Sewickley Heights couple named Good Samaritans

Though Matthew and Leslie Braksick said they are honored to receive this year's Samaritan Counseling Center of Western Pennsylvania Good Samaritan Award, the Sewickley Heights couple said they feel a little undeserving.

The award, which will be presented during the Inspiring Hope Gala Dinner Saturday at Allegheny County Club, is given to individuals based on philanthropy, volunteering, faith and sharing their skills and talents with others.

“The Braksicks fit that perfectly,” said Beth Healey, director of development and marketing for Samaritan Counseling Center.

“They're a couple that's well-known in the community. Anywhere I go and I say we're honoring Matthew and Leslie Braksick, everybody goes, ‘Oh, they are wonderful people.' What impresses me, too, about them is they're just so humble about it,” she said.

Over the years, Matthew Braksick has served on the Sewickley Public Library and Sweetwater Center for the Arts boards and currently serves on the Old Sewickley Post Office Corp. board. He supports youth programs at Sewickley Presbyterian Church and has chaperoned numerous mission trips in the United States and abroad.

Leslie Braksick serves on the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and Princeton Theological Seminary boards and was CEO of Moon-based Continuous Learning Group Inc., a business strategy consulting company, for more than 15 years.

She recently co-founded My Next Season, a company dedicated to helping retired executives transition from their successful careers to lives of purpose.

Like her husband, Leslie Braksick is involved in Sewickley Presbyterian Church and is an elder there.

Leslie Braksick said they don't feel that what they do is extraordinary or special.

“There's so many people who are just very giving — giving of their time, giving of their financial support and expertise. There's no shortage of giving in this community,” she said.

Matthew Braksick said his passion for helping others was passed onto him by his parents.

He said he and his wife are motivated by their faith and the eagerness to set a good example for their children, Austin and Madeleine.

For the past 15 years, the Braksicks have made monetary donations to Samaritan Counseling Center with their contributions primarily going to the Silent Samaritans program for women who cannot afford to pay for counseling services.

“I think what they do is very important,” Leslie Braksick said of Samaritan Counseling Center. “They provide affordable, faith-based counseling services to people who have real needs. It's just important that people feel they have a place they can go for help.”

Healey said the Inspiring Hope Gala Dinner is one of two annual fundraisers for the center, which help provide aid for those seeking counseling, but without the means to pay for it.

She said the Good Samaritan Award reflects the mission of the center itself.

“We are in the business of helping people. In society, there's still somewhat of a stigma attached (to mental health disorders). People don't want to talk about it. What I try to get across to people is it's not a sign of weakness or shame to go see a therapist,” she said.

“I can see a vision for the future where parents and teachers would teach their kids just as much about mental health as they do about physical health, how much homelessness would go down, addiction would go down, crime would go down, because that's where it all starts.”

Kristina Serafini is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-324-1405 or kserafini@tribweb.com.