For over 100 years Easterseals has been leading the way to 100% equity, inclusion and access for children and adults with disabilities. Easterseals Western and Central PA provides approximately 15 programs and services across 47 counties in Pennsylvania, supporting approximately 5,000 individuals with disabilities and their families. 

Easterseals

They work on enriching education, enhancing health, expanding employment, and elevating community. 

As one of the leading advocates for the American Disabilities Act (ADA) Easterseals actively lobbied in Washington and across the country for its adoption. Easterseals also created some of the most powerful advocacy pro ADA public service campaigns with messages to support the law and its implementation. 

Their programs are designed to help children and adults learn, and often re-learn, basic functions.They help people master skills needed to develop and thrive and remain active as they age. Easterseals offers hands-on, comprehensive, and vital therapies, including speech and physical therapies and other services to ensure health and wellness so that individuals can reach their full potential. 

Specific Programming

The Easterseals approved Private School program in Pittsburgh (South Hills, Murrysville and Cranberry) are 3 of only 33 schools in Pennsylvania with this specialized designation of providing high quality education for children with disabilities. Their Childcare Development Center in State College provides uniquely inclusive childcare, where typically abled children learn alongside children with disabilities. 

Additionally, they provide programs for children and adults and caregivers to relax, connect, thrive and (for adults) live independently within their communities through their residential housing, camp and recreation programs. Through the rec programs, individuals with disabilities thrive through fun experiences like zip lining, skiing and more using adaptive equipment. These programs strengthen communities and encourage individuals’ engagement and participation in their local communities. They also offer military camp programs for children of military families to connect and share experiences. 

Please consider supporting Easterseals and their many programs and services so that they may continue supporting children and adults with disabilities to be independent, inclusive participants in their local communities. 

To learn more about making a donation and how Easterseals Western and Central Pennsylvania can support your loved ones on a local level, please visit www.eastersealswcpenna.org You can also find the organizationon Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin @eastersealswcpa

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Story and Photography by Easterseals

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Humane Action Pittsburgh is a nonprofit serving the residents of Western Pennsylvania–both human and animal. Through innovative and inclusive programming connecting issues such as domestic violence, habitat loss, companion animal protection, human health, wildlife preservation, nontraditional youth education opportunities, poverty, and more, they are a community organization that demonstrates the interdependence of humans and animals.

Human Action Pittsburgh

HAP works to unite and empower diverse communities to advance the protections of all animals by promoting a holistic understanding of how animal welfare interconnects with other pressing societal matters.

Humane Action Pittsburgh’s Youth Steering Committee provides high school students with the opportunity to learn leadership and advocacy skills from leaders from their own community. With each year, their alumni network grows and each cohort’s legacy lives on.

HAP Hive, a campaign aimed at pollinator protection, installs pollinator gardens throughout our region and received the prestigious Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence this year.

They also banned the sale of mill-bred dogs, cats, and rabbits in Pittsburgh. Because of HAP, no pet store in the city will ever sell animals from terrible facilities like puppy mills.

HAP’s roots are in advocacy and, as such, we work closely with legislators to support laws to protect animals. This year we have two legislative priorities: banning the practice of live pigeon shoots (still actively happening in PA) and allowing companion animals to be added to Protection From Abuse orders.

How You Can Help

• Become a member! Membership starts at $5 a month and comes with great perks.

• Join our Action Team. Do more for animals in 10 minutes a month than most people do in a lifetime.

• Come to our events! From volunteer days to ice cream socials, we have a fun activity for you to attend.

• Follow us on social. Stay in the loop of what’s going on daily.

Every dollar you donate to HAP goes to securing a kinder, safer, more compassionate future for our community. Their small team of passionate individuals working tirelessly to get the most impact out of every single donation. For nearly 10 years, HAP has been the driving force behind animal protection in Western Pennsylvania. When you give to HAP, your money is an investment in the future of animal welfare. Help them eradicate puppy mills, create pollinator habitat, train the next generation of leaders, and provide practical resources for people living right here in our region.

Donate Now

Story and Photography by Humane Action Pittsburgh

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Living in Liberty is a 12-year old non-profit founded in Pittsburgh by Elizabeth Echevarria. This organization assists women transitioning out of a life of sex trafficking by street outreach, transitional housing, awareness and prevention, and job training in their Repurposed Store in Ross Township.

Living in Liberty

Living in Liberty restores dignity, freedom, and a new life to victims of commercial sexual exploitation by creating a safe, secure, loving, and nurturing community where healing occurs and a new life begins. 

They conduct street outreach in four areas of Southwestern PA Homewood/Wilkinsburg, North Side, Butler and New Kensington, connecting annually with hundreds of women being trafficked in Southwestern PA by providing a place where they can receive support while still active in the life. We provide them with hot meals, showers, laundry, personal care items and clothing. Women come for the material items Living in Liberty provides, but continue to return for the love, care and compassion that they receive while in this space.

How You Can Help

• Donate your gently used items to the Repurposed Store which goes to fund Living in Liberty’s work and provides much needed items for women.

• Prepare meals for our outreach team to serve at our drop-in centers.

• Prepare care bags of personal care items to give to the women in outreach.

• Collect/donate the item highlighted for that month for our outreach team.

• Support our fundraising events, Golf outing and Masquerade Ball.

• Donate to our Big Hearts Tiny Homes project.

• Volunteer in any aspect.

There are countless ways to get help as an individual or a business. Visit our website to learn more about how you can provide a safe and nurturing community to women in need. Please visit livinginliberty.org.

Living in Liberty is currently working to build a new facility in Southwestern PA to better serve survivors. The Tiny Homes Project will create a central community center surrounded by 10 tiny homes. This will accommodate individual survivors during the 18-month recovery program.  Living in Liberty is working to raise over $3 million to support the costs associated with purchasing property, design and construction. 

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Story and Photography by Living in Liberty

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The National Aviary is America’s only independent, indoor, nonprofit zoo for birds. It is home to more than 500 birds representing more than 150 species from around the world, many of which are under threat in the wild. The large, walk-through habitats allow visitors to get up close to beautiful birds rarely seen in zoos, while becoming immersed in their environments. The Aviary offers opportunities to get even closer to birds, including handfeeding or even watching live, immersive bird shows, where guests learn all about how they can help these species in the wild and at the National Aviary.

National Aviary

The mission of the National Aviary is to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds. The National Aviary works closely with and also leads exciting conservation programs around the world through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Programs (SSP)®. In 2024, the National Aviary was part of the Sihek Recovery Project, where the Aviary played a crucial role in the release of an “Extinct in the Wild” species into the wild for the first time in nearly 40 years! Nine Guam Kingfishers (or sihek as they are known in Guam) join the predator-free island of Palmyra Atoll this fall. Three of these chicks even hatched from the Aviary’s Breeding Center. This marks a huge milestone for the species. It brings them one step closer to going from “Extinct in the Wild” to “Critically Endangered.”

The National Aviary is also a leader of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program for African Penguins. This species is endangered, and could become functionally extinct in the wild by 2035. SAFE’s efforts in the wild include supplying artificial nest burrows to the beaches of South Africa. The Aviary has trialed these nest burrows (see them in their Penguin Point habitat!) and also donated burrows to penguin colonies in the wild.

How You Can Help

Readers can support the organization through volunteering, visiting the Aviary, and donating this Giving Tuesday (December 3rd). On giving Tuesday, generous donors will be matching thousands of dollars in donations!

Every donation made to the National Aviary goes toward saving species and protecting their habitats. Your gift will support the efforts of the Aviary at home. It will provide food for their flock and abroad through hands-on conservation efforts and contributions.

Donate Now

Story and Photography by National Aviary

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The Nurture Program supports mothers of young children through an innovative mentorship program. Trained mentors, all mothers themselves, provide compassionate guidance and understanding to help navigate the challenges of motherhood.

The Nurture Program

Recognizing the demands on mothers’ time, The Nurture Program’s mentorship is delivered virtually via text message. This flexible approach allows for convenient and accessible support, ensuring that busy moms can engage with their mentors at their own pace, whenever it suits them. The Nurture Program emphasizes the importance of maternal mental health and also its direct impact on the social-emotional development of children. Early literacy and other brain building activities are also incorporated, empowering mothers to cultivate a love for reading and learning from the very beginning.

The Nurture Program empowers mothers of young children through personalized text-based mentorship in order to foster maternal and infant mental health. We believe that by supporting mothers, we create a stronger foundation for families and communities, ensuring a brighter future for both parent and child.

The Nurture Program knows that mothers play a vital role in their child’s development and that support can be hard to come by. Connecting with someone who understands the struggles of motherhood and can provide timely information about how babies eat, sleep, play, learn, and grow can help new mothers feel more confident.

The Nurture Program provides 8 postpartum mood and anxiety disorder surveys during new mothers’ first year postpartum. These surveys help moms- understand how they are feeling. In the second quarter of 2024, 30% of the moms scored 10 or higher, which indicates symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Of those who scored 10 or higher, 74% either were already in treatment or sought treatment because of our recommendations.

How You Can Help

You can become a mentor and make a difference! The Nurture Program believes that every mother deserves support and connection. If you’re a mom, we invite you to become a mentor in our community. Your unique experiences and insights can make a profound difference in the lives of new mothers navigating the joys and challenges of parenting.

Is mentoring not for you? Join the Nurturing Circle, a monthly giving program designed to continue and strengthen the circle of support- moms supporting moms, neighbors supporting neighbors, communities supporting communities.

The Nurture Program is always free and confidential. The cost to provide the Nurture Program to one family for one full year is $360. For just $36 a month, you can ensure that a mom and her baby are surrounded by the support that they both need to thrive. Every mother deserves a support system, especially during the most vulnerable moments of her journey. By helping us empower moms, you’re not just changing lives—you’re nurturing the future of our children and our communities.

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Story and Photograph by The Nurture Program

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For nearly 130 years, the two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been our region’s premiere professional orchestra. Located at Heinz Hall in the heart of the Cultural District, the PSO’s vision resonates: Great Music in Every Life. 

Music is a universal language that touches everyone in a uniquely personal way. With 125+ concerts including classics, pops, specials, students, and summer series, there is something for everyone to experience! 

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

The orchestra works to engage, enrich, and inspire through unparalleled live music experiences. 

Their influence extends far beyond the doors of Heinz Hall. The PSO generates over $125 million of economic impact. Every dollar you invest returns $4 right back to our Western Pennsylvanian region, supporting 1,900 local jobs. The orchestra accounts for over 50% of Cultural District visitors, actively working towards audience recovery and revitalizing downtown business. Their learning programs also reach over 18,000 students from over 145 schools across 13 counties every year so they can hear the PSO for free. Plus, the PSO musicians also connect with over 200,000 additional audience members in other cultural activities outside of Heinz Hall.

Funds help deliver unparalleled live performances, free learning programs for Pittsburgh schools, transformational community partnerships, and representing Pittsburgh to millions across the world via tours and recordings – it all adds up to donors like you. You make Great Music possible in Pittsburgh.

How You Can Help

With over 125 orchestra performances each year – on the Heinz Hall stage, in the community, and on tour – there is truly an experience for everyone. From every neighborhood and township, from Gen Z to the Silent Generation, we create a shared experience.  

Attend a concert, follow us on social media, or donate, and you will see your support having an immediate impact. When you join our donor family, you unlock exclusive benefits and give the gift of music to our community. 

Donors make our vision of Great Music in Every Life a reality every day. With 75% of the Pittsburgh Symphony annual budget covered by donations, we value our tremendous community of patrons. Contributions provide the foundation for us to continue performing at the highest levels while we innovate to engage new audiences, forge new partnerships, and reach deeper into our community. As a donor, you inspire your fellow Pittsburghers through the power of music, and you make our region a better place to live!  

Donate Now

Story and Photograph by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

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One hundred and fifty years ago, the first Bessemer Furnace ignited a wave of industrial innovation, setting into motion a spirit of resilience and creativity that defined southwestern Pennsylvania, powering the world. That spirit lives on today in Rivers of Steel—a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating this unique legacy, while building a vibrant future for our communities.

Rivers of Steel

For nearly 35 years, Rivers of Steel has been led by our visionary president and CEO, August R. Carlino. With quiet determination, Augie has guided us toward revitalizing the region while blending the industrial might of our past with the promise of a new era. His leadership has transformed Rivers of Steel into a dynamic force for community renewal, heritage tourism, and cultural preservation across the eight counties of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. As he prepares for retirement, we invite you to celebrate the tremendous impact he has had on our organization—and our region.

Rivers of Steel’s journey began modestly – capturing the voices of our region’s workers and families, preserving important stories, memories, and artifacts. Over the years, while remaining grounded to our mission, our accomplishments grew. Rivers of Steel restored historic structures that embody these stories, including the Bost Building, the Pump House, the Carrie Blast Furnaces, and the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machines Shop. Thanks to your support, iconic symbols of Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, once destined for demolition, now stand as National Historic Landmarks, drawing visitors from around the nation and the world, illuminating Pittsburgh’s indispensable role in America’s industrial story. 

Rivers of Steel’s Projects

Today, Rivers of Steel carries this legacy forward with educational programs on Explorer, a world-renowned environmental S.T.E.M. education boat that attracts students from around the region to learn about our rivers’ health in a postindustrial era. Rivers of Steel’s creative placemaking program also brings together community members, artists, arts and culture organizations, developers, and other stakeholders using arts and cultural strategies to implement community-led change. Our grants program, workshops, and technical assistance provide important seed investment and training to our heritage partners as they grow capacity and build investment in their historic communities. Our tours and community events create economic opportunities while inspiring a love for our heritage. Not to mention, with our newest workforce development program, we’re training local residents in preservation skills, offering pathways to work that respect our industrial heritage and build our future.

How You Can Help

As stewards of the Carrie Blast Furnaces, Rivers of Steel is breathing new life into this National Historic Landmark, transforming it into a place of discovery, connection, and creativity. With each step, Rivers of Steel is emboldened to move forward, evolving to meet our region’s future needs.

As we enter this exciting new chapter, please support our work and celebrate Augie Carlino’s legacy. Your gift today will honor his dedication and also ensure that we continue to serve as a beacon of inspiration and resilience. Help us build a future that preserves the past while creating new possibilities for our communities.

Donate Now

Story and Photograph by Rivers of Steel

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So Many Angels is a non-profit organization working to empower children with cancer and other serious illnesses by creating unique photographic experiences that capture their dreams. Each child is transformed into their aspirational self, fostering hope, joy, and courage through this unforgettable experience.

So Many Angels

The mission of So Many Angels is to bring hope and joy to families facing serious pediatric illnesses, offering children a special opportunity to embrace their dreams and simply be themselves. Through one-of-a-kind photo sessions, they create cherished memories that celebrate each child’s courage and resilience.

So Many Angels creates joyful, transformative experiences for children facing critical health challenges, allowing families to celebrate their children’s dreams in unique, uplifting ways. Partnering with organizations like The Penguins Foundation, So Many Angels gives these experiences to hundreds of families, with impactful events such as the Hockey Fights Cancer Night, where families recieve custom canvas portraits, capturing treasured moments of joy and strength.

How You Can Help

Readers can play a vital role in the mission of So Many Angels by donating, helping to create powerful, joy-filled experiences for children and their families during challenging times. Every contribution, whether large or small, funds essential elements like costumes, props, and photography, making each child’s dream possible and bringing moments of happiness to those who need it most.

Donations help fund everything required for their photo session, turning children’s dreams of being superheroes, royalty, or adventurers into reality. Every dollar supports the creation of inspiring, joyful moments that provide families with lasting memories and children with newfound self-belief and resilience.  Each donation extends this life-changing experience to more children, enabling them to feel like the heroes they truly are, and inspiring others with their bravery.

Donate Now

Story and Photograph by So Many Angels

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UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation is the sole fundraising arm of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation

Annually, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh serves more than 1.5 million children from our region, all 50 states, and nearly 70 countries around the world. In response to the growing number of children who need care and the extensive scope of their needs, we are leading a comprehensive campaign to unite the support of our community. Through this campaign, we aim to strengthen the hospital’s capabilities, expand access to care, and transform the trajectory of children’s health in the hospital and beyond its walls.

Your donation directly impacts four key pillars:

Patient Care: Enhance access to compassionate, life-saving care for children and their families, ensuring no child is turned away in their moment of need.

Clinical Excellence: Equip our physicians, nurses, and staff with cutting-edge tools and resources to provide world-class care.

Research: Advance groundbreaking pediatric research to uncover new treatments and cures, giving children everywhere a healthier future.

Community Health: Expand outreach programs to underserved communities, promoting wellness and prevention to improve lives beyond the hospital walls.

How You Can Get Involved

There are many ways to make a difference. You can donate at givetochildrens.org, knowing every dollar goes toward improving children’s health and well-being. Host a fundraiser, whether it’s an event in your community or an online campaign, to rally support. Additionally, you can advocate for UPMC Children’s Hospital by sharing our mission with your network. This raises awareness about the life-changing work happening here every day.

At this moment, we invite you to help build a future where every child is healthy and thriving. More than any moment in our 130-year history, right now donor support is the most critical piece. It helps to ensure life-changing care is accessible for children today and for generations to come.

Join us in supporting UPMC Children’s physicians, nurses, and staff who work tirelessly to provide expert care to children and their families in their times of greatest need.

Make your donation count.

Donate Now

Story and Photograph by UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation

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