Neighborhood Resilience Project

We welcomed our second cohort of medical interns last week. The interns will be working in the Free Health Center throughout the summer. These students, ranging from a second year medical school student to a first year undergraduate student, fill the need for volunteers at the Free Health Center between fall and spring. They will fulfill various administrative tasks for the clinic, from answering phone calls to organizing patient information. Mostly, these interns are medical interns, but we also welcome a dental intern and a psychology intern this summer.

We are thrilled and thankful to Faith and Leadership for featuring our work after winning the Duke Divinity Traditioned Innovation Award. You can read the full article below. (Or link in bio).

Building resilient neighborhoods A faith-based community development program in Pittsburgh works to heal the traumas of local residents and create sustainable change. Meanwhile, it’s coping with federal funding cuts amid growing demand for its services.

Special thanks to all of our Resilience Runners who raised over $11,000 for our life saving work. Thank you to Waterfront Embroidery for donating the branded vests as a thank you to our runners. Congrats to all of our runners and thanks to all the donors who made this event possible.

Christ is Risen! ✨☦️
From darkness to light, from death to life. Today we celebrate hope, renewal, and the greatest victory of all.
Χριστός Ανέστη 🤍

Join us as a Resilience Runner Today.
We are a Contributing Charity this year for the Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend. If you are running any race (dog race, kids race, 5K, Relay, Half Marathon, Full Marathon, etc.), during the Marathon Weekend, please join us as a Resilience Runner. Our Resilience Runners will raise critical funds for our programs and will receive several perks as well.

Join us here - https://buff.ly/cdqtMZw

St Basil also says, “Come now, distribute your wealth lavishly, becoming honorable and glorious in your expenditures for the needy.” As you think about your alms giving this Lent and heed the call given to us by St. Basil the Great, we invite you to join us in this truly transformational work.

Video - https://buff.ly/SrRy7Z2
Donate - https://buff.ly/zr0l3gA

🌼 “New season. New energy. Same purpose.”
This springtime, we are wishing you a renewed sense of hope and growth as we continue along our Lenten Season and move into spring time weather.

This week we are hosting our Trauma Informed Community Development Institute. Represented from this cohort are people from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Clovis, New Mexico, and Sarasota, Florida. It is always a great week filled with lectures, practical learning sessions, skill building exercises, and great discussions. If you would like to learn more about participating in this training, please reach out to us.

For our next People of Neighborhood Resilience Project, we introduce Brittany.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, mostly on the North Side. I’ve lived in different parts of the city, but I always end up back there. It just feels like home to me. What I love about the North Side is how easy it is to get places and, honestly, the sense of community. People really look out for each other. There’s a saying that the North Side is for life, and I really believe that. I spent some of my childhood in the Manchester area, and when I think back on it, what stands out the most is how connected I felt to the people around me and how much that shaped who I am.

One of the biggest moments in my childhood was when my grandmother passed away and my family became homeless for a time. That experience changed me. I met so many people and learned their stories, and it gave me a real understanding of what it means to pay it forward. Without programs that help families during hard times, I don’t think we would have been able to get back on our feet the way we did. We finally got our home again when I was about fourteen. Ever since then, I’ve always tried to give back in whatever way I can, because I know what it feels like to need help and not be sure where it’s going to come from.

I do believe in God, even though I don’t go to church all the time. I try to keep things simple. To me, the most important rule about being human is just to be a good person. That really guides how I live and how I show up for other people. I’m also a former pastry chef, and I like to say my job has always been about making people feel special. I get to be part of birthdays, celebrations, and important moments, and I love that. I have a daughter who is about to turn four, and becoming a mom made me step back from work for a while, but it also reminded me even more how important it is to take care of each other.

I first got involved with the Neighborhood Resilience Project because my best friend and I went to culinary school together, and she asked if I could help out when they were short staffed. I immediately fell in love with the mission, especially helping with food insecurity for kids. No child should ever be hungry. One of the most meaningful moments for me is doing deliveries and seeing how grateful the schools, teachers, and kids are, especially when funding has been cut and everyone is still trying their best. One of the hardest moments was when someone became really upset about what they received from the food pantry. They were yelling, but I could tell they were just hurting. Being able to slow things down and treat them with kindness really stuck with me. If someone is thinking about coming here, I would say just do it. It’s good energy, good people, and everyone working together to help each other out. You won’t regret it.