Pebble Hill Interfaith Church of Doylestown presented its Harold and Alma Able Peace Award to psychologist Gary Schoenberg, a member of Pebble Hill Church since 1994.
The Peace Award ceremony took place Sunday, Aug. 7, as part of a peace memorial commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the church said Sept. 20. The award, bestowed annually since 1985, was made in recognition of his efforts to create a more peaceful world through work in the mental health field.
Janet Berkowitz, a suicide prevention specialist and featured speaker at the ceremony, said, “I nominated him for the Peace Award not just because he deserves it but because he imbibes the meaning of it. He is an oasis in our world.”
Schoenberg recently raised several million dollars for COMHAR, a nonprofit mental health organization, where he has been employed in various roles as a psychologist, administrator and director of development for over 30 years. He helped design mental health workshops, including one with Berkowitz and her late husband, Phil Garber, called “The Bridge,” a radical experiment in which mental health clients and clinicians worked to bridge the gap between their groups.
Schoenberg also serves as a trustee on the board of the Philadelphia Mankind Project, which offers the New Warrior Training Adventure, a transformational experience for men; and as a member of the Mental Health Resource Team with the Mankind Project to offer support to men who may be experiencing emotional issues.
At Pebble Hill, he co-founded Emotions in Motion with Berkowitz, to serve the emotional needs of the members, served as co-chair of its peace and social justice committee and is a former president of church council, the governing board.
Pebble Hill Interfaith Church, 320 Edison Furlong Road, Doylestown, has been a dedicated peace site since 1984. For information go to pebblehillchurch.org.
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