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Focus Centre County

The Centre County Community Foundation (CCCF) is embarking on an exciting process that needs your ideas and input by participating in community visioning meetings. This inclusive process seeks input from all of the residents of Centre County and will have a direct impact on the future of Centre County.

 The ‘Focus Centre County’ Initiative came about due to a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation grant that was awarded to the local Centre County Foundation to determine one key community issue facing Centre County. The goal of the grant is to help Centre County identify the single issue on which to focus and prioritize future efforts. The issue will evolve from one of the following six broad areas: 

1. Community Education: To help all residents gain the knowledge and skills necessary to reach economic self-sufficiency, remain active learners, be good parents and effective citizens in a democracy.
2. Well-being of children and families: To provide all children and youth with opportunities for positive growth and development and to give all parents resources they need to strengthen their families.
3. Housing and community development: To provide all residents with access to affordable and decent housing in safe, drug-free neighborhoods.
4. Economic development: To help all adults gain access to jobs.
5. Civic engagement/positive human relations: To encourage and enable all residents to participate effectively in the democratic process, form ties to local institutions and strengthen relationships with one another.
6. Vitality of civic life: To provide all residents’ access to a wide variety of artistic and cultural pursuits. To nourish creativity in children, youth and adults.

 Public meetings are being held during June and July to ascertain as many community members’ perspectives, ideas and comments as possible. To develop fresh ideas about how Centre County should focus impact efforts for the future, CCCF would like to encourage all community members to attend the focus meetings. The Community Focus Group Meetings will be held on: 

• Monday, June 25^th: Mt. Nittany Middle School, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Thursday, June 28^th: Bald Eagle High School, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Monday, July 16^th: Philipsburg High School, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Monday, July 30^th: Bellefonte Middle School, 7:00-9:00 pm
• Tuesday, July 31^st: Penns Valley Middle School, 7:00-9:00 pm

After the community focus group meetings, there will be a final focus meeting held on September 10^th from 7:00-9:00 pm at the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology. All community members are welcome to attend this event to help determine the one issue for which future planning and initiatives will be focused.

Once a core issue is discovered, strategic planning and meetings will be held with key community leaders and agencies to determine how to move forward with creating a strategic plan to address the key issue. After the strategic plan is created, the Centre County Community Foundation and other agencies will submit grant proposals to help address this issue.

 “Centre County is fortunate to have this opportunity to create positive future directions through this community strategy and visioning process. We are thrilled to provide community members with this chance to identify a single issue in Centre County and then work on it together to make a difference in solving the issue”, said Dolores A Taricani, CCCF Chair of the Board. 

Tom Songer, Board member and Chair of the Program Development Committee stated “I wanted to guide this process because I truly believe it will make a positive impact on Centre County for years to come. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Centre County and I’m proud to be part of this process. I hope that many residents will participate in the upcoming meetings to express their ideas.” 

Public participation is a major key to the success of the Focus Centre County initiative and the volunteers, board and staff of the Centre County Community Foundation invite you to come and provide your insight to help our community build a wonderful future together. We need your help and assistance.  

More information about this project can be found by calling the Centre County Community Foundation at 237-6229.

P.O. Box 648, State College, PA 16804 ● 814-237-6229 ● fax: 814-237-2624

The official registration and financial information of Centre County Community Foundation may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.