First dinner hosted in Governor’s Residence since firebombing honors over a dozen Pennsylvanians

On Monday evening, over a dozen Pennsylvanians were recognized at the Governor’s Residence for their contributions to their respective communities.

The honorees, eight people and two groups, were awarded the Governor’s Keystone Awards during the second State Dinner.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, who delivered remarks at the event, said the dinner was “very special.”

“This is the first dinner we are hosting here at the Governor’s Residence since the attack in April, and we wanted to be purposeful about all of you being the first guests that we invited back for this event,” Shapiro said. “We wanted this night to be special, and we are so honored that you are gracing us with your presence.”

In April, the Governor’s Residence was firebombed as Shapiro, his family and guests slept inside, hours after celebrating Passover. Cody Balmer, the Harrisburg man accused of the attack, pleaded guilty earlier this month to attempted murder with a sentencing enhancement for terrorism.

“You know, after the attack, the First Lady and I really wanted to get this building repaired as quickly as possible, so that we could open it back up to be a place that all Pennsylvanians could come,” Shapiro said. “We want this place to be warm and welcoming for all.”

The recipients of the Keystone Award were from a wide array of backgrounds.

They included Jared Quinteros of Pittsburgh. He’s an artist who teaches art therapy workshops to newly-injured patients at UPMC Mercy and works with the Rebuild Together Foundation. In the summer of 2021, Quinteros and his wife, Kara Leo, were walking a trail when a tree limb fell on them. His wife was killed in the accident.

After the tragedy, Jared Quinteros, who now uses a wheelchair, created the KARA program, named after his wife, which helps individuals returning home after spinal cord injuries make essential accessibility improvements and rebuild their lives.

Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Dr. Kiran Musunuru were also honored for co-developing the first-ever personalized gene editing therapy for a child with severe carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

“The collaborative, multidisciplinary work that originated here in the state of Pennsylvania allowed us to translate this novel approach to rare disease therapy into the clinic,” Aherns-Nicklas said. “We now have the incredible responsibility of expanding this work to benefit as many other patients with rare, complex and difficult-to-treat diseases as possible.”

This finding, according to Penn Medicine, could “provide a pathway for gene editing technology to be successfully adapted to treat individuals with rare diseases for whom no medical treatments are available.”

Several students from Kensington Health Sciences Academy in Philadelphia were among those recognized, for their effort teaming up with their teachers to create the DreamEscape Library, a student-run lending library and mobile book cart.

“Look in these times of chaos and of darkness and challenges, I think each and every one of you are the people who are bringing light into our communities,” Shapiro said. “You are the people who are inspiring me, inspiring Lori, inspiring our fellow Pennsylvanians, and that is why we wanted to honor you here this evening.”

Shapiro says he thinks the governor’s residence is secure, following renovations and security upgrades

The Governor’s Residence has hosted some events since the arson attack, but the administration pointed to Monday’s dinner as a milestone as the first dinner event hosted following the attack.

“It’s really emotional,” Shapiro told the Capital-Star. “This space exists, in my mind, to bring different Pennsylvanians together to find common ground and to celebrate one another in our Commonwealth, and the way Lori reimagined the state dinner, not as some insidery thing, but a place to bring people who are making a difference in their community together.”

The State Dining Room and Reception Area have been fully restored, according to a release from the governor’s office.

“There’s a few items that have yet to come back in, but I would say that the inside is probably 98% there,” he said.

Outside of the residence, Shapiro said, they have included a lot of security updates and said “hopefully by the end of the calendar year” everything will be complete.

The changes Shapiro highlighted with the Capital-Star include adding a Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) unit patrolling the grounds of the residence, as well as a 10-foot brick wall surrounding the property. Prior to the attack, there was only a 6-foot iron fence.

“And there’s a significant amount of technology that’s been installed,” Shapiro said. “Obviously not going to get into the specifics there, but I think the facility is secure now, not just for our family, but for the staff and the visitors that come here.”

Spotlight PA reported on Friday that State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris and Department of General Services Secretary Reggie McNeill wrote a letter to legislative leaders and administration officials that said the safety upgrades at the governor’s official residence totaled $32.3 million, including $8 million with windows that are bullet-and-shatterproof. The letter also mentioned that roughly $1 million in security upgrades, also paid by taxpayers, are for Shapiro’s private home in Montgomery County.