Our passion is equipping leaders to accelerate the greater Pittsburgh region. Through the exemplary work of our graduates, the fingerprints of 3,500+ alumni are throughout the Greater Pittsburgh Region and beyond.
We believe that when people “do” they learn and when leaders give they “get”. In recent years, our classes of senior leaders have worked with area nonprofit organizations to identify, develop, and execute on mission critical projects. In the last five years alone nearly forty southwestern PA agencies have had the benefit of servant leadership provided by LP participants.
Click here for project summaries from some recent LP classes. We are proud of the work of our participants, grateful to the partner agencies, and appreciate the ability to be able to help them serve their mission while we serve ours of strengthening regional leadership through programs, partnerships and connections.
Our Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) and CLCV participants have actively contributed to community impact projects. Take a look at some of our featured projects:
The Care Package Initiative for Family House brought joy, comfort, and a sense of belonging to the residents of Family House. Through the collective efforts of Leadership Pittsburgh XXXIX Peer Group 1 members, 150 care packages were thoughtfully assembled and delivered to the residents, providing them with essential items and heartfelt gestures of support. Family House’s mission is to provide a safe, comforting, and affordable “home away from home” for patients and their families who travel to Pittsburgh hospitals for expert medical care.
The primary objective of the Care Package Initiative was to supply Family House residents with essential items they needed during their stay. The care packages were curated to include practical necessities such as crossword puzzles, non-perishable snacks, and tokens of encouragement. Alongside the tangible items, the care packages provided emotional support and let the residents know that they valued while also fostering a sense of community among the residents and volunteers. The care packages became symbols of a larger community coming together to uplift and inspire the families residing at Family House.
The Care Package Initiative had a profound impact on the residents of Family House, lifting their spirits and providing them with a sense of comfort and encouragement.
A LP XXXIX group spent a day at the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. In addition to learning about the various services offered by JFCS, the group rolled up their sleeves and helped to prepare and shelve vegetables in the Food Pantry.
A group from LP XXXIX spent a day volunteering at The Market at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Their volunteer time included assisting Market shoppers with item selection, checkout and bagging of their groceries. At the end of their shift, they also re-stocked shelves and prepared The Market for the next day’s shoppers.
A group from LP XXXIX helped Hello Neighbor with setting up an apartment that was going to be the new home for a Rohingya family who was moving to Pittsburgh. The group transported necessary items from Hello Neighbor’s offices to the apartment. Upon arrival at the apartment, they met additional deliveries of furniture and supplies and proceeded to unload, unpack and setup all of the items needed to fully furnish the apartment and make it a welcoming home for the family.
A LP XXXIX group spent a day at the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. In addition to learning about the various services offered by JFCS, the group rolled up their sleeves and helped to prepare and shelve vegetables in the Food Pantry.
A group from LP XXXIX spent a day volunteering at The Market at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Their volunteer time included assisting Market shoppers with item selection, checkout and bagging of their groceries. At the end of their shift, they also re-stocked shelves and prepared The Market for the next day’s shoppers.
A group from LP XXXIX helped Hello Neighbor with setting up an apartment that was going to be the new home for a Rohingya family who was moving to Pittsburgh. The group transported necessary items from Hello Neighbor’s offices to the apartment. Upon arrival at the apartment, they met additional deliveries of furniture and supplies and proceeded to unload, unpack and setup all of the items needed to fully furnish the apartment and make it a welcoming home for the family.
The Community Impact Project (CIP) is one of the many components of the Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) Program, which provides a real-world, hands-on opportunity for leadership skill practice and development.
This living, breathing “case-study” is undertaken by the group of high potential emerging leaders in the LDI program each year, working together with a defined regional neighborhood’s stakeholders to deliver significant value to the host neighborhood, its people, and businesses.
The development, design, and execution the CIP provides highly talented and motivated emerging leaders from our region’s corporate, public, and nonprofit sectors opportunities to hone the skills and strategies taught throughout the program year while getting to know a neighborhood at a deep level and engaging civically.
The CIP was formerly known as PopUp Pittsburgh! – a concept was modeled after the “PopUp City” approach, which seeks to momentarily revitalize a neighborhood that has excess vacant land by developing a temporary, low-cost initiative that has the ability to surprise, provoke, and entertain city residents and visitors in ways that change perceptions about the places where they occur.
PopUp Pittsburgh! occurred from 2009-2020 in various neighborhoods including Fineview, Lawrenceville, Mt. Washington, Larimer, California-Kirkbride, Wilkinsburg, Carrick, Millvale, McKees Rocks, and Sharpsburg.
The LDI XXX cohort worked alongside the Allentown CDC in the Allentown neighborhood, located in the City of Pittsburgh’s Central South Side. Their project aimed to engage community stakeholders by developing a plan to create civic pride amongst residents and businesses alike, better align community goals, and inform a strategy for a sustained financial future for the Allentown CDC.
The LDI XXIX cohort worked with representatives from Penn Hills to better understand the needs of the community in relation to the Penn Hills Shopping Center, resulting in a comprehensive plan that currently serves as a playbook for future revitalization and redevelopment of the shopping center.
The LDI XXVII cohort worked with the Enterprise Zone Corporation of Braddock (EZCB) by engaging with the EZCB board, community leaders, businesses and residents of Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin and Swissvale to create resources that highlight the assets of the East Shore, that informed a short-term plan to attract positive attention to the area, and created “leave behind” resources that helped attract future growth and interest to the area.
The LDI XXX cohort worked alongside the Allentown CDC in the Allentown neighborhood, located in the City of Pittsburgh’s Central South Side. Their project aimed to engage community stakeholders by developing a plan to create civic pride amongst residents and businesses alike, better align community goals, and inform a strategy for a sustained financial future for the Allentown CDC.
The LDI XXIX cohort worked with representatives from Penn Hills to better understand the needs of the community in relation to the Penn Hills Shopping Center, resulting in a comprehensive plan that currently serves as a playbook for future revitalization and redevelopment of the shopping center.
The LDI XXVII cohort worked with the Enterprise Zone Corporation of Braddock (EZCB) by engaging with the EZCB board, community leaders, businesses and residents of Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin and Swissvale to create resources that highlight the assets of the East Shore, that informed a short-term plan to attract positive attention to the area, and created “leave behind” resources that helped attract future growth and interest to the area.
A CLCV Project Team worked with Sisters Place on a project that aimed to bring awareness to the mission of Sisters Place, while building lasting connections with the community and wellness organizations to enable Sisters Place and the families they empower. To accomplish this the group helped to plan, organize and execute a “Community Wellness Connections Cookout” event that included free food, raffles, kids activities, and giveaways. The event also featured local healthcare professionals offering wellness resources to the community.
A LP XXXIX group spent a day at the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. In addition to learning about the various services offered by JFCS, the group rolled up their sleeves and helped to prepare and shelve vegetables in the Food Pantry.
A group from LP XXXIX spent a day volunteering at The Market at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Their volunteer time included assisting Market shoppers with item selection, checkout and bagging of their groceries. At the end of their shift, they also re-stocked shelves and prepared The Market for the next day’s shoppers.
A group from LP XXXIX helped Hello Neighbor with setting up an apartment that was going to be the new home for a Rohingya family who was moving to Pittsburgh. The group transported necessary items from Hello Neighbor’s offices to the apartment. Upon arrival at the apartment, they met additional deliveries of furniture and supplies and proceeded to unload, unpack and setup all of the items needed to fully furnish the apartment and make it a welcoming home for the family.
A LP XXXIX group spent a day at the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. In addition to learning about the various services offered by JFCS, the group rolled up their sleeves and helped to prepare and shelve vegetables in the Food Pantry.
A group from LP XXXIX spent a day volunteering at The Market at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Their volunteer time included assisting Market shoppers with item selection, checkout and bagging of their groceries. At the end of their shift, they also re-stocked shelves and prepared The Market for the next day’s shoppers.
A group from LP XXXIX helped Hello Neighbor with setting up an apartment that was going to be the new home for a Rohingya family who was moving to Pittsburgh. The group transported necessary items from Hello Neighbor’s offices to the apartment. Upon arrival at the apartment, they met additional deliveries of furniture and supplies and proceeded to unload, unpack and setup all of the items needed to fully furnish the apartment and make it a welcoming home for the family.
