmetic, she tried to instill the importance of helping others. So when Chattin-Ney died of cancer in December 1998, her family and friends wanted to carry on her legacy.

“Karen was really connected to kids,” says Thomas Ney, Karen’s widower.

In 1999, Ney joined Karen’s parents and fellow teachers to create Karen’s Heroes, a unique memorial fund that allows third-grade students to determine how money is allocated among charities. “The idea was that she would continue to teach them,” Ney says.

Each year, five nonprofit organizations that promote causes that were important to Karen are selected to make presentations to third-graders at Pottsville’s John S. Clarke Elementary School, where she once taught. The children “soak it all up,” says Stacey Murphy, executive director of the Literacy Council of Schuylkill County. “They have tons of questions.”

During her presentation, kids quizzed Murphy on everything from why adults can’t read to what the literary council will do with the money and what type of books will be bought.

After a week of learning more about the roles and needs of each organization, about 200 students cast their votes on how to award the money. “I voted for the Cancer Society, but I wasn’t gonna,” says Kyra Varano, 9. “Then they showed me how people die and I thought maybe they need it more than Porcupine Pat (Pat McKinney, a representative for the Schuylkill County Conservancy).” If you ask the young philanthropists what impact their decision will have, they’re quick to explain. “Medicine to help people with cancer get better,” says Autumn Minnich, 9, who voted for the American Cancer Society.

“Buy new land, land you can’t hunt on but you can camp there, swim there,” says student Kevin Hampford, voting for the Schuykill County Conservancy.

The kids’ big decision often becomes the subject of dinner table conversations. “I talked with my parents,” says student Sarah Comisac, 9. “They had ideas about cancer because my mom’s a nurse, but I voted for that birthday one.” Comisac was referring to Lasting Legacy, an organization to celebrate Pottsville’s bicentennial.

Joanne Horvath says her daughter Elise, who participated in Karen’s Heroes in 2005, learned a valuable lesson. “For Elise, the excitement was evaluating and deciding which charity to vote for,” Horvath says. “The opportunity allowed her to really understand how one person’s voice, one person’s action could change things.”

As they discussed her daughter’s decision, Horvath found herself talking about democracy and the importance of voting in political elections. “It became a building block for what happens in the real world,” she says.

In this election, however, everyone is a winner. With an annual award of $1,500 divided among the organizations, each vote is worth $7.50. Last year’s funds were distributed to the Schuylkill County Conservancy ($480), American Cancer Society ($435), Lasting Legacy ($405), Pottsville Soup Kitchen ($105) and the Literacy Council for Schuylkill County ($75).

Mike Pavelko, 17, was in the last third-grade class taught by Chattin-Ney. He says Karen’s Heroes is a fitting tribute to a teacher he fondly remembers. “Even when we weren’t in her classroom she never forgot about us,” says Pavelko, now a senior at Pottsville High School. “It’s like we were still in her heart.”

Thanks to Karen’s Heroes, the spirit of Karen Chattin-Ney will continue to live in the hearts of students, teaching them valuable lessons for years to come.

Jodi M. Webb is a writer in Pottsville, Pa.

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