PITTSBURGH CARES IN THE NEWS

From the back yard of The Academy Charter School in Baldwin Borough, students can see the Pittsburgh skyline as well as the rooftops of some of the city's oldest neighborhoods -- communities where they grew up and got off track.

When they enter the school's campus, once a J&L Steel research facility, it is often the last chance they have to earn a high school diploma. The school exclusively admits court-adjudicated adolescents from Pittsburgh.

Combining curriculum and counseling, trade skills and team sports, the 200-student charter school has earned Adequate Yearly Progress, a hallmark based on standardized test scores that is achieved by fewer than 40 percent of urban public high schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

As students look at the view from their campus of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, they may change their perception of higher education, seeing it as an attainable goal rather than a missed opportunity. Similarly, some of them change their own life stories.

That's what attracted Meg Schreck, an assistant with the nonprofit Pittsburgh Cares, to partner with the school for "a new way to volunteer" called "Get Ur Good On."

"These kids have so much potential," she said. "[Volunteering] helps them realize they don't need to be labeled in a negative way."

During a day of community service recently held at the academy, 50 of the school's juniors and seniors rotated to various stations. They made pillows for a women's shelter, assembled care packages for the homeless, decorated candles for a school for blind people and painted picnic tables for veterans. In addition, they attended a college fair.

"Most of these kids grow up thinking of community service as a bad thing. This is an opportunity for them to see that it can be fun and rewarding," said Bill Styche, the school's executive director.

Emphasizing community service and teamwork while building social skills and self-esteem is part of the curriculum, he said.

"We have a unique student, and we have to educate in a unique way," he said. "For most of these kids, it's their last chance to get an education."

Orion Muldrow, one of those students, will graduate this year. When he was enrolled two years ago, his social skills were so poor that he didn't talk to people, Mr. Styche said.

"Now he's giving a speech at graduation this year as the class valedictorian," Mr. Styche said.

Orion is going to Clarion University in the fall and plans to major in education.

"I just want to help people," he said.

On the community service day when the temperature came close to reaching 90 degrees, he sat under tents with classmates, making no-sew pillows.

"This is very different," he said. "I'm making a purple and green pillow for the women's shelter. I've never done anything like this before."

Another senior and classmate, Charles Ellis, agreed.

Charles, attending his first college fair, said: "There are some schools here I've never even heard of. It's a big thing to get these schools here."

Among the schools represented were California University of Pennsylvania, Thiel College, Geneva College and several trade schools and technical institutes.

Charles isn't sure where he wants to go to college, but he's certain he wants to go.

One thing, he said, that he has learned at the charter school is "if there's something you really want to do, go for it. The goal is not that far away."

One of the goals of the teaching staff is fulfilled by the day of service, according to Ashley Contristano, who has been an English teacher at the school for the past three years.

"We try to teach the students to really work together, and they're learning the value of reaching out to the community at the same time," she said. "It is so nice seeing them working together and having fun."

Candy Woodall, freelance; suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

After Get Ur Good On Day, inspiration lingers

For a group of teenagers at Academy Charter School, volunteering had always been a form of punishment. But last week, finally, it was different.

During an innovative program called Get Ur Good On, funded through the Pittsburgh Foundation's online Voices of Youth grant competition, a group of 40 high school juniors and seniors from Academy spent the day doing good just for the sake of doing good.

"They are court-adjudicated youth," says Meg Schreck of Pittsburgh Cares, who supervised the program. "When they think of service, the first thing they think of is orange jumpsuits and litter patrol on the side of road." Get Ur Good On was designed to change that. "We've been trying to instill within them that you can do good in your community," instead of as a teen who gets in trouble.

"It was a fantastic day," Schreck says. "Throughout the day the students rotated through a variety of different stations," making things like pillows for a women's shelter and Memorial Day wreaths for a senior living center in the South Hills. They also filled more than 75 bags with small toiletry items for homeless people and did creative jobs like painting their own artwork onto picnic benches.

The impact was visible -- the students encouraged each other to do a good job, behaved well, and took real ownership of their artwork. "They finally got it," Schreck says. "They understood, 'Wow, that was fun and I did that out of the goodness of my heart, and I'm not expecting anything in return.'"

That epiphany seems to have lasted. The students had been given "Get Ur Good On" t-shirts to wear during the event, and many returned to school the next day still wearing them to celebrate what they had accomplished.

"They were so appreciative that people went out on a limb for them" by creating this event and also catering a beautiful lunch, Schreck says. "They didn't know what to expect… they don't like to get their hopes up, because they've had so much disappointment. It was nice to give them an event that was everything I promised them it would be."

"They don't want to be stereotyped the way they are," she says. "We said, 'Let's give them opportunity to break those stereotypes, an opportunity for them to really shine, and they did."

Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Meg Schreck, Pittsburgh Cares
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Cares

Time to get your hands dirty: Hands On Pittsburgh is here again

Hands On Pittsburgh is here again. The is Pittsburgh Cares "annual spotlight on volunteerism in the Pittsburgh region, our largest volunteer initiative," says Alexa New, program manager at Pittsburgh Cares.

The scope is impressive: 1500 volunteers work on hundreds of projects, all in just two days' time (May 14 and 15 this year). "It incorporates all different volunteer groups and businesses, youth organizations, schools and our general volunteer base of families who are interested in volunteering," New says.

All ages are welcome. "We even have kids as young as 2 and 3" she says, working on community garden projects with their parents.

But the impact of Hands On Pittsburgh stretches well beyond the good work done during that weekend of effort. For some Pittsburghers, it's a catalyst for an ongoing commitment.

"They always come back for more," New says, because Hands On Pittsburgh provides an introduction to the world of volunteerism. It also helps Pittsburghers discover agencies they never knew about.

"When someone is interested in volunteering, often they think of the big nonprofits," she says. "But Pittsburgh has so many really great small nonprofits that are doing great things and don't necessarily get the recognition or volunteers they deserve." Being connected with an agency through Hands On Pittsburgh is "an easy way to get involved."

"Then, if you're interested in continuing that work, you're already introduced to an agency," she says, "or you can jump on our online calendar" to search for different types of volunteer opportunities.

"We make it easy and make it fun for them," New says, and as a result many Pittsburghers discover how great it feels to volunteer.


Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Alexa New/Holly McGraw, Pittsburgh Cares
Image, from Hands On Pittsburgh 2009, courtesy of Pittsburgh Cares

Pittsburgh Cares' PYLA tackles youth violence, pregnancy prevention and other teen issues

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Many organizations in the Pittsburgh region focus on helping low-income teens. Caring adults design programs and host events aimed at giving these teens a fighting chance. Why do some programs work, while others have little impact? At Pittsburgh Cares' PYLA program, they follow one simple principle: They really listen to the kids.

"Kids in our program are constantly talking about teen pregnancy, youth violence, friends who have dropped out and gotten involved with drugs and thing like that," says Holly McGraw, program manager at Pittsburgh Cares. "They talk to us about what their challenges and issues are, and we really hear them … when they bring something up we don't drop it. We don't just listen and then move on."

A group of 9th and 10th graders involved with PYLA (Pittsburgh Young Leaders Academy) recently mentioned that during spring break they would have nothing to do. "They were trying to figure out a way they can get their friends involved in a project," McGraw says. So they brainstormed a program that would interest their friends but also tackle problems.

"Hoops for Hope," happening Mar. 30, is a day of basketball with a twist: At the event, students from five city schools will manage stations where issues are dealt with head-on.

One group will explore the realities of teen pregnancy by setting up an obstacle course. "The kids came up with this simulation," McGraw says, "where you're put into the role of being a teen mom or teen dad." Participants will have to "carry a sack of potatoes (representing a baby) and a pile of laundry on their hips while doing normal everyday teen stuff, like answering the phone and taking a quiz for school."

At the same time, another group will be discussing clips from the movie "Precious." The focus is on four issues from the movie: teen pregnancy, unhealthy relationships, child abuse and homelessness. PYLA students will lead discussions about what resources Precious could have turned to if she lived in Pittsburgh. "This will help to educate students on the different resources that are available to them," McGraw says.

Service Call
Pittsburgh Cares’ Holly McGraw gets youth involved with volunteering.

Seeing teenagers break the cycle of apathy, bad behavior, and poor grades is what Holly McGraw hopes for in her job as program manager of Youth Engaged in Service at Pittsburgh Cares. She also hopes to inspire youth to “be the change” in their schools and communities. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to make volunteering easy. It works with business groups, campus groups, schools, and the general public to coordinate volunteers with more than 350 area nonprofits.

“So often, I think that people want to volunteer and help, but they just don’t know where to start. Our organization is sort of the nonprofit for the nonprofits,” she says. “It’s helpful to have one hub, one organization that can manage all of the volunteers.”

Pittsburgh Cares is comprised of several program areas, including Business Cares, Campus Cares, Community Connections, and Youth Engaged in Service, McGraw’s special area of expertise. There are five areas under the Youth Engaged in Service umbrella, including The Young Leaders Academy, Youth Leadership Network, Customized Youth Calendar projects, and Ninth Grade Nation Partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools. “The most rewarding piece is not my staff designing projects for the kids, but talking to the kids about service and making them realize that service isn’t just something that is mandated by the courts. They realize that they really can be the change, and when they plan their projects and see them through, they get excited and proud, and then they want to do something more.”

She tells the story of one troubled teenager who didn’t seem interested in the projects Pittsburgh Cares was working on until he got an assignment to design a poster advertising one of the Youth Engaged in Service projects. He went above and beyond the call of duty, and that lead him to take more initiative with other projects, including acting as a leader of a group. “He was doing an icebreaker that he learned at the beginning of the program, and we thought he had never paid attention to anything,” McGraw says. “He said, ‘If I’m in charge, I won’t disappoint you, Miss Holly.’”

This month, Pittsburgh Cares is sponsoring a variety of family-oriented service projects during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. There are a number of agencies that serve impact areas all over the city. “For larger families or anyone interested, we’re even offering competitive service crawls at different locations around the city to amp up the fun factor,” McGraw explains.

Disney is getting in on the action, too. Beginning this month, when families volunteer at an approved agency, they receive a free day at a Disney theme park — it’s called “Give a Day, Get a Day.”

With the vast amount of information that Pittsburgh Cares organizes online, there is a project for everyone. “We have projects in all areas of the city, all times of the day, so we can accommodate just about anybody with our calendar,” McGraw says.

Pittsburgh Cares gathers nearly 1000 youth and adult volunteers for service events this weekend

Young people from across the country -- plus additional youth volunteers from Japan and Germany -- are here in Pittsburgh this week to participate in service efforts organized by the Youth Engaged in Service team from Pittsburgh Cares.

Throughout this week, a group of 85 student volunteers are participating in something called the FISH (Fellowship in Senior High) Week of Service. They are volunteering at a host of North Side nonprofits, including Carnegie Science Center, Gwen's Girls, LIVING Ministry, Light of Life Rescue Mission, National Aviary, New Hazlett Theatre, and North Side Leadership Conference.

Then on Saturday, nearly 800 youth and adult volunteers will gather for the Boys and Girls Club of America National Keystone Conference Day of Service. These student volunteers will begin their day with a kickoff celebration at the Hilton downtown, and then will travel to a variety of nonprofits, where they will volunteer for the day.

Participants hosting volunteers include Allegheny Cleanways, GTECH Hilltop Alliance, Larimer Green Team/ Get-Larimer, Sojourner House MOMS, UPMC Canterbury Place, Book'em: A project of the Thomas Merton Center, Humane Society-Fallen Timbers Animal Shelter, Heritage Place, Kane Glen Hazel Regional Center, Pretty Up Beechview, KEYS Service Corps & Sherwood, Troy Hill Community Garden Co-Operative, Wilkins Township, Habitat for Humanity Allegheny Valley, and Lawrenceville United.

Additional events happening this weekend include the Pittsburgh Social Venture Partners (PSVP) Kids Day of Service (where 30 volunteers will participate in a service project at Kane Glen Hazel) and the Boys and Girls Club Service Learning Workshop, where 200 youth participants will learn about local, national, and global service, including information about AmeriCorps, national days of service, student grants and volunteer abroad opportunities.

Pittsburgh Cares is no stranger to coordinating large groups of volunteers. But even for their staff of veteran organizers, this week's events are something special. "What's really neat about partnering with the Boys and Girls Club is that kids are coming from all across the country and Germany and Japan, and serving together here in Pittsburgh on tons of cool projects," says Holly McGraw, program manager for Youth Engaged in Service. 

Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Holly McGraw, Pittsburgh Cares
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Cares

Hungry for volunteers? Pittsburgh Cares mobilizes students for a Day of Service

Calling all Pittsburgh-area nonprofits: You've got just a few more days to get involved in Pittsburgh Cares' upcoming Day of Service for youth volunteers. Need a helping hand with anything that students (ages 13-17) might be able to do? Office work, gardening, painting jobs or something else your organization might need extra hands to accomplish?

On the afternoon of March 13, Pittsburgh Cares will provide your organization with volunteers who are participating in the Boys and Girls Club National Keystone Conference. Just submit a request form (contact hmcgraw@pittsburghcares.org if you're in need of one) detailing the work you need done. Adult chaperones will be traveling with the students and will stay with them during their volunteer hours, and Pittsburgh Cares staff will be on hand.

Application advice from PIttsburgh Cares: Be detailed and motivating with project descriptions. The more appealing the project sounds, the more likely a good number of volunteers will want to sign up. Your only responsibility will be to prepare your staff to receive the incoming volunteers, to provide some light refreshments during their stay, and to engage in a 15-minute discussion when the Day of Service draws to a close.

Discussing with the students what they accomplished and what they can learn from the experience is a central part of Pittsburgh Cares programs.

Students receive funding and inspiration as they pursue "Pay It Forward" projects

The pairs of students from five Pittsburgh Young Leaders Academy schools were sure they were competing with one another.

In recent weeks, they had put in many after-school hours to create proposals that would benefit their community. Last Thursday, they put aside their nervousness to present those proposals in hopes of receiving a $500 grant. One by one, each pair of students took the floor. They described their programs confidently, as their "change leaders" from Pittsburgh Cares had encouraged them to do.

But when the presentations were done and a team from Price Waterhouse Coopers had finished deliberating about the merits of each proposal, the students received stunning news: All five teams were awarded $500 grants to put their proposals in place.

"The students," says Ashley Popojas, program manager at Pittsburgh Cares, "were under the impression they were competing for one $500 check. So they went into these presentations with enthusiasm as though they were in competition."

Each group had done an excellent job of planning a project that would benefit their neighborhood, says Popojas. And each had been inspired, realizing that they could impact their neighbors in concrete ways, improving their quality of life. That feeling had allowed each of these teams to stand confidently and lay out their proposals before the judging board.

There was more: In addition to the $500 awarded to all five teams, the team that the judges felt had excelled most strongly (Peabody students Lamar Blackwell and Alea Tobias) was awarded with additional assistance: A group of volunteers from Price Waterhouse Coopers will assist those two students in implementing their project.


Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Ashley Popojas, Pittsburgh Cares
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Cares

Hey, You're in Kidsburgh!

Kidsburgh! The best place on earth to be a kid. Everyone, including you-- especially you--can do something to enrich the hopes and dreams of children here in Pittsburgh. Here's a way to get started. They're waiting to hear from you!

• If you would like to mentor a school-age child, please contact the Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
• If you would like to volunteer with a youth-serving organization, please contact Pittsburgh Cares.
• If you would like to give in support of students attending the Pittsburgh Public Schools, please contribute to the Pittsburgh Promise.
• If you would like to check out one of the premiere children's museums in the country, right here in Pittsburgh, click here. 
• If you would like to email to find out more about mentoring at the United Way, click here.
  
• If you would like to offer ideas about how best to improve the lives of kids, please share your comments here.
  

MLK 2009: Celebrate the Dream

In celebration of MLK Day 2009, Pittsburgh Cares held two special events to promote respect for diversity in Pittsburgh including Neighborhood Diversity Crawls and Diversity Shelves.

WTAE Actions News: January 2009
Pittsburgh Today Live: January 2009
KDKA-TV News: January 2009

Horgan's Heros

Executive Director Dan Horgan has taken Pittsburgh Cares to a new level in matching volunteers to service projects.

Pittsburgh Professional Magazine : December 2008

Pittsburgh Cares Online Donation Center
The Pittsburgh Cares Online Donation Center is the region’s easiest way to make an in-kind donation to a deserving nonprofit with specific needs.

WTAE Action News: December 2008
Pittsburgh Today Live: November 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: November 2008

Toys for Tots
Pittsburgh Cares was brought on as a partner for the Toys for Tots campaign to facilitate volunteer management at the warehouse.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: December 2008

Propel Library Build
Propel HOMESTEAD students joined 100 volunteers from Target and Pittsburgh Cares to build their first school library.

Pop City: October 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: October 2008