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Hubbard priest, Seitz family honored for work, courage
Father O’Neill and the Seitz Family of Poland received the Great Communicator and May Vetterle awards.
BOARDMAN — The Rev. Timothy O’Neill and 16-year-old Frederick Seitz and his family have motivated and inspired the Mahoning Valley community with their actions and courage.
They were recognized Tuesday by the Youngstown Hearing and Speech Clinic at the organization’s 17th annual Great Communicator dinner at Mr. Anthony’s, attended by about 700 people.
Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, former world lightweight boxing champion, was the guest speaker.
Father O’Neill, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Hubbard since 1992, received the clinic’s Great Communicator Award for his leadership and service in the community. He has basically given his life in service to the community, said Alfred J. Pasini, executive director of the Youngstown Hearing and Speech Clinic.
A 1958 graduate of Ursuline High School and former teacher at Cardinal Mooney High School, Father O’Neill has been a volunteer counselor at the Neil Kennedy Chemical Abuse Recovery Clinic for nearly 40 years. In 1994, he founded Difference Makers, a group of businessmen and others who help disenfranchised people in the Mahoning Valley, Pasini said.
Born in Youngstown, and clearly proud of it, Father O’Neill said Youngstown is a special, unique place.
“The other day I ran in Mill Creek Park, had a couple of Jay’s hot dogs, had chocolate pecan ice cream at Handel’s, and got a steam bath at the YMCA. No other place in the world could I have done that,” he said.
He said he is particularly honored by the Great Communicator Award because it is given by his peers and because of the quality of the people who received it before him.
Frederick “Fred” Seitz, who is deaf and was born with Goldenhar Syndrome, and his family — father, Fred; mother, Rose; and brothers, Jonathan, 13, and Robbie, 8 — received the 2009 May Vetterle Award, named for the clinic’s first director.
The individual or family chosen for this award is one that is also highly respected for commitment to communications and for bringing awareness to children who are deaf and who have craniofacial differences, Pasini said.
Fred has been a client at Youngstown Hearing & Speech for 15 years and is a member of the Deaf Kids Enrichment Program and a successful student a Poland Seminary High School. He and his family are very involved in the Children’s Craniofacial Association and attend the organization’s annual retreats.
His father developed the Web site www.ccakids.org for the organization and has maintained it since 1999. His mother has served on CCA’s board of directors since 2003 and was its chairwoman in 2007 and 2008 and is its treasurer. Young Fred has helped with raising awareness and money for three years.
The National Craniofacial Association defines Goldenhar Syndrome as a congenital birth defect that involves deformities of the face, usually affecting one side of the face only.
Young Fred doesn’t call his deafness and facial deformity handicaps.
“I can’t hear, but there are many other things I can do. I go to school and get good grades,” he said.
He plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology and study engineering, and until major back surgery a couple of years ago, he rode dirt bikes. Now, he just rides all-terrain vehicles with his brothers.
His mother said he inspires her and others with his courage.
“He has endured many painful surgeries and, knowing what he faces, still comes out without complaining. People see what he goes through and are inspired,” she said.
Freddie asks that people not judge people by the way that they look.
“They need to find out what that person is and what their personality is. We are all the same inside,” he said.
alcorn@vindy.com