Recognition Reception Honoree
Joanne Weaver-Stroh

Joanne Weaver-Stroh has a long history of contributing to youth and their families in Abington Township. Her commitment to making Abington/Rockledge a better place stems from her love of this community, including its strong diversity, its excellent school system, and its outstanding police department-all of which she has personally touched while living in the Township for 30 years.

After Joanne graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, she taught elementary education in Lower Merion and Springfield, Pennsylvania and in Ridgewood, New Jersey for 10 years. In the Abington/Rockledge school district, Joanne was a teacher in the elementary schools, a reading specialist, an elementary curriculum specialist, and a coordinator of the human development program (K-12). After graduation from Temple University with an M.S. degree in Education, she continued her education at the University of Pennsylvania where she obtained her Elementary and Secondary Principal Certification. For the next 16 years Joanne served Abington School District as elementary school principal of both Rydal and Willow Hill Elementary Schools.

Not only has Joanne contributed to the community through her career role in education, but also, because of her love of people and commitment to the community, she has chaired Abington Township's Community Relations Committee. She also coordinated the D.A.R.E. programs for the Abington School District and the Abington Police Department.

Joanne's strong belief in the effectiveness of recognizing problems when they arise and dealing with them in a peaceful way is what has led her toward her life of community service. To further this approach in our community, she has been a leader in peer mediation training in the Abington School District, as well as a consultant to Germantown Academy and the Abington Police Department regarding their conflict resolution programs. This tireless woman also served on a Youth Aid Panel and currently chairs the effort to make Abington Township a "No Place for Hate" community.

Joanne's vision for Abington Township and Rockledge Borough is that it continues to be a good place for people to live and that its citizens continue to work on problems when they arise and find ways to solve them peacefully. She also envisions a community that has even greater citizen involvement in civic projects than it already has. She is particularly interested in encouraging more adult mentors of young people and seeing a strong commitment from the Township to be a "No Place for Hate" community that is tolerant of diversity and intolerant of prejudice and hate.

Because of her determination, perseverance, creativity, passion, and strong belief in mentoring youth, Joanne has been recognized for her many contributions to the community by organizations including the Abington Police Department, Abington Township, Salem Baptist Church, Old York Road Temple-Beth Am, and the Abington YMCA. Joanne also received "The Citizens for Progress Award" and the "Martin Luther King, Jr. Award."

Joanne loves reading, riding her bike, walking, sitting on a beach (New Jersey and Hawaii are favorites), and going to the theater. She feels blessed to enjoy these activities with her husband Rudolph and their cat Buffy. Although she has accomplished so much in our community, her proudest accomplishments are her children Karen, Mark, and Laurie Weaver, all graduates of the Abington School District.

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