- www.unionproject.org - Volunteers Needed Tomorrow! Union Project needs 8 volunteers to assist with stained glass cleaning tomorrow night; Thursday, January 19 from 7-9pm. Volunteers will work alongside Stained Glass class members to prepare windows for reconstruction. If you are able to help please email Justin@unionproject.org or call 412-363-4550 x 2 or just show up at 7 pm. Thank you for honoring Dr. King Union Project and Open Door wish to thank the more than 300 people who came on Monday evening to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Monday evening service was a kickoff for 4 Monday evening events in February at the Union Project. Please join Union Project and Open Door for discussions around race and community at 7:30 pm on February 6, 13, 20, and 27. For more information email hilary@unionproject.org or bj@pghopendoor.org or call 412-215-6398. Union Project receives first Federal Grant The Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a $700,000 discretionary grant for community development to the Union Project. The grant supports the Union Project’s efforts as an arts and enterprise incubator. Funds will be used to complete the construction on Union Station – a social enterprise café partnership with Peabody High School’s Culinary Arts Academy. This construction will mark the completion of Phase I of the Union Project’s capital renovation campaign. Funds will also be used to assist Union Project partners and projects in their community development efforts and are tied to a goal of 101 jobs to be created over a period of three years among Union Project tenants, partners and projects. At least 60% of jobs created will be filled with low-income individuals. In addition to Union Station, the Union Project aims to launch at least two additional social enterprise endeavors this year; a production pottery to employ high school youth and a stained glass restoration company. Social enterprise is any earned-income business or strategy undertaken by a nonprofit to generate revenue in support of its charitable mission. “Social enterprise and entrepreneurship has been a hallmark of the Union Project through our stained glass classes, volunteer learning experiences, summer market, and more,” says Executive Director Jessica King. “We are thrilled that this grant provides the resources for us to implement a vision that will create new opportunities for our neighbors in need. In a time of decreasing grants and public subsidy, maximizing our income-earning potential is essential to create self-sustaining, long-term, positive change.” Additional grants recently received toward the Capital Campaign include: $1,000 from the Stuckeman Charitable Trust, $5,000 from the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation, $10,000 from the Mary Hillman Jennings Foundation, and $20,000 from the Allegheny Foundation. Founded four years ago by young Pittsburghers, the grassroots Union Project has raised some $3 million to renovate the formerly abandoned Union Baptist Church and start new community and economic development programs, engaged over 1,600 volunteers in innovative hands-on restoration work, and opened renovated space to house the offices and studios of nine community organizations, entrepreneurs, artists and people of faith. A boardroom and two large halls are available to rent for short or long term use. A cooperative ceramics art studio is in development and will be accepting applications and membership in 2006. Phase II of the capital renovation project will commence in 2006 and will raise the funds necessary to renovate the former sanctuary into a civic gathering space for weddings, arts performances, religious assembly and public gatherings. Become a Union Project Member Show your support for the vision and mission of the Union Project by becoming a member! Visit www.unionproject.org to donate online, or send a check to 801 N. Negley Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. All donations are tax deductible! Contact Jess@unionproject.org with questions. $500 (or $42 a month) Benefits include: 50 free cups of coffee at Union Station; 25% discount on classes, board room, atrium or sanctuary rental; Union Project bumper sticker; choice of Union Project t-shirt or mug; hand made stained glass sun catcher. $250 (or $21 a month) Benefits include: 25 free cups of coffee at Union Station; 15% discount on classes, board room, atrium or sanctuary rental; Union Project bumper sticker; choice of Union Project t-shirt or mug. $100 (or $9 a month OR 100 hours of volunteer labor) Benefits include: 10 free cups of coffee at Union Station; 10% discount on classes, boa rd room, atrium or sanctuary rental; Union Project bumper sticker. Recycle your paper and earn money for Union Project Now you can recycle most of your paper at the Union Project! No more sorting! No more Saturday trips to the recycling center! Union Project is participating in the Abitibi Paper Retriever® program. A new green and yellow paper-recycling bin is located at the rear of the Union Project property along Samantha Way. This program will recycle all of the paper we collect, convey it to the world's largest newspaper recycler for use in manufacturing newsprint, and, in exchange for our donation of these reusable resources, pay us for the paper we collect! Abitibi will recycle catalogs, colored paper, envelopes, fax paper, folders, junk mail, magazines, newspapers, newspaper advertisements and inserts, notebooks and office paper. If you have questions about this recycling program please contact Kathy@unionproject.org. _______________________________________________ update mailing list update@unionproject.org http://unionproject.mennonite.net/mailman/listinfo/update.unionproject