Gus and Val Genetti Are Community Service Recipients

Congratulations to Gus and Val Genetti of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania! The Luzerne Foundation recently bestowed upon the couple a prestigious Community Service Award for their local philanthropic contributions. Here is the article from The Luzerne Foundation Annual Report:

Val & Gus Genetti: 2018 Mary Bevevino Community Service Award Recipients

From the earliest days of their marriage, Val and Gus Genetti set aside part of their income to help the community. They split their approximately $75-a-week earnings into separate jars: one earmarked for expenses such as groceries, one for baby-sitting services and one for charitable giving. “We have agreed on every gift since the beginning,” said Gus Genetti, president of Genetti Hospitality Group. The couple’s over 50 years long pattern of locally targeted philanthropy has benefited dozens of this area’s nonprofit organizations and life-enhancing projects.

Gus and Val Genetti – who are parents, hotel operators and proud Wilkes-Barre residents – are the recipients of The Luzerne Foundation’s 2018 Mary Bevevino Community Service Award. As The Foundation’s highest tribute, the award annually spotlights people whose “unwavering dedication” has made “a significant positive impact on our community.”

A former nurse, Hazleton native Val Genetti, gravitates to health-related causes. She formerly volunteered with the Red Cross Blood Center and had been on the board of the Catholic Youth Center. She continues to serve on a committee directing funds for Women and Children’s Health Initiatives.

Gus Genetti, also born in Hazleton, repeatedly answers the call to serve. Through the years, he has accepted leadership roles with a range of organizations, including The Luzerne Foundation, the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club, the Osterhout Free Library, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, the Northeast Pennsylvania Multiple Sclerosis Society, ant the local council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Collectively, the duo’s generosity with their time and “treasure” have enriched lives. That was true when they donated to the area’s United Way precursor; and it remains the case with their support of Wyoming Valley newcomers such as Volunteers in Medicine clinic and CASA of Luzerne County.

The Genettis are the parents of six; they have eight grandchildren. Val and Gus Genetti intend for their family’s philanthropic legacy to continue. They have established two funds administered by The Luzerne Foundation. They also count themselves amoung the estate planners who belong to The Foundation’s Rusty Flack Society, ensuring their tradition of giving will go on and on.

“The giving effort has always been the same (as when we were newly married),” said Gus Genetti. “Only the amounts have changed. We’re able in the autumn of our lives to have the opportunity to give at a higher level.”

Read more about Gus and Val Genetti:

The Luzerne Foundation’s 24th Anniversary Celebration (May 10, 2018)

Times Leader: Genettis honored by Luzerne Foundation for community service (May 11, 2018)