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Giving Guide 2025: WORK

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An older man pushing a wheelbarrow of trash.

WORK is to accompanies families out of poverty through dignified work, and for good. They start by asking them where their greatest needs lie, and they address these challenges by co-designing solutions. Together, they remove barriers that stand in their way to success and finally, they invest in work for their families that provides a living income. Oftentimes, this is in the format of micro and small businesses that address needs in their communities, eliminating food deserts, enabling access to low-cost transportation and clean energy, and more. It also includes a growing number of small and mid-size recycling centers. What they are most proud of is that each income opportunity is dictated by their families, owned, and operated long term by them.

WORK’s mission is to accompany families in Haiti and beyond out of poverty through good, dignified jobs.

More About WORK

  • 1,637 family members accompanied in their programs and projects, including 190 scholarships for students in landfill communities 
  • 52 micro and small businesses received investment and mentorship to improve business performance to provide living wages 
  • 93,324,590 pounds of recyclable materials removed from the environment

​​How You Can Help

Readers can sign up to receive their newsletter and learn more about volunteer opportunities, ways to give and how to join one of their annual giving events such as their Gala, charity marathon teams, or host a DIY fundraiser.

Donations support their collectors and their families to earn livable incomes while dignifying their work through their programs.

To donate, visit www.dowork.org.

Story and Photography by WORK

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Giving Guide 2025: The Westmoreland Food Bank

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A box of oranges.

The Westmoreland Food Bank believes in the power of community and compassion to eliminate hunger. Every meal provided is more than just food- it’s a step toward a healthier, brighter future for neighbors in need. The Westmoreland Food Bank staff, partners, volunteers, and supporters work tirelessly to ensure that no one in the Westmoreland community goes without the nourishment they deserve.

The mission of the Westmoreland Food Bank is to enable our neighbors in Westmoreland County to have ready access to food.

More About The Westmoreland Food Bank

The Westmoreland Food Bank works throughout the Westmoreland community to address food needs through direct programming and partnerships–including food pantries, child hunger programs, mobile solutions, and assistance for specialty populations such as seniors and veterans.

How You Can Help

To learn more about how to get involved with the Westmoreland Food Bank visit WestmorelandFoodBank.org for information on donating, volunteering, or hosting a food drive.

Donations to the Westmoreland Food Bank are put to work immediately to ensure that neighbors have what they need to thrive. With your support the Westmoreland Food Bank can help to create a stronger, more resilient community and transform hunger into hope one meal at a time.

Story and Photography by The Westmoreland Food Bank

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Giving Guide 2025: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

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The House at Falingwater with a water fall flowing down.

On a crisp fall day in 1963, Edgar Kaufmann jr. entrusted Fallingwater to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Since that day, our mission has been clear: to care for this architectural masterpiece and share it with the world as a place of beauty, a unique educational resource and a powerful source of inspiration.

We couldn’t do it without the support of people like you! Fallingwater is part of a private, nonprofit organization, and the revenue from admissions, museum store sales and café purchases cover only day-to-day operational costs.

More About Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

Your gift today will help empower our vigilant care for the house and provide resources needed to keep Fallingwater an exceptional place to learn and explore.

As we count down to Fallingwater’s 90th anniversary next year, we are coming to the end of the most comprehensive preservation initiative since the early 2000s, and one that was needed to protect the integrity of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic design.

Support from individuals like you also helps make it possible to offer compelling educational enrichment to elementary, high school and college-aged students. Additionally, you will help support the workshops, residencies, internships and other intensive educational opportunities provided to people of all ages through the Fallingwater Institute.

Edgar Kaufmann, jr. knew the value of Fallingwater. For him, enjoying what Frank Lloyd Wright achieved in the unspoiled setting of Bear Run was a privilege he wanted to share with the larger world. He knew that enjoying the benefits of Fallingwater – “these luxuries of body and spirit” – carried with it an enormous responsibility of stewarding and sharing this masterpiece.

Join us in our efforts to care for and share Fallingwater with the world for generations to come.

To donate, visit https://fallingwater.org/donate/?fw-ye25-dg-table-GG.

Story and Photography by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

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Giving Guide 2025: Special Olympics Pennsylvania

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A man in blue swim shorts jumps into a pool while holding his knee.

Special Olympics Pennsylvania is an inclusive sports organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Special Olympics fills a critical need in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. Athletes learn developmental and life skills as the benefits of participation translate beyond sports, helping them to live more independent and rewarding lives. Special Olympics also provides a positive venue for families, volunteers, and donors to become part of a caring community, and to become involved in the movement.

The mission of Special Olympics Pennsylvania is to provide year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

More About Special Olympics Pennsylvania

For 50+ years, Special Olympics Pennsylvania has used the power of sports to transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and unite everyone by fostering community and building a more acceptable and civil society. In addition to programs that promote physical fitness, competition and leadership skill development programs are offered to empower athletes to assume meaningful leadership roles, influence change within the Special Olympics movement, and create inclusive communities around the world.

Special Olympics also helps to address major challenges facing its athletes: obesity, healthcare and employment. Far too often persons with ID go without medical treatment, not by their choice, but because there are very few physicians, dentists, optometrists/ophthalmologists, and podiatrists that are trained in treating this population.

In response to these health challenges, SOPA provides free athletic training and competition year-round in Olympic-type sports for persons with ID. With sports at the core, Special Olympics directly addresses the problem of obesity by promoting healthy, active lifestyles. In addition, Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s Healthy Athletes® initiative, a program offering free health screenings in the form of eye, ear, dental and podiatry assessments, is provided for athletes during select statewide Games. These screenings are conducted in fun, welcoming environments, and for some athletes, are the first time they have ever seen a doctor.

Additionally, Special Olympics Pennsylvania strives to create a unified world by promoting inclusion, uniting communities, and changing attitudes. Through Unified Sports, Special Olympics Pennsylvania brings together individuals with and without intellectual disabilities as equal teammates in training and competition. This growing statewide program builds fully inclusive schools and communities, promotes respect and acceptance, and facilitates meaningful relationships between people of all abilities.

How You Can Help

You can get involved by joining them at the Pittsburgh Polar Plunge on Feb. 28, 2026 at Acrisure Stadium. The Pittsburgh Polar Plunge has something for everybody – food, music, dancing, games and extremely cold water! Most importantly, every dollar raised helps support vital programming for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our community.

Millions of people across the globe support Special Olympics through donations, volunteerism and advocacy. Whether a monthly pledge donor, a volunteer at a local competition or a teacher promoting tolerance and acceptance in the classroom, their individual supporters are vital members of the global movement. They have taken a stand for dignity, acceptance and the human race that ultimately creates a better world for us all.

To donate, visit https://plungepa.org/plunge/pittsburgh.

Story and Photograph by Special Olympics Pennsylvania

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Giving Guide 2025: Sarah Heinz House

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A woman helps kids at a table color.

For over a century, Sarah Heinz House Association has stood as a beacon of opportunity, belonging, and growth in Pittsburgh. Since its inception in 1901, the HOUSE has undergone continuous evolution. Still, its mission remains steadfast: to inspire members of all ages to realize their full potential in a nurturing and inclusive environment.

More About Sarah Heinz House

From the moment they walk through the doors, Sarah Heinz House’s goal is to make every member feel welcome. The House has become a space where young people are recognized as valued voices and leaders in the making, becoming an essential part of something greater than themselves. Members as young as preschoolers can engage in programs like robotics, sparking critical thinking and creativity at an early age. Older children and teens can explore STEAM programs, athletics, and leadership workshops, while older adult members participate in wellness classes and service opportunities. Every program is designed to be both engaging and transformative, inspiring all to reach their full potential and leave a lasting impact on the world. 

While the organization has an ambitious vision for its members, its impact is felt every day, not just among the youth but also throughout the entire community. The House is a place where adult members can find resources to support their well-being, keeping them active and involved in programs such as gardening and water aerobics. This holistic approach ensures that growth doesn’t stop with age. It’s a lifelong journey, and The House is there every step of the way. 

How You Can Help

Sarah Heinz House aims to create a culture where every individual feels safe, respected, and inspired, guided by principles of excellence, belonging, and accountability. The dedicated staff and volunteers play a critical role, encouraging members to explore new interests, embrace challenges, and dream big. In turn, members are realizing their potential and finding joy in their journey. 

At its heart, The House is about collective impact. Collaboration with families, schools, and partners amplifies its reach, ensuring that all who walk through its doors can Laugh, Learn, and Lead. 

Rooted in a city proud of its history and hopeful for its future, Sarah Heinz House stands as a reminder that when we invest in our community and its people, we invest in the greater good of all that’s around us. For Pittsburgh, that is a legacy worth celebrating and sustaining for generations to come.

Story and Photograph by Sarah Heinz House

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Giving Guide 2025: Providence Connections, Inc.

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Two little girls in pink and red clothes make a Valentine's day craft at a table.

Providence Connections supports Northside families by offering comprehensive education and resources to children and adults through affordable quality childcare, hosting family events and field trips, offering adult education courses, and through initiatives such as their diaper bank and back to school bash.

Providence Connections strengthens families and enriches lives through comprehensive education and developmental opportunities for parents and children.

More About Providence Connections, Inc.

In addition to their childcare center which cares for children ranging from 6 weeks of age through pre-k and includes Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-K Counts programs; Providence Connections hosts events throughout the year for families (Easter Brunch, Santa Breakfast) along with family field trips to foster a sense of community and belonging amongst those they serve. Additionally, they have a Diaper Bank in which they provide diapers and formula to parents in need.

How You Can Help

Get involved with Providence Connections! For volunteer inquiries, contact Olivia Philippone at ophilippone@providenceconnections.org. If you’re interested in joining the Board of Directors, contact Lori MacQueen at lmacqueen@providenceconnections.org. For career information, contact Leslie White at lwhite@providenceconnections.org.

For over 30 years, Providence Connections has been a place of safety, learning, and hope for families in Pittsburgh’s Northside. As their programs have grown to meet the needs of their community, so has the wear and tear on the building that houses their work. That’s why they’ve launched a $200,000 Capital Campaign—to fund critical repairs and updates that will keep their center safe, welcoming, and ready for the future. 

Your support will help them: 

  • Make essential building repairs 
  • Modernize and improve learning spaces 
  • Ensure a safe, supportive environment for every child and family they serve 

To donate, visit https://www.providenceconnections.org.

Story and Photography by Providence Connections, Inc.

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Giving Guide 2025: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

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A group of kids in hats play in the dirt with various tools.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is Pittsburgh’s nonprofit partner for the city’s parks. It restores, enhances, and revitalizes park spaces across the region. From major capital projects to a wide range of educational and recreational programs, the Parks Conservancy ensures that every Pittsburgher can enjoy safe, clean, and welcoming parks.

The Parks Conservancy improves quality of life by enhancing and stewarding Pittsburgh’s parks in partnership with the community.

More About Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

The Parks Conservancy has restored some of Pittsburgh’s most beloved spaces, including Schenley Plaza in Oakland, the award-winning Frick Environmental Center, and the Riverview Park Chapel Shelter—the city’s most rented gathering space. Beyond major capital projects, the Parks Conservancy tends to dozens of garden beds throughout the city and engages thousands of young people each year through environmental education and recreational programs, helping to connect communities to nature and to one another

How You Can Help

Visit the Parks Conservancy’s website to discover upcoming events and programs, find ways to volunteer in a nearby park, and make a gift in support of this important work.

On Giving Tuesday, every gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous park supporter—doubling the impact of your contribution. Your support helps the Parks Conservancy: 

  • Create and care for welcoming park spaces that everyone can explore and enjoy.
  • Offer programs that strengthen communities across the city.
  • Ensure parks remain safe, inclusive, and vibrant gathering places for all.

To donate, visit https://pittsburghparks.org/.

Story and Photograph by Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

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Giving Guide 2025: Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

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A road leading to a welcome center for Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.

Across 65 acres of gardens and woodlands, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden showcases the natural beauty of the Allegheny Plateau ecoregion through display gardens, nature-based education, and vital conservation projects. Located just 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, on the site of a former coal mine, the Garden stands as a shining example of ecological rejuvenation in the region.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden inspires people to value plants, garden design and the natural world by cultivating plant collections of the Allegheny Plateau and temperate regions, creating display gardens, conducting educational programs and conserving the environment.

More About Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

Due to extensive resource extraction in the past, the property where Pittsburgh Botanic Garden now resides was heavily polluted with acid mine drainage. The Garden helped to develop and implement a unique, award-winning solution to this problem which has completely transformed the landscape. This system now filters over 25,000,000 gallons of water every year and supports a vibrant aquatic ecosystem for both plants and animals in the Lotus Pond.

How You Can Help

Bring friends and family for a visit and become a Garden member for a full year of savings and member-only exclusives. While you’re enjoying the native plant collections and display gardens, be sure to check out the current exhibition Momentum by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics. To dig deeper into topics like horticulture, home gardening, history or a creative workshop, sign up for an education program! Readers may also join the volunteer program to help the horticulture, education or administration teams, or make a donation in support of the 10 Year Celebration Fund to help usher in the next era of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden.

This year is Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s 10th year of welcoming visitors. This major milestone also means looking forward to the next 10+ years of the Garden. Supporting Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s 10 Year Celebration Fund provides direct support for vital horticulture and conservation projects, nature-based education, and helps the Garden continue to grow into the future. 

To donate, visit pittsburghbotanicgarden.org/.

Story and Photograph by Pittsburgh Botanic Garden

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Giving Guide 2025: Persad Center

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A multi-ethnic group of teenagers are outdoors on a cloudy day. They are wearing casual clothing. They are smiling while taking a selfie together.

Since 1972, Persad Center has been a cornerstone in the Western PA region for over 53 years providing culturally competent, certified mental health and support services to individuals and their families. Their programs and services have evolved to meet the changing needs of our community, ensuring that they remain a trusted resource for mental health support. They are laser-focused on addressing the urgent need for mental health care and currently have clients in 37 of the 67 counties in PA. The 20 clinicians on their team can see clients in-person or via telemedicine allowing us to reach more individuals in outlying areas and further enhance their impact.

Persad mission is to improve the well-being of the LGBTQ+ community and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS through counseling, psychiatry, and support group services. They provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment for all, especially those who face significant barriers to mental health care. By prioritizing services for underserved populations, including Medicaid recipients, Persad aim is to ensure that everyone has access to the mental health support they need and deserve.

More About Persad Center

Persad offers a comprehensive range of services, including individual, couples, and family counseling, psychiatry, support groups, and training. Their programs are designed to meet the diverse needs of our community, from mental health therapy to social support and outreach. The impact of their services is reflected in the numerous testimonials from clients who have found hope, healing, and a sense of living authentically through their programs. Persad is proud to serve over 500 clients a week in nearly 2,000 sessions each month either in-person or via telemedicine, and they employ rigorous evaluation methods to continuously assess and enhance the effectiveness of their services, ensuring they deliver the highest standards of care. 

How You Can Help

Persad is always looking for volunteers who can assist with event support and community outreach.

Every donation to Persad directly supports programs that change—and save—lives.  

Nourishing our community: Donations keep Persad’s client food pantry stocked, ensuring that those facing food insecurity never have to worry about their next meal. 

Creating safe spaces: Help underwrite the cost of fitness personnel to maintain Phoenix Fitness, Persad’s free, on-site gym for transgender and gender-diverse individuals—providing a safe, affirming place to build strength and confidence. 

Supporting healing and hope: Help sustain Persad’s free support groups for youth, seniors, and the transgender community—safe spaces where people find care, friendship, and a sense of belonging that breaks through social isolation.

To donate, visit www.persadcenter.org or call 412-441-9786. Interested clients can pre-register at www.persadcenter.org/register.

Story and Photograph by Persad Center

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Giving Guide 2025: Pennsylvania Women Work

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A woman in a suit jacket sits at a table with a paper in front of her.

Pennsylvania Women Work (PWW) empowers individuals to advance in their careers and achieve self-sufficiency through life-changing career development programs and mentorship.

PWW’s programs allow job-seekers to join a network of like-minded people experiencing similar challenges. Through no-cost group workshops and one-on-one career coaching, participants join a community where they are surrounded by caring people to support them in achieving their goals and start, grow, or transition in their career.

More About Pennsylvania Women Work

Regardless of where someone is on their career journey – just starting out, looking to advance, or experiencing a transition – PWW provides support every step of the way. 

To get started, individuals are invited to schedule a career coaching session where they will create a custom path to success through PWW’s free programming. From one-day workshops, to 5-day cohorts, to one-on-one mentoring and coaching, PA Women Work addresses each individual’s barriers in an individualized setting.

Whatever their background may be, PWW’s goal is to help individuals attain economic mobility and a better quality of life. In the last year, more than 1,900 individuals received critical career development support through PA Women Work’s programs, and nearly 80% of those participants were placed into new or better employment or further training in their desired career fields.

The results of their programs can often best be understood through the testimonials of their graduates:

“We needed money, and there was so much frustration in finding a job. My career coach helped me get into a paid training program that turned into full time employment. I’d been waiting for this moment for so long,” – Faraja, a 2025 PWW participant.

How You Can Help

PA Women Work relies on the support of caring donors and volunteers to fulfill their mission to support job-seekers to achieve success and grow their careers. PA Women Work’s 3 Cups of Coffee mentoring program is powered by volunteers who lend their experiences and skills to mentor a job-seeking woman. Additionally, volunteers support fundraising efforts, mock interviews, advocacy efforts, and more.

Donations made to PA Women Work directly serve the more than 1,900 job-seekers that go through the organization’s programs each year.

Every dollar raised helps more women like Faraja; women who are working hard to build a better life and move their careers forward. 

There are many more women like Faraja in the community who need a helping hand to find stability and work toward a brighter future. 

Change a woman’s life today by joining PA Women Work’s mission with a donation.

To donate, visit https://www.pawomenwork.org/.

Story and Photograph by Pennsylvania Women Work

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