Eric Linn has more than 30 years of experience in energy and commercial real estate. He could be retired, spending his days poolside in Florida with his wife, Lynn. Instead, guided by his faith, Eric uses his background and expertise to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, he co-founded AgriWater, a nonprofit organization with a mission to create lasting change across Uganda by equipping farmers with the skills, tools and opportunities to thrive year-round. Through a hands-on demonstration farm, Eric and his team teach sustainable farming, share best practices, provide essentials such as seeds and irrigation equipment, and form partnerships with government and private entities to support agricultural development in Eastern Uganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eric has personally met with Ugandan leaders and is directly impacting lives for the better. A 40-year Mt. Lebanon resident, he and Lynn have five children, five grandchildren (with one on the way) and a dog named Franklin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Margaret Hooton moved to Mt. Lebanon in 1980 with her husband, Mike, after the couple relocated from the Midwest for his career. They raised four children here, all of whom attended St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Preschool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a love of children and a passion for music, Margaret volunteered at St. Paul\u2019s with a child on one hip and an acoustic guitar on the other. What began as volunteering quickly became her life\u2019s calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She went on to spend 44 years as an early childhood music instructor at St. Paul\u2019s, later teaching at Duquesne University, where she helped integrate arts into early childhood education. Margaret also served as a teaching artist with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, visiting public school classrooms throughout the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, she performs locally \u2014 including at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library \u2014 shares her music online and serves on the board of Giving 2Grow, a nonprofit helping to feed local children. Still, she\u2019ll tell you her greatest joy is her family \u2014 especially her 2-year-old grandson, Michael, who loves listening to his \u201cGammy\u201d sing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Travis Simpson-Hunt and his family love to travel, learn new things and host others in their home. So when he learned that the Mt. Lebanon Exchange Student Program needed host families, he volunteered immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2021, the Simpson-Hunts welcomed Nandor \u201cNandy\u201d Szuecs from Hungary for a year that turned into an unforgettable adventure. Between classes, they explored Mt. Lebanon, Pittsburgh, the Laurel Highlands, Cleveland, Lake Erie, Niagara Falls and Toronto. Nandy swam in the Atlantic, toured Washington, D.C., climbed the Statue of Liberty and strolled Hollywood Boulevard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They hiked the Blue Ridge Mountains, went spelunking in the Shenandoah Valley, skied in the Finger Lakes, ice fished in Canada and soaked up the sun in Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In one year, Travis helped Nandy experience more than many Americans do in a lifetime. And in August 2025, the family opened their home again \u2014 this time to Mads, a 16-year-old from Denmark living with them through the new year. Hope Mads packed some comfortable shoes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xiaolin Zhang was born and raised in Wuhan, China, where economic conditions were difficult. Determined to succeed, she earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer engineering before moving to the United States at age 30 to attend the University of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After earning a second master\u2019s degree in computer science, Xiaolin built a career in software development. She and her husband, Dave, eventually settled in Mt. Lebanon, where they raised two children \u2014 and even kept chickens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of work, Xiaolin devoted herself to helping others. She volunteered as a translator for doctor visits and community meetings and developed a new methodology for teaching conversational Chinese using technology and apps to accelerate language learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her intelligence and work ethic are clear to anyone who knows her, but it\u2019s her smile and kindness that light up the neighborhood \u2014 where she and Dave were often seen walking their late, beloved collie mix, Rikki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neighbors Helping Neighbors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n These four residents share a few things in common: they love Mt. Lebanon, they use their time and talents to help others, and they all live on Jefferson Drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether they\u2019re changing lives in Uganda or bringing smiles to local classrooms, Mt. Lebanon\u2019s people are giving back in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the Lebo way \u2014 a place where neighbors still borrow cups of sugar, where bleachers are filled with as many grandparents as parents, and where police officers stop at lemonade stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s so much to love about Mt. Lebanon. But above all, it\u2019s a place where everyone is welcome \u2014 where neighbors help neighbors, and where we recognize and celebrate each other\u2019s accomplishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just imagine what amazing things our other 33,996 residents are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the Lebo Beat.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Four Mt. Lebanon residents show how kindness and community make their hometown one of a kind<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":34027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Eric](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lebobeat.com\/staging\/1488\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Uganda.jpg?resize=800%2C354&ssl=1\")
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