PITTSBURGH PAINTS CO. Launches COLORS FOR COURAGE™ Program

CRANBERRY TWP, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 28, 2026--

The Pittsburgh Paints Company (“Pittsburgh Paints Co.”) today launched the COLORS FOR COURAGE™ program, an employee volunteer-led community engagement program that brightens moments, strengthens futures, and creates colorful spaces in the lives of deserving families when they need it most. The first project was held today at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh’s Pediatric Specialty Hospital. More than 40 employee volunteers put PITTSBURGH PAINTS ™ products and colors to work to transform the Specialty Hospital’s Green Unit. In addition to the product donation, Pittsburgh Paints Co. provided a financial contribution of $10,000 to support The Children’s Home with its most pressing needs.

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“We are incredibly grateful to Pittsburgh Paints Co. for sharing their time and creative expertise to brighten our spaces. Their work goes far beyond a fresh coat of paint — it creates a more uplifting environment for the children and families we serve every day,” said Stacy Schesler, CEO, The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh. “Community partners like Pittsburgh Paints Co. help us continue our mission of providing compassionate, family-centered care, and we are honored to have their support.”

“At Pittsburgh Paints Co., we believe our responsibility goes far beyond the paint we provide and the surfaces we color. The Colors for Courage program is an opportunity for us to stand alongside families at a time when they need it most, and we’re honored to work with The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh,” said Brian Carson, CEO, Pittsburgh Paints Co. “The Pittsburgh community has been our home for generations, and programs like this reflect how Pittsburgh Paints Co. continues to grow — not just as a company, but as a committed neighbor and force for good.”

For this project, Pittsburgh Paints Co. donated PITTSBURGH PAINTS ANTI-SCUFF™ Interior Zero VOC*, a new product delivering unrivaled scuff resistance for high-traffic areas in commercial and residential spaces, and PITT-TECH® PLUS, a one-component industrial enamel with excellent direct-to-metal adhesion. Pittsburgh Paints Co. has specially selected paint colors Lettuce Alone (PPG1222-4) and Soleil (PPG1093-2) for the project. According to Ashley McCollum, color marketing manager, Pittsburgh Paints Co., “Green and yellow bring a unique balance of calm and optimism to a space, making them especially meaningful for children by creating an environment that nurtures comfort, encourages positivity and supports emotional well-being.”

“Together, green and yellow create an environment that feels calming and uplifting for children. Their combination balances calmness with positivity, helping to soften the clinical feel of a care environment. By creating a more comforting, engaging and hopeful atmosphere, these colors can help children feel more at ease while supporting the compassion and connection that are so important during their care journey,” said McCollum.

In addition to the employee volunteers, Pittsburgh Paints Co. is collaborating with Abracadabra Contracting Services to complete the project. A full-service residential and commercial contractor based in Pittsburgh, Abracadabra specializes in painting, drywall, carpentry, flooring and full remodeling/renovations services. Abracadabra has generously offered a discounted rate as well as a financial donation to support the children and families at The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Paints Co. plans to expand the Colors for Courage program to communities where the company has a presence and complete additional projects throughout 2026 and beyond. For more information, visit https://www.pittsburghpaintsco.com/colorsforcourage.

*Colorants added to this base paint may increase VOC level significantly depending on color choice.

About the PITTSBURGH PAINTS CO. ™

With 150 years of product innovation, Pittsburgh Paints Co.’s portfolio includes some of the industry’s most iconic and respected brands: GLIDDEN ®, OLYMPIC ®, PITTSBURGH PAINTS & STAINS ™, LIQUID NAILS ®, HOMAX ®, PITTSBURGH PAINTS™ TRU-INDUSTRIAL™ and FLOOD ®. Products are available at THE HOME DEPOT ®, WALMART ®, MENARDS ®, LOWE’S ®, independent retailers, and 500+ Pittsburgh Paints Co. company stores in the U.S. Pittsburgh Paints Co.’s headquarters is in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, located 20 minutes northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Learn more at pittsburghpaintsco.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh

The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1893 to promote the health and well-being of children, families and individuals through six unique services that provide pathways to stronger futures. Based in Pittsburgh, the organization provides care spanning Adoption & Permanency Services, the Pediatric Specialty Hospital, Child’s Way, the Pediatric VIEW Program, Therapy Services and Counseling. For over 125 years, the Children’s Home continues its founding mission of identifying gaps in care and delivering compassionate, family-centered support to children from birth through age 21. Learn more at childrenshomepgh.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

Glidden, Olympic, Pittsburgh Paints & Stains, and Flood are registered trademarks and The Pittsburgh Paints Co., Colors for Courage, Pittsburgh Paints, Pittsburgh Paints Co., Pittsburgh Paints Anti-Scuff, and Tru-Industrial are trademarks of The Pittsburgh Paints Co.

PITT-TECH is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc. used under license by The Pittsburgh Paints Co.

Liquid Nails and Homax are registered trademarks of A-Paint Specialty, Inc. used under license by The Pittsburgh Paints Co.

The Home Depot is a registered trademark of Home Depot Product Authority, LLC.

Walmart is a registered trademark of Walmart Apollo, LLC.

Menards is a registered trademark of Menard, Inc.

Lowe’s is a registered trademark of LF, LLC.

More than 40 employee volunteers put PITTSBURGH PAINTS™ products and colors to work to transform the Specialty Hospital’s Green Unit.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The man on trial in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie chose Tuesday not to testify or call any witnesses in the federal terrorism case, which is expected to head to the jury as soon as Wednesday.

Hadi Matar's lawyer told the court that the 28-year-old — who already has been convicted of state-level attempted murder charges — wouldn't take the stand at his trial on charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism.

“At this time, the defense rests,” attorney Nathaniel Barone said. Matar has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors also rested their case Tuesday, and closing arguments are expected Wednesday morning. Rushdie, the prize-winning author of novels including “Midnight’s Children” and the controversial “The Satanic Verses,” testified last week about the 2022 attack that nearly killed him and left him blind in one eye.

Rushdie was about to give a talk — about writers' safety, no less — when his attacker climbed on stage behind him and stabbed him 15 times in front of a stunned audience at the Chautauqua Institution, an arts and intellectual retreat.

Spectators and another speaker, Henry Reese, scrambled to aid Rushdie and restrain the assailant, who was arrested by law enforcement officers assigned to the event. He initially gave authorities a fake driver's license, but Matar soon disclosed his real name to a state trooper, according the trooper's testimony and body camera video.

Prosecutors contend that Matar was acting upon a former Iranian leader's 1989 call for Rushdie's death because of “The Satanic Verses,” which ignited protests across the Muslim world. Some believers considered it blasphemous because of a dream sequence featuring Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Rushdie, who was born in India into a Muslim family and is now a U.S. citizen, went into hiding for years. He gradually emerged after Iran's government distanced itself in 1998 from the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini 's fatwa, or religious order, about the writer. Khomenei died in 1989.

Prosecutors say Matar, a U.S.-born American-Lebanese citizen, acted out of loyalty to Iran and to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group. The late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in 2006 that if someone had carried out the fatwa, European newspapers wouldn't have dared publish a caricature of Muhammad that was causing an uproar in Muslim communities.

Iran’s government denied involvement in the 2022 stabbing, though its Foreign Ministry’s then-spokesperson suggested Rushdie courted trouble by insulting Islam. Nasrallah did not comment on the attack.

The U.S. government designates Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization. Matar, too, described the group in a 2016 paper as a terrorist organization, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch said Tuesday during legal arguments when jurors were out of the room.

Matar started researching Rushdie's whereabouts in 2020, eventually writing in private notes that “we need to kill him ASAP” and “become a warrior and just get it over with,” prosecutors have said.

Matar didn't testify at his 2025 state court trial, either. His lawyer has said federal prosecutors are making implications but don't have proof about the man’s intentions.

“There’s no facts. There’s no hard evidence,” Barone said in an interview outside the courthouse last week. “There could be a number of reasonable, plausible explanations as to what he was thinking.”

Barone unsuccessfully argued Tuesday that prosecutors hadn't presented enough evidence for the trial to continue. A judge declined Barone's request to dismiss the case.

Matar is currently serving a 25-year state prison sentence. If convicted in the federal case, he faces a potential life sentence.

Peltz reported from New York.

In this courtroom sketch, Salman Rushdie, left, testifies in federal court during the terrorism trial for Hadi Matar, Rushdie's alleged attacker, shown second from bottom left, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Alexandra Newbould via AP)

In this courtroom sketch, Salman Rushdie, left, testifies in federal court during the terrorism trial for Hadi Matar, Rushdie's alleged attacker, Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Alexandra Newbould via AP)

FILE - Hadi Matar walks in to the Chautauqua County court in Mayville, N.Y., May, 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)

FILE - Novelist Salman Rushdie attends the premiere of the documentary film "Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie" during the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 25, 2026, at The Ray in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

In this courtroom sketch, Hadi Matar, center, sits in federal court during his terrorism trial for his alleged attack on Salman Rushdie, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (Alexandra Newbould via AP)