Plum Borough School Board recognizes our new SOS chapter at O’Block Jr. High that is partnering with the O’Block Reach Out Club to further the work that Serving Other Souls conducts to impact more servant-leaders and serve more in our communities.
Serving Other Souls group establishes new chapters in Plum, Monroeville
When Chris Cooley started a local chapter of Serving Other Souls group in 2011, his goal was always to expand its reach. With new chapters in his hometown of Plum and next door in Monroeville, that has become a reality.
This video was played with the other finalists of the Celebration of Champions contest on Oct. 18, 2017. Mr. Cooley was named the Educational Division Champion for his work with Serving Other Souls, Inc.
Thank you to all that voted in the Celebration of Champions event hosted by the Pittsburgh Sheraton. Your votes earned Mr. Cooley the overall Champion in the Educational Division. SOS is so thankful for our supporters!!
On Oct 18th, 2017, Executive Director of SOS, Christopher Cooley, will be recognized as one of the finalists in the educational division of the Celebration of Champions award event presented by Sheraton Hotel of Pittsburgh. Mr Cooley was one of three finalists in the education division from all the educational nominees for the work he conducts with Serving Other Souls, Inc. Click the icon to the left to visit the event website to view the other finalists and the details of the event. SOS will post the results of the evening to announce if Mr. Cooley is the winner of the voting that was conducted between the education finalists.
Executive Director of Serving Other Souls, Christopher Cooley, was inducted into the 2017 class of Plum High School Distinguished Alumni due to the impact of Serving Other Souls within the local communities in serving the needy and servant-leadership training for the SOS members.
On May 5th 2016, Mr. Cooley attended the Pittsburgh region Jefferson Awards. Of the 50 Jefferson Award winners, Mr Cooley was one of the 5 finalist for the overall winner of the Pittsburgh region. Mr. Cooley finished just short of the overall winner who started an inter-faith collaborative between leaders of various faiths. Mr. Cooley speech at the Jefferson Awards speaks of why over 550 servant-leaders have been trained since the inception of SOS in 2011.
2016 Award for Executive Director, Christopher Cooley
On May 5th 2016, Mr. Cooley attended the Pittsburgh region Jefferson Awards. Of the 50 Jefferson Award winners, Mr Cooley was one of the 5 finalist for the overall winner of the Pittsburgh region. Mr. Cooley finished just short of the overall winner who started an inter-faith collaborative between leaders of various faiths. Mr. Cooley speech at the Jefferson Awards speaks of why over 550 servant-leaders have been trained since the inception of SOS in 2011.
SOS is proud to announce that on May 3rd, 2016, SOS received a $1000 grant donation from Dominion Resources Services, Inc which is a major energy supplier to the mid-Atlantic states. Melissa DiPasquale received Dominion’s Volunteer of the Year Award and named SOS to receive the $1000 grant donation as the 501c3 non-profit of Melissa’s choice to mark the occassion of her award. Thank you to Melissa and Dominion to help us use donations like this to serve other souls.
SOS is proud to announce that on April 26, Allstate Insurance Agency awarded SOS a $1000 grant due to the volunteerism of Agent Chris Tomley. This $1000 grant was added to the race proceeds of the 2016 Miles of Smiles 5K and 1 Mile Walk on May 21, 2016. Thank you to Allstate and Chris!
SOS is proud to announce to the Executive Director of SOS, Mr. Christopher Cooley was contacted on March 25, 2016 to share he had earned the Jefferson Award for Volunteerism. He and 49 other winners were selected from over 350 nominees to win this region’s Jefferson Awards. Of the 50 winners, Mr. Cooley was named one of the five finalists to win the overall Jefferson Award for Volunteerism on April 9th, 2016. This honor earned SOS a $1,000 donation from a sponsor of the Jefferson Awards. On May 5, 2016, one of the five finalist will be named over winner for Western PA. The winner’s non-profit will receive an additional cash donation and that winner will represent Western PA at the National Jefferson Awards Gala in Washington DC in June of 2016. Congratulations to the founder of SOS and our Executive Director for this honor! We will update with pictures from the Awards Dinner on May 5, 2016.
On May 4th, 2015, Serving Other Souls attended the annual Jefferson Awards for Public Service Awards Dinner held at Heinz Field. SOS received the Jefferson Award after being recognized by members of the community for the excellence of our service projects. SOS did not earn the opportunity to move to the national level of the award since the group was nominated, and only individuals winning the award have the chance to move to the national award. Learn more about the Pittsburgh Jefferson awards by visiting this link, http://old.post-gazette.com/pgcharities/jefferson/program.asp
On Nov. 25, 2014, the Post Gazette ran our article as one of the 50 Jefferson Awards winners from western PA. All Jefferson award winners from 2014 will receive an article like this and the upcoming Jefferson Awards banquet in the spring of 2015 will award one of the winners with a $1,000 endowment and will move onto the national ceremony in the summer of 2015 in Washington DC.
2015 Award for Serving Other Souls, Inc.
On September 25, 2014, Serving Other Souls received confirmation that we had won one of the Jefferson Awards for Western Pennsylvania. SOS will be taking members of the SOS Leadership Team to the offices of the Post Gazette for pictures to be included in an upcoming article about SOS and our Jefferson Award. The Jefferson is the top service award that a non-profit organization can receive. It is like the Nobel Peace Prize for non-profit organizations. Click the link on the medal of the Jefferson Award to see more information about this most prestigious award.
Serving Other Souls is so excited to announce that our logo has been trademarked US Patent and Trademark Office!! Our shield’s image defines who we are and what we do. Our new shirts will add the “TM” in the bottom right corner of our logo to advertise this new trademark!!
On Feb. 6, 2014, SOS was recognized in the Post Gazette with an article written by PG writer, Tim Means. Mr. Means reached out to SOS after he had received info on the good work that SOS was doing, and he wanted to learn more about our mission, events, and members. Click the image below to read the full article. SOS converted the online article that also ran in the newspaper into pic images so that if the PG stopped running the story at some point online, now, SOS will always retain a copy of this article.
On January 22, 2014, Serving Other Souls received a Meritorious Citation from the Mayor of Murrysville, Mr. Robert Brooks. SOS was deeply honored to receive this award from the community that our school district is within.
Although Mr. Cooley received the Excellence Award as a teacher at FR, the work that Serving Other Souls has achieved since 2011 played an a role in this award.
The Excellence Award is a reflection of the excellence that Serving Other Souls attempts to offer through service to our fellow man by conducting events for the neediest of our community to make these souls smile when it may appear that no one in their life cares or to reach out when their need is at its greatest.
The Hero of Hope Award was presented to Mr. Cooley by Sunny Carney at the 2012 Murrysville Relay for Life. The Murrysville Relay for Life committee selected Sunny’s nomination of the work that Mr. Cooley did as the creator and director of Serving Other Souls and for his work as a member of the race committee/race director of the Miles of Smiles for Sunny 5K from 2008-2011. Sunny gave an inspirational talk at the awards dinner about never giving up in the fight against cancer, and then she surprised Mr. Cooley with this award at the end of her talk.
On February 11, 2013, Serving Other Souls was recognized by the Mayor of Plum, Mr. Richard Hrivnak, with a service award. Mr. Cooley worked with the race organizers for the Miles of Smiles for Sunny 5K in 2008, and he served as race director of the Miles of Smiles for Sunny from 2009-2011. The skills that made these 5K races a success in the community of Plum helped lay the foundation for why SOS has been so successful in Murrysville since our inception in October 2011. SOS was honored to be recognized in this commendation by the Mayor of Plum.
