Announcing Our Award Winners

The Emmaus Community of Pittsburgh is thrilled to announce the winners of our 2024 awards, which will be presented at the Emmaus Roarin’ 20s Gala on April 13, 2024! This year, we’ll be presenting three awards: The Ken Wagner Award for Outstanding Service, the Friend of Emmaus Award, and the Emmaus Future Voices Award.

The 2024 Ken Wagner Award for Outstanding Service will be presented to Dr. Peter Bulova. Dr. Bulova is the Director of the Adult Down Syndrome Center at the University of Pittsburgh and the Co-Director of the Magee Center for Women with Disabilities. He has been working with people with Down syndrome since 2003 and is nationally recognized for his research on Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease, improving the quality of life for adults with special needs, and improving the quality of outpatient medical education. Dr. Bulova is esteemed in the local community as a caring doctor and a tireless advocate for people with disabilities.

The 2024 Friend of Emmaus Award will be presented to Diane Sunderlin. A long time friend of the Emmaus Community, Diane has always provided caring support to people with intellectual disabilities. She served as a Special Olympic employee and volunteer, and has been a friend for many years to the Emmaus residents whom she met there. As a film professional, she has supported the Emmaus efforts by sharing her time and expertise to help with a number of video projects promoting our work and opportunities. As a sister, she was an amazing advocate for her brother, Richie, who had Down syndrome. We’re lucky to have Diane as a Friend of Emmaus!

The Emmaus Future Voices Award, which will be presented for the first time this year, will be given to Zachary Miller. As a junior studying bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, he founded the Spreading Neurodiversity Acceptance Project (SNAP), a Pitt organization that organizes community events with the goal of fostering equal opportunities and inclusivity for all. He has also worked to study the development of new communication methods to enhance connections among neurodivergent and neurotypical people and serves as a team lead with the PALS Programs, where he helps create immersive experiences for young adults with Down syndrome.

We’re honored to share these awards with such an amazing group of people!