Train Like A Champion
“Boxing is like a bug,” John James told me. “You either love it or hate it. If you love it, it never lets you go.” James, a former champion amateur boxer (Pittsburgh Golden Gloves, 1994, 165 lbs), now serves Pittsburgh as a volunteer trainer for Steel City Boxing. The gym, located in Spring Hill, is a decommissioned firehouse. While it’s open to the public, most of its members are young adult men.
Bob Sobocinski, president of the Spring Hill Civic League and the president of the gym, views the gym as a source of cohesion and civic pride. He hopes it can restore social unity in Spring Hill. “I’d like to see the neighborhood like it used to be,” Sobocinski said. “There used to be groups like Little League that don’t exist anymore.” Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#boxing #storyburgh #Pittsburgh #northside #springhill #springhillcivicleague #pittsburghgoldengloves #champion #train #gym #community #neighborhood #steelcityboxing #amateurboxing #amateurboxingassociation #volunteer #spirit #postive #service #youngpeople #youth

Wonder Writers from the Heights •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Hudson Rush, a local Pittsburgh artist, took leadership of the Women's Writing Group of Northview Heights in August 2015. The group is dedicated to creating a safe place in which women in the community can write and share their lived experiences. Rush has worked with the group for two years. In that time she has helped the women have their voices heard in public readings at the City of Asylum, Newkirsh, and in various community days. Now Rush and the participants are working on a documentary chronicling their work with the help of the Sprout Fund and are hoping to have their writings published in the coming year. Rush views the group as a democracy in which voices are given a place to be heard and inner strength brought to the forefront.
Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#pgh #pitt#pittsburgh #pennsylvania #northviewhieghts #women #writers #womenwriters #poetry #art #CityofAsylum #Newkirsh #stories #share #community #sprountfund #documentary #voices #published #usa #books #writersofinstagram #writers #writing #spokenword #communityarts

David Shifren is a knight. His life moves in one direction, shifts 90 degrees, continues on, then shifts again. On November 3, 2015, Shifren's interests took another turn, as he began teaching chess to 10-15 local children at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Shifren aims to help the kids in his chess club move like pawns on a chessboard: only forward never bavkward. A year and a half after the first meeting, the club has maintained its crowd and the idea has spread to other neighborhoods. The club offers consistency and a safe place to grow intellectually and socially. Most importantly it has helped to create a close connection between communities and the local police force. "I'll ask about [the kids] reading habits, see chess kids at Hazelwood events, such as school football games, holiday parties, National Night Out celebrations and the Hazelwood Center of Life musical events" Shifren said. "I have forged friendships with the kids." Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org
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#hazelwood #pittsburgh #chess #chessclub #community #pittsburghpolice #kids #education #activities #games #knight #friendships #carnegielibrary #libraries #social #society #inspiration #motivation #police #cops #helping #city #relationships #strategy #games #pgh #pennsylvania #city #urban

We welcomed Bagheera home on 1/23/22 after losing Pumpkin to cancer on 10/12/21. They both have similar personalities.

To Drink, or Not To Drink “I drank from that spring when I went to Spring Hill School. People used to stand in line waiting to fill jugs up, daily.” Restoring the freshwater spring was the culmination of a dream for Pittsburgh District 1 Councilwoman Darlene Harris. “We’ve been talking about getting the spring restored for thirty seven years.” In May 2016, after a six-decade hiatus, fresh water has again begun to flow.

But is it safe to drink?
Read more at storyburgh.org .
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#water #drinkingwater #pittsburgh #springwater #springhill #restoration #citywater #cleanwater #pennsylvania

Showing #robrogerscartoons on #homelessness during #OpenStreetsPGH with #alleghenycounty Homelessness Advisory

Sister Janice

Janice Vanderneck heads Casa San Jose, a Beechview organization helping Mexican families, many of whom came to escape violence among warring drug cartels in their country.

But it all started in childhood. At 12, Vanderneck soaked up Spanish language classes. And as much as she was growing in love with the Latino culture, she was also enamored of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden who taught her. “I was in love with my Catholicism,” she says. “Sisters seemed to have fun.” While she was working on her Master’s Degree in theology, she went to the Amazon in Brazil. There she offered religious education to people preparing for marriage, or baptizing children. She helped with worship services. Her work included conscientization, educating people to think critically about power structures, oppression and influence, and encouraging political engagement.

And she witnessed dire poverty.

Back in the U.S., Vanderneck worked for decades as a religion teacher and principal at area Catholic elementary schools.

In the classroom, she says, she shared her experiences from Latin America “to tell story about the richness of culture and the dire circumstances of poor.” In 2003, she started work at the Latino Catholic Social Ministry Office at a church in Oakland. “I sure didn’t know a lot about immigration law or anything like that,” she says. “I soon learned. One of the first cases that I started to work on was a mom who came in and told me that she was denied Medical Assistance for her child, who was born here in this country… That set me on a crash course on learning what undocumented immigrants’ life is like and what they’re eligible for and what they’re not eligible for, and advocating. That started me on advocating.” Then the Sisters of St. Joseph asked her to start Casa San Jose.

Read the rest at www.storyburgh.org .
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#storyburgh #advocate
#Pittsburgh #catholic
#immigration #immigrants
#spanish #mesoamerica #theology #oakland #beechwood #undocumented #education #classroom #oakland #politics #oppression #religion

"On Friday, December 21, we are walking on this #longestnight of the year to remember those who were #homeless and died in the #alleghenycounty this year, and to commit ourselves to ending #homelessness "

Despite rainy and cold winter weather in #Pittsburgh on that day, many attended the "Downtown Walk and Homeless Memorial Vigil"; some of them were photographed here:
Sr. Irene Ellis #catholiccharities , Aimee Plowman #412youthzone #auberle , Peter Harvey #acdhs , Dave Lettrich #bridgetothemountains , Sharon Sumansky @pghmercy , Michelle Helba @deptvetaffairs , Rising Voices Youth Choir #rvychoir, Rev. Michael Wurschmidt #shepheartpgh

The last photo shows the six people who died on the street in Allegheny County in 2018

@onedayawaypgh @alliespgh #onedayawaypgh

First time ever the #neighborhood #blockparty had a band performance. Thanks, @andmoreband . You guys rocked! #squirrelhill @storyburgh