The 100 Community Connections Projects
Regional Projects
The Pittsburgh 250 Regional Community Connections Projects are 12 compelling initiatives that affect large audiences, leave a lasting impact on communities, and contribute to the “Pride & Progress” of Southwestern Pennsylvania—the theme of Community Connections. Most projects received awards of $50,000 for their activities in 2008. Decisions were made by a 33-member panel of regional leaders that included representatives from all 14 counties.
Celebrate Pittsburgh: Music Commissioning Project
The River City Brass Band was awarded $50,000 to commission 7 new Pittsburgh-themed musical works from 7 regional composers. The new works will premiere throughout 2008 and be featured during the River City Brass Band’s 56 performances at concert venues in 8 communities in Allegheny, Beaver, Cambria, and Westmoreland counties.
Civil Rites: Oral Histories of Two Generations of Pittsburgh Artists
The August Wilson Center for African American Culture was awarded $50,000 to collect the work and personal stories of local artists in a multimedia presentation that will coincide with the Center’s dedication in 2008 and become a part of its permanent collection.
Explore Western Pennsylvania’s Wild Waterways
The Wild Waterways Conservancy was awarded $50,000 to construct a series of boat launches throughout Butler, Beaver, and Lawrence counties to create a more welcoming environment for residents and visitors to enjoy the waterways of the Connoquenessing and Slippery Rock watersheds.
Great Allegheny Passage Trail Town Public Art Project
The Progress Fund was awarded $50,000 to coordinate a community process to bring public art installations to each of six Trail Towns along the Great Allegheny Passage: Meyersdale, Rockwood, Confluence, Ohiopyle, Connellsville and West Newton. The project will contribute to the ongoing community and economic development efforts in Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties.
In Sisterhood: The Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh
The Thomas Merton Center was awarded $45,000 to produce an oral history project that will highlight influential leaders in the women’s movement in the latter part of the 20th century, using digital video to create a multimedia exhibit and website that features 20 notable local activists.
In the Making: 250 Years/250 Artists
Fe gallery was awarded $35,000 to create a museum-quality, full-color catalogue that documents “In the Making,” a first-of-its-kind visual exhibition of artwork by 250 artists from Southwestern Pennsylvania. The catalogue will also showcase the participating regional artists to curators, museum trustees, and collectors through its distribution both regionally and nationally.
Mobile Ag/Ed Science Lab
The PA Friends of Agriculture Foundation was awarded $50,000 to construct a mobile science and agricultural laboratory to travel to schools throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. Building on a previously successful model, the mobile learning environment will serve students and educators.
Pittsburgh Environmental Oral History Project
The Allegheny Front, Western Pennsylvania’s only locally-produced environmental radio program, was awarded $35,000 to produce a series of personal stories, interviews, and features to celebrate the Pittsburgh region’s environmental history and progress from a region based on resource extraction to a burgeoning leader in green environmental practices.
Pittsburgh Signs: 250
The Pittsburgh Signs Project was awarded $50,000 to create a 200-page, full-color book documenting and reflecting on signs from the 14 counties of Southwestern Pennsylvania to celebrate the unique culture of the region. The project will capture the visual treasures of the area and their stories before they are lost and share them with a global audience.
Roadside Giants of the Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor was awarded $49,340 to work with vocational and technical students in Bedford, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties to design and build incredible roadside attractions—Roadside Giants— at locations along the 200-mile Lincoln Highway.
Southside Works Sculpture Project
The Industrial Arts Co-op was awarded $50,000 to complete the final stage of the South Side Works Sculpture Project, which includes the transportation and installation of a monumental piece of public art created from salvaged artifacts of the local steel industry on the former J&L and LTV riverfront mill sites.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Days
Family Communications, Inc. was awarded $50,000 to promote a series of events that will honor Fred Rogers on the 80th anniversary of his birth in March 2008. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Days” will feature free or reduced admission to many cultural and educational venues accross the region.
Grassroots Projects
The Pittsburgh 250 Grassroots Community Connections Projects are 88 community initiatives that have been developed by community members in each of the 14 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. These projects involve local residents and organizations, are focused on local interests, and demonstrate civic engagement and innovation at the grassroots level. Most projects received awards of $5,000 for their activities in 2008. Decisions were made by panels of community leaders convened in each county.
Allegheny County
Community Connections received 142 requests for support and awarded a total of $120,000 to 24 grassroots projects in Allegheny County.
Allegheny Market House Co-op
The Allegheny Market House Co-op was awarded $5,000 for its first membership drive, a necessary initial step in the establishment of a cooperative grocery community for Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Be Well Pittsburgh
Be Well! was awarded $5,000 to improve uninsured Pittsburghers’ health through education about available health care resources. The project will distribute booklets and fliers on targeted health topics, give presentations at related events, and make its resources available online.
Bridge to Broadway
The Bridge to Broadway project was awarded $5,000 to beautify the intersection linking Broadway, Pitcairn’s main street, to the Norfolk Southern Rail Yard. Features will include a decorative fence, landscaping, restoration of the original cobble-stone driveway, and the placement of 10 plaques erected throughout Pitcairn in places of historical significance.
Citywide Salon
The Academy of the South Side was awarded $5,000 to host a month-long public showcase of Pittsburgh artists’ works, culminating in a finale show at the Brew House in April. The works will be reproduced in bus shelters around the city, mostly along the cross-neighborhood 54C route, serving as a celebration of artists, communities, arts organizations, and the transportation system.
Colonnade of History
The Natrona Comes Together Association was awarded $5,000 to create the “Colonnade of History,” a public art sculpture planned for the new Natrona playground, which consists of 12 concrete columns designed by local artists and arranged in two rows to form the entrance to the new park.
East of Liberty
Hyperboy Media was awarded $5,000 to host community screenings and continue the development of “East of Liberty,” a documentary series that gives voice to residents’ and business owners’ thoughts and concerns with regard to recent redevelopment in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood.
Fisherman’s Tale
Lemington Community Services was awarded $5,000 for a human service initiative targeting senior males of the Lincoln-Lemington Community. Through trips to fishing holes located along Pittsburgh’s rivers, this underserved population will picnic, fish, and revisit the old days.
Greetings from Pittsburgh: Neighborhood Narratives
Greetings from Pittsburgh: Neighborhood Narratives was awarded $5,000 to collect a series of short narrative films portraying the experience, character, and stories of the diverse neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Each film will be created by filmmakers who live in and take pride in their neighborhoods, and will document each neighborhood’s personality and unique attributes.
Homewood Redd Up!
Operation Better Block, on behalf of the Homewood, Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze, and Park Place Redd Up Coalition, was awarded $5,000 to host a pair of 3-day cooperative community clean up weekends in the Homewood and Squirrel Hill neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
Keepin’ it Real: Black Athletes and Racism in Pittsburgh Sports
Rights and Responsibilities was awarded $5,000 to document the experiences of African American athletes in Pittsburgh: their achievements, their troubles, and their thoughts about issues of race and sports in the region. The film will be produced locally and screened in communities along with panel/audience discussions.
Lawrenceville Historic House Tour: Snapshots Through Time
Lawrenceville Stakeholders and the Lawrenceville Historic Society were awarded $5,000 to expand the Lawrenceville Hospitality House Tour, which spotlights historic residences in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, and stage a series of reenactments and performances at other historic locations such as the Allegheny Arsenal and the Allegheny Cemetery.
Millvale Library Green Space
The New Sun Rising was awarded $5,000 to create a public green space in the heart of the Millvale downtown business district. Cleaning up a current community eyesore, this green space will provide a place to relax, meet with friends, and enjoy community and artistic events.
MLK Community Mural Project
KH Design Studio was awarded $5,000 to create a Pittsburgh 250-themed portion of the large MLK Community Mural Project, an expansive series of murals being created by at-risk youth and local artists in communities and on Port Authority walls along the East Busway in the East End neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
The Musicians of Wylie Avenue
The Musicians of Wylie Avenue project was awarded $5,000 to produce a documentary from archival materials, interviews of jazz musicians, and eyewitness accounts to capture first-hand experiences of music in Pittsburgh’s Hill District during the first half of the 20th century.
Neighborhood Priorities
The Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group was awarded $5,000 to continue research and convene community forums to help implement city-wide public safety initiatives such as a grassroots block watch program in its 22 member Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
Out of this Furnace: New Tales of Labor and Unions
The Unseem’d Shakespeare Company was awarded $5,000 to collect oral histories and host community workshops in Braddock in conjunction with its “Out of this Furnace” 2008 production. The workshops and staged readings will occur at the Braddock Carnegie Library in partnership with several civic organizations in Braddock.
Pittsburgh 250 Diversity Outdoors
Venture Outdoors was awarded $5,000 to connect minority communities in Pittsburgh with outdoor recreation opportunities, encourage healthy lifestyles, and promote environmental awareness.
Raising Pittsburgh’s Black History Awareness through Literature
The United Black Book Clubs of Pittsburgh was awarded $5,000 to collaborate with the Allegheny County Library Association to create an intergenerational literacy project surrounding “The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh,” a historical non-fiction work edited by Laurence A. Glasco.
ReTool Local Economies Forum
ReTool was awarded $5,000 for a participatory art and community project that is investigating informal, local economies in Pittsburgh—jitney services, do-it-yourself artists, cottage industries, etc. In partnership with The Union Project, the artists will interview participants and develop a documentary about the effect that these local economies have on various communities.
Sailing in Pittsburgh
The Point of Pittsburgh Sailing League was awarded $5,000 to promote sailing on Pittsburgh’s rivers, begin the establishment of a permanent sailing program in Pittsburgh, and hold a competition in conjunction with the 2008 Three Rivers Regatta.
Walkers’ Festival 2008
The Walkers’ Festival 2008 project was awarded $5,000 to increase health and wellness by identifying and mobilizing potential participants for new and existing community walk groups.
Washington’s Encampment 2008
The Allegheny Foothills Society was awarded $5,000 to highlight the historical events that lead to the founding of Pittsburgh 250 years ago. During Plum Borough’s annual community festival in June, the society will stage reenactments in Boyce Park, near where General John Forbes and Colonel George Washington camped on November 22, 1758.
Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes: Survey of Women’s Issues
The Executive Women’s Council, Greater Pittsburgh was awarded $5,000 to bring women’s advocacy organizations from throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania together to identify the top issues of importance to women as the region moves into the future and outline a strategic agenda to address these issues with public officials, corporations, educational institutions, and foundations.
Youghtoberfest: Building Outdoor Recreational Opportunities for People with Disabilities
The Allegheny East Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center was awarded $5,000 to host a festival of outdoor recreation opportunities and activities for its disabled constituents. The event will occur during a weekend in October at the Youghiogheny River Trail Gardens, a 3.5-acre area between the Youghiogheny River and the Youghiogheny River Bike Trail in Elizabeth Township.
Armstrong County
Community Connections received 19 requests for support and awarded approximately $24,000 to 7 grassroots projects in Armstrong County.
Allegheny Echoes
Armstrong County Public Libraries were awarded $1,000 to bring a program from the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to Armstrong County. “Pennsylvania History through Folk Music” is an interactive, hands-on workshop about the region’s multicultural and historical heritage featuring authentic Appalachian instruments and sing-along activities.
Apollo Memorial Library Centennial: Return to 1908
The Apollo Memorial Library was awarded $1,500 to celebrate the ordinary accomplishments of early American settlers and give modern day residents, young and old, a rejuvenated sense of civic pride by reacquainting them with the people of the past who built their hometown.
Imagine What You Can See Here
The Freeport Renaissance Association was awarded $4,320 to install signage along a portion of the Buffalo Creek Rails to Trails path near Freeport. The location has been identified by the Audubon Society as an Important Birding Area and the signage will highlight the types of birds a visitor might see while walking along the path.
Postage Stamp Park
Parker City Revitalization Corporation was awarded $5,000 to create Postage Stamp Park—a small park along the riverfront in Parker’s central business district. The Park will be furnished with a picnic table, trash can, park bench, and bike rack.
Roaring Run Natural Area Hiking and Biking Brochure
The Roaring Run Watershed Association was awarded $2,500 to create a hiking and biking brochure to showcase the Roaring Run Trail, the Rock Furnace Trail, hiking and biking trails, canoe and kayak launches, waterways, and scenic vistas near Apollo on the Kiskiminetas River.
Spotlight on the Community, Movies in the Park
Downtown Kittanning Inc. was awarded $5,000 to purchase equipment and hold free public movie screenings in an underutilized amphitheatre at The Wilbur Bower Community Park in Kittanning.
Sugarcreek Community Days
Sugarcreek Community Coalition was awarded $5,000 to host Sugarcreek Community Days, an event to establish a sense of community, promote important ideals, celebrate patriotic pride, and showcase citizens and veterans both past and present in rural Sugarcreek Township.
Beaver County
Community Connections received 20 requests for support and awarded a total of $40,000 to 8 grassroots projects in Beaver County.
Art-Repreneurship
The Center for Creative Arts Expression was awarded $5,000 to engage young artists in Beaver Falls to utilize recycled materials and the resources of its many local second-hand shops to create, display, and market their creativity. The project will culminate with the Beaver Falls Unified Arts Festival hosted by Beaver Falls High School.
Beaver County River-Town Community Walking Maps
Brkich Writing and Design was awarded $5,000 to design, promote, publish, and distribute walking maps of the many river-towns of Beaver County. The maps will promote health and exercise, highlight points of interest, and encourage residents to celebrate their towns’ unique treasures.
First Company Fort McIntosh Garrison Revitalization
The Beaver Area Heritage Foundation was awarded $5,000 to help equip the reenactment regiment representing the Fort McIntosh Garrison of 1778 with new uniforms and gunpowder for muskets and cannons. The fort, on the bank of the Ohio River in Beaver, was the first permanent peacetime post of the U. S. Army and is a Beaver County connection to the Revolutionary War.
Gateway to Ambridge Project
The Committee to Clean and Beautify Ambridge was awarded $5,000 to beautify the points of entry into Ambridge, a former company town named for the American Bridge Company. The gateways will be a source of pride for residents and a symbol of the community change now occurring there.
Monaca 15th Street Playground Shelter
The Monaca Recreation Board was awarded $5,000 to enhance the 15th Street playground in Monaca by constructing an attractive shelter for use as a gathering place by neighborhood residents, visitors, a nearby daycare facility, and a grade school.
Times Tabloid for Beaver County Historical Organizations
Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation was awarded $5,000 to purchase a tabloid promotion in the Beaver County Times with synopses of local historical societies and groups for the purpose of promoting historical sites and organizations in Beaver County.
A Vietnam Remembrance
Beaver County Chapter 862 of the Vietnam Veterans of America was awarded $5,000 to sponsor a Remembrance Week in the parks of Beaver. Planned for the third week in September, events and activities will be focused around a traveling model of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall.
YouthCares Computer Recycling Project
Job Training for Beaver County was awarded $5,000 to provide disadvantaged youth in Beaver County an opportunity to de-manufacture computers, acquire invaluable job skills, and save computers from polluting the region’s landfills.
Bedford County
Community Connections received 5 requests for support and awarded a total of $15,000 to 3 grassroots projects in Bedford County.
Ft. Bedford Park Riverfront Trail Promenade
The Borough of Bedford was awarded $5,000 to construct a trail along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River, connecting the newly renovated Bedford Springs Hotel to Fort Bedford Park in downtown Bedford and then to Old Bedford Village.
Old Bedford Village Redoubt and Encampment Project
Old Bedford Village was awarded $5,000 to build fortifications around the encampment that match those found there in 1758, adding to the historical veracity and atmosphere of battle reenactments.
Schellsburg Community Park
Schellsburg Borough was awarded $5,000 to improve Schellsburg Borough Park in time for the borough’s bicentennial in 2008. Plans include a walking trail, horseshoe pits, shrubbery, lighting, bathroom facilities, a monument to the town’s founder John Schell, and a veteran’s memorial.
Butler County
Community Connections received 15 requests for support and awarded approximately $34,000 to 7 grassroots projects in Butler County.
Acoustic Avenues and Pixel Perfect Teen Programming
The Butler County Family YMCA was awarded $5,000 to provide Butler teens with programs in music and the digital arts that will promote self-esteem, build a sense of community, create outlets for artistic expression, and prepare teenagers to become future program volunteers.
Acquistion of the Jay Bee Model Circus
The Butler County Historical Society was awarded $5,000 to acquire the Jay Bee Model Circus—a wooden, hand-carved, and painted, miniature model circus by local artist James Bashline. The Society will exhibit, preserve, and maintain this one-of-a-kind model.
Butler Area School District Fine Arts and Beyond Showcase
The Gold Tornado Scholastic Foundation was awarded $5,000 to enhance, expand, and promote a showcase of artistic and musical work from Butler Area School District students and professional community artists, most of whom are graduates of Butler.
Petrolia Area Historical Project
The Petrolia Area Historical Project was awarded $3,810 to chronologically detail the history of Petrolia and its surrounding area, beginning with the first settlers in1795 and progressing through the oil boom of 1872, the oil bust of 1880, and the events, industries, and people that enabled Petrolia to survive to the present day when most oil boom towns disappeared overnight.
Slippery Rock University Green and Growing
The Slippery Rock University Student Government Association was awarded $5,000 to offer green bikes as an alternate means of transportation on and around the campus and to plant more than 100 trees to sustain the land and create beautiful spaces that will promote learning, recreation and community gathering.
Succop Conservancy Hay Wagon Restoration
The Succop Conservancy was awarded $5,000 to restore a hay wagon housed in a bank barn on its property. The finished hay wagon will be a landmark for the Heritage School at The Conservancy, an experiential learning center that preserves utilitarian crafts, arts, and trades in Butler.
Website for Butler Downtown Revitalization
The Butler Downtown Revitalization Committee was awarded $5,000 to stimulate neighborhood and business district revitalization by promoting a sense of place, high quality of life, and the economic vitality of downtown Butler through a website that coordinates efforts and increases its membership.
Cambria County
Community Connections received 11 requests for support and awarded a total of $25,000 to 5 grassroots projects in Cambria County.
Creation of New Play Space for Parent and Child Together
Beginnings, Inc. was awarded $5,000 to purchase play room equipment and sensory development tools that will create an indoor play space to meet the needs of young children developing normally as well as those with disabilities and developmental delays.
The Haynes Street Underpass Sculpture Project
The Johnstown Public Art Alliance and City of Johnstown’s Department of Community and Economic Development were awarded $5,000 to create an attractive parklet featuring a signature, large-scale sculpture, with public seating and decorative plantings in the highly visible, heavily traveled area along Rt. 271 beneath the Rt. 56 overpass in Johnstown.
Planting Connections: Our Cambrian Garden
The Cambria County Historical Society was awarded $5,000 to install new landscaping at the 1889 A.W. Buck House reflective of the Victorian era in which it was built. The house is the headquarters of the Cambria County Historical Society and is located in Ebensburg.
Sandyvale Memorial Botanical Gardens Staging/Visitors Area
The Sandyvale Cemetery Association was awarded $5,000 to rehabilitate and utilize a recently donated building to serve as the initial staging/visitors area for the multi-phase Sandyvale Memorial Botanical Garden in Johnstown.
Welcome Mat Landscaping Project
Morrelville-Oakhurst Revitalization was awarded $5,000 to create a more welcoming entrance to Johnstown by landscaping an area at the Route 56/Hawks Pike entrance to the city.
Fayette County
Community Connections received 9 requests for support and awarded approximately $24,000 to 5 grassroots projects in Fayette County.
Connellsville Historic Heritage Walking Trail
The Connellsville Historical Society was awarded $5,000 to create a walking trail that informs hikers of the cultural, ethnic, and industrial make up Connellsville. The trail is dotted with signs that tell the tales of Connellsville and feature historical photographs from the Carnegie Library.
Connellsville Trail Town Public Art Project
The Connellsville Redevelopment Authority was awarded $5,000 to seed community-based public art in Connellsville in conjunction with the Great Allegheny Passage Trail Town Program. The work will be a gateway to the community and encourage trail users to stop and visit the town.
Everson Borough Veterans Parklet
The Everson Civics Organization was awarded $4,375 to establish a memorial parklet in Everson to honor those who served and those who continue to serve the country in the Armed Forces.
Main Street Classic 5K Run/Walk for the Homeless
City Mission-Living Stones was awarded $5,000 to break the stigma associated with homelessness by hosting a “main street” 5K run/walk in Uniontown to raise support and awareness.
Touchstone’s Mountain Crafts Festival Weekend
The Touchstone Center for Crafts was awarded $5,000 to enhance and expand the Mountain Crafts Festival in Farmington to an entire weekend. Activities will include studio demonstrations, participatory art projects, fiddling and clogging competitions, and buckwheat cake meals.
Greene County
Community Connections received 5 requests for support and awarded a total of $10,000 to 2 grassroots projects in Greene County.
Creative Communities Conference Monthly Seminars
The Nathanael Green Historical Foundation was awarded $5,000 to expand its format from an annual conference to 10 individually-focused seminars held once a month in Greensboro. The more intimate, frequent, and focused sessions will explore how art can be socially relevant, educationally significant, and economically viable for rural communities as well as urban areas.
ReDiscovering Eden: Historic Waynesburg Walking Tour
Waynesburg Prosperous and Beautiful was awarded $5,000 to create illustrative and whimsical tour maps featuring vintage photographs and fun trivia that will guide visitors through the town center and college campus in Waynesburg, an area the town’s founder termed “Eden.”
Indiana County
Community Connections received 11 requests for support and awarded approximately $20,000 to 4 grassroots projects in Indiana County.
A Day in the Life of an Enslaved Child
Passport to Freedom was awarded $5,000 to create an interactive exhibit at the Underground Railroad History Center in Blairsville that will educate schoolchildren about the typical daily activities of an enslaved child of African origin in the United States during the 1800s.
Indiana County Covered Bridge Festival
Indiana County Parks and Trails was awarded $5,000 to fete the four covered bridges of Indiana County during an all-day festival in Blue Spruce Park in September. The event will feature tours led by covered bridge enthusiasts and showcase local artisans and crafters demonstrating their work.
Tanoma Abandoned Mine Drainage Wetlands Educational Trail
Evergreen Conservancy was awarded $4,680 to add informational signs to the recently-acquired Tanoma Wetlands, a 10-acre abandoned coal mine drainage passive treatment system. The area features a nature trail where the signs will be placed and demonstrates the methods that are being used to revitalize the previously-polluted water supply.
W.R. McIlwain Store and Warehouse Mule Barn Preservation Project
Saltsburg Borough was awarded $5,000 to preserve the historic W.R. McIlwain Store and Warehouse. Known locally as “The Mule Barn,” the 157-year old structure housed mules used to pull barges when the Pennsylvania Canal was in operation. The structural repairs will contribute to local interpretive history efforts and position Saltsburg as the tourist gateway to southern Indiana County.
Lawrence County
Community Connections received 5 requests for support and awarded a total of $7,000 to 2 grassroots projects in Lawrence County.
American Red Cross Kids Club
The Lawrence County Branch of the American Red Cross was awarded $5,000 to encourage children of all ages to volunteer their time and help people through the Red Cross Kids Club program.
Lockley Kindergarten Center Playground
The New Castle Area School District was awarded $5,000 to contribute to the construction of an outdoor play space for children attending Lockley Kindergarten and provide for its maintenance by the New Castle Area School District.
Mercer County
Community Connections received 11 requests for support and awarded approximately $27,000 to 6 grassroots projects in Mercer County.
Grandma’s Good Eats!
The Girl Scouts of Penn Lakes Council was awarded $2,364 to create an intergenerational cooking program targeting Girl Scouts and their grandparents in Farrell. Working together, the participants will learn not only how to cook classic family recipes, but how to make them healthier.
GRASP Tutoring
The Greenville Regional After School Program (GRASP) was awarded $5,000 to expand its after school programming in 2 school districts in Mercer County from 2 days to 3 days per week. GRASP offers positive after school options to promote healthy choices, strong friendships, academic support, and spiritual involvement.
Grove City College Student Philanthropy Project
Grove City College was awarded $5,000 to establish a partnership between faculty, students, philanthropists, and the surrounding communities. Participating students will determine an objective for their community investment, the method for identifying and communicating with potential recipients, and the criteria used to make small grants.
Sure Foundation Community Center Car Ministry
The Sure Foundation Community Center was awarded $5,000 to purchase supplies for the Car Ministry, a volunteer facility that offers routine vehicle maintenance and educational classes to low-income families in Transfer, a rural community with no access to public transportation.
Telepsychiatry Program
The Community Counseling Center of Mercer County was awarded $5,000 to address the ongoing shortage of local psychiatric assistance by using technology to connect rural county residents to the specialized expertise of psychiatrists at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh.
Youth Advocate Project
AWARE was awarded $5,000 to pilot a unique blend of risk-reducing education and victim support services directed at students who attend Grove City area schools. The program is designed to impart information, education, and to develop skills or strategies that young people can employ to reduce violence that impacts their lives.
Somerset County
Community Connections received 9 requests for support and awarded a total of $20,000 to 4 grassroots projects in Somerset County.
Arcadia Theater’s 10th Anniversary Celebration and Endowment Establishment
The Arcadia Theater was awarded $5,000 to host its 10th anniversary celebration and establish an endowment for the theater, which opened in 1912 to host vaudeville and then cinema productions. Damaged by the floods of 1977, the theater reopened in 1998 as a regional performing arts theater venue in Windber.
Community Sports Park Concession Stand
The Jenner Township Community Park Fund was awarded $5,000 to help erect a concession stand with restrooms at the Ferrellton Community Sports Park in Jenner Township.
Interfaith Spiritual Healing Meditation
The Institute of Integrative Medicine at Windber Medical Center was awarded $5,000 to create a guided labyrinth walk and build a sustainable health care system that integrates mind, body, and spirit through interfaith spiritual healing meditation.
Meyersdale Tennis Courts Renovation
The Meyersdale Area School District was awarded $5,000 to fund renovations to 3 of its tennis courts, a capstone project of an ongoing capital improvement campaign.
Washington County
Community Connections received 4 requests for support and awarded a total of $10,000 to 2 grassroots projects in Washington County.
Bradford’s Kitchen Reconstruction
The Bradford House Historical Association was awarded $5,000 to add to the historical amenities of this typical 18th-century house and improve the Historical Association’s ability to spark interest in and teach the resident about their rich local heritage.
It Takes You: Campaign to End Poverty in our Community
Community Action Southwest was awarded $5,000 to contribute to an outreach campaign to increase the awareness of poverty and foster increased volunteer efforts to combat poverty and hunger in Washington County.
Westmoreland County
Community Connections received 22 requests for support and awarded approximately $42,000 to 9 grassroots projects in Westmoreland County.
Community Supported Agriculture Facility Upgrade
Sarver’s Hill Farms was awarded $4,800 to build a new, green-as-possible barn to better serve its Community Supported Agriculture Program and provide a place in which to hold educational programming for the community.
Compass Inn Museum Living History Advertisement Project
The Ligonier Valley Historical Society was awarded $5,000 to promote history education and appreciation through living history events that will be help raise awareness of the Compass Inn Museum—a unique, underappreciated historical attraction in Laughlintown.
Downtown Greensburg Asset Image Campaign
The Greensburg Community Development Corporation was awarded $2,400 to purchase vinyl street light pole banners. The banners will be hung within the historic and cultural districts of the City of Greensburg and will enhance the aesthetic nature of this heavily traveled commercial district.
Jays After School Program (Joining to Achieve Youth Success)
Communities In Schools of Southwestern PA was awarded $5,000 to support JAYS Program, a grassroots, community-based voluntary after school academic/enrichment program that is offered at no cost to students attending the City of Jeannette McKee Middle School.
The Mid-Mon Valley Pay It Forward Initiative
The Schooner Youth Center, Inc. was awarded $5,000 for its Pay it Forward Initiative in Monessen. This program will empower youth, with the assistance of community mentors, to design and implement 3 community-based projects.
Operation Fresh Express
The Westmoreland County Food Bank was awarded $5,000 to expand Operation Fresh Express—a program that distributes perishable food items throughout Westmoreland County—by providing increased distributions in Greensburg, Monessen, and Mt. Pleasant.
Pioneer Point Public Arts Heritage Project
Downtown West Newton, Inc. was awarded $5,000 to seed community-based public art in West Newton in conjunction with the Great Allegheny Passage Trail Town Program. The work will commemorate the historic trek of the Northwest Territory Expedition.
Westmoreland County History Speakers Program
Westmoreland Heritage and the Westmoreland County Historical Society were awarded $5,000 to establish a Speakers Bureau to provide free living historians and knowledgeable speakers to schools, historical groups, and other organizations across Westmoreland County.
Westmoreland Earth Day 2008 – Greening Your Footprint
St. Vincent College was awarded $5,000 to collaborate with more than 60 regional organizations to address issues of environmental stewardship on Earth Day 2008.
