Urban Fuel Updates

Urban Fuel was selected as 1 of 11 grassroots organizations to receive technical assistance in its organizational development. It amounts to free consulting valued at $15,000. It is funded through the federal Compassion Capital Fund and administered through North Hills Community Outreach. It partners us with a peer group, a mentor, and other partners such as KEYGroup, Duquesne University Nonprofit Leadership Institute, the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University, the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise, Holy Family Institute and assistance from The Forbes Funds. It provides training from January through July 31. It also makes us eligible to receive a $3000 to $9000 cash award for capacity building. We have already been given some free stuff. Board Member Ed Gratton attended a reception last with me. My understanding is that the government's purpose is to make smaller organizations more effective and prepare them to better compete for foundation and government grants. We applied and competed for the grant to help our board form a strategic plan. For more information see http://www.nhco.org/Compassion_Allegheny.htm

In an unexpected but wonderful opportunity, The Hazelnut was asked to provide coffee and cookies to the Hazelwood Initiative monthly membership meetings the second Tuesday of each month. Kris DiPietro (chair of the membership committee for HI) and Jim Richter (Executive Director) have invited us and agreed to pay one of our workers to prepare the refreshments. Although catering isn't our core mission, it does provide an opportunity to pay our workers and gives us greater exposure in the neighborhood and to city representatives. HI has played a vital role in drawing government and university services to Hazelwood; planning and bringing development to both Hazelwood and the old LTV site; and being an advocate for the neglected of Hazelwood. We're honored they would ask us. Through them we have met numerous government and non-profit leaders. I might also add I overheard the Pittsburgh Fire Chief tell Jim Richter ours were the best cookies he's ever had.

On December 15 we had our Christmas Jazz coffee house. We invited the C.O.L jazz band back who performed for the church two years ago. They do a terrific job! Sorry we don't have any good pictures of the band. The flash on the camera didn't do much to light up the stage. C.O.L. is a Hazelwood group of very talented teens and adults from Center of Life. It is one of their youth micro-enterprise projects. They also have a rap group. We had a total of 60 people attend, mostly from the neighborhood.