Member Spotlight
October 19, 2021
Charity Ruhl, director and coach of Falcon Gymnastics-Monessen (District 4000-Sokol USA, Lodge 47) was named one of the 25 national winners of Positive Coaching Alliance's (PCA) Double-Goal Coach® Awards. She was the only gymnastics coach named this year! The national winners were selected by a panel of nine sports and business professionals who served as judges for PCA's awards.
According to the PCA website, the organization has partnered with the Amateur Athletic Alliance (AAU) since 2010 and offers education courses for coaches and team administrators. “A Double-Goal Coach has two goals: winning, and the even more important goal of teaching life lessons through sports.”
Any youth or high school sports coach in the U.S. with at least three years’ experience is eligible for PCA’s Double-Goal Coach® Award. Once a coach is nominated and passes a background check, they are notified and asked to respond to four short essay questions and to submit email addresses for between 3 and 20 references.
The following is an excerpt from one of the references submitted for Charity that was posted on the PCA announcement of the 2021 winners:

"Charity always puts the gymnasts and her coaching staff above all else. This isn’t a business to her. This is a place where kids can come, have fun, learn gymnastics and know that their coach really cares about them. Charity gets to know the girls and families well. She has made the girls feel like they are part of another family. She represents hard work and commitment to the sport. She inspires so many kids and dedicates a ton of her time to coaching and supporting."
Congratulations Charity! Your Sokol family always knew you were an excellent coach and mentor. Your national PCA award confirms this to the entire gymnastics’ world. Keep up the great work. Nazdar! (On to success!)
The GBU Life Scholarship Awards support students in college, trade programs, non-college programs, and graduate school, helping them achieve their dreams, setting them on a career path and realizing life goals. Since its founding, the GBU Foundation has awarded 4,500 scholarships and educational grants totaling more than $3.2 million. In 2025, 215 members received $226,000 to support their two‑year, four‑year and graduate studies. Here’s a look at where the rubber meets the road — as we check in on past grantees to see how their scholarship awards have helped them stay on course, where they are now, and where they hope to be in the future.


