Over 100 individuals from the Jefferson Community Collaborative gathered for the first meeting of 2023 at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit on Tuesday, February 14. The theme of the meeting and for the entire year in celebration of the Foundation’s 10th Anniversary was announced – Then, Ten, and Time Ahead. Highlighting takeaways from the conversations at our November meeting on community strengths and needs, the tenth anniversary of the Foundation provides for a renewed focus on engaging residents and stakeholders on strategies for increasing health and wellness within the community. The Community Voice Fund, which will be launched on March 3, 2023, will allow recipients to create intentional space for community conversations on immediate and long-term ideas and action plans. The fund supports the opportunity for residents to have a voice in the identification of the strengths and needs in their communities and to be actively involved in creating solutions. Please stay connected with the Jefferson Regional Foundation website for our application launch of the Community Voice Fund on March 3, 2023.

In addition to hearing about some of the the activities for the Collaborative around the tenth anniversary celebration, including a larger Collaborative event on September 27, 2023 at the Crowne Plaza Pittsburgh South, attendees learned about the data story maps available as part of the Foundation’s research project, Our Changing Communities. Information about Our Changing Communities can be found on the Foundation website here. To learn how to get the most out of these tools, sign up for a Data Story Map Guidance session here.

Slides from the presentation can be found here. We look forward to our next full-member convening on Wednesday, May 24 from 10:00-12:00pm at Penn State Greater Allegheny.