Pompeanniversary: Bob's work goes beyond the sports desk
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - If you've lived in Western Pennsylvania for more than a couple of years, it's likely you've personally witnessed Bob Pompeani host some sort of charity event.
"When he commits to something, he's going to do it," says Vasso Paliouras, Founder of Lending Hearts. "So if that means bolting across the street from the station to the hotel to work an event, he's there. He's on it."
For 31 years, he's overseen the 'Bob Pompeani Golf Classic' that helps raise money for local people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
"His caring and his kindness to those individuals is something that keeps him going. It keeps us all going," says Tami Rippy from the Partners for Quality Foundation.
"What always impresses me about Bob is that he cares," says Greg Jena from Partners for Quality. "And not just about the people that we support. He gets emotional talking about them. He's truly invested and not just a chairman of the event in name only."
He's also hosted dozens of events for the Mario Lemieux Foundation, serving primarily as the host of Mario's annual celebrity golf outing.
"He's a force – he's Pomp," says Mario Lemieux Foundation Executive Director Nancy Angus. "Everyone knows him and he's beloved but I think even more than that, he understands the value of philanthropy. He understands that he can give his time and his talents for the greater good and that helps us which in turn helps others."
And some of those organizations have even RECOGNIZED him for those efforts….two years ago, Lending Hearts, a local charity focused on helping children and young adults dealing with cancer, named him their 'Man of the Year' for helping them raise nearly a million dollars over ten years.
"Bob touches everything and everyone in some way or another," says Paliouras. "He is community. He makes Pittsburgh a special place."