Join the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association for monthly weeknight neighborhood clean-ups. Every month we will pick a different area of the Slopes to clean up. We will have trash bags, gloves, and bright orange shirts.
When: Wednesday May 26, 2021 from 6pm to 7pm
Where: Meet at Bandi Schaum Community Garden
Agenda: TBA
All South Side Slopes residents are invited to attend. Join us to meet new people or reconnect with long-time neighbors, learn what’s happening and what is planned for the community, and share your ideas, concerns and love for the Slopes.
In order to be a voting member of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, you must attend at least 2 meetings and/or events per year.
When: Tuesday May 11, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Where: Zoom (via URL or phone)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6678005469?pwd=U1FVK0RBR2RGTnBhUUF1RU00QmMwQT09
Don’t have a laptop or smart phone? You can dial into the meeting: 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 667 800 5469
Passcode: 052167
The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) stands in solidarity with Pittsburgh’s Black and brown communities in saying unequivocally that Black Lives Matter and that we will not tolerate the vile hate speech and acts of racism on display in the vandalism of Quarry Field.
Quarry Field, in the heart of South Side Park, is the home of the South Side Bears, a youth football and cheerleading community organization that supports the development of young majority Black and brown children in the South Side Slopes and surrounding neighborhoods through sports. The Bears are the last remaining youth sports team in the Hilltop Neighborhoods. We are exploring ways for us to meaningfully engage and support the Bears as a SSSNA community – and we also urge you to consider donating to the South Side Bears by reaching out directly to its president, Kevin Alton @ www.facebook.com/Southsidebears.
We also acknowledge that we must move beyond words of support into action – and cannot do that without addressing our own biases and inequities.
As an all-volunteer neighborhood association in the predominately white South Side Slopes, we must address head on the privilege of our organization and our neighbors and reflect on how we contribute to the continued segregation of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods. From a review of our mission and the activities and priorities we undertake – to the makeup of our board and membership – we will strive to eradicate the vestiges of racism, misogyny, ableism, transphobia, and xenophobia within our organization. We will work to become a model of what it means for neighborhood associations to live our values and contribute to a vision of Pittsburgh that is truly most livable for all.
As President of the Association, I don’t have all the answers of how we’re going to move forward. As a 41-year-old white man, I know that I have not yet done all the work I need to do to fully understand how I benefit from, and contribute to, white supremacy and systemic racism. I commit to holding myself accountable and ask that you help hold me accountable as the leader of this vibrant and evolving organization.
A big part of that will come from listening and learning. In the city of bridges, I’m committed to building new ones and look to you to help inform how we can better align our work with the needs of the community.
Please join us in this process so together we can identify and undertake tangible actions that move us and the South Side Slopes forward – now and in the future.
Sincerely,
Blake M. McLaren
President
South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association
The South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association welcomes Jami Szalla to the Board of Directors. She is a fifth-generation Pittsburgher who was born and raised on Wellington St. in the South Side Slopes. A proud Carrick High School graduate, she attended Edinboro University of Pennsylvania where she received a degree in forensic accounting. Later, she earned her CPA while working as an internal auditor for the Department of the Navy in Washington, DC. Missing family, friends, and the city she loved, Jami returned to Pittsburgh in 2017 to take an accounting job with UPMC. Over the next year, she and her now-husband, Dan, purchased and renovated their 1888-built home on Eleanor St., just a few blocks from her childhood home. Recently, Jami and Dan opened Hilltop Coffee – a community-focused café on the corner of Eleanor & Arlington. In her spare time, Jami enjoys participating in community events, reading historical fiction, gardening, traveling, and running.
The Board is thankful to the years of service from Candice Gonzalez and Donna Tarkett who have both stepped down.
There is now one opening for a Board position. Please contact info@southsideslopes.org if you are interested in joining the Board or a committee. You must have attended 2 meetings or events in the last year to be eligible to join the Board of Directors.
When: Tuesday March 9 at 6:30 P.M.
Where: A zoom link will be provided the week of the event.
Agenda:
TBD
All South Side Slopes residents are invited to attend. Join us to meet new people or reconnect with long-time neighbors, learn what’s happening and what is planned for the community, and share your ideas, concerns and love for the Slopes.
In order to be a voting member of the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association, you must attend at least 2 meetings and/or events per year.
When: Tuesday March 9, 2021 at 6:30 PM
Where: Zoom (via URL or phone) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89318503168?pwd=Sk9UZE9JdUZkcmFYN3JZSFhXVVhodz09
Don’t have a laptop or smart phone? You can dial into the meeting: 1-646-558-8656
Meeting ID: 893 1850 3168
Passcode: 651985
Congratulations to our gift card winners!
Hope you enjoy some great items from our local businesses: 350 Bakery, Culture Shop, Carson Street Deli, Double Wide Grill, Fat Heads, and Hilltop Coffee!
Thanks to everyone who filled out our survey and entered the Slopes Holiday raffle. We will be announcing the winners soon, but we wanted to share why you love the Slopes!
This has been a difficult year for all of us, but we still appreciate the views, neighbors, and the convenience of living in this green neighborhood!
The City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Community Affairs is now accepting applications for the 2020-2021 Snow Angels Program. This program pairs older adult residents and residents with disabilities with nearby volunteer Snow Angels to help them shovel and salt their sidewalk and property throughout the winter.
Snow Angels make sidewalks safer for those who are outside during the winter weather like postal carriers, firefighters, police officers, and other neighbors.
To request help from a Snow Angel, neighbors must:
Volunteers and neighbors in need can register for the program online at https://pittsburghpa.gov/
