Kristen Holloway Querriera started Operation Troop Appreciation six years ago. She had no idea it would become a national organization that’s provided 70,000 troops with customized care and comfort packages. Querriera and the volunteers and patrons she mobilizes send wish-list items that help troops in Iraq and Afghanistan stay safe, focus on their missions and keep up their morale. “We’re showing our troops there is a united front of support here in Pittsburgh and across the country that helps them do their jobs with the knowledge they are supported and remembered,” she says.

At FHLBank Pittsburgh, a cooperative organization that lends funds to other financial institutions, Vincent Moye provides access to low-cost loans to help other bankers finance housing and economic development in local communities. Moye also serves as pastor of the church he founded, Pneuma Center for Biblical Guidance, in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood. As part of his ministry, he’s developed after-school enrichment and tutoring programs, marriage and family enrichment programs, and a community food bank. “It’s changing lives and giving a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose to youth, families and seniors in the Sheraden community,” he says. “All of us have the passion and belief to change the community one by one.”

As a prosecutor, Rob Schupansky works on behalf of victims of violent crime. He works on tough cases and has seen some terrible things, but was motivated to help as a result. Schupansky started a nonprofit called Chin Up Inc. “Chin Up specifically rewards children who are doing well despite dealing with difficult circumstances,” he says. Recently, the group provided backpacks and other necessary supplies to 140 children in Braddock. “The hope is the backpacks … will be an everyday reminder to students to believe in themselves and not to give up.”

Tracey Stevens is a nurse and case manager at Southern Care Hospice, caring for patients with terminal illnesses in their homes. Stevens provides all care needed, including managing symptoms to keep a patient as comfortable as possible, ordering supplies and communicating with doctors if additional treatment is necessary. “I work very hard to be caring, compassionate and accommodating for our patients and their families as they face the challenges of their diagnoses,” she says. “I want to make an impact on how they cope with terminal conditions.” This single parent is a board member for the American Cancer Society and a volunteer for the Salvation Army’s Disaster Relief Team.