Community Leaders in McKeesport talk the future of youth Posted on February 20, 2015 by Grounded Strategies On Tuesday night at the Twin Rivers Intermediate School in McKeesport, GTECH hosted a panel discussion about engaging youth in McKeesport. The panel of local leaders who discussed youth engagement as part of the event included the following: Nikita Zook, Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time partnership coordinator Brie Adams, McKeesport Area School District coordinator of educational opportunities Austin Davis, executive assistant to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald Keino Fitzpatrick, Youth CAST — Community and Schools Together — developer Laura Bosnak-Thompson,…Read More
ReClaim Ambassadors vacant lot designs come to life Posted on January 16, 2015 by Grounded Strategies As Ambassadors design, there are two ways to approach vacant land projects. Haven't met our Ambassadors yet? Check out the Northsiders and McKeesporters who are participating in the ReClaim program year! ReClaiming a vacant lot takes a lot of imagination, time, and careful thought before you even break ground. That's why our Ambassadors have been attending classes since last October. They’ve learned about how to transform vacant land into activated, green community spaces, the processes that come before and the partnerships that need to be…Read More
An Ambassador Holiday Tale Posted on December 11, 2014 by Grounded Strategies An Ambassador Holiday 'Twas the eve of December 10 and all through the venue, GTECH Ambassadors shuffled in, bearing dishes to add to the menu. An old-fashioned potluck was all that was promised, But, boy oh boy, were those Ambassadors in attendance astonished! See there were 6 generations of Ambassadors present that eve, With 16 communities being represented, I do believe. They chatted and laughed -- sharing stories and tips aplenty, About building gardens, comfy homes and filling lots that were empty. Miss Lisa…Read More
Preserving a Piece of Pittsburgh’s Incline History Posted on October 31, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Pittsburgh is the only city in the United States that still has two operational inclines — you know them as the Duquesne and the Monongahela. Back in the heyday of steel milling and coal mining along the three rivers' shores, dozens of inclines connected downtown with the housing on the hills. Not only did they serve as people carriers, they also hauled freight, horses and buggies and, later, cars. One such incline that is no longer in use is the Knoxville…Read More
Get to Know…Crystal Tackett Posted on October 15, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Crystal Tackett served as a ReClaim Northside Ambassador in 2014. She used her time to build a community food garden in partnership with the Salvation Army. She is also trying to give away more veggies in her neighborhood. GTECH: Hi Crystal, so you aren't a native Pittsburgh, where are you from originally? Crystal Tackett: Saxonburg, Pa. G: What Northside neighborhood are you currently in? CT: I just bought my house in Fineview last year. Before that I lived in the…Read More
5 Reasons We Are Working in McKeesport Posted on September 5, 2014 by wpengine ReClaiming Vacant Lots in McKeesport: 5 Reasons Why We are There. This fall, 10 McKeesport residents have the opportunity to clean and green vacant lots in their neighborhood. This is GTECH Strategies’ first vacant land Ambassador program outside of the City of Pittsburgh. In honor of that, James Snow, the project manager for ReClaim McKeesport, gives you his top five reasons why we chose to work with the City of Mckeesport to create new community green spaces. 1. The…Read More
Community Lens: Being an Ambassador Posted on August 28, 2014 by Grounded Strategies What it is like being a ReEnergize Ambassador Community Lens is a blog series that invites past GTECH partners to share their own experience work with us. This week former ReEnergize Ambassador, Ellie Gordon, shares with you what it was like being an Ambassador. I was at the Kingsley Center attending a community meeting about environmental and community initiatives when I heard a presentation about ReEnergize Pittsburgh by Zaheen, the awesome Program Coordinator at GTECH Strategies. As an ardent environmentalist…Read More
Get to Know…Rhonda Sears Posted on August 22, 2014 by Grounded Strategies An Interview with a ReEnergize Pittsburgh Ambassador, Rhonda Sears [one_third padding="5px 10px 5px 5px"][/one_third] Rhonda Sears is an active member of her community in Homewood. As a member of the first ReEnergize Pittsburgh program group, she defines what it means to be a community Ambassador in the energy efficiency field . During her time as an Ambassador, she organized a 60-person energy saving workshop with Larimer's ReEnergize Ambassador, handed out more than 115 bags of energy-efficiency tools door-to-door, and talked to 340 of her neighbors…Read More
GTECHer Spotlight: Linda Piso Posted on July 29, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Get to know...Linda Piso [one_half padding="15px 15px 0 0"][/one_half] [one_half_last] Hometown: Pittsburgh - Knoxville neighborhood Favorite burrito: If there was a chocolate burrito, that'd be her favorite Favorite Activity: Walking slowly, but fast enough to finish the half-marathon before the yellow bus gets her! [/one_half_last] About two years ago, Linda Piso noticed that the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Knoxville was growing a very small garden in a very small patch of grass by their back exit. She got talking to some…Read More
GTECHer Spotlight: George Jones Posted on June 4, 2014 by Grounded Strategies Get to know...George Jones [one_half padding="10px 0 0 0"][/one_half] Current GTECH connection: SCC Member Hometown: Birmingham, AL Alma Mater: Vanderbilt and Carnegie Mellon University Favorite Activity: Grillin’ at Bayardstown Favorite Cocktail: Boulevardiers from Bar Marco Favorite Burrito Topping: Queso is King! These days George's favorite view of Pittsburgh comes from a top a bike. In fact it was on his bike last year at the Two Wheels Lots of Green Bike Tour that the group rode past a community garden that…Read More
Appreciating Ambassadors Posted on October 2, 2013 by Grounded Strategies Energy Ambassadors in Action. What hardworking individuals in our Ambassador program mean to their communities. Added Value ReEnergize Pgh ambassadors have been engaging communities and strengthening relationships with their neighbors and community based organizations. One noteworthy relationship exists between Homewood Ambassador, Rhonda Sears, and her ReEnergize community-based organization (CBO) partner Operation Better Block (OBB). To better understand the dynamic duo, we sat down with OBB program coordinator, Jose Diaz, to discuss his experience working with ReEnergize Pgh and Sears. Building…Read More