MURRAY INSPIRES YOUTH AT ADELPHOI VILLAGE EVENT

Liz Murray, focus of the Lifetime Original Drama, “Homeless to Harvard” was the keynote speaker at Adelphoi Village’s main campus in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

More than 300 people attended the event as part of Adelphoi Village’s annual Founder’s Day. The outing was held to commemorate the agency’s 36^th anniversary. Attendees included Adelphoi Village youth and staff, teachers, county officials, probation officers, and local community members.

Liz Murray talked of her personal journey from the streets of New York City to Harvard University. The child of drug addicts, Ms. Murray was homeless at 15, living on the streets and fending for her life. Determined not to be defined by her circumstances, she recognized education as the key to a fresh beginning and a whole new life. She earned her high school diploma in just two years, and won a prestigious New York Times scholarship to attend Harvard University.

Lifetime documented her story with the Emmy-nominated film “Homeless to Harvard” starring Thora Birch. Ms. Murray was also one of the first people to win Oprah Winfrey’s “Chutzpah Award.”

Adelphoi Village is a private, not-for-profit agency serving over 2,500 children and families on an annual basis. Adelphoi USA, its parent organization, is the eighth largest human service provider in the Pittsburgh region. Headquartered in Latrobe, the agency has 800 employees, and assists children and families from 60 counties throughout the Commonwealth, as well as in West Virginia, New York, and Maryland.