KEYSTONE CLIPS Prison volunteers honored for work

A former judge of Mercer County Common Pleas Court and a former Sharon woman have been named Volunteers of the Year by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections for their work on behalf of state prison inmates.
The late Judge John Q. Stranahan of Mercer was named Volunteer of the Year at the State Regional Correctional Facility at Mercer, primarily for his efforts to get the minimum-security prison a chapel, a process that took about 11 years.
Judge Stranahan was the driving force behind the purchase of a closed Stuckey's Restaurant that was moved to the prison and converted into a chapel in 1989. He died in September 2000.
Grace D. Jones, formerly of Sharon but now living in Florida, was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for the Sharon Community Corrections Center, a halfway house for inmates.
She was an active participant in the Alcoholics Anonymous program in 2001, leading weekly AA meetings at the facility and assisting residents in working on their recovery.
Trail cleanup: The Shenango Outing Club is looking for some volunteers to help with the annual spring cleanup of the Shenango Trail on Saturday. Helpers are needed to spend about four hours cutting brush and blow-downs and clearing the trail.
The outing club will supply all needed tools. The trail runs 8 miles along the Shenango River from Big Bend to the Kidd's Mill Covered Bridge. It follows the route of the old Erie Extension Canal; remains of the canal are still visible.
Participants will meet at 8 a.m. at the New Hamburg trail access on Hamburg Road in Delaware Township. For more information, call (724) 981-2880.
Donated computers: Nonprofit organizations and schools can apply for computers available through the Gateway Olympic Sponsorship PC Donation Program.
The computer company will donate 4,500 computers used during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The computers were used to track event results, statistics and standings for athletic coaches, spectators, officials and the press.
Only organizations recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as being nonprofit entities are eligible for the program, with priority given to schools and community centers looking to bring technology into underserved areas.
Anyone interested must fill out an online application at www.gateway.com/olympics/donations.shtml from Tuesday through July 31.
XCONTRIBUTORS: Laure Cioffi, Vindicator New Castle Bureau, and Harold Gwin, Sharon Bureau.