POST-GAZETTE.COM

St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh may be gone, but the Sisters of St. Francis' desire to help remains.

The Portiuncula Foundation, administered by the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities in Millvale, has awarded a $10,000 grant for a heating and air-conditioning system for the borough's future library. Some of the other new grants are $35,000 from the Grable Foundation and $15,000 from the Pittsburgh Foundation. A Run to Read 5K Race and a Millvale Mile Fun Walk that will be held in conjunction with Millvale Days are expected to add to the coffers.

Portiuncula is an Italian word used by St. Francis of Assisi that translates into "little portion." The foundation was started in 2003 and administers gifts and charitable funds formerly held by the St. Francis Health Foundation, St. Francis Hospital of New Castle and St. Francis Medical Center as well as donations to the religious community. The former St. Francis Medical Center in Lawrenceville sat just across the Allegheny River from Millvale.

Sister Marlene Kline, a member of the religious order for 56 years and spokeswoman for the foundation, said she recused herself from voting on the grant because she is a Millvale native. A committee reviewed the grant application and made a recommendation to the six-member board of directors for approval.

"As a child, I always wished there was a library in Millvale," Sister Marlene said. " There was a long-felt need for one. We try to give grants where we have collaborative projects and there is interest across different groups of people."

She also cited the library's garden project as contributing to the health and well-being of the community, one of the basic principles of the foundation, which also allows for capital building.

The awarding of a contract for the heating and cooling system is pending. Bids were sought through Bub Caliendo, a project engineer for P.W. Campbell Contracting Co. in O'Hara RIDC Park.

Mr. Caliendo, whose company previously sent volunteers to help at the site, also prepared a task list for volunteers to follow as work continues on the library.

The library project is sponsored by New Sun Rising, a nonprofit organization founded by brothers Brian and Scott Wolovich to support grass-root projects, mainly in the Pittsburgh region.

A building at 209-213 Grant Ave. was purchased in late 2008, and work began to transform the site of a former electronics repair company into a library. No cost estimate is available because of the volunteer work involved. Anyone who would like to help with the project can send e-mail to millvalelibrary@hotmail.com.

The 5K Run to Read will start at 10 a.m. Sept. 18 at the borough's Riverfront Park. The Millvale Mile Fun Walk begins at 10:15 a.m. at 213 Grant Ave.

All participants will receive T-shirts, and raffles will be held for prize baskets. Refreshments will be available at the end of the race. Registrations will be accepted until 8:59 p.m. Sept. 17. Cost is $25 per 5K runner and $35 per family for the Millvale Mile. For more information, e-mail run2read2010@gmail.com.