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The Black Pant's Project...Helping Courageous Women Get a Leg Up in the Workforce

Looking good means feeling good. And when you feel good about yourself, that confidence shines through to others...including prospective employers.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to go out and buy an entirely new wardrobe for a new job.  Not everyone can afford to go out and buy a new suit for an important interview.  Not everyone can go out and buy a pair of black pants to fake their way toward a professional looking ensemble. The Black Pants Project was developed to remove this barrier to successful employment and provide fabulous women with the opportunity to put their best foot forward on their journey toward self-sufficiency. Run solely by volunteers and charitable donations, the Black Pants Project needs your help.  It is our goal to supply disadvantaged women in the Mid-Mon Valley with at least one business suit for interviews and two or three complete professional outfits upon securing a job.  Because sizes will vary and needs will differ from woman to woman, in addition to the need for donated professional clothing we are in need of the following items:

Retail Gift Cards (Target, Walmart, Macy’s, Lane Bryant, Payless, Gabriel Brothers, etc) so that we may purchase essential items that we may be lacking at the current time

Cash Donations to cover the printing and mailing of program information and transportation costs for our volunteer picker-uppers.

Specialty Volunteers  Seamstresses, hairdressers, manicurists, makeup artists and massage  therapists for special events and promotions

Corporate Sponsors to fund special events, promotions and incentives geared toward raising awareness about the Black Pants Project and provide volunteers for such events. If you or your organization is able to help us, please contact Jennifer Melnick Carota at
412-559-1754

To find out more, please visit our blog at www.theblackpantsproject.blogspot.com

SYC Receives $5,000 from Pittsburgh250 and the Sprout Fund for Pay it Forward

The Schooner Youth Center is honored to be recognized by Community Connections and the Sprout Fund for inclusion into the Pittsburgh250 funding cycle for innovative community programs that demonstrate community pride and civic engagement in the Pittsburgh region.  One of only five projects selected in Westmoreland County, the Schooner Youth Center will use the funds to support their signature project, the Pay it Forward initiative.  The Pay it Forward initiative engages Mon Valley youth and adult mentors to implement new and innovative youth community service projects that will make a significant impact in their local community, region or nation.  Current projects include care packages for soldiers, fundraisers for distressed families, community murals, and aesthetic improvements to the Schooner Youth Center.

The Pittsburgh 250 Grassroots Community Connections Projects are 88 community initiatives that have been developed by community members in each of the 14 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. These projects involve local residents and organizations, are focused on local interests, and demonstrate civic engagement and innovation at the grassroots level. Most projects received awards of $5,000 for their activities in 2008.

Following the submission of more than 500 requests for support, The Sprout Fund engaged more than 270 citizens from across Southwestern Pennsylvania in a broad and comprehensive community decision-making process to select projects that contribute to the “Pride & Progress” of Southwestern Pennsylvania—the theme of Community Connections.

Panels of community leaders convened in each county reviewed proposals developed by local residents in each of the 14 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. In total, $420,000 was invested in 88 Grassroots Community Connections Projects, with most receiving awards of $5,000 for their activities.

Community Connections is a cooperative effort between The Sprout Fund, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit organization with extensive experience in supporting and managing community-based projects; the Pittsburgh 250 Community Connections Committee, a 40-member regional advisory group chaired by George Miles of WQED Multimedia, Aradhna Dhanda of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., and Cathy Lewis Long of The Sprout Fund; and, Pittsburgh 250, Inc. a supporting organization of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the lead agency implementing and coordinating events and activities related to the region’s 250th anniversary celebration.