Dave McIlnay, Instructor Aide, Greensburg, supervised the rebuilding of the historic distillery at Perryopolis from October 1993 through April 1994.  Only rubble was at the site when the project began.

Community Realizes Vision
Historical park was 13 years in the making  

In early 1991, I was contacted by several people of the Perryopolis Heritage Society to see if we would be interested in construction around a historical project. Present at our first meeting were Milton Alison, Gladys Powell and Aldo Divergilio from the town and Tony Fannerella, masonry instructor and myself.

They took us to the site where the Washington Grist Mill stood until it was finally finished off by a hurricane in the thirties. All that remained was the rubble outline of the original mill, they explained how important it was to get the mill foundation built. How they wanted to finish the project and build an historical park surrounding the mill.

Tony, the mason, wanted the project. We began in the fall of that year and completed the foundation by late spring of the following year. Over the years that followed the agency completed several contracts for the town; rebuilt the distillery, chink a log cabin, pour concrete sidewalk, repair the fulling mill and others.

I had not been to the Perrypolis Pioneer Days for about the last eight years. Milton Alison and Gladys Powell have long since passed away. Last October I went to the local celebration and saw the historical park I first heard about 13 years ago. Their vision was now a reality. I felt so much pride remembering Operation Outward Reach's contribution to the town.

Ray Thompson

OOR President

Ray Thompson, OOR Board Member Barbara Ferrier

OOR Gets PANO Seal

Operation Outward Reach has been awarded the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) Seal of Excellence, one of the first organizations to be certified under the Standards program, begun in 2002. PANO has developed an Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector.

A "jury of peers" from PANO evaluated OOR for compliance with PANO's Standards for Excellence, based on honesty, integrity, fairness, respect, trust, responsibility, and accountability.

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