Laura’s Light honors the memory of Laura Ditka
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Family, along with local and longtime friends of Laura Ditka, a prominent prosecuting attorney in Allegheny County who passed away suddenly in 2018, have come together to establish a non-profit in her honor called Laura’s Light.
Ditka was dedicated to the health, safety and welfare of our most vulnerable citizens, children who were victims of abuse. A North Allegheny High School graduate, she spent the entirety of her legal career as a prosecutor, serving for 25 years in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office before joining the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office as Chief Deputy Attorney General – Criminal Division. Laura was the first supervisor of Allegheny County’s newly formed Child Abuse Unit, where she helped author the first countywide protocol for the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases, established the Child Court docket in Pittsburgh Municipal Court, and was on the initial planning and organizing committee to establish Sex Offender Court. The protocol she developed for the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases has since been adopted by prosecutors in jurisdictions across the United States.
Laura’s Light’s mission is to initiate and support programs and organizations that protect and support victims of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. Nearly every aspect of Laura Ditka’s life revolved around serving others, whether as a public prosecutor advocating for better protocols and training in child abuse cases or as a mentor to law students. Laura’s Light will continue Ditka’s mission as a tireless advocate for women and children by providing support through grants, programs, and scholarships.
An inaugural fundraising event “Let Laura’s Light Shine” was held on Oct. 7 at Altmyer Park in Wexford. The cocktail party event featured an online auction and a special video interview presentation with Dr. Cyril Wecht. Through the generosity of the community, Laura’s Light presented a check to Duquesne University Forensic Science and Law for the Laura Ann Ditka Service Award. This award is granted to graduate students of the FSL Program who demonstrate service to others. Dr. Pamela Marshall, director, and associate teaching professor, forensic science and law, founded the award and accepted the check on behalf of the scholarship.