When the pandemic led to lockdowns across the state and nation, JoAnne Klimovich Harrop was adamant about staying by the side of her 93-year-old mother, Evelyn, at her nursing home in Pittsburgh.
Day and night, for 84 days, Harrop, a reporter for TribLive, lived with her mother in a 250-square-foot room, keeping each other company, according to Harrop in her first book “A Daughter’s Promise.”
She is one of the authors who will be featured in For the Love of Books, the fifth annual fundraiser for the American Association of University Women’s North Hills Pittsburgh chapter.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 31 at La Roche University in McCandless.
It will include book signings, panel discussions, a light lunch with dessert, vendors and basket raffles. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m. at the Zappala Center on campus.
Debbie Rosenfelder, president of the AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh, said the fundraiser’s title is a nod to avid readers.
“Reading helps you grow mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Books provide an opportunity to learn and explore new ideas. Reading books increases your knowledge and opens up new dimensions of thoughts,” she said.
The AAUW mission is to advance gender equality for women and girls though research, education and advocacy and supporting local female authors, Rosenfelder said.
The other featured authors are Liz Milliron of “Saving the Guilty,” a Laurel Highlands mystery, and Jocelyn Kraemer of “The Metamorphosis of Becca.”
Milliron, a Shamus award- nominated author, believes that the mission of AAUW is important.
“Girls need to see, from a young age, they are capable of achieving their goals, and be given the tools to help them do so. If I can contribute to that, I will,” said Milliron of Ligonier.
Kraemer looks forward to participating in For the Love of Books.
“It’s always a joy to interact with readers and fellow authors, especially in support of such a meaningful cause. Being part of an event that helps empower women through scholarships feels very special,” Kraemer said.
Kraemer will share her journey to authorship — “of how writing fiction has been a lifelong dream, but something I only pursued seriously later in life. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to follow a dream.”
She wrote “The Metamorphosis of Becca” “to explore themes of resilience, new beginnings and hope — how we can rebuild our lives even after profound challenges.”
”It’s a deeply personal story for me, and I hope it resonates with others who are navigating life’s unexpected turns or seeking hope during difficult times,” said Kraemer of New Kensington.
Harrop, who lives in Scott Township with her husband, Perry, said she is looking forward to sharing her first book, which she was able to publish through the support of TribLive President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto.
“I hope this book captures the bond between a mother and daughter during an unprecedented time in the world. The 2020 pandemic was such an emotional time for everyone,” said Harrop, who also won a national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2021 for a TribLive article she wrote on her experience.
In an author’s panel discussion, Harrop will discuss her work as a journalist. But she also will share the important role her mother’s nursing home played in their lives and the relationships with her mother, who passed away in 2020, and her father, Paul, who passed in 2015.
“I believe this book is part of my parents’ legacy,” Harrop said.
Money raised for the event goes toward a grant for a student at La Roche University, called the Sister Matilda Kelly Incentive Grant. One $2,000 grant is awarded to an applicant each September.
Additional money is used to support the Great Decisions program, America’s largest discussion program on world affairs.
Tickets cost $45 per person, payable by check to AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh. Checks should be mailed to June Maier, 959 Broad Meadow Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15237. Include your email address to receive an email confirmation. The check will serve as the registration, and it must be received by May 23.
AAUW — with its nationwide network of more than 52,000 members and donors, 700 branches and 450 college and university partners — has been a leading advocate of equity for women and girls since 1881.
AAUW North Hills Pittsburgh was chartered in November 1970, according to the organization’s website at aauwnorthhillspgh.org.