ANDREA BORTOLUZZI

Andrea Bortoluzzi has spent the last four years as a consultant in Corporate Affairs and Community Involvement for First Energy Corporation. She has been with the company for over thirty-two years, and her current territories include eighty-five percent of Pennsylvania and all of West Virginia. She loves planning and helping the employees of First Energy stay engaged in the community. In addition to being a Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) member for the last seven years, Andrea also serves on the board of CASA of Westmoreland County (Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

It has been over thirty-two years since Andrea was first introduced to United Way. She always made financial donations to United Way while her two boys were young, but as they grew up, she had more time to give back. “For a large part of my career, I was a full-time working mom. As your life goes through stages, you become more aware of the realities in the world,” said Andrea. “In my case, as my children got older, I started to realize the need in my local community and had more time to volunteer.”

United Way’s Meeting Basic Need Strategic Investment priorities aim to help the community through a variety of different projects. Andrea has been able to help the seniors in her community by participating in an annual program during the Christmas season. “We package about two hundred care packages for seniors living in care facilities. Our volunteers hand-write cards for each package that are inspirational to express how much they are appreciated and cared for. My favorite part is singing Christmas carols to the seniors – it is truly heartwarming.”

Andrea wishes more people knew about the different programs at United Way and all that the WLC has to offer. Once a year employees get to leave their traditional work environment and volunteer for projects happening throughout the community. “You meet employees from other companies and work together for such a great cause. From landscaping to painting, to helping clean up houses and sharing a meal with a senior – it proves to be a valuable experience for everyone involved.”

To learn more about United Way’s Women’s Leadership Council, contact Lynne Popash at lynne.popash@unitedwayswpa.org in Allegheny County or Terri Dominick at Terri.Dominick@unitedwayswpa.org in Westmoreland County, or Sherrie Dunlap Gallagher at sherrie.dunlapgallagher@unitedwayswpa.org in Butler County.