By Abbey Reighard
The Pittsburgh Project will host its Annual Perry Hilltop Community Block Party on May 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Fowler Park.
The event will include music by DJ No Intro – a local entertainment DJ – games and bingo for senior citizens. Informational resources will also be available at the event.
The Pittsburgh Project will also host a green fundraiser on the day of the Block Party. Members of The Pittsburgh Project will collect used electronics to be recycled such as cell phones, laptops, video games, CDs and DVDs.
William D. Thompkins, community member board director of The Pittsburgh Project, said he expects 300 to 500 people to attend the Block Party.
Thompkins said the event will bring together individuals and their families to “celebrate the neighborhood and start the summer on a positive note.”
The Pittsburgh Project had previously held its Block Party every year, but has not been able host the event in recent years because of financially difficulties. This year’s event was made possible through The Pittsburgh Projects partnerships with other organizations and individuals in the area.
The sponsors include the Northside Coalition for Fair Housing, Perry Hilltop Citizens Council, Cityreach Church, One Northside: Altogether Different/Buhl Foundation, Mosaic Community Church and ESB Bank.
Additional Partners include Angel’s Place, Providence Connections and Triangle Tech.
Donations for the event were provided by Breadworks.
The Pittsburgh Project, 2801 N. Charles St., is a Christian non-profit organization that focuses on community development and has existed for almost 30 years. Thompkins said that the organization’s members work on “developing leaders and serving the city’s most vulnerable residents.”
According to Thompkins, The Pittsburgh Project has 27 full and part-time employees who operate summer and after school program for more than 250 young people in the Pittsburgh area. The Pittsburgh Project also deploys over 2,000 workers every year who repair the homes of more than 200 elderly people in the city, free of charge.
Thompkins said The Pittsburgh Project also “spearheads economic development and job-training efforts in our Pittsburgh neighborhood.”
For more information visit www.pittsburghproject.org.
