By Don Hammonds
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Auberle, a self-described faith-based Roman Catholic agency devoted to helping troubled children and their families, has won the Forbes Funds' 2006 Alfred W. Wishart, Jr. Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management.

Auberle received a $10,000 grant from the Forbes Funds, a nonprofit that helps other local nonprofits and charities with management. The other two finalists, Wesley Spectrum Services and Pressley Ridge, each received a $5,000 grant.

Wesley Spectrum Services works to keep families intact and in the child mental health and education field, while Pressley Ridge provides treatment services to children and youth with troubling behaviors.

The award honors the local human services or community organization that demonstrates leadership in its staff and board of directors, a commitment to excellence in human resources management and continuous improvement in delivering services.

Auberle, which opened in 1952 serving male orphans on an 18-acre campus in McKeesport, has since grown to eight sites in the region serving 11 counties.