Category Archives: Non-Profits

Zombies Save Pittsburgh – A Halloween Party for A Good Cause

Can Zombies Save Pittsburgh? With your help yes! (If you are just looking for details on the Zombie Halloween Party scroll to the bottom of the page – keep reading for details on how and why I think you should check out the party).

For the past few holiday seasons, IheartPGH has joined with other bloggers to help a Pittsburgh non-profit – Community Human Services (CHS) – make sure that some of the less fortunate Pittsburghers have some holiday gifts. I was happy to support this project and over the past few years I have learned a lot more about CHS and the incredible and important services they provide.

Last year, at the holiday party I had the opportunity to chat with a woman who works for CHS and works with the kids in Allegheny County that have signed themselves out of the foster care system. These are 18 year-olds that don’t have families and many don’t have a place to live. CHS works to get these kids housing and to give them at least some sort of a holiday gift.

I have been thinking about the best way to write about CHS and their upcoming Halloween Party – and then I read this article in the Tampa Bay Times this afternoon – Amid churchgoers, an orphan pleads for a family, October 7, 2013. And I burst into tears. Please take a moment to read this story. I was struck by how along this kid felt and I’ve been thinking all day about what I can do about this. While I am not sure what I can do to help Davion find a family in Florida – I can help to support a Pittsburgh organization that is working on these issues right here.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until December to support CHS! This Saturday, CHS is hosting what is sure to be an incredible event, No One Survives Alone, a zombie themed Halloween Party – this Saturday, October 19, 2013. The party is going to be at Clear Story Studios – which is an incredible office space located on the South Side. Music by DJ Zombo, a beer bar sponsored by Yuengling, specialty cocktails with Fortis Vodka and Bluecoat Gin, appetizers from Whole Foods, Red Oak Cafe and Catering.

No One Survives Alone
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Clear Story Studios
$50 – in advance, $60 – at the door

Other ways to help:

Like CHS on Facebook
Make a contribution to CHS
Stay tuned for CHS Holiday fundraiser details – and let me know if you want to help plan the holiday party!

Meet Jack

You may recognize this Britt from his video last month–“Jack Holden Loves Pittsburgh”. He truly loves the place and is looking for work in our fair city. Here’s a little more about Jack, and what he’d like to do in Pittsburgh.

Why Pittsburgh? What brings you to the city?

Initially, I came to Pittsburgh to visit my girlfriend from Mt. Lebanon. I didn’t really know much about Pittsburgh, other than what I was told by Dana before my first visit. By the end of my trip I had fallen in love with the city. It is unique compared to any other city that I have been to in the states. It’s got a funky, fresh, and alternative vibe which makes the city pretty exciting to be in.

On my first weekend of my first visit, we went to the Strip District on a Saturday morning. That was pretty special. I usually go to a market regularly in London where it’s overflowing with culture and smells of ethnic foods. But in Pittsburgh, it was surreal as there was heavy snow on the ground and this market going ballistic. Most of all, the friendliness and kindness of the people is the main attraction. You don’t get that everywhere, and there is this local feel and buzz in a relatively big city. Continue reading →

Paddle Without Pollution: Nominated for Canoe & Kayak Magazine’s ‘Paddle With Purpose’ award

Local non-profit (and I heart PGH favorite!) Paddle Without Pollution is up for an award celebrating the best philanthropic effort involving paddlesports. You can vote for the best “Paddle With Purpose” contender, plus those in other categories, until this Sunday, June 30, by visiting the Canoe & Kayak Magazine awards page.

The group was nominated by their fellow paddlers and peers and winners are honored at the annual ceremony, held this year on August 1 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Paddle Without Pollution gets canoeists, kayakers, and paddle boarders together to clean the rivers, streams, wetlands, and lakes of Pennsylvania. In 2012, they removed 15.3 TONS of litter from waterways during 13 cleanup events.

They also provide a watershed/paddling education program for inner city youth that teaches paddling skills, ecology, and proper nutrition, as well as other pollution prevention and education programs.

View their upcoming cleanup schedule and register to help clean up local watersheds! And don’t worry if you don’t have your own kayak or canoe, a few are available to borrow from their own fleet for those who sign up early enough. You can also donate money to their cause on their website, via PayPal.

Stay up-to-date on upcoming events and see photos from past ones, plus other news and happenings, by liking their Facebook page.

Click here to vote!

CHS Youth Summer Camp

Community Human Services, a nonprofit in the Pittsburgh area, is introducing an awesome new summer camp for 5th and 6th graders. LEAD Civic Engagement will take place over six weeks and introduce these young students to topics such as leadership, science, arts & music, diversity, environment, and government. The camp will venture into the community for miscellaneous activities, but will primarily be located at the CHS headquarters on Lawn Street. This location is ideal for parents dropping their kids off before going to work in Oakland or downtown. Any student in the age range is encouraged to participate in the program, taking place June 24th to August 2nd. The program is $125 per week, including volunteering activities and a field trip every week. Scholarships are available. Apply soon by visiting http://www.chscorp.org/. Young students will leave the camp with a lot of knowledge and a new appreciation for making a difference in our community! If you need any additional information, feel free to contact Trevor at tsmith@chscorp.org or 412-246-1615.

Looking for a summer program in the area for teens? Look into the Luminari Teen Writers Workshop by going to http://www.luminari.org/Teen_Writer!_Series.html

Follow #NPSummit on Twitter to Learn More About Local Nonprofits

Since lots of our readers are involved in loca nonprofits I wanted to share some information about the Nonprofit summit and some organizations that you might want to follow on Facebook and Twitter for future info on how to make Pittsburgh nonprofit organizations even better.

Today is the Annual Nonprofit Summit which is organized by:

GPNP (The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership) @GPNPpgh – which is a coalition of about 350 nonprofit agencies in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region dedicated to providing a unified voice for the nonprofit sector.
The Forbes Funds @TheForbesFunds mission is to strengthen the management and policy-making capacity of the nonprofit sector by providing the support, resources, and knowledge required for high-performing nonprofits.

If you are interested in nonprofits – take a look at the program for the 2013 Nonprofit Summit here – there are 14 different workshops on a range of topics. Even if you aren’t able to attend the list of workshops and speakers offers a glimpse at who are the thought leaders in Pittsburgh.