URBAN LEAGUE OFGREATER PITTSBURGHFISCAL YEAR IN REVIEW | JULY 1, 2014 - JUNE 30, 2015

ON THE COVER - Spoken Word and Visual Artist Vanessa German delivers a

resounding “Call to Action” at the conclusion of the 2015 State of Black Pittsburgh

Conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, May 16, 2015

PICTURED ACROSS - Esther L. Bush, President & CEO, and the Honorable Judge

Dwayne D. Woodruff, Board of Directors Chair, at the Ronald H. Brown Leadership

Awards Gala on December 4, 2015.

Urban League of Greater PittsburghBoard of Directors July 1 2014 – June 30, 2015

ChairpersonAnnie Hanna Cestra

First Vice ChairHonorable Dwayne D. Woodruff

SecretaryTracey McCants-Lewis, Esq.

Assistant SecretaryCharlie Batch

TreasurerAlan Trivilino

Assistant TreasurerMark T. Latterner President & CEOEsther L. Bush

DirectorsBranden D. BallardJames J. Barnes, Esq.Kaye BealerRobert BoulwareRay H. Carson, Jr.Candi Castleberry-SingletonBruce CourtJody DohertyJoy L. EvansRalph A. FalboBob FoleyLisa B. Freeland, Esq.Daniel FriedmanReverend Glenn G. GraysonReverend Brenda GreggRobert HillAbigail HornRobbee Baker KosakK. Chase PattersonIzach PorterDavid RudolphChuck SandersAndrew StockeyAllegra WakefieldLara WashingtonBishop David A. Zubik

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Urban League of Greater

Pittsburgh is to enable African Americans to secure

economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil

rights.

VISION STATEMENT

We believe it is imperative that appropriate

resources of the greater Pittsburgh community be

marshaled to ensure equal, social, political and

economic justice for all Americans. To that end,

the Urban League will provide bold leadership

and innovative programs, services and policies,

which will contribute to the strength of the

greater Pittsburgh region by ensuring that African

Americans achieve their full potential. With the

active engagement of community partners, the

Urban League will serve as a premier advocate

for economic opportunity and justice that lead to

significant improvement in the quality of our lives.

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO AND BOARD CHAIR

Esther L. BushPresident & CEO

Judge Dwayne D. WoodruffChair, Board of Directors

Dear Friend,

Fiscal year 2014-2015 was a year of great growth in the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh as a new program-matic blueprint began to take shape, with a reconfiguration of employment and youth-serving departments into the Center for Economic Self Reliance and the African American Leadership Development Institute.

While the Housing Department and the Family Growth & Child Development Department each retained their parameters of vital services, elements previously contained in the Employment Department or the Education & Youth Development Department have been reassigned to one of the two new service hubs, sorted by primary objectives of (1) attaining economic self-reliance or (2) nurturing leadership, articulating policy and systems change positions, and orienting and deploying advocates.

Looking to the 100th year of service in 2018, we have begun to undertake a process of transformation that will focus the organization’s resources and efforts on bringing African Americans into the economic renaissance that Pittsburgh and the region have begun to enjoy. It will take programs and services such as are outlined in this report along with innovative, new approaches in order to realize this objective. It will take leaders from neighbor-hoods, corporations, non-profit, civic and religious organizations, working in partnership to bring this vision to life.

This report contains the positive results yielded by many such collaborations from the Fiscal Year 2014-2015, encouraging evidence of what we can accomplish as we continue to work together for a most livable city and region for all of our citizens.

Yours in the Movement,

JULY 1, 2014 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2015

PROGRAMS & SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

AFRICAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE• A combined total of seventy-two (72) students from Westinghouse and University Prep participated in the

African American Achievement Trust Collective Focus graduation coaching and mentoring program that is made possible by the dedicated commitment of 110 African American Trust volunteers. Forty-four of the enrolled students were public housing residents. Sixty-three students were paired with mentors. Forty-three wrote a formal post-secondary plan; thirty seven of these included formal research on an identified career path. All seventy-two students partook of at least one Healthy Life Choices Workshop Series. Seventeen students increased their GPA while in the program. All eleven participating seniors graduated.

• At the conclusion of the 7- day residential program that kicks off the yearlong Black Male Leadership Development Institute, 80 enrolled high-school aged African American young men had been exposed to the basic tenets of leadership and values. Successful African American men from across many sectors spoke with participants about decision making, responsible behavior, relationships, understanding and tolerance of other people, cultures and societies. 46 of the 80 (58%) completed the year-long program, with nine earning the coveted BMLDI leather jacket for perfect attendance and fulfillment of program requirements.

• Funding was secured for the design and piloting of a Black Female Leadership Development Institute which would be launched in the subsequent fiscal year.

• The Health Education Office in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh Clinical & Translational Science Institute sponsored six (11) Lunch and Learn events addressing health disparities of African American across the lifespan to, on average, 30 attendees. The partnership continued with monthly publication of “health pages” in the New Pittsburgh Courier. 460 people were provided health education/information services, 96 from the Urban League’s Mature Workers Program and 14 from the Urban Youth Empowerment Program (young adults, out of school and unemployed.) 117 individuals received health information from nursing students in the Health Education Office. The Health Education office in collaboration with the Urban League Guild of Greater Pittsburgh hosted its annual National Healthy Awareness Day focusing on “Understanding Lupus” to over 15 individuals managing this debilitating condition.

• President & CEO Esther L. Bush continued her work in advocating for systems change in education via the Equity & Excellence Project (National Urban League partnership), the Campaign for Fair Education Funding (Pennsylvania coalition), and the African American Achievement Trust (identifying, recruiting and engaging African Americans to volunteer with African American youth to improve academic outcomes.)

CENTER FOR ECONOMIC SELF RELIANCE• 21 high school youth took on the Digital Connectors challenge of building expert computer skills, including

CISCO certifications, and sharing those skills with others through community service projects. Toward the end of FY2014-15, the program added the ability to convey additional levels of CISCO training and certification, and broadened to include eligible young adults.

• 15 Techno Teens (grades 9 – 12) embarked on the yearlong program, beginning with the Gamestar Mechanics curriculum. Seven of the teens progressed far enough to be able to work with Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy faculty to learn requisite computer language and successfully write robotics programming.

• Job developers provide general Employment Services for 608 job searches, referring 539 candidates to prospective employers, with 171 known to have achieved employment.

• 115 men and women joined the Mature Workers Program, with 110 of them successfully placed in on-the-job training positions, 47 converting into employment at an average earning of $8,667 (within Social Security recipients’ limits.)

• Between January 1, 2015 and June 30, 2015, Bank On Greater Pittsburgh made 889 referrals, resulting in unbanked and under-banked consumers opening 276 checking accounts and 265 savings accounts.

FAMILY GROWTH & CHILD DEVELOPMENT• Through Family Support Centers at Duquesne, Northview Heights, and East Hills, 281 families with children

0- 5 years of age, received counseling or referrals for assistance on matters ranging from health insurance, kindergarten preparedness, child development, parenting skills, alcohol and/or substance recovery, mental health, family stabilization, reunification, or adoption goals. 465 children received developmental screenings and/or social/emotional screenings.

HOUSING• Hunger Services staff and volunteers accommodated 516 persons who qualified for the Emergency Food

Pantry. 1,133 clients were pre-screened for eligibility and applications submitted for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance.

• 27 prospective homeowners enrolled in Operation Home workshop series, which presents a no-cost homeownership curricula that takes participants from budgeting and credit-correction to understanding mortgages, and determining how to make a home purchase.

• 398 Allegheny County residents and 1,140 City of Pittsburgh residents received rental assistance, homeownership and/or credit repair training, or mortgage foreclosure prevention counseling.

FINANCIAL REPORTSTATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITY

JULY 1, 2014 TO JUNE 30, 2015

FINANCIAL REPORTSTATEMENT OF PROGRAM EXPENSES

JULY 1, 2014 TO JUNE 30, 2015

Copies of the complete audited financial statements may be obtained by writing to

the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, 610 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Unrestricted: Membership Dues, Fundraising, Solicited Income, Administrative Income $1,243,707

Grants, Governmental AgenciesChildren, Youth, and Families (Allegheny County) 453,924Duquesne Family Support Center (Allegheny County) 358,740Youth Program (Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board) 57,616UYEP Program ( Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board) 11,371East Hills Family Support Center(Allegheny County) 271,689Family Stabilization Program (Allegheny County) 508,772Housing Counseling Services (Allegheny County) 86,305Housing Assistance Program (Allegheny County) 265,726Housing Counseling Services (City of Pittsburgh) 94,273Hunger Services ( City of Pittsburgh, State of PA,,PCSI) 243,775Jail Collaborative (Allegheny County) 61,920Northview Heights Family Support Center (Allegheny County) 287,165National Mortgage Foreclosure(National Urban League, PHFA) 78,282Operation Home (National Urban League,PHFA,Allegheny County/HACP) 102,328Pittsburgh Summer Youth Employment Program(City of Pittsburgh) 29,243Subtotal Government Agencies $2,911,129

Other SupportAfrican American Achievement Trust Collective Focus (Pittsburgh) 71,114African American Achievement Trust (United Way) 112,500Bank on Greater Pittsburgh (United Way) 175,367Black Male Leadership Development( Robert Morris Univ, Buhl Foundation, Roy Hunt Foundation) 170,003Clinical Translational Program (Univ of Pgh) 75,029Digital Connectors (Comcast) 13,000Techno Teens (Comcast) 17,174Technology Grant (UPS Foundation. Misc) 20,717Educational Improvement Tax Credits(Comcast,First Commonwealth Bank, Fifth Third Bank) 126,356Equity in Excellence Program (National Urban League) 48,518Hunger Services (Allegheny County Bar Foundation,Southminster Presbyterian Church, Eat'n Park) 16,775JP Morgan Training Grant (National Urban League) 13,011Mature Workers Program ( National Urban League) 885,777Project Ready Mentor (National Urban League) 7,845Project Ready STEM (National Urban League) 9,380Summer Dreamers Academy (Pittsburgh Public Schools) 19,500Urban League Empowerment Program (National Urban League) 128,663Subtotal Other Support $1,910,729

Total Support $6,065,565

URBAN LEAGUE OF GREATER PITTSBURGH STAFFDURING THE PERIOD OF JULY 1, 2014 TO JUNE 30, 2015

ADM IN IS TRATION

Esther L. BushPresident & Chief Executive Officer

Mia VanAmburgExecutive Assistant to the President & Chief Executive Officer

Monique McIntoshVice President of Programs & Services

Andrea HudleyExecutive Assistant to the Vice President of Programs & Services

Vera ParkerReceptionist

TECHN OLOGY

Winford CraigDirector

CLIN ICAL & TRANSLATIONAL S CIE N CE IN S TITUTE

Vianca MasucciHealth Advocate

Marcus PoindexterHealth Advocate

DE V E LOP M ENT & EXTERNAL RELATION S

Mary Kay Filter DietrichVice President of Development & External Relations

Mike BuzzelliExecutive Assistant & Communications Associate

FIS CAL D EPARTMENT

Vince LeperaVice President of Finance

Kathleen M. HelicherFiscal Specialist

Anna M. HarringtonFiscal Specialist

Regina A. JohnsonHR/Fiscal Specialist

Ramona E. WatkinsFiscal Specialist

EDUCATION & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Lorrine RueInterim Director

Tyler ButlerProgram Coordinator

Deryk BentonProgram Assistant

Tanzania M. Guinyard Program Assistant

Alexis K. Stinson Program Instructor

AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT TRUST COLLECTIVE FOCUS

Teanna MedinaProgram Manager

BLACK MALE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Ryan ScottProgram Manager

Norlex BelmaProgram Assistant

Manden McCaskill Program Assistant

EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING DEPARTMENT

Lynette Taylor-CriegoDirector

Jacqueline E. CarterAdministrative Assistant

Barry PowellEmployment Specialist

Darlene WanamakerSenior Employment Specialist

ALLEGHENY COUNTY JAIL COLLABORATIVE

Carolyn Settles Program Manager/Instructor

MATURE WORKER PROGRAM

Rodney BrownProgram Manager

Michelle Y. ThompsonJob Developer/Counselor

URBAN YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

Nena A. AnsariProject Director

Gina M. BrooksCareer Coach

Georgette RueInstructor

FAMILY GROWTH & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Debra SquiresDirector

DUQUESNE FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER

Brenda M. SorrentinoProject Director

Maria C. AllenVan Driver/Family Center Worker

Barbara Y. Arnold Malone Van Driver/Family Center Worker

Michelle GilbertFamily Development Specialist

Olive L. HamiltonFamily Development Specialist

Leslie A. HillCentral Data Manager

Lisa M. QueenFamily Development Specialist

Chantel WallaceFamily Center Worker

EAST HILLS FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER

Valerie A. ChavisProject Director

Whadena EstesFamily Development Specialist

Dennis C. JohnsonFatherhood Program Coordinator

Alicia McDonaldFamily Development Specialist

Teona WakefieldFamily Development Specialist

Tiffany WilsonVan Driver/Family Center Worker

ARTHUR J . EDMUNDS FAMILY S UP P ORT CENTER AT NORTHVIEW HE IGHTS

Sara NevelsProject Director

Donnesha ColemanVan Driver

Kimberly FairlyFamily Development Specialist

Sara GreenFamily Development Specialist

Faith HarfieldVan Driver/Family Center Worker

Dawn A. JohnsonFamily Development Specialist

Tanelle M. RobinsonCentral Data Assistant

BAN K ON GREATER PITTSBURGH

Rebecca LobleyProgram Assistant

HOUS IN G

Richard L. MorrisDirector

Delicious D. Arrington-JonesData Specialist

Sheila M. PooleHousing Counselor

Andrea J. TroweryIntake Specialist II

ALLEGHE N Y COUNTY HOUSING COUN S ELIN G SERVICES

Elisa FrazierHousing Counselor

CYF COUNSELING AND RELOCATION SERVICES

Sakara BeyHousing Specialist

Robert ClanaganHousing Specialist

Danielle HaskinIntake Specialist

Arlene J. HurtHousing Counselor

Edward JohnsonHousing Specialist

Stephanie C. JohnsonProgram Assistant

Mary LomaxHousing Specialist

Larry J. McCleodCase Manager

James W. MorrisProgram Manager

LeaEtta RhodesHousing Specialist

Pamela SaundersHousing Counselor

HOME SAFE

Angelicha MatthewsProgram Manager

Robert ReavesSenior Housing Counselor

HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Scarlett M. HowardReports Coordinator

HUNGER SERVICES

James J. JacksonProgram Manager

Janet BakerProgram Assistant

David GreveSNAP Outreach Coordinator

Jane Wright SNAP Outreach Specialist

Nancy J. Brown SNAP Outreach Specialist

OPERATION HOME

Paulette TarrantHomeownership Counselor

Elizabeth Hill Program Assistant

James WoodProgram Assistant

URBAN LEAGUE SEEKS A SHARE IN PITTSBURGH’S ‘RENAISSANCE’

Linda Wilson – Philadelphia Tribune Friday, February 19, 2016

“There is an economic renaissance in Pittsburgh. I am so tired of asking for whom? Why isn’t it for everybody” – Esther L. Bush, president & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — The 31st annual Urban League Sunday worship service featured fiery and inspirational sermons from ministers in a Hill District church, brief remarks from politicians, rousing religious and gospel music from a choir and an appearance by a former Steelers player who is now a judge.

The annual event celebrates and commemorates the relationships between church and community as they work toward their goals of secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights.As Pittsburgh celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and the Urban League marks its 98th, “economic renaissance” and a new “put our children first” campaign were recurring themes at the Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church.

The Rev. Glenn G. Grayson, pastor of Wesley Center A.M.E., gave the opening prayer for the more than 200 people in the pews.

Esther L. Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, said, “There is an economic renaissance in Pittsburgh. I am so tired of asking for whom? Why isn’t it for everybody?”“I read that Pittsburgh is a ‘cool’ place to live and ‘cool’ people are moving here. But Pittsburgh is still a city where a large number of working-age African Americans are not working” and a large percentage of African-American children grow up in poverty, Ms. Bush said. “There are efforts being made, but it’s still not enough.”

She pointed out that the audience included Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, U.S. Attorney David Hickton and retired Steelers’ defensive back Dwayne D. Woodruff, now an Allegheny Common Pleas Court judge and chairman of the board of directors of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh.

As Mr. Peduto mounted the pulpit to make his remarks, he said, “Thank you, my favorite President Bush.”

“We need to talk about race relations and community and police relations,” Mr. Peduto said. “We have to make sure that places like the Hill, East Liberty and Hazelwood remain affordable. We will only get there if all of us work together.”

Mr. Fitzgerald said, “We have so many great things happening, but they have to happen for everybody. We have to make sure our young people and everybody enjoy the fruits of our labors.”

Songs by the Pittsburgh Combined Male Choir were interspersed throughout the two-hour service. The choir was

made up of singers from churches throughout the area. Despite the name, the choir included women.

The keynote address was from the Rev. B. De Neice Welch, senior pastor at Bidwell Presbyterian Church.She blended traditional Bible lessons with modern-day topics.

“Our children are dying on the streets,” Rev. Welch said. “Our children are being mis-educated.“It’s time for you to be out doing the work of the Urban League, doing the work of social justice. Be out there confronting brutality, confronting mass incarceration.”

Judge Woodruff said he is “proud to serve one of the largest Leagues in the country. The Urban League works to level the playing field for all Americans” and “is taking down barriers and opening doors.” — (AP)

PITTSBURGH SCHOOLS THAT WORK

By Esther L. Bush & Jonathan Cetel January 26, 2015

Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Although it remains plagued by a racial divide that leads to disparate outcomes for its young people, Pittsburgh is a resilient city filled with little gems that undermine the myth that race and poverty are overwhelming barriers to success.

One such gem is the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School, where over 80 percent of the school is low income and 100 percent of the student body is black. Recent results show that the school had a negative achievement gap, which means black students performed better, on average, than their white counterparts in district schools.

Whereas the most recent round of test scores revealed that less than half of Pittsburgh’s black students can read and do math on grade level, as we dig deeper into the data, it becomes clear that charter schools are emerging as leaders in serving low-income and minority students.

The two schools with the absolute lowest achievement gaps for elementary school reading were both charter schools. Excluding magnet schools, the two high schools with the highest proficiency rates for black students on the Keystone Literature exam were also both charters.

Charter schools are simply free, open-enrollment public schools that are given additional autonomy over their personnel, budget and curriculum in exchange for more accountability. If you give good educators real power in their buildings and their classrooms, they will innovate and create strong cultures of success.

Remarkably, Pittsburgh’s charter schools have been able to accomplish more while receiving less. Because districts are able to deduct certain expenses such as facilities and debt service when calculating their per-pupil allocation, charter schools actually operate on less than 80 cents on the dollar of traditional public schools.

Charter schools are not the sole answer to closing Pittsburgh’s pervasive achievement gap, but they are certainly part of the solution. While Pittsburgh Public Schools has a 70 percent “market share” of Pittsburgh’s student population, only 40 percent of Pittsburgh students are choosing to attend their feeder schools. Students and their parents are understandably looking for those academic settings most likely to grant the student maximum life opportunity.

Today, charter schools serve around 10 percent of the student population, with a waiting list of thousands. Make no mistake, our public school system has and will continue to educate the majority of school-aged children in Pittsburgh. In order for our community to deliver on our promise to provide a high-quality education to all students, we must act with a profound sense of urgency and focus on scaling up schools that work — charters as well as public neighborhood and magnets — and turning around those that don’t.

Esther L. Bush is president of the Urban League of Pittsburgh and chairs the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh Charter School board of directors. Jonathan Cetel is executive director of PennCAN.

Copyright ©, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 2016, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Fee is waived.

BANK ON GREATER PITTSBURGH: MAKING YOUR MONEY COUNT!

By Sheila Beasley, Fall 2014 Taken from The Soul Pitt

The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Bank ON Greater Pittsburgh (BOGP) is part of a national effort, modeled after San Francisco’s successful initiative. The goal of BOGP is to connect consumers with main-stream financial services and products and offer financial education. This is because individuals, who are unbanked or underbanked, often use Alternative Financial Services (AFS), such as payday lenders, check-cashing facilities, rent-to-own, pawn shops and pre-paid debit cards that charge superfluous fees to use their services.

BOGP has partnered with eight financial institutions and over twenty community partners to help reduce barriers for establishing banking relationships while increasing access to the financial institutions. Bank On Programs bring together local government, financial institutions, and community organizations to design safe, affordable and convenient accounts for unbanked (person who has no checking or savings account relationship with a traditional financial institution) or under-banked (has an account, but is still a user of AFS).

BOGP is an initiative of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh with its initial funding from the United Way of Allegheny County, and partnerships with City of Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald, who both agree on the importance of BOGP for this region. Mayor Peduto stated at a press conference earlier this year that “He endorses BOGP as one of the top 100 items on his agenda in connection with the National League of Cities.” He also stated that “More than 10 percent of Pittsburgh residents have no bank account and another 19 percent rely heavily on risky alternative financial tools such as payday loans, check-cashing shops and rent-to-own arrangements.”

The average unbanked person in Pennsylvania will pay approximately $800 a year and over $40,000 over a working lifetime in check fees and money orders. The goal of BOGP is to help people make better financial decisions and utilize less costly financial services. “Take the money you would have spent on a payday loan and add it to your grocery bill, or put it towards a car payment, there is a lot of common sense in this. Talking about financial literacy is part of getting people to plan their finances, rather than live paycheck to paycheck.” Esther L. Bush, President and CEO of the Urban League stated.

Dr. Angela Reynolds, Director of programs for Financially Struggling Adults and Families at the United Way of Allegheny County, said, “Funding the Bank On Program takes consideration that people might live in neighborhoods where there’s no traditional bank, but there is a check-cashing place. Others might have grown up with the idea of keeping their money stored in the home. BOGP is providing access to those individuals with financial education and support for them to make the most of every cent earned and other resources.” Kevin Cameron (Cameron Professional Management, LLC) and Francine Cameron (Cameron Professional Services Group, LLC) are serving as aggregators of all data collected for BOGP which indicates over 2,00 new bank accounts have been opened since the launch of BOGP.

Pictured above: Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Jr., Chairman, Bank on Greater Pittsburgh, Esther L. Bush, President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, Guhan Venkatu, Vice President and Senior regional Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Branch, Robert Nelkin, President and Chief Program Officer, United Way of Allegheny County and other participants in BOGP’s Financial Institutions Symposium, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Pittsburgh branch.

Financial partners include; Century Heritage Federal Credit Union, Citizens Bank, Dollar Bank, Fifth Third Bank, First Commonwealth Bank, First Niagara Bank, Hill District Federal Credit Union, Huntington Bank, PNC Bank and Northwest Savings Bank. Community Partners include: The University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, Family Support Programs, Just harvest, Small Seeds Development, Inc., PA Women Work, City/County/McKeesport Housing Authorities, Advantage Credit Counseling and others. For a full list of all partners please visit the website.

“The positive impact of connecting unbanked and under-banked consumers with traditional banking services is tantamount to increased income for consumers, who will save immeasurably in fees, since the consumers will no longer be reliant on check cashing services, pre-paid debit cards and payday lenders,” said Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Jr., Former Urban League Board Member and Chair of BOGP. “The initiative is having an impact, but there is still a way to go to move more people towards economic self-sufficiency and change the economy.”

For more information visit the website www.bankongreaterpittsburgh.com or call (412) 227-4802 or email at hslaughter@ulpgh.org

Copyright ©, Fall 2014, Soul Pitt Quarterly, 2016, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

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Core Standards

Big changes are coming to our children’s classrooms to make sure all of our children are better prepared for the world of today and tomorrow. 44 States are currently working to improve American academic standards to ensure that all students will receive a world-class education and gain the skills they need

to succeed in college, work and life.

It’s about:

ENHANCED SKILLS INCREASED KNOWLEDGE BETTER PREPAREDNESS

By raising and developing higher standards for everyone, we create a level playing field for all students regardless of family

income, ethnicity or where they live.

It’s time to put ALL of our Children first!

Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh

610 Wood StreetPittsburgh, PA 15222

412.227.4802

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