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!)
Each year, we set aside time to deep clean and organize our homes. But when was the last time you set aside time to organize your finances? We sat down with GBU Life Home Office agents Leah Teahl and Dominic Nicciai to learn about the benefits of an annual financial review and how you can get started.
Every child can name a teacher who made a difference: the one who stayed late to help, offered encouragement at just the right moment or made learning feel exciting. Recognizing a teacher’s dedication doesn’t require grand gestures, but it does call for intention. Thoughtful appreciation gifts, especially during Teacher Appreciation Week or year-end celebrations, offer a tangible way to express heartfelt gratitude.

Board Election GBU Financial Life’s national bylaws allow adult insured members (as defined in Article VI, Section 1 of the bylaws) the right to vote for the organization’s Board of Directors. Ballots will be mailed at the beginning of August 2026 to all eligible members. Eligible members may vote by paper ballot via mail or electronic ballot online once they receive their ballot. Cumulative voting or voting by proxy is not permitted.







