The Multi-Cultural Center's mission is to facilitate the educational, social, political and economic progress of the communities we serve. They break down cultural barriers due to language, appearance, or ethnic traditions. They actively promote and advocate the development, empowerment and advancement of all people while preserving their cultural identity. They work to educate the community to value diversity.

In addition, the Multi-Cultural Community Resource Center (MCRC) and Saint Vincent Health Center recently entered into a community partnership to provide Spanish-speaking patients, who receive medical care, with interpretation services. "We are delighted with this partnership as this is part of our mission," said Joel Tuzynski, the MCRC Executive Director.

To provide this service, Monica Weivoda was hired full-time at Saint Vincent as a contracted employee of MCRC's Accurate Communication Translation and Interpretation Services. She is available weekdays from 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. in the Health Center. "We are also carrying an after hours pager that guarantees that MCRC would have a Spanish interpreter available during evenings, weekends, and holidays," Tuzynski added.

Ms. Weivoda provides Spanish interpretation onsite, and assists with coordinating language services for all limited English speaking patients. As part of her responsibilities, she reviews inpatient lists, assures that all non-English speaking clients have accessibility to an interpreter or a centralized telephonic system and she translates hospital forms into Spanish.

“With twenty-one countries around the world speaking Spanish, we see an increasing number of arrivals from Central and South America joining our Puerto Rican and Mexican citizens in Erie,” according to Tuzynski. "MCRC is very pleased with this new partnership and we look forward to helping other business in the Erie area interested in improving communication with the English as a second language community.”

Shaping tomorrow grants are proactive and strategic. Shaping tomorrow grants address big picture items and systemic community issues. Shaping tomorrow works on the antecedents to poverty including: healthcare, workforce development and early childhood education. “To do this work, we created Community Advisory Panels with field experts,” said Shiloh Turner, vice president of Programs. “Each panel member knows the issues and knows the resources to solve community problems.”

At today's press conference, hosted by Erie Dawn, The Erie Community Foundation announced the distribution of over $2 Million in grants, which will benefit the community as follows:

Human Services “Helping today grants”

1. ANNA Shelter – Cage Recovery System for Animals -$2,000
2. Community of Caring – Civility Training for Ex-Offenders – $10,000
3. Erie City Mission – Bedding Equipment and Supplies – $15,000
4. ErieDawn – Residential Furnishings and Appliances – $30,000
5. Family Services of NWPA – Electronic Health Record – $18,965
6. Gateway Rehabilitation Center-Erie: Offender re-entry program, $12,000
7. Harborcreek Youth Services–Multi-Agency Evidence based training- $10,000
8. Mercy Center for Women – Building Renovations for Expansion – $6,000

Community Development “Helping today grants”

1. Better Housing of Erie – Public Housing Community Garden – $2,612
2. Erie Downtown Partnership – Downtown Graffiti Removal – $9,500
3. Erie Homes for Children and Adults: Vocational Training Certification – $7,500
4. Habitat for Humanity – Land Survey Project – $12,000
5. Perry Square Alliance – Perry Square Underground Sprinklers – $12,200
6. Safe Horizons – Renovation and Refurbish – $18,347
7. Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network: Little Italy Emergency Repair Fund: $5,000
8. Trinity Square Foundation – Inner City Poetry Park – $15,000
9. Wattsburg Agricultural Society – Erie County Fair Building Repair – $10,000
10. West Springfield United Methodist Church – West County Wheelchair ramps – $5,000
11. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy – East Erie Community Garden – $3,342

Donor Directed & Agency Grants: -- “Helping today grants”

1. Donor Directed Grants—127 grants totaling $364,409
2. Agency Endowments – 41 grants totaling $576,095

Strategic & Collaborative “Shaping tomorrow grants”

1. Hamot Health Foundation – Patient Care Assistance Apprenticeship Program -$90,315
2. Hamot Health Foundation: Hamot-Wayne Community School-Based Health Center: $35,000
3. Community Health Net – Girard School District School-Based Health Center - $35,000
4. Community Health Net :Union City School District School-Based Health Center - $35,000
5. The Nonprofit Partnership – $240,000
6. Erie Free Taxes – $189,000

1. h2. ReTool Erie Grants “Shaping tomorrow grants”

1. HERO, Inc. - Capacity Building - $34,840
2. My Father's House of Erie - Capacity Building -$25,600
3. SafeNet - Capacity Building -$24,950
4. Opportunities Unlimited - Capacity Building - $24,886
5. Erie County CASA – Capacity Building - $24,843
6. Corry Higher Education Council – Capacity Building - $24,780
7. Erie DAWN – Capacity Building - $23,490
8. St. Martin's Center Culinary Lab, Inc. – Capacity Building - $22,445
9. Erie Homes for Children and Adults – Capacity Building - $20,956
10. Erie Tenant Council – Capacity Building - $12,970
11. Technology Council of NWPA – Capacity Building - $11,500

“Only 21% of the charities we rate have received at least two consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that The Erie Community Foundation consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other nonprofits in America,” said Ken Berger, president and chief executive officer, Charity Navigator. “In this competitive philanthropic marketplace, we highlight the fine work of efficient nonprofits such as The Erie Community Foundation, and we provide donors with essential information needed to give them greater confidence in the charitable choices they make.” This “exceptional” designation from Charity Navigator differentiates The Erie Community Foundation from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust.

“As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the nonprofits they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars,” said Mike Batchelor, president of The Erie Community Foundation. “We do our best every day, and we are honored to receive this recognition.”

The mission of The Erie Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life in our region by evaluating and addressing community issues, by promoting responsible philanthropy and by connecting donors to the critical needs of the community.

“Over the years, we have watched our scholarship program grow because donors are able to accomplish three things: meet their philanthropic goals, by establishing a scholarship in memory or honor of a loved one, which helps the next generation of students attain higher education,” said Michael Batchelor, president of The Erie Community Foundation.

As of today, 52 different scholarship funds are housed within The Erie Community Foundation, 20 within the Corry Community Foundation and 2 at the North East Community Foundation as well as 2 with the Union City Community Foundation, for a total of 76 scholarships. All can be viewed by visiting The Erie Community Foundation's website.

Each scholarship is distinct and recipients are selected in accordance with criteria established by the donor. “Some scholarships are tailored for students pursuing engineering, music, education, pre-med or law, and other scholarships are more open,” Batchelor added.

At the scholarship event, The Foundation recognizes and thanks the donors who have an opportunity to meet scholarship recipients and their parents. “The scholarship event is a highlight of our year,” Batchelor added. “Each year, we see proud parents accompany their children to our scholarship event; we hope that someday these students will grow into young adults who want to establish a scholarship for others.”

Four years ago, The Erie Community Foundation recognized a need in the community at the grassroots level. Many smaller groups, such as neighborhood watch groups, could benefit from small amounts of funding for their specific projects. As a result, the Neighborhood Mini-Grant was started. Groups are eligible for mini-grants up to $500, and groups can submit more than one grant application.

The response from the community has been very well received. In fact, 2010 marks the fourth year that The Erie Community Foundation has presented these grants. Any neighborhood group in Erie County is eligible. This is the second year of partnering with Stef Chatman and the first year of partnering with the Erie Neighborhood Watch Council.
Applications for the Neighborhood Mini-Grants were accepted for requests for projects such as: community building, recreation, and neighborhood restoration.

Below is the list of the 2010 grant recipients:

1. $500 Bayfront NATO Inc / Martin Luther King Center
2. $1,000 Sisters of St. Joseph: Beautification & Sign Replacement
3. $500 Wesleyville Borough Neighborhood Watch
4. $1,000 Sisters of Mercy: Basic Carpentry`& painting skills
5. $500 Wood Hood NW: Block Party & Newsletter
6. $500 Lincoln Elementary School: Jump start your school year
7. $1,000 Bayfront East Side Taskforce Movies Under the Stars & Ongoing neighborhood beautification
8. $1,500 Bethesda Trinity Center: Horticulture, Waldameer, End of Summer Celebration
9. $1,000 Bethany Multicultural: “Do It Yourself Legal Clinics” & Parenting Classes
10. $500 Booker T Washington Center /Healthy Youth Development: Igniting the Spark
11. $500 SafeNet: Discover our City Teen Scavenger Hunt
12. $500 Multicultural Community Resource Center: Neighborhood Gardens
13. $500 Snoops #13 Neighborhood Watch Group: Park Beautification
14. $1,000 Land Lighthouse Neighborhood Watch: Wild Wednesdays & Emergency Preparedness
15. $500 Garden Court Neighborhood Watch: Erie Alerts Twitter
16. $500 Buffalo Road Neighborhood Watch: Safety Lighting
17. $500 Corry Fest ’09: Corry Community Development Corp.
18. $500 Neighborhood Watch Council: Street Signs
19. $1,500 South East Hills Neighborhood Watch: Farmers Market, National Night Out & Sustainability for the Future
20. $500 Youth for Christ: Wheelchair ramps
21. $500 Central City Neighborhood Alliance: Beautification
22. $500 Elk Creek Recreation & Leisure Board/Girard Borough: Adult Swim
23. $500 Burton School: Summer Basketball program
24. $500 Glenwood Watch Group
25. $1,500 Union City Pride: Lawn Chairs, Art Show, Neighborhood Beautification

"High poverty in Erie County, persistently low educational attainment rates, and a business community challenged to recruit and retain a qualified workforce caused us to take this unprecedented step,” he said. "We know that there is a high correlation between educational attainment and lifetime earnings," explained Batchelor. “Erie County educational attainment rates are dramatically below the state and nation rates. A community college will increase access to education and help strengthen our local economy."

The fund will support ongoing operating and capital expenses and will be available assuming completion of the application to the state for the community college, Erie County Council's sponsorship of the application by September 30, 2010, and the ultimate receipt of the necessary state approvals. The Foundation is also making a second grant at this time to assist in the timely preparation of the detailed application package required by the state.

Trustees of the Erie Community Foundation will also continually review community college operations to ensure it meets the educational and economic development needs of Erie County residents. "This additional level of community involvement should maximize the effectiveness of this important institution,” said Batchelor.

The Foundation is also encouraging local businesses, philanthropists and the general public to make additional contributions to the fund which will remain at The Erie Community Foundation. “We are making the opening and lead gift,” continued Batchelor. “Study after study has documented the need for a community college. Private sector donations will further enhance quality, provide additional assistance to the County and alleviate taxpayer concerns over financial viability,” he said.

In fact, Nick Scott *of Scott Enterprises, *David Tullio *of Custom Engineering and *Bill Hilbert, Sr. of PHB/Reddogg each made an announcement that they too will each pledge $10,000 to the Coaltion for our Community College.

Anyone interested in supporting the community college can send donations to The Erie County Community College Fund, c/o The Erie Community Foundation, 459 West Sixth St, Erie, PA 16507.

The Foundation also announced the creation of The Coalition For Our Community College. “It’s important that supporters of a community college have their voices heard,” continued Batchelor. “We have created a logo and a facebook site. We expect the Coalition to grow organically from there,” he said.

Please join us to learn more!

If an organization does not file this form on time, they may lose their tax-exempt status. The deadline for submission varies. Smaller nonprofits are strongly encouraged to visit the IRS website immediately for specific information.

The deadline for receipt of proposals is no later than Noon on May 21.
Mail (no faxes) an original and two copies of sections A & B of the application to:

Shiloh Turner
Vice President of Programs
The Erie Community Foundation
459 W. 6th St.
Erie, PA 16507

For grant processing information or questions concerning the application, please contact:
Shiloh Turner, Vice President of Programs, at (814) 454-0843.

Guidelines for Application

The following Guidelines for Application provide general information about the grant requirements. To assure the inclusion of all required information, please read each section carefully. When completing, please follow the provided outline and instructions provided.

Click here to download the proposal.

If you have questions about the proposal process or your project, please call Shiloh Turner the Erie Community Foundation at (814) 454-0843.

ReTool Erie named the session: Achieving a Competitive Workforce in NWPA: Understanding the essential role of nonprofits. Speakers, Stephanie Powers, Project Director for the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, Michele Zieziula, CEO of the Regional Center for Workforce Excellence, and Phyllis Eisen, Co-Founder and Sr. Advisor to Business Champions, Inc., provided an overview of trends and needs in workforce training and the essential role that nonprofits play.

Powers told the audience, "Use your community foundation. If you come up with an innovative idea that has a collaborative effort, your foundation can connect you with best practices and more importantly, can leverage outside funding sources for your project."

Participants represented a variety of nonprofits including shelter and housing organizations, women’s services, youth programs, multi-cultural organizations, disability advocates, community development groups, and for-profit businesses. ""Today was well worth my time, and I have a page of notes," said Denise Olczak of Mystic Mountain. "I can feel the energy in the room and I am learning how to connect our project of teen leadership to others here today."

"The take away message from the day was that nonprofits need to reach out to the business community for more than just Board members and donations," said Amanda Brown Sissem, project officer. "We’re partners in moving the Erie region forward by developing services that meet real employer needs and offering individuals the tools to not only secure, but maintain meaningful employment with growth opportunities in their industry."

The next session of the ReTool Erie training series, The Employer’s Voice, will be held July 15th. For more information on ReTool Erie.