Together We Flourish

Bread of Life Food Pantry Has a New Website

The Bread of Life Food Pantry has created a new website.  Please go to boletna.org on the web to view it.

The Bread of Life Food Pantry is asking for your financial support and assistance to provide holiday meals to its clients during the holiday season.  We are providing each family with a $15 food certificate for Thanksgiving and a $15 food certificate for Christmas in addition to their regular monthly food items.  Your help in assisting the Bread of Life serve these families during this time of year is greatly needed.  Please send your monetary donation to:  Bread of Life Food Pantry, c/o Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 95142, Pittsburgh, PA 15223.  Checks should be made payable to “The Bread of Life Food Pantry”.  Thank you for your continued support and prayers for this important community ministry.”

Circle of Hope Honors Joe Guyaux of PNC Financial Services

Pennsylvania Women Work’s Eighth Annual Circle of Hope awards was another inspiring success. Held on October 15^th at the Hilton Pittsburgh Hotel, the evening honored Joe Guyaux, of PNC Financial Services for their dedication and support to Pennsylvania’s single parents and displaced homemakers.  Pennsylvania Women Work also honored four Women of Triumph. These women managed to come a long way past many barriers to find economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families through gainful employment. 

An Easy Way to Support the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh

Allstate is currently running a competition for the Allegheny County Domestic Violence Agencies. The agency that gets the most online votes wins a $15,000 donation to pursue their mission. Go to http://www.allstateyourchoicecharity.com, select ‘Pittsburgh, PA,’ then ‘Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh,’ then ‘Vote.’ It’s that easy! You can vote every day! The contest ends on December 10, 2008.Thanks for your support!

Network of Hope Strives to Move Beyond Charity toward CHANGE

The Network of Hope (NOH) is a faith-based non-profit organization that was formed in 2002 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Our organization arose out of the growing to address the ‘felt-needs’ of our communities. 

One of the ways we help people at the Network of Hope is through community events designed around meeting practical needs.This December marks our 6^th annual Give-A-Gift event, which helps financially struggling parents in our service area to provide gifts for their children during the holiday season.  We all know that the holidays can present challenges, especially for those enduring financial strain.We collect NEW gifts (for infants through teens), then invite eligible parents to come and personally choose gifts for each of their children.  We ask for a small donation from the parents (~10% of retail cost). 

Resources for Nonprofit Organizations

From time to time you will hear from me about information I find online that may be useful to your nonprofit organizations.  Hopefully many of you have learned about some of this information long before you read this post.  But just in case you have not, here are just a few that I have found recently:

Guidestar http://www.guidestar.org/index.jsp. This is a place to register your nonprofit for potential donations and grants.

Volunteer Match http://www.volunteermatch.org/ If you need volunteers, it’s a great place to register.

First Giving, http://www.firstgiving.org/ Another great place to register for donations

R.O.O.T.S Introduces the Lady C’s Boutique

            R.O.O.T.S. Academy, a program for at risk youth,  is excited to expand their Vocational Independent Living and Life Skills program.  This program is created to prepare students for their transition from school to adult life, and to provide them with information on tools and resources which help them harvest and nurture their innate gifts and talents. 

POWER Was Founded on the Belief That Addiction Recovery is Different for Women

POWER helps women with recovery and the issues surrounding alcohol and other drug addictions.  The organization was founded 17 years ago on the belief that treatment for addiction works—and that treatment geared to the specific needs of women works even better. 

Before 1991 there were no halfway house facilities in Allegheny County specifically for women in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.   In fact, while POWER founders Terry Miller and Mary Pat Donegan found 549 beds for men, they found only 12 beds for women, and those were in Butler County.  POWER House, the residential program they founded with the help of then-state legislator Tom Murphy, remains the county’s only residential facility offering halfway house services exclusively to recovering women. 

Teaching Youth Financial Literacy is Just One of the Missions at Junior Achievement of Western PA

During these very difficult financial times it is more critical that every that our youth learn financial literacy.  Junior Achievement of Western PA is committed to their mission of educating our youth and their families about financial matters.  Please take a moment to read what the President, Dennis P. Gilfoyle and the Chairman, Larry G. Schultz has to say about the good work this organization is offering.

The importance of what JA does is captured in our core purpose statement-inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy.  Fulfilling this purpose has never been more urgent or more important than it is today.

Volunteer Appreciation Made Easy With a “Girls Night Out” at Treasure House Fashions

I’ve talked with several people in nonprofit organizations about ways to express appreciation and extend some fun to the precious volunteers who keep our wheels turning.  That caused our wheels to start turning, and we at Treasure House Fashions want to offer a suggestion and invitation - bring your volunteers to Treasure House Fashions for a Girls’ Night Out!  

This event is an exclusive shopping spree scheduled after our normal business hours just for your group (in this case, your volunteers).  Let’s face it, gals, we love shopping, we love bargains, and there’s much fun and laughter in sharing that together!   We’ll add an extra 10% off our regular monthly promotional and refreshments are optional.  Call me to discuss the specifics for your volunteer organization or to set a date, but do consider this as a viable option for your volunteers.  

Did You Know That the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh Was One of the First in the Country?

The Women’s Center & Shelter was established in 1973 as a haven for women to come together to escape the stresses of daily life. As a need was established for a safe place for women in an abusive relationship, the Women’s Center & Shelter quickly grew to become one of the first women’s shelters in the country. 

Today, the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh serves over 5,000 woman and child victims of intimate partner violence each year. The Women’s Center’s services are vast: a 24-hour confidential hotline, a confidential and secure shelter, counseling and empowerment services for women and children, legal and medical advocacy and prevention education. All services provided by the Women’s Center are free and confidential.