The Dapper Dan Charities were founded by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor Al Abrams in 1936. It is one of the oldest non-profit and fundraising community sports club in the world, and the oldest in Western Pennsylvania. The foundations fundraises for its charities primarily through the annual "Dapper Dan Banquet". Started in 1936 the first few banquets honored such regional figures as Art Rooney, Jock Sutherland and John Harris. In 1939 the banquet began an annual tradition of naming the region's "Sportsman of the Year" and in 1999 the "Sportswoman of the Year". In recent decades all charitable contributions raised by the banquet go to the Boys and Girls club of Western Pennsylvania, which directly funds activities and equipment for nearly 7,000 youths annually. The organization also present