Geneva College honors Beaver Falls' Women of Excellence

BEAVER FALLS, PA (03/14/2014)(readMedia)-- Geneva College will honor and celebrate the 2014 Beaver Falls Women of Excellence during a brunch on March 29. Four women from Beaver Falls, Pa., will be recognized for being role models, demonstrating high moral standards and serving as leaders of the community.

This is the second year for the awards. "It is wonderful for Geneva to honor these special women who are making an impact in our community," says Kathy Kinzer-Downs, Director of Geneva's Multicultural Student Services. "They set a tremendous example for all of us, young and old. We love sharing the stories of some of the heroes of our community through these awards, and invite the community to join us in celebrating them."

The 2014 Beaver Falls Teen Woman of Excellence is Nya Coleman. Miss Coleman has been called a strong student and exceptional leader at Beaver Falls High School. Her honors include High Honor Roll, National Honor Society President, Rotary Student of the Month and West Point Leadership Award. She has been involved in many school activities including Student Council President, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible Club President, Ushers Club President and Senior Ambassador for Student Voice, and Big Beaver Falls School Board Student Representative. She is also involved extensively in community service, including Tiger Pause Youth Ministry, and in her church vacation Bible school, nursery and children's classes.

Mrs. Renee Suhr is one of three Women of Excellence to be recognized. As a Beaver Falls business owner, Mrs. Suhr made an investment in Beaver Falls through her business, Stray Cat Studio, which is a pottery studio and art shop, and then encouraged others to make a similar investment by helping to found Beaver Falls Forever (BFF). Her nominator said, "In the years that she has resided in Beaver Falls, she embodies exactly what it means to bloom where one is planted. Renee believes in her adopted city, and her enthusiasm and love are contagious." She supports local artists by selling their products at the studio. She also promotes shopping in Beaver Falls, and has been known to share 100+ ways to keep Christmas shopping local, to the delight and benefit of Beaver Falls businesses.

Mrs. Sabrina Tench is another Women of Excellence. The wife of Pastor Bernard Tench of Second Baptist Church in Beaver Falls, she leads many ministries, including choirs, and a mentor program she created for young girls called Girlfriends. Through this program the girls and their mentors spend valuable time together, and engage in community service such as volunteering at a food bank and singing for elderly shut-ins. Mrs. Tench is dedicated to helping children to excel in academics and personal accomplishments through work at Tiger Pause and Beaver Falls High School. She was nominated by a student of Geneva College. Mrs. Tench and a group from the church often cook a homemade meal for students of the college, and shower them with love.

Ms. Abigail Young, the final Woman of Excellence, makes an impact in Beaver Falls through her work at TRAILS Ministries, a nonprofit Christian-based organization serving those impacted by the trauma of incarceration. She routinely helps those she meets through TRAILS by volunteering in numerous ways after business hours. One person noted that Ms. Young is committed to serving those who come in contact with her in any that what is needed. "Whether that means she is a taxi service for a day, a babysitter or a listening ear, Abby truly wants to bring God's love to people she meets in any way He has called her." There are countless stories of Ms. Young helping those going through difficult times, such as befriending a young woman sitting alone and crying on the sidewalk, sharing God's love with a lonely man in a restaurant, and reaching across the authority barrier to minister to a professor.

Anyone interested in attending the Women of Excellence brunch may register at www.geneva.edu/womenofexcellence_brunch. The cost is $10 per person, and the event will be at 11 a.m. in the Benedum Room of Alexander Hall.

Geneva College invites students to accept the challenge of an academically excellent, Christ-centered and affordable education. Offering nearly 40 undergraduate majors, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and campus-based options, and seven graduate degrees, programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top 10 Best Value in the North Region with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the inerrancy of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world.