Volunteer wears 'many hats' promoting Sharpsburg
Nanci Goldberg rejects the idea of retirement.
“I call it ‘rewirement,’ ” said Goldberg, a former Fox Chapel Area School District art teacher who volunteers almost daily in various capacities in and around Sharpsburg. “I don’t use the word retirement.”
On most days, Goldberg is easy to spot along the sidewalks of Sharpsburg, visiting with business owners and chatting with residents.
“I wear many volunteer hats,” she said. “I’m very immersed in Sharpsburg. I’ve always loved this town.”
Goldberg’s most recent “hat” is a helmet.
After enjoying a social membership for several years, Goldberg decided to train as a volunteer firefighter with Southern Allegheny Valley Emergency Services.
She completed fire academy training last year at the age of 59 and said trying new things is essential in life.
“I help with hoses and hydrants and it’s a whole new vocabulary. I haven’t been in a house fire yet,” Goldberg said. “I believe that growing older is mandatory, but growing up is optional.”
Sharpsburg connections
Goldberg created Ketchup City Creative under the umbrella of Sharpsburg-based nonprofit Artspiration, as a creative outlet for kids.
“Kids were saying students from Sharpsburg were being called names (at school) and it wasn’t safe. I didn’t agree, so I decided I would open a community art space,” Goldberg said. “I just wanted the kids of Sharpsburg to know that they live in a great town that was safe.”
Goldberg taught in the FCASD for 31 years, primarily at Dorseyville Middle School, and also at Kerr and Hartwood Elementary schools.
“I think a lot of people block out middle school — for survival — but it’s flattering when someone still remembers me as their art teacher. I’m flattered that people remember. That was always my goal — to teach creativity and to make my classroom enjoyable and make the kids feel good about being in school.”
Goldberg technically lives in Shaler, a few feet away from the O’Hara township line, but considers Sharpsburg her unofficial home.
She moved from New York to Pittsburgh 36 years ago.
A giant welcome mural on the side of Conicella Family Dentistry along Main Street in Sharpsburg, co-painted by Emily Paige Armstrong of Sharpsburg and Phil Seth, was made possible in part by Goldberg and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
It reads “Welcome To Sharpsburg” and Goldberg is hopeful the colorful mural will continue to promote pride among Sharpsburg residents and make visitors feel welcome.
Goldberg is currently earning a Penn State Master Watershed Steward certification with a goal of helping people to understand how to better take care of riverfront environments.
Additionally, volunteering in nature as a kayak steward for the James Sharp Landing for Friends of the Riverfront, leading kayaks and hikes out of the Sharpsburg area, is particularly rewarding for Goldberg.
Other Sharpsburg-related volunteer gigs include creating the Sharpsburg Business Group seven years ago.
That group has since partnered with the Sharpsburg Neighborhood Organization.
“Sharpsburg is for the community and that’s an important thing. We are all very sensitive to the fact that nobody wants to feel pushed out of their own community,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg credits her family for inspiring her volunteering pursuits.
“People ask me to run for council or do things, but I’m not a government person. I need to work around the outside of the structure so I can get things done. That’s why volunteering and connecting is what I do. That’s my nature,” Goldberg said. “I’ve always been very energetic and I think if you keep yourself active mentally and physically, it helps tremendously.”
When she’s not volunteering, Goldberg loves to don a white bee suit and tend to her beekeeping hobby.
“I love to use the honey in tea and in oatmeal,” she said.
Other creative interests include wildlife photography during local hikes in the Fox Chapel area and travel.
Goldberg plans to travel to Iceland for her next adventure.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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