ESD Funding Affects P4P

Empire State Development recently approved funding for several projects around the State, including a partnership between Pipeline 4 Progress and Centerstate CEO (formerly the Metropolitan Development Association in Central NY). This partnership will allow P4P to become the innovative leader in Young Professional initiatives across all of New York State.

More details will be released in the coming months. To read the entire article from the Business Journal in Central New York, check out this link.

“2-1-1 HELPLINE” Launches Give Help Volunteer Site

2-1-1 HELPLINE has introduced a new initiative to increase volunteer opportunities for people of all ages in the Southern Tier.

The Give Help web site is a resource for large and small organizations that seek to recruit volunteers and match them with the right opportunities. Agencies can post ongoing or one-time volunteer opportunities, plan events, post agency news, keep records of their volunteer opportunities, and communicate with volunteers.

Individuals of all ages can use the site to search for volunteer opportunities that match their interests, skills and preferred location.

“We are pleased to be able to leverage the 2-1-1 HELPLINE service in our area in support of volunteerism and civic engagement,” 2-1-1 HELPLINE Director Carol Wood said. “Since HELPLINE’s founding in 1984, and now providing access by simply dialing 2-1-1, we have enabled thousands of people to find help and the Give Help site will connect people of all ages to projects, activities and organizations in our region.”

The Give Help project is funded through Venture Grant from United Way of the Southern Tier (UWST) and was launched in conjunction with Day of Caring, UWST’s day of volunteerism, on June 9.

“United Way is committed to increasing opportunities for people of all ages to volunteer,” said Barbara Hubbell, Director of Community Solutions at United Way. “We are excited to be part of this project that benefits not only individuals seeking these opportunities, but also the non-profit agencies that can use their help.”

For more information about 2-1-1 HELPLINE Give Help or registering your agency, dial 2-1-1 or visit 211helpline.org.

2-1-1 HELPLINE is a free and confidential information and referral service that connects individuals with resources and volunteer opportunities in our community. 2-1-1 HELPLINE directs those in need to hundreds of local human service agencies, government programs, and self-help and support groups. Callers speak directly with our information and referral specialists Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm, with crisis referral 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. Dial 2-1-1 or search www.211helpline.org.

2-1-1 HELPLINE is a service of The Institute for Human Services (www.ihsnet.org).

Students 2 Workforce Recap

On Thursday, February 11, the top 10% of Chemung County public school students were invited to “Students 2 Workforce,” a forum aimed at retaining these bright individuals in our community after college. The event was held at the Holiday Inn Riverview in Elmira from 6pm to 8:30pm.

Chemung County Executive Tom Santulli served as the emcee, and attendees and their parents also heard a keynote address from Southern Tier Economic Growth (STEG) President George Miner. Four business and community leaders served as panelists to talk about career paths and future opportunities. They were Marc Jackson, Owner of Moonlab Music; Ashley Slaybaugh, Communication and Marketing Specialist from Schweizer Aircraft; Dr. Scott Beres, Owner of Market Street Chiropractic; and Christian Harris from the New York State Department of Labor.

Over 50 students came to the event with their parents, totaling about 120 attendees. The first half hour was dedicated to networking with area business leaders, politicians, young professionals, and social and civic entrepreneurs. Before and after the program, families took advantage of networking opportunities by exchanging college and career plans, contact information, and potential future opportunities in Chemung County.

P4P co-organized and sponsored this event with CSS Workforce NY, an organization that aims to provide free workshops and workforce preparation systems to ensure that area employers have access to quality talent. Elmira, Elmira Heights, and Horseheads Central Schools were also heavily involved in sponsoring and planning “Students 2 Workforce.”

The planning committee hopes this inaugural event will be replicated throughout the Southern Tier. It was initially planned in response to the 2009 Chemung County Economic Forum, where high school students were invited and expressed great appreciation and interest in staying up to date with economic development in their communities. If your community is interested in planning something like this, please feel free to contact P4P today!

New Years Resolutions

We’re only a couple weeks into 2010 – not too late to share our New Years resolutions! This year, P4P hopes to engage even more stakeholders, particularly young professionals, and enhance our communities with volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and opportunities for jobs and internships.

• Young Professional Connections
  Pipeline 4 Progress has already begun talks with the Creative Core in Central New York to collaborate on a summit aimed to bring together young professionals from all around the state. The summit, which would potentially take place in late Fall, would be a way to build our reputation in the southern tier and make connections with similar organizations.
• Volunteerism
  Working with the Institute for Human Services and United Way of the Southern Tier, P4P hopes to provide new incentives for volunteering in our communities. In addition, we hope to provide opportunities for young professionals to get involved on boards of directors, task forces, and committees.
• Jobs and Internships
  2010 will ideally be a rebuilding year as our economy hopefully takes a turn for the better. P4P will jump on any new opportunities in our region with online databases for jobs and internships.

Stay tuned for more information about these and all our initiatives in 2010 – and happy new year!

New tool on its way

Pipeline 4 Progress has been working with the Rural Learning Network, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and CaRDI at Cornell on a Community Capacity Building Project. One of the suggestions that has come out so far is to develop an online tool where community leaders can communicate with each other on best practices and new ideas. As a response, the groups have identified NING as an optimal tool to keep everyone in touch.

Over the next couple months, we will weigh the pros and cons of using NING for collaboration and communication in our region. We have identified some regions and organizations that are already using the tool, but we want to make sure it will completely fit our needs before executing.

For some examples of how this tool has been used successfully, please visit the following links:

Buffalo-Niagara 360 (Buffalo Tweetup)
Creative Core Talent Network (MDA, Syracuse)

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about using NING, please let us know in the comment section of this blog. Thanks!

Truly Enchanted

Cattaraugus County has made it extremely easy for the rest of the P4P region (and the rest of the world) to stay in touch. Their tourism department, Enchanted Mountains, maintains a fully-interactive website that clearly lays out the county’s events, provides access to important maps and documents, links to active social media sites, and engages its visitors.

Take a look at this “best practice” site and be sure to visit the Enchanted Mountains during peak season this fall – you won’t regret it!

Visit www.enchantedmountains.info today!

Community Capacity Building

As you saw in the last post, we’ve been gaining momentum in the Western counties of our region. One of the ways we’ve been making progress has been through our partnership with Cornell University. Cornell was recently named as the EDA University Center for New York State, and as a result, received funding to build community capacity in our region. The pilot communities for this project are Elmira and Olean (and surrounding towns and villages).

The Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) at Cornell chose Olean based on past performance and future potential to be a community that welcomes support and is open to exploring collaborative approaches to economic development.

The following is the Project Overview, as described by CaRDI:

Community Capacity can be defined as a community’s aptitude for identifying, pursuing and achieving goals that enhance the social, economic, and ecological well-being of its members.   CaRDI will work in partnership with two communities in the region to help them increase their capacity for achieving their community and economic development goals through research-based information, education and technical support designed to (1) prepare communities to respond to the reasons for insufficient “brain gain” in the Southern Tier; (2) address issues of community capacity building as it relates to grant funding, entrepreneurial support, and innovation; and (3) increase regional leadership skills.  Focusing on two communities provides the opportunity to closely monitor, evaluate, and document the impacts of an intensive, community-based, multi-pronged approach to regional capacity building.  Whenever appropriate and feasible, other communities will be welcomed and encouraged to participate in trainings and workshops.  Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations in the P4P region will be involved partners.

For more information on Community Capacity Building, or to receive updates on how your community can benefit from the lessons learned in our pilot communities, visit www.P4PNetwork.com.

Momentum in the West

Pipeline 4 Progress is happy to report we’ve seen a recent spike in activity happening in the Western portion of our region. The Arts Council has been very active tying together their efforts with economic development agencies and colleges and universities. Enchanted Mountains, or the tourism department for Cattaraugus County, has taken great strides in increasing their online / social media presence. The Cattaraugus County Planning Board promoted their partnership with P4P during this year’s annual dinner. And the Greater Olean community was selected as a pilot for the Community Capacity Building project by the Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI) at Cornell University.

Please check out the links above and continue to follow our blog for detailed information on these projects!

P4P and surrounding cities in the northeast

Slow and Steady

Over the past several decades, the Finger Lakes Region and Upstate New York’s Southern Tier hasn’t necessarily been a thriving metropolis like New York City or Boston. We don’t have a highly centralized urban hub like Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. Our collective regional businesses and assets can be found scattered across 13 counties, unlike those in Rochester, Buffalo, or Syracuse. But one thing we’ve been particularly good at is maintaining a high quality of life.

Today, new ventures are popping up in incubation centers all over the world, and they’re doing business in our own backyard. So there’s no reason why graduates from some of the best colleges and universities in the world (Cornell, Alfred, Binghamton, SUNY Geneseo and Fredonia, Elmira, St. Bonaventure and many more) can’t start their businesses right here… and be just as successful!

Our region has grown slowly but steadily, which means we never saw the huge housing boom and therefore haven’t faced the resulting “crisis.” We’ve always maintained a high percentage of green space and natural parks, which means we’re naturally supportive of clean technology and environmentally-friendly practices.

Today, Yahoo! highlighted two articles listing the “Fastest-Falling Neighborhoods” in America and Most “Traffic-Congested Cities.” Of course, Upstate New York (and of course the southern tier) is not on either of these lists. Our housing costs and traffic patterns will always be better than New York City, Boston, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Buffalo, Philadelphia, or Syracuse, but we’ll always be a half-day’s drive away if you want to visit on the weekends.

Things to do this Summer

Last weekend, on my way back from a graduation party in Scranton, PA, I passed no less than three billboards for Finger Lakes Wine Country. This organization has been working diligently to literally drive more tourism to our region. And it doesn’t end with the billboards.

Even if you live in the heart of Finger Lakes Wine Country, you’ll benefit greatly from subscribing to their Travel Blog. Currently, the blog is featuring “100 Things To Do In Finger Lakes Wine Country This Summer” – a wonderful compilation of the area’s greatest assets and hidden gems.

Visit their blog today to subscribe

Finger Lakes Wine Country Billboard