HARRISON CITY, Penn.—Eileen Cunningham is a mother of four and grandmother of three, with another on the way. The wife of “Goose” Cunningham—when you are from Hazelwood, everyone has a nickname—possesses the unique quality of bringing people together to form communities.

How? The natural athlete coached girls hockey, track and field, cross-country, and basketball at the school her children attended when no one else stepped up.

An engineer by trade, a substitute teacher by design, she also coached coed soccer and even cheerleading at the same school district.

If your child has ever participated in any type of sport, you know whether they spend more time on the bench than on the field of play. Being part of something bigger than oneself remains a valuable method that has encouraged social capital in children for centuries in our country.

In short, being part of a team and being someone who steps up in a leadership role to facilitate the ability for young people to be part of that team has meant Cunningham has had a positive influence on a generation of younger people.

The odds are high that many of the children Cunningham coached have grown up and searched out ways to replicate those aspirational qualities.

When you are someone such as Cunningham, you never really lose that desire to bring people together for a common cause, educate them, and hope........

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