Nearly 200 individuals have completed the Leadership Elk & Cameron program (LEC) since 2008. For more information about LEC and to obtain an application, click the link below.

The ten-month program is aimed at educating its participants in the strengths and opportunities of Elk and Cameron Counties in order to develop informed, civic-oriented volunteers, to help direct the future of the region.

DEADLINE ON EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT RUNS UNTIL JUNE 12TH.
Inquire about Special Scholarships for Cameron County Residents.

http://www.communityedcenter.com

The North Central PA Regional Planning and /development Commission has received funding that will provide them the opportunity to identify and work towards Unserved and Underserved broadband areas in their six county area. (Cameron, Clearfield, Elk, Jefferson, McKean and Potter).

You can help them identify the areas that lack or have poor broadband service.

Please log onto North Centrals web site at ncentral.com and take the broadband study. If you have questions please all Adam Correll at North Central at 814-773-3162.

The Stackpole-Hall Foundation is beginning another long-range planning study for 2020 with a $2.5 million commitment over the next 5 years. The goal of this long-range planning study is to have key leaders in the community help the Foundation identify priority funding needs for Elk County. In the past, the Foundation has conducted three such planning studies, one in 1989, 2006, and the most recent in 2015.

These studies allowed The Stackpole-Hall Foundation to set grant priorities for the future, and all three studies resulted in the creation of significant projects and programs. For example, past studies have resulted in the development of Leadership Elk County, now known as Leadership Elk and Cameron County, a wetlands classroom in Ridgway, a children’s wellness program for Dickinson Center, a water monitoring program with the Elk County Conservation District, an executive director for the Elk County Council on the Arts, pharmaceutical collections for the Elk County Recycling Center, the Community Nurses Hospice program and several projects across our local health system.

This year, the study will be similar to the 2006 study. There will be four priority funding domains. Those domains are education, human services, community development, and senior services. Each domain will have a committee chair, and the chair will be selecting their committee members. The education committee will be chaired by Ms. Kate Brock. Ms. Brock is the executive director of the Community Education Center and is also involved with local non-profit boards in our community. The human service committee will be chaired by Sheriff Todd Caltagarone. Sheriff Caltagarone serves as the Elk County Sheriff and before that was the chief of police for the City of St. Marys. The community development committee will be chaired by Mr. Eric Wolfe. Mr. Wolfe is the president of Horizon Technology and he is also involved with several local non-profit boards. The senior services committee will be chaired by Mr. Frank Kaul. Mr. Kaul is currently a Trustee of The Stackpole-Hall Foundation, and in 2017 retired as a regional sales manager for KOA Speer Electronics.

The formal kick-off event for the long-range planning study will be in May 2020. Following the kick-off event, the human service, education, community development, and senior service committees will independently gather to conduct focus groups and a traditional strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats analysis for their designated domain. The goal is to complete the study by November 2020, have priority funding needs identified for Elk County, and a publication reporting the outcomes from this study. Once the results are published, local organizations will have the opportunity to seek grant funding for the 2021 grant distribution. The Foundation has committed $2.5 million of funding over the next 5 years to support the priority funding needs identified in the 2020 study. The Stackpole-Hall Foundation will be supporting Elk County for 70 years in 2021. Since 1951, the Foundation has funded $41 million worth of projects in our community.

To apply for funding from the Stackpole Hall Foundation organizations must be a 501 c 3 non-profit organization, a municipality, educational institution, or faith-based organization. To learn more about The Stackpole-Hall Foundation grant guidelines and application process, visit www.stackpolehall.org.

Pictured is Sheriff Todd Caltagarone, Health & Human Services. Mr. Frank Kaul, Senior Services Chair, Mr. Eric Wolfe, Community Development Chair and Ms. Kate Brock, Education Chair

Registration is open for the Sinnemahone Canoe and Kayak Classic on Saturday April 4. This year it is hoped businesses will jump into the water and take-home bragging rights. Businesses can enter the unique race by sponsoring two people to paddle a 17 foot or shorter canoe. Both competitors must be employees of the business. The cost to jump into the race and take home the trophy and bragging rights is $80.00.

Registration for the Sinnemahone Canoe and Kayak is open online at www.paddleguru.com.

The City of St. Marys’ City Council approved reinstituting the Youth Activities Commission on February 17 th , 2020.The newly revived Commission is designed to give the youth of St. Marys not only a voice, but an opportunity to be a part of shaping the future of their town.

The Youth Activity Commission is a great avenue for those interested in real world

problem solving, communicating with other leaders in the community, and creating new

opportunities for themselves and others. While a community is so much more than statistics and numbers, data that is collected and measured can be crucial to what decisions leaders make. The youth in this group will be able to analyze the data, decisions, and the impact of these decisions on their area firsthand.

The students and youth will be able to explore careers and build their resume as well.

Members of the Commission will be able to explore careers in policy, politics, and economics. As they explore these possible careers, they will build skills in communication, analytical thinking, networking, and what it means to be a part of a team.

The goal of the Youth Activity Commission is to give the youth a chance to grow their experiences and knowledge base, while contributing back to their home in an incredibly valuable manner.

The Commission will be a 9-member group, consisting of 7 positions for young adults

between the ages of 15 to 18 years of age. Each member will serve 2-year terms and be

appointed to the position by the St. Marys City Council. The other two positions will be reserved for adult members to help guide and facilitate the Youth Activity Commission.

Any interested young adults must be residents of the St. Marys Area School District. Anyone interested in joining the Commission should submit a “Letter of Intent” to Saint Marys City Hall before March 16 th . The letter should address City Council and include your qualifications, why you are pursuing this position, and also include proof of residence, such as a copy of your school ID.

Providing a letter of reference is also encouraged. Appointments to the Youth Activities

Commission will be made during the March 16 th , 2020 St. Marys City Council meeting. All applicants are encouraged to attend. If you are interested in being a part of the Youth Activities Commission and you have any questions or concerns, please reach out and contact Seth Higgins at sethhiggins41356@gmail.com.