Category Archives: For a Good Cause

Ice Skate into Spring! Very Local’s 1st party is a benefit for 412 Food Rescue.

tl;dr: All Pittsburgh lovers are invited to come to an ice skating party on Sunday, March 3, 2019. 

Hello IheartPGH readers,

As you may have noticed over the past few months, there have not been many updates here on the ye olde IheartPGH blog. If you follow @IheartPGH on Twitter, you have likely seen some retweets from @VeryLocalPGH.

I am excited to introduce you to a new Pittsburgh website that I have been working on for the past few months. Say hello to Very Local Pittsburgh.  The Very Local team, along with the help of a crew of writers and video journalists, is dedicated to telling the most Pittsburgh stories.

You are cordially invited to the very first Very Local Pittsburgh event this Sunday, March 3, 2019. Please come skate into spring with us at the $8 Skate Date. 

Ice Skate Pittsburgh

The Very Local team wanted to put together a very Pittsburgh event for our debut. So we are taking over the MassMutual Pittsburgh Rink at PPG, and we have invited some of our favorite Pittsburgh friends to join us. DJMB who you may know from the In Bed By Ten Dance parties will be providing music, and Zeke Coffee will be serving hot chocolate with marshmallows. Tickets are just $8 for adults and $5 for kids, and all of the ticket sales will be donated to 412 Food Rescue.

Sunday, March 3: Very Local’s $8 Skate Date

Date: Sunday, March 3, 2019

Time: Noon – 3pm

Your ticket includes:

  • ample rink time
  • complimentary skate rental
  • hot chocolate by Zeke’s Coffee
  • music by DJ MB
  • a warm fuzzy feeling for donating to a great cause.

Grab your $8 Skate Date tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/very-local-pghs-8-skate-date-tickets-55988853167

Tickets are limited and must be purchased before the event!

Facebook Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/630994734008548/

Meet Very Local Pittsburgh

 

View this post on Instagram

 

To begin, begin. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We are a team of Pittsburgh-based storytellers. We aim to guide our fellow natives and locals to the people and places amongst our neighborhoods. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Whether you’re new in town (welcome!) or you’ve been here your whole life, we are excited to be your user’s guide to the steel city. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We aim to be collaborative and work with our fellow creatives. We strive to listen, take your feedback and create a resource that showcases the grit and kinship felt within the 412. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ To our yinzers. Our boomerangers. To all. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Hello. We are Very Local.

A post shared by Very Local PGH (@verylocalpgh) on

I am working with the Very Local Pittsburgh team and a great crew of freelancers to publish stories about Pittsburgh people and places. Check out the Very Local about us page for more info.

Here are a few of the recent stories that highlight a few Pittsburgh things you might have missed:

 

Pittsburgh Pedal for Pantry

Thanksgiving Events for a Good Cause – Cycling, Yoga & More

With Thanksgiving just one week away, one of the questions that pops up around this time of year is “where can I volunteer to help serve a holiday meal?” In addition to volunteering, here are some Thanksgiving events around Pittsburgh that support great local causes.  Know of other events that should be on the list? Please share in the comments below.

Pittsburgh Pedal for Pantry

Pedal for the Pantry 2018 – Food drive bike ride/race

Sat. 11/17 – for those who like to bike in the cold

This one caught my eye on Facebook because of the image posted on the Facebook event. Pedal around Pittsburgh picking up items for a Thanksgiving dinner and drop those items off at the Wilkinsburg Food Pantry, earn points and win awesome prizes. Check out the Facebook page for some of the very nice prizes including swag from BikePgh and a bike that was donated by Golden Triangle Bike Rental.

  • Saturday, November 17, 2018
  • The race starts at 2 pm, afterparty at 5 pm
  • Register online here. More details here.

Pittsburgh Thanksgiving Volunteers

44th Annual Thanksgiving Eve Community Meal – Volunteers & Donations Needed

Wed. 11/21: for anyone who can lend a hand or donate a few dollars

This one is near and dear to my heart. A friend who grew up helping with these dinners asked me to help out a few years ago. I showed up late, which ended up being helpful because they needed someone to take over on the dishwashing.  (Life lesson – it is never too late to show up to volunteer). This meal started as an Eagle Scout project – offer up a free, home-cooked Thanksgiving meal.   Last year over 100 volunteers showed up and helped to cook and serve dinner for 200 people. It is a beautiful thing when neighbors come together to share a meal.  Every little bit helps if you want to volunteer for an hour that is great. If you can donate $10 that is helpful too. Last year 64 people made a donation to the GoFundMe page, I’m hoping we can beat that number this year.

  • Wednesday, November 21, 2018
  • Volunteer – anytime after 10 am
  • Dinner 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
  • Location: First United Methodist Church Social Hall, the entrance is on Centre Ave above the Toy Lending Library, across from Panera.
  • Volunteer Sign Up here – http://bit.ly/2OHsFHv
  • Donations can be made on the GoFundMe page here – http://bit.ly/2OHszQ9

Pittsburgh Turkey Trot

YMCA Turkey Trot

Thur. 11/22: for runners/walkers who want to burn a few calories and support the YMCA

  • Thursday, November 22, 2018
  • 8:00 am – 1-mile walk
  • 8:30 am – 5k and 5-mile race
  • The races start at PNC Park

Pittsburgh-live-music-yoga

Giving Thanks – Thanksgiving Day Yoga + Live Music to Benefit 412 Food Rescue

Thur 11/22: for anyone who needs some gentle yoga before a big meal

100% of the proceeds from this class will be donated to 412 Food Rescue.  This gentle yoga class will be accompanied by live guitar music.

  • Thursday, November 22, 2018
  • 9:00 am
  • BYS Yoga Collective, 1113 E Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
  • See the Facebook event for details
In Bed By Ten Dance Party to Benefit Prevention Point Pittsburgh

In Bed By Ten: A Monthly Dance Party for a Good Cause

in bed by tenUpdate 2/22/2019: Learn more about In Bed By Ten here.

Do you like to dance but hate to stay up late? In Bed by Ten is the answer to all of your dance party scheduling problems.

What is In Bed By Ten?

Each month, In Bed By Ten hosts a dance party at Spirit in Lawrenceville. There is a $5 cover charge that is donated to a local nonprofit. DJ MB plays the best, most danceable songs from 6-9pm, by 9:30 pm you are on your way home and can be tucked into bed at the reasonable hour of 10 pm.

Last year, In Bed by Ten, raised over $16,000 for Pittsburgh charities. Interested in having an In Bed by Ten support your nonprofit? Fill out this form to apply.

July’s In Bed by Ten to Benefit Prevention Point Pittsburgh

In Bed By Ten Dance Party to Benefit Prevention Point Pittsburgh

Date: Friday, July 13, 2018

Time: 6-9pm

Location: Spirit Hall, 252 51st Street, Pittsburgh PA 15201 (Lawrenceville)

Benefits: Prevention Point

Learn more about In Bed by Ten Dance Party

Website | Facebook Page | Twitter @inbedbyten | Instagram

You can sign up for the In Bed by Ten email list here.

In Bed by Ten is hosted by Design Crush and DJ MB.  DJ MB is also the creative force behind Alternate Histories, you may have seen these prints hanging at t. (Be sure to check out Alternate Histories July two for one sale!)

Soup N'at Union Project

Soup N’at: Eat Soup & Support Pittsburgh Artists

[tl;dr: $10 gets you some soup from awesome Pittsburgh chefs and the $ goes to local artists.]

Soup N'at Union Project

Soup N’At is back! Great to see this event continue. Soup N’at is the Pittsburgh version of the Sunday Soup crowdfunding. Check out some of our past posts on Soup N’at here.

How does Soup N’at work?

  • Each guest donates $10 in cash at the door
  • Guests eat soup donated by Pittsburgh restaurants, usually accompanied by delicious bread
  • Local artists present their projects
  • Each guest casts a vote for their favorite project.
  • The winning project takes home all of the $ that was collected at the door.

Soup N’at – Sunday, February 25, 2018

Location: The Union Project

Time: 6-8pm

Menu:

For more information about the dinner and the artists check out the Soup N’at Facebook event here and the Soup N’at website.

2 Women-Focused Organization Awarded At Nonprofit Accelerator Event

Lakeisha Wolf, Executive Director of Ujamaa Collective, presents at the Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event

Two women-focused nonprofits were awarded $500 each at December 15th’s Social Venture Partners’ Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event. The event, held at Google Pittsburgh’s HQ, was a culmination of a fourteen-week accelerator program from Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh, a philanthropic grantmaking organization based on the venture capital model.

The night’s $500 recipients were Ujamaa Collective and Prototype PGH. Ujamaa Collective invests in the economic and social growth of Africana women entrepreneurs and artisans through a boutique in the Hill District and Prototype PGH operates a North Oakland maker-space and offers maker educational programming focused on equity and feminism.

Prototype PGH co-founders, Erin Elizabeth (Oldynski) Gatz & E.Louise Larson, give their pitch at the Full Circle Impact Accelerator Pitch Event

At the event, five nonprofits presented information about their organization to three judges and to a packed room full 170+ people. Pitching, in addition to the two $500 recipients, were the Alliance for Police Accountability, the Global Switchboard, and New Fear Being Different. The night’s judges were Ilana Diamond, Managing Director of AlphaLab Gear, Mike Capsambelis, Product Management at Google, and Karen Brackett, Vice President at NexTier Bank, the marquee sponsor for the event.

The participating nonprofits also competed for an ‘audience favorite’ award. This prize, also for $500, was awarded to New Fear Being Different, a media platform that uses inspirational and entertaining content to shed light on social issues and connect people.

Those that didn’t receive a $500 award were also supported. Each nonprofit received $2,000 for completing the Full Circle Impact Accelerator program, which was sponsored by UPMC/UPMC Health Plan. Also, an additional $2,600 was separately pledged by the night’s audience and spread across all the organizations that pitched at the event. In total, $14,000+ indirect contributions were made to the five nonprofits.

Social Venture Partners Pittsburgh’s Full Circle Impact Accelerator is managed by the Social Impact business development firm, CitizenCity, and its principals Ryan Gayman and Benjamin Utter. To learn more about Social Venture Partners and its programs visit, svppittsburgh.org.

 

Disclaimer: The author attended this event for fun and never identified himself as a reporter at the actual event. The author has also attended other events put on by Social Venture Partners for fun.