724-834-1260
800-816-0022 226 South Maple Avenue Greensburg, PA 15601 |
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Check back often for news and events from Westmoreland Community Action. WCA holds fundraisers, summits, classes, workshops and more throughout the year. News and Events at WCAUPCOMING EVENTSThe Family Development Training and Credentialing (FDC) ProgramClasses begin September 12, 2011 The FDC class has been approved for CEUs and ACT 48 hours. Info: Westmoreland Community Action is offering a nationally recognized training and credentialing program, called Family Development Credentialing (FDC), for front-line human and social service professionals who work with families. The strength-based FDC curriculum provides participants with skills and tools to empower families to identify and reach their own goals to obtaining self-sufficiency. Workers from a variety of local organizations, including Community Action, Children & Youth, Head Start, Mental Health or private organizations, participate in the classes. Graduates of FDC can receive seven hours of college credit. The key to the success of FDC is the focus on interagency partnerships. CAAP facilitates these partnerships by bringing Community Action Agencies and outside organizations together to incorporate systematic changes that will improve outcomes for the families. �It helped me remember why I went into this work in the first place!� FDC training helps increase effectiveness in helping workers relate to families. To register for classes, contact Patty Berkey 724-834-1260 x
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pberkey@westmorelandca.org NewsJoplin Relief Poker Run a Success
A big "Thank You" to everyone who participated in our Poker Run to benefit the victims of the Joplin, MO tornado. Joplin suffered destruction of epic proportion on Sunday, May 22, 2011 when hit by an EF5 tornado. At least 20-25% of Joplin was completely devastated. More than 100 members of that community lost their lives, while 750-1,350 received injuries. With your support, we raised over $1,200 from the Poker Run, which will go to our sister community action agency who is fighting poverty in Joplin - the Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area (ESCSWA). Thanks to the generosity of those in our community, we have already given ESCSWA a check for $14,000. These funds were used toward the purchase of two of seven lots to rebuild homes for families in the Joplin area as part of the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition show. This project begins October 19th. Please click here to visit our photo gallery for the event. CEO Tay Waltenbaugh and past Board President Barry Gaetano traveled to Joplin, Mo to deliver the donations the community raised with Westmoreland Community Action. Your support enabled us to deliver $13,000 and a tractor trailer truck full of supplies to help families in the Joplin area. This footage shows the unbelievable devastation that is 2 miles wide and 13 miles long in downtown Joplin. We heard so many dramatic stories, stories of loss, courage, volunteerism and faith. At any time, if a group would like us to present our experiences first-hand, please call me at 724-834-1260 ext 105.
CEO Tay Waltenbaugh to Joplin, MO in early July to deliver the $13,000 in donations plus the supplies we have collected to the victims of the Joplin tornado. We hope the victims will be able to use our assistance to reach recovery. We thank everyone who contributed and helped out! PKSA Karate in Greensburg graciously contributed to our Joplin Relief Fund. Here's a video from when they stopped by the agency!
1st Annual Poker Run a Success
We held our first annual Poker Run on Saturday, June 11, 2011. It turned out to be such a great turnout!! We are planning on holding another run this fall! Thank you to everyone who participated! It is greatly appreciated! Westmoreland Community Action Partners with the National Children�s StudyThe National Children�s Study is the largest long-term project following children�s health, growth and development ever conducted in the United States, and it has begun recruiting women in Westmoreland County. Study researchers from the University of Pittsburgh seek to enroll women in communities like Mt. Pleasant, Greensburg, the Ligonier Valley, and Hunker; women who are pregnant or may become pregnant in the next few years and who live in a study community may be eligible to participate.
Women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the next few years should call 866-315-7125 to see if they are eligible to participate. Additional information about the National Children�s Study in Westmoreland can be found at www.ncsinwestmoreland.org or by e-mailing info@ncsinwestmoreland.org Circles Initiative Honors Area GraduatesThe Greensburg site of Westmoreland County�s Circles� Initiative held a graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 1 at 4 p.m. at the main office of Westmoreland Community Action (WCA). The six graduates completed twenty-two workshop sessions geared toward making positive changes in their lives so they can begin to move towards self-sufficiency. Community involvement is one of the basic constructs of the curriculum devised by Phil DeVol of aha! Process, Inc. and the graduates have grown in their knowledge of their community during the course of this class. The Circles� national campaign comes to us from the Move the Mountain Leadership Center (Scott Miller, co-founder) and has over 60 local initiatives nationwide. Westmoreland County is one of those initiatives and currently operates with five sites throughout the county with Westmoreland Community Action as the lead agency for the community-driven initiative. The graduates, consisting of both men and women, were David Adair, Linda Adair, Dawn Adair-Myers, Pamela Brooks, Christopher Myers, and Patricia Yuhas.
The ceremony started with a Welcome by Rebecka Andrae, Westmoreland Circles Coordinator, followed by Acknowledgements by Tim Lewis, Westmoreland Circles Coach. Tay Waltenbaugh, CEO of Westmoreland Community Action, addressed the graduates with a message of inspiration and encouragement. The Honorable Christopher Feliciani, Family Court Judge and CASA advocate, was the Keynote Speaker. Certificates were presented by Bill Connolly, Director of Community Supports at WCA, and the Rev. Ken Bossart and the Rev. Rebecca Patterson, both Circles Guiding Coalition members. A reception with refreshments and cake was enjoyed by all those attending the ceremony. To see pictures from the event, click here. (5/6/2011) WCA Hosts Wine TastingAnyone looking for good food, good wine, and a good time were not disappointed at Westmoreland Community Action�s 9th Annual Wine Tasting Event at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art on Friday, April 15. Guests enjoyed sweet piano sounds courtesy of Lara Provance and soothing jazz by James T. Boggs. Jennifer Miele from WTAE Channel 4 graced everyone with her presence for the seventh year as celebrity guest hostess. Guests also enjoyed the art exhibit entitled American Landscapes: Treasures from the Parrish Art Museum.
The evening�s featured wineries included Angeli Winery, Christian W. Klay Winery, Greendance (the Winery at Sand Hill) and Sybarite, LLC. Pepperwood Grille and Rizzo�s Malabar Inn provided excellent food to compliment the wine. And who could forget the delicious sweets and cookies provided by One Tuff Cookie and The Chocolate Shoppe? For those craving coffee during the evening, Starbucks provided the tasty beverage. If you missed this year�s event, don�t worry. Westmoreland Community Action plans to offer a great 10-Year Wine Tasting Event in 2012! To see more pictures from the event, click here. PANO Announces Standards for Excellence Class of 2011 at Annual Conference16 nonprofit organizations successfully completed the rigorous certification program known as �Standards for Excellence��, the country�s premiere nonprofit self-regulation program. The Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations (PANO) honored the latest cohort of organizations to earn the Seal of Excellence as part of the Standards for Excellence program during a special recognition ceremony at their Annual Conference held on April 4 & 5 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, PA.
�From a recently completed Impact Evaluation Study on the certification process, we have compelling evidence that the certification process creates stronger organizations. We commend these organizations for making the commitment to engage in this process,� says Tish Mogan, PANO�s Standards for Excellence Officer. PANO�s Standards for Excellence program recognized three newly-certified organizations for 2010-2011 and 13 recertified organizations, which included Westmoreland Community Action. PANO�s Standards for Excellence Program The hallmark of PANO�s Standards for Excellence program is the Standards for Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector, which guides nonprofits through a rigorous voluntary certification process to implement sustainable high standards by using educational resources, technical assistance, a network of replication partners, and licensed consultants. For more information contact Tish Mogan, Standards for Excellence Officer for PANO, at 717-236-8584 or tish@pano.org.
The Standards for Excellence program, which just celebrated its 13th anniversary, was conceived by Maryland Nonprofits, and is known nationally through the Standards for Excellence Institute. Today, the Institute has ten licensed replication partners, including PANO. To learn more about the Institute, visit their website. PANO PANO is the statewide membership organization serving and advancing the charitable nonprofit sector through leadership, advocacy, education and other services in order to improve the overall quality of life in Pennsylvania. PANO helps charities become more efficient and effective through collaboration, cooperation and the sharing of resources and information. PANO �s mission is to lead Pennsylvania�s Community Benefit Sector to achieve its fullest potential. Learn more about PANO at their website: www.pano.org. (04/18/11 Local man receives statewide award for accomplishmentsBecause of his drive and determination, a Greensburg man was named a 2011 Self-Sufficiency Award winner by the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP) in Harrisburg. Ed Miller was one of 32 recipients from throughout the state to be honored for overcoming the obstacles that stood in his way of achieving self-sufficiency. CAAP presents the Self-Sufficiency Awards each year to recognize those who have worked with their local Community Action Agency to overcome significant socio-economic barriers to achieve success. Ed contacted Westmoreland Community Action (WCA) in July of 1993. At that time he found himself unemployed and living at home. He enrolled in the Individualized Intensive program for Independence, whose main component was a Job Search Workshop where individuals learned resume and cover letter writing skills, interviewing techniques, and educational exploration. Ed soon enrolled in Residential and Commercial Electricity training at a nearby school in Uniontown.
Ed started his own electrical contracting company, aptly called Ed Miller Electric, and in 2008 was reintroduced to Westmoreland Community Action. Not as a client this time, but as an electrical contractor. Ed was hired as part of the rehabilitation of the office space currently occupied by the agency. This was his first venture into the commercial area of wiring. Westmoreland Community Action is the agency taking the lead against poverty locally. With 43 agencies covering all 67 Pennsylvania counties, Community Action Agencies fight poverty wherever it appears. CAAP�s mission is to assist its member agencies by acting as a statewide voice for local Community Action Agencies and low-incoming citizens, addressing policy issues of importance to them. CAAP presents the Self-Sufficiency Awards each year in order to illustrate how barriers to self-sufficiency can be overcome when individuals accept the challenge of pursuing the opportunities provided by Westmoreland Community Action and their community. (04/07/11) WCA Elects New Board PresidentIn January 2011 Westmoreland Community Action (WCA) witnessed a first in its history � the first female President of the Board of Directors was elected. Ms. Flora B. White replaced Mr. Barry Gaetano, thereby starting her three-year term and becoming the 6th person to hold this title. Flora has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2005, but has
been involved with the agency for a much longer time.
Approximately 20 years ago, Flora and her second daughter,
Angel, enrolled in Westmoreland Community Action�s Early Head
Start Program. Early Head Start
offers many services to help pregnant women and families with
children under the age of three meet the medical, physical,
emotional and developmental needs of their infant or toddler.
Upon turning three years of age, Angel graduated to the agency�s
Head Start Program. Head Start is an educational child and
family development program promoting the well-being of children
and families. This program addresses the educational,
nutritional, health, social service, and disability needs of
preschool age children and their families. Several years later, Flora enrolled in Westmoreland Community Action�s Women�s Entrepreneurial Program and created a business plan for a new venture. At the time, her dream was to open a sandwich shop. But life took Flora in another direction and she accepted a position working for the agency in the Head Start Program. Although Flora is no longer an employee of Westmoreland Community Action, it was through these programs that she got to know and believe in the mission of the agency. In Flora�s words, �WCA talked the talk and walked the walk. That�s why I�m still here.� Flora, the single mother of two daughters, Janese and Angel, is now the Founder and Senior Pastor at Victory in Christ Ministries, Inc. on Sidney Street in Greensburg. She has been in ministry for 48 years and a pastor for five. In her spare time, Flora likes to read religious books, as they enhance her ministerial passion. Flora�s goal as President of the Board is to help people be all they can be. This philosophy has followed her her whole life because her mother felt the same way. �I want to help impoverished people become the greatest they can be, because there is potential that you have to tap into within every individual,� says Flora. �Someone enlightened me that there is more. My goal is to pay it forward.� Please join Westmoreland Community Action in welcoming Flora to her new role at WCA. Great things await. (04/01/11) WCA receives recognition as a Top 100 organizationWestmoreland Community Action was recently chosen as one of Pennsylvania Business Central�s Top 100 Organizations of 2010. For 20 years, Pennsylvania Business Central has recognized 100 organizations � from very large businesses in the region to smaller non-profits � that achieved outstanding performance, received awards or enjoyed an overall extraordinary year. The number of nominations this year from the 16-county region exceeded those in previous years. Suggestions and nominations were received from chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and other leaders in the business community. In addition, Pennsylvania Business Central staff search through their pages to uncover organizations that have received awards or that were recognized in some way during the past year. Much like last year�s list, the 2010 Top 100 Organizations list includes many of the top places to work in Pennsylvania. The list also includes solo entrepreneurs who took a risk and created an organization that had a positive impact in the area in which it operates. With more than 55,000 organizations scattered throughout the 16 counties that comprise the Pennsylvania Business Central�s readership area � Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Snyder, Somerset, Union and Westmoreland � inclusion in the list is a high honor. (02/25/11) Head Start receives grant from PNCThe Westmoreland Community Action Head Start Centers have been benefiting from a PNC Growing Up Great With Science Grant. This grant has enabled our Head Start program to partner up with the Carnegie Science Center for two years. The staff, children, and families have been involved in many wonderful learning experiences connected to Science. The Carnegie Science Center has provided our classroom with many Science materials for the children to explore and discover. They have also delivered professional development for our teachers on an on-going basis. This grant hosted Family Science Nights at various locations around the county in the Fall of 2009 and will do it again in the Spring of 2011. Last year, the children had the experience of attending a viewing of a sky show in a mobile planetarium. Also, there were free passes to visit the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. Science on the Road programs, provided by Science Educators from the Carnegie Science Center, visited each classroom with presentations geared towards young learners. We are very grateful for the many opportunities this grant and partnership have provided to our Head Start Program. Science has always been a part of the Head Start Curriculum so, this partnership has been helpful in strengthening this important part of our program. Children have a natural curiosity about the world around them and hands on Science activities provide many sparks to learning! (02/11/11)
Westmoreland Community Action Celebrates 30 YearsWestmoreland Community Action held its 30th Anniversary Luncheon on Thursday, August 26th at Ferrante�s Lakeview, in Greensburg. Approximately 220 people attended the event to enjoy lunch, an awards ceremony and Keynote Speaker Kent Rader � author, public speaker, and comedian. Known as the �World�s Cleanest Comedian and Speaker,� Kent Rader helps people learn and experience how laughter matters in reducing stress. Proclamations were issued from Commissioner Ted Kopas, Jordan Frei for Rep. Mike Reese, John Albertson for Rep. John Pallone, and Senator Kim Ward. The Award Ceremony was the highlight of the luncheon presenting the following awards: Housing Partnership Award � Indiana County Technology Center and S&T Bank; Volunteer of the Year Award � Major Kathleen Waddell, Jeannette Salvation Army; County Service Award � Smart Growth Partnership; Community Partnership Award � Jen Kominsky, Dollar Tree, Westmoreland Mall; Community Service Award � Margie Stanislaw, Westmoreland County Juvenile Court; Youth & Childcare Partnership Award � Westmoreland County MH/MR; Partner in Early Learning � The ABB Group; and the Special Service Award � Barry Gaetano, President, WCA Board of Directors. Archived Articles(Click on title to see complete article) WCA Receives "Warm" DonationCircles UpdateDay of Caring Yields Fresh Look for WCALocal Senior Holds Fundraiser for WCAWestmoreland Community Action�s Community Innovation Honored with National AwardWCA Hosts County�s First Annual Community & Economic Development SummitCircles� Initiative Class GraduatesPreventing Underage Drinking CampaignComcast Local Interviews Tay Waltenbaugh
Taking ActiononEach month, Westmoreland Community Action hosts a radio program on WCNS, 1480 on the AM dial. Broadcasts can be heard on the fourth Saturday of each month at 8:00 a.m. Below are the links to an archive of these programs. Just click on a link to hear the broadcast. Jan 2011 VITA and Neighborhood Stabilization Program
Apr 2010
Parents Who Host Lose The Most
May 2010 Seton Hill University program, state budget, WCA programs Jun 2010 1st Annual Community & Economic Development Summit Aug 2010 1st Annual Community & Economic Development Summit, Oct 2010 Shop Demo Depot Dec 2010 No show due to holiday
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The
National Children�s Study in Westmoreland will follow 1,000
children from before birth to age 21 to learn how the
environment influences children�s health, development and
quality of life, and does not involve any medications or
treatments. 
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The
Standards for Excellence program was designed to increase the
public�s trust in Pennsylvania�s nonprofit, or community
benefit, sector by demonstrating organizations� willingness to
act ethically and be accountable in their operations,
governance, human resources, financial management and
fundraising practices. The first of its kind to promote
self-regulation in the sector, the Standards for Excellence
program provides nonprofits with clear guidance on best
practices in operations while also helping them to achieve the
highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness. The Standards
for Excellence code requires strict adherence to eight guiding
principles and 55 rigorous benchmarks. .JPG)
After
successfully graduating from the school in 1994, Ed found a job
with a local electrical contractor. Subsequent to gaining
valuable experience with this job, he went to work for the Sony
Corporation in New Stanton as an electrician/maintenance man. He
held this position until 2003 when he decided to become
self-employed.
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