SHALER: Ninety-one-year-old Mitzi Waite joked that she joined the Cherry City ladies auxiliary as a way to get out of the house. “I joined in 1956, just to be with the ladies,” laughed Waite, who, despite being the oldest member has not relinquished her enthusiasm. She helps with monthly luncheons, raffles and bingos. “I’ve been here ever since,” Waite said, from the fire hall along Davis Avenue. It’s loyalty like hers that helped the volunteer group reach its 60th anniversary this month — a notable milestone in the face of dwindling volunteerism across the country. Similar groups throughout the Lower Valley have been plagued with apathy and aging membership, like the Aspinwall American Legion Auxiliary, which disbanded in 2002, just months after waning interest led to the dissolution of the Aspinwall AARPs. But despite the struggle to attract younger members, the Cherry City Auxiliary has remained strong. In fact, club president Judy Kowalewski recruited three new women last week. “When I go to yard sales I round people up,” she said, laughing. “I think a lot of women don’t know what’s involved and that it can be a lot of fun.” The group began as an outlet for wives and mothers of Cherry City firemen, but in order to sustain a healthy roster, has opened its membership to women from neighboring communities like Aspinwall, O’Hara and Indiana Township. The auxiliary works mainly to aid the volunteer fire department, which serves residents of Etna, Shaler and Millvale. Since the group’s inception in 1944, it has raised more than $85,000 through bingos and bake sales, raffles and luncheons. “We may gripe a lot, but we get a lot of nice work done,” said Dolores Schmidt of Shaler. Over the years, money has helped pay for new radios, helmets and a $9,000 thermal-imaging camera, the latest firefighting technology which uses a heat-seeking detector to see through smoke-filled areas. The women also donate money to families who suffer fires or floods, and, they helped pay for and maintain a granite monument dedicated to war veterans that sits near the fire hall. Ruth Spell, a member for 47 years, said she is reminded each time she hears the fire whistle blow that her help matters. Both of her sons have served as firefighters for the department. “Every time you hear that whistle, you think of one of your own going out and you’re thankful for the help they get,” she said. While the baking and raffles can be tedious work, Schmidt agreed that it amounts to a labor of love. “Everytime the truck goes out,” she said, “you feel like you’re a small part of it.” Judy Kowalewski, whose served several stints as club president, pointed to today’s lagging economy for declining volunteerism. “Women have to work,” she said. “They don’t have time to volunteer like they used to.” Still, the Shaler-based outfit has lost only about 30 percent of its membership in the past five decades, and the women are hoping that a renewed effort in recruiting will help them rebound. During the 1950s, when the group was at its peak, the group boasted 75 members. Today, membership lingers around 52. For Indiana Township resident Audrey Newcamp, opening the membership to outside residents made it possible for her to join. Not only was it a way for Newcamp to give back — the fire department came to her family’s rescue when their house caught fire in the 1950s — it was a family affair to join the club. She is Kowalewski’s sister and their grandmother once served as club president. “It’s been a tradition for four generations,” she said. “I procrastinated, but I’m finally here. You can’t always wait for someone else to do things. Sometimes you have to step in yourself.” Additional Information:

To join

What: Cherry City Auxiliary. Where: Cherry City Fire Hall, Davis Avenue. When: 8 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month. For more information: Phone 412-822-7000.

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