Nicole Flaherty

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I wanted to contribute to my neighborhood in a positive way. If I could make something beautiful and/or functional for my neighborhood, that would be wonderful.” About Me. I am the Graphics Manager at a local vitamin company during the day and a full-time mother and wife in the evenings. I also do occasional photography work on the side and love pictures, both old and new. I have a beautiful 15-month daughter named Ella Dai and a great…

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Mark Rawlings

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “Pretty much everything you need is walking distance in Troy Hill, it's a very convenient place to live and there are great views all around!” About Me. I am a design engineer for Zero Fossil, an alternative energy company in Pittsburgh. Currently I am in charge of a small group at Carrie Furnace that is bringing alternative energy back to the National Historic Landmark. I own two side-by-side houses in Troy Hill and spend most of my free time working…

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Bridget Little

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I see a lot of need in my community for cohesion and involvement for people inside the community and to those interested in perhaps becoming a part of it.” About Me. I would describe myself as an urbanista who enjoys traveling. I love hanging out in my small backyard with my friends and my dogs. I feel that there are SO MANY possibilities with the Northside. While there are a lot of people who feel a lot of…

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Doug Deckert

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I applied to be a ReClaim Ambassador to meet new people within our cohort and to stretch myself to reach out and meet my neighbors on my block. I love to make a difference in the beauty of my immediate environment.” About Me I moved to Observatory Hill in 2007 to be near my son, Wyatt.  I have been a board member with Observatory Hill Inc. for almost a year now and am dedicated to beautifying the neighborhood. I…

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Angela Williams

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I hope that we can revitalize the existing community by engaging the residents to become a part of changes so they feel empowered to make positive things happen.” About Me I am a Northside homeowner and single mother of a 18-year-old FAME scholar at Sewickley Academy. I am employed full-time at Allegheny County Economic Development and am active in several community groups on the Northside. What would you like others to know about your neighborhood? Perry South…

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Jay Donaldson

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I'm excited to get my hands in the dirt. It makes me happy to see something I made grow, and to work with others to see it through.” About Me I'm an artist in many ways. I'm a musician - I play and write music and play in a blues band. I love working in the community I live in. In 2007 I founded the P.R.O.M.I.S.E organization. I like planting, growing things, long walks in the forest,…

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Linda Wallen

ReClaim Northside Ambassador/Mentor “Apathy is a huge challenge in our community and exciting projects are (I think) a way of budging people out of their busy inertia. Once something is changing for the better people seem to come out and take a look and get involved.” About Me I came to Pittsburgh by way of New Orleans and have been painting portraits for a living most of my life. The last few years I have also been teaching French and Spanish to…

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Heather Gacek

ReClaim Northside Ambassador “I would like to see Manchester develop a small town feel while within reach all of the amenities of city living. ” About Me. I am a civil engineer by day, working on water resources engineering projects. I am a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and since my time there, this city has remained one my favorite places on earth. Why did apply to be a ReClaim Ambassador? I applied to be a ReClaim Ambassador with the…

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Alandra Kahl

ReClaim McKeesport Ambassador "McKeesport is full of individuals working for their community." About Me. My hometown is Derry, PA. Currently I teach Engineering Design and Energy and the Environment at Penn State Greater Allegheny, where I am learning to program and build robots with my team. I'm so excited to give my students the opportunity to be involved in their community through the ReClaim project. What idea do you have a vacant land project in your neighborhood? A community gathering space. My…

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Natalie Thomas

ReClaim South Ambassador A lifelong resident of Beltzhoover, Natalie took the initiative to start the "Positive Effect Garden"  across the street from her house. During her time in the ReClaim South program, she hopes to learn more about gardening and continue to encourage the creative do-gooding of the neighborhood kids. Click here to learn more about her project, The Beltzhoover Unified Positive Effect Garden.

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Gordon Hodnett

ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 For nearly 50 years, Gordon has lived in Beltzhoover, and he can vividly recount how the community used to be a thriving, active place. Today, there are less people and more vacancy and his favorite spot is his back porch and enjoys walking around McKinley Park. Through the program he wants to grow green things to beautify his block. Click here to learn more about his project, The Garden on Gearing. ReClaim South Sustaining Momentum Ambassador,…

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Linda Piso

ReClaim South Ambassador, 2014 Like a true Pittsburgher, Linda left for a number of years, only to boomerang back to the 'burgh. She is excited to see her Library being more active and plans to partner with them to create a community garden. Her hope is that it will bring together different groups of neighbors (including her newest neighbors from Bhutan) together to socialize, work and eat together. ReClaim South Sustaining Momentum Ambassador, 2015 As a resident of Knoxville, Linda…

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