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The Blog of NSR

Tag: Homewood

Community Small Business Workshops helped participants adapt to Covid-19, meet needs of their market

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Alyse Horn

Over the summer, New Sun Rising hosted three virtual Community Small Business Workshops to help entrepreneurs access vital resources and navigate the changing Covid-19 landscape.

Catering to Wilkinsburg, Homewood, and the Hilltop, NSR partnered with local organizations in each neighborhood to create workshops that met the specific needs of those communities’ businesses. Jamie Johnson, director of programs at NSR, said a lot of the work with participants was around marketing and creating an online presence.

“Most of them had direct face-to-face contact as part of their business before Covid, and we were trying to help them find ways to still meet the needs of their customers while maintaining relevance,” Johnson said.

The two hour workshops gave participants the opportunity to connect with and receive financial support from Honeycomb Credit before being paired off with mentors, who Johnson had matched with mentees prior to the workshops. Participants were also asked to complete a Pivot Action Plan Lean Canvas before the workshop, which was given to their mentors “so they could maximize their time together and prepare for a pitch competition,” Johnson said.

Digital Bridges Executive Director Connie Capiotis was a mentor for all three workshops, and said after mentees completed the financial part of the workshop, they paired off their mentors to prepare for the live pitch competition with three judges from each community. 

Capiotis said having the Lean Canvas before the workshop was an advantage, because “it helps entrepreneurs, especially new entrepreneurs, fine tune their thought process.”

“As entrepreneurs, we like to be big, creative thinkers and a tool like the lean canvas helps to take these big ideas and flesh them out so you can set smart goals and action plans,” Capiotis said.

The workshops were an adaptation of the Ignite program that NSR has hosted in the past and it was the first time they had been held online to adhere to Covid-19 restrictions on large gatherings.

“NSR pivoting to a virtual platform to deliver the workshops was nothing short of a testament to the resources and skill sets within their staff. Covid presented a global learning curve impacting everyone,” said Ebony McQueen-Harris, relationship manager and strategist with Omicelo Cares and mentor for all three of the workshops.

Johnson said there was a “great turnout,” regarding the number of participants. There were over 30 registered, with 87% of participants being people of color and 47% were women.

According to NSR’s Vibrancy Index for Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, Wilkinsburg ranks worse than 62.1 percent of the census tracts in Allegheny County; the Hilltop ranks worse than 45.5 percent, and Homewood ranks worse than 52.8 percent. Community Small Business Workshops like the ones held last summer also help the region make progress on Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), create Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), and decrease Poverty (SDG 1).

Each participant received a $150 stipend plus $1,500 of additional financial awards that were given out at each workshop, and ongoing entrepreneurial support.

“Following the workshop, they were connected to [Forward Cities] Resource Navigators Vernard Alexander and Samantha Black to help them get connected to additional resources and whatever they needed as they worked on their capacity,” Johnson said. 

Programs like these are dependent on funding; if organizations are interested in sponsoring one or several Community Small Business Workshops, please reach out to info@newsunrising.org. Funding for this program was provided by the BNY Mellon Foundation of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Posted in ProgramsTagged Homewood, Ignite Workshops, New Sun Rising, vibrancy index, Wilkinsburg

NSR receives $60,000 from Google to implement Growing Impact Through Data + Collaboration program

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Alyse Horn

Above: Beltzhoover and Knoxville leaders participate in the EcoDistricts Incubator at the Millvale Food + Energy Hub.

New Sun Rising received $60,000 in support from Google to implement Growing Impact through Data + Collaboration (GIT-COL), a program that will drive inclusive community economic development through increased data and technology use for collective impact by nonprofits and social enterprise businesses. 

Underserved leaders will also receive training to improve their own data literacy and help them to engage in effective collaboration, preparing them to better leverage technology.

“New Sun Rising is doing incredible work with the Pittsburgh community and Google is proud to support their latest Growing Impact through Data + Collaboration program. Creating economic opportunity for everyone through technology is a critical focus for Google and New Sun Rising is developing new pathways for the local nonprofit and small business community to gain access to tools and resources to help them grow and find success in today’s increasingly digital economy. We’re excited to see how this program will continue to push these leaders forward.” – Elizabeth Schwab, Head of External Affairs for Google Pittsburgh

The goal is to drive innovation in the social sector by supporting up to twelve nonprofits or small business leaders to increase their skills and knowledge related to data use and technology, to develop and implement an outcomes measurement strategy; and to create and implement an advocacy strategy. NSR will build upon existing relationships with partners throughout the Pittsburgh region with a focus on serving East End neighborhoods.

The Growing Impact through Data + Collaboration program includes four major components:

  • Data use (workshops + training)
  • Collaboration (development + support)
  • Technology (research + development)
  • Advocacy 

New Sun Rising will also work closely with The Forbes Funds and The Partnership Network, which together provide technical support in Nonprofit Capacity Building, Human Services, and the Community Development sectors. These partnerships offer targeted in-depth resources that leverage the partnerships capacity to serve the embattled communities strategically and pragmatically. 

The proposed project is expected to increase the technical proficiency of nonprofits and social enterprise businesses in the region to reach targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

To kick off the GIT-COL program, New Sun Rising is seeking people with ideas for collaborative projects to apply for the Ignite Vibrancy: Collective Impact workshop on September 7, 2019. Participants will receive support from mentors and peers along with the opportunity to pitch for $30,000 in total awards during the one-day event.

Posted in ProgramsTagged Homewood, Larimer, sustainable development goals, the partnership network, Wilkinsburg

Cancers, Cookies, & Cocktails

Are you a Cancer?  Even if you’re not – come out to celebrate!  This birthday party (more like a neighborhood block party) will be a guaranteed good time!  Come out to enjoy music, dancing, food, and drinks!  Reconnect with old friends while building new relationships.. dont’ miss out!

The Bright Spot: Kenny’s

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Scott Wolovich

Shining a light on the projects and businesses supported by the Vibrancy Funds

 

Neighborhood: Pittsburgh, Homewood

Program: Launch Culture

Grant Awarded: April 2018

A once vacant lot in the center of Homewood is now home to a vibrant, active space. Depending on the day of the week and time, you may find yogis lined up for a pay-what-you-can yoga session, a neighborhood birthday potluck for one of the young residents, or a late-night dance party with DJ spinning motown and local vendors selling their creative wares and art.

“Kenny’s exists to give residents a new and different experience while allowing people from outside the neighborhood an avenue to experience the greatness that is Homewood,” said Demi Kolke, the Founder and Owner of Kenny’s.

Demi built deep roots and connection with the community, through years of working with the local community development group, Operation Better Block. During her time working on various community development projects, she kept hearing the same thing from the residents of Homewood; they wanted to return their neighborhood to its former glory. They would reminiscence about the how Homewood used to be – a neighborhood with a thriving business district, strong community ties, and neatly maintained rowhomes.

The story of Homewood is not unique to the City of Pittsburgh. Currently, the neighborhood’s population is just 17% of its peak of 35,000, leaving nearly 2,000 vacant lots and 600 empty buildings in the majority Black neighborhood. The blight has been more persistent than in other neighborhoods due to structural racism, elevated crime activities, and lack of investment, leaving Homewood slower to rebound than other neighborhoods within the City.

That didn’t stop the neighbors from taking action on their own. Kenneth Stubbs was one such neighbor dedicated to changing the narrative of the neighborhood he was so proud of. At first, he was weary of Demi, a young woman originally from North Dakota. His hesitation soon faded and they formed a strong and unlikely friendship.

Tragically, that friendship came to an end when Kenneth was murdered in 2014.

In his honor, Demi purchased a vacant lot that he had owned and turned into a safe, accessible, informal outdoor gathering space: an idea born from countless conversations with him. She named it Kenny’s in his honor.

“I named the space Kenny’s to keep Mr. Stubbs’ dedication to the community giving and service alive,” explains Demi, “Every time a person asks me ‘Why the name Kenny?’ I get to tell them about my friend and they work he did in the community.”

Kenny’s website describes the space as a “community and cultural gathering space”.  The intent is to give a platform for the great activities that are going on in the neighborhood.

One night in June, Demi’s former employer, Operation Better Block, hosted a summer kick off potluck. Residents brought dishes, kids chased each other on the grass and neighbors met one another, many for the first time.

For Robert Bey, resident and former friend of Kenneth, Kenny’s space means an opportunity to get to know his neighbors. He is thankful for the access to the space so he can program it for the kids in his neighborhood.  

“If I want to host barbecue or something like that, all I have to do is contact Demi and ‘BOOM!’ – we bring the barbecue grills out here and cook hamburgers and hot dogs for the kids and have something for them to do.”

The Vibrancy Funds will be used to continue such programming the space throughout the summer so everyone will be able to participate in the events on site.

Kenny’s sits on a corner, with a bevy of energetic children to one side, and the older residents who remember what Homewood once was on the other. In addition to the Vibrancy Funds, Demi has secured funds from Lively Pittsburgh to offer additional programming centered around building connections between the generations.

Kenny’s is always going to be about resident-driven ideas and programming, Demi vows. It’s about giving the neighborhood a positive, open atmosphere to promote health and wellness, art and culture, entrepreneurs and existing businesses

Much like Mr. Stubbs himself, Kenny’s the space, is not there to work for the community, but rather with the community.

You can check out a full list of upcoming events at Kenny’s here.

—

The Vibrancy Funds are made possible by a gift from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.

Interested in finding out how we can help bring your idea to life? Contact us.

Posted in Programs, ProjectsTagged culture, Homewood, Vibrancy Funds

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