2017 Annual Report

Landforce 2017 Annual Report 14 Message from the Executive Director ....... 4 Auditor's Report...................................................... 11 6 10 OUR MISSION Landforce's mission is to support people and restore land. We do this by using the much needed stewardship of the environment as a social and economic equalizer, hiring people with barriers to employment to work on community and environmental projects while addressing their barriers and connecting to future employment. This results in gainful employment opportunities, and healthy and beautiful natural resources and public assets. 9 Financial Report..................................................... Table of Contents Cash Flow Statement.......................................... Special Thanks........................................................ 13 Income Report........................................................ 8 7 Company History................................................... Food Suppliers........................................................ Board of Directors................................................. Progress Report...................................................... Investing in People. Restoring the Environment. Local Farms.............................................................. 5 12 Ilyssa Manspeizer We are excited to share Landforce's first annual report with you. As you will read in these pages, only 2 years old, Landforce is emerging as a thoughtful leader in green job development and environmental restoration in the Pittsburgh region. At Landforce we believe it is imperative to nurture the nascent talents of people who have been left out of Pittsburgh's economy, whether this is because they are struggling as citizens returning from incarceration, as a result of not succeeding in our educational system, as returning veterans, recovering from addiction histories, or because they are living in poverty and do not yet have a work history or received a leg up into Pittsburgh's employment sector. Simultaneously, we believe that we all deserve to live in a healthy, beautiful environment that nourishes our bodies and spirits. And that is exactly what we are achieving at Landforce. We provide a strong base for people to transform their lives while they transformi the environment we all live in. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about Landforce. As you read these pages you will learn about the projects we've worked on, what our crew members think about their time with Landforce, and how we could not do what we do without our partners and supporters. Yours, "The intensive planning phase showed that there was a deep need in Pittsburgh, both for land stewardship services and workforce readiness." Landforce is the result of a collaborative effort based upon the successful Emerald Trail Corps (ETC), previously a program of the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC), established in 2011, and aimed at training and hiring hard to employ individuals in trail construction and habitat restoration in Emerald View Park. Over the course of 5 years, the ETC attracted attention as one of the premier green job programs in Pittsburgh, and several organizations began discussing how to take the ETC model and expand it across the region in a way that complemented rather than duplicated existing capacity. Because of the largess of the Hillman Foundation, the Pittsburgh Conservation Corps (D/B/A Landforce) was incorporated on November 30, 2015. This assistance has leveraged additional support from the Heinz Endowments, Pittsburgh Foundation, Buhl Foundation, Neighborhood Allies, Garden Club of Allegheny County, and PNC Charitable Foundation. Two years later, Landforce is doing well, meeting its goals, and transforming people's lives and the greenspaces that surround them. By October 2017 we had hired 26 people, provided more than 2,500 hours of workforce readiness training, 500 hours of career coaching, increased our project income 150% (from $130,000 in 2016 to $190,000 in 2017), and provided 13,000 hours of land stewardship to our region. 88% of crew members completed their tenure with Landforce, and 87% of those who completed had job offers at the end of the season. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur. Message from the Executive Director 2011 - 2015 the emerald trail corps With the kind support of the Henry L. Hillman Foundation, these 6 nonprofits (Allegheny Land Trust, GTECH Strategies, Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, and Urban Kind) conducted national benchmarking and site visits to determine best practices for our model, and also carried out local needs assessment. We learned that within Allegheny County, more than 80% of parks, greenways, vacant lots and land trust properties are not managed in any way. Additionally, there is great disparity in Pittsburgh's work sector: African American men make up 11.4% of men aged 18 to 64, but only 5.4% of our workforce. The intensive planning phase showed that there was a deep need in Pittsburgh, both for land stewardship services and workforce readiness. The intensive planning phase showed that there was a deep need in Pittsburgh, both for the land stewardship services and the workforce readiness component. eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. 2015 - 2017 Incorporation and establishment Executive Director Organizational History Landforce 2013 - 2015 Planning 100% of our stewardship clients have said we have met or exceeded their expectations. Program Description: Land Stewardship Soft Skills Training At Landforce we believe in our team, and hold weekly team meetings to enable crew members and staff to come together, discuss any problems that might arise, devise solution, and reward exceptional accomplishments with our golden shovel award. team meetings Landforce uses a carefully designed curriculum that combines with six months of actual employment stewarding Pittsburgh's degraded lands, providing crew members the opportunity to learn by doing, build their resumes, and connect to future employment. This type of paid work as training follows national best practice. Our curriculum includes: financial literacy, conflict resolution, first aid certification, healthy eating on a budget, work dress and speech, timeliness, effective teamwork, preworkday preparation, chain of command, resume and interview skills, timesheets, TABE testing and associated tutoring opportunities, professional communication; human resources expectations, and anti harassment. Some of these skills are reinforced with the "Bring Your A Game" curriculum. We work on stewardship projects identified by our nonprofit, municipality, and private corporation partners. These projects have been identified as priorities for them, the communities in which they work, or the properties that they manage. Partnerships enable Landforce to bring our ecological management skills and expertise to projects that might otherwise not get done or might get done more slowly. Whether we're working on garden bed installations, trail construction and maintenance, vacant lot improvements, or any other projects, we work closely with our partners to ensure our crew members are continually learning and the quality of our work meets or exceeds expectations. To date, all of our clients have said we have met or exceeded their expectations. Crews are deployed on job sites throughout the county, working on green stormwater infrastructure, woodland trails, habitat restoration, and vacant lot management. Crew members learn a variety of ecological management skills in a combination of hands-on and classroom settings including: basic plant identification, invasive plant removal, tree planting and tree care, trail construction, green infrastructure theory and practice, and basic soils and erosion. Our stewardship curriculum includes Tree Tender training/certification for everyone and National Green Infrastructure Certification for those with this particular interest. Some 2017 Metrics Trails Constructed or Maintained 26 miles Green Infrastructure Constructed or Maintained 8 Trees and Shrubs Planted or Cared For 369 Aggregate, mulch, compost applied 13.5 tons Program Description: Workforce Readiness Individualized Career Coaching Land stewardship training Partnering with landforce Crew members meet weekly with our Workforce Manager to identify barriers to employment, strategize about and implement solutions, and connect to and apply for permanent employment. We provide 18 months of follow up to our crew members, and our doors will always remain open to them.  In 2017, 13 of 14 crew members (93%) completed Landforce employment. 82% reported increased confidence, 100% felt they learned how to apply new skills to projects, 91% now understand employer expectations and learned new skills, and 82% learned punctuality. Some unexpected outcomes include crew members forging healthy relationships with their peers, high work quality due to high morale, and smoother conflict resolution. By the end of our season, 12 of the crew members who finished their term with us (92%) were employed, with 9 (75%) in full-time positions. During the season some crew members experienced crises that would have knocked them off track had they not had the support of Landforce. Crew members often struggle with mental/behavioral health, recent and extensive criminal charges, ongoing family court cases, and lack of driver’s licenses. We are able to accompany crew members to court, provide connections to therapeutic service providers, and advocate on their behalf as necessary. Although our model is structured as a real work environment, we have the ability to be more flexible with a crew member’s extenuating circumstances, providing them the opportunity to address any outstanding issues prior to finding employment elsewhere. While all of the projects we work on are exciting, this one had a twist -- animatronic dinosaurs! We helped set up Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's 2017 Dinosaur exhibit -- landscaping, planting, and even moving 600 pound palm trees. Once upon a time even these trees were probably native! Building trails is historically our sweet spot, and Tom's Run was no exception -- building a stone inlay across a small channel and drainage ditches to control runoff, controlling invasive plants on a forested hillside, and closing off unauthorized off-road vehicle trails. western pennsylvania conservancy, toms run nature reserve In 2017 Landforce worked on 42 distinct projects, more than doubling our 2016 number, partnering with 14 clients across 16 different neighborhoods/municipalities. Visit our website (www.landforcepgh.org) for a full accounting of our projects and partners. Stormworks, Nine mile run watershed association, Homewood north rain garden 2017 Progress Report: Land Stewardship 2017 Progress Report: Crew Members Food Suppliers Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, exhibitioon set up "93% of our 2017 crew members were working at the end of the season." One of our deepest pleasures is building rain gardens and bioswales, creating something that is beautiful while functioning to slow down stormwater runoff and flood damage. Working closely with StormWorks we barely noticed the hard work -- removing sod, excavating soil by hand, building berms and basins, and finally, planting, mulching and watering. Upon leaving Landforce, Al was ready to enter a UPMC training program for Environmental Services, and is now working for UPMC and attending CCAC, with long-term goals of getting a degree in occupational therapy. When reflecting upon his time with Landforce, he told us, "Landforce builds character, not just careers." He credits us with preparing him to be a team player. As Al sets out to achieve his significant goals, we are grateful that, while he was with Landforce, he discovered that if "I put my mind to something, I can definitely achieve it." "I feel like I’ve grown a whole lot! My attitude is different, I learned a lot of skills that I didn’t know before, and it makes me want to learn more, which is why I started the green infrastructure class. My attitude about life has changed, I feel like I have a purpose. I have never had anyone outside of my family support me like you guys have so I don’t want to let you all down. I feel like I have people who are going to push me and I feel like I’m a stronger person. I feel like I’m going back to the person I am inside, the person I was when I was younger." James Terrance is working full-time with the Allegheny County road crew, and even though he was only with Landforce for a short while, he still believes, "Landforce revitalized me and brought out my work ethic, discipline, integrity, and focus and made it all second nature." He also learned how to manage conflict with his colleagues, "knowing that all people have their own history, backgrounds, and journeys, I am able to deal with conflict better and manage difficult situations with people at work." Landforce’s emphasis on being on time helped him to develop skills in discipline and time management. Al Selima Following are some reflections from a few of our crew members about their experience with Landforce, the skills they learned with us, and where they are now. Terrance "Working at Landforce was a cure for the soul." - Al "I learned that I can do more than I thought I can.' -Amber "Landforce has opened my eyes to things I didn't know existed." -Frank "I am more disciplined. It’s easier for me to commit to things. I feel like I am really able to focus on what I’m doing and it doesn’t take me as long to get started on something. When I get to work I am on task and do what I need to do even if it isn’t something I really want to do. I just get it done so we can all feel good about what we did for the day." "I learned that I am strong physically and mentally. I have a lot of endurance." In Their Own Words Food Suppliers "Landforce revived something within me. I love life a little more." - Geno *All numbers are unaudited. Foundation and Earned Income Revenue includes funds carried over from 2016 to 2017, but not funds carried forward from 2017 to 2018 Thank you to our donors for their remarkable support for Landforce in 2017. The financial supporters listed below ensure that our crew members develop a strong footing to step into the next stages of their lives and that the environment we all live in will be better tomorrow than it was yesterday. Debbey & Neil Altman-Diamant Pamela Andrae Chris & Valerie Beichner Jamil Bey Thomas Birsic Michelle Bisno Zack & Bev Block Travis Brannon Walter & Nancy Bunt Allison Burdette Diane Cohen Donna Coufal Beth Dutton Jordan Fischbach & Yael Silk Dawn & Chris Fleischner Michelle Fries Jon and Aline Funari Katherine Gafner Kelley George Kathryn Hunninen Mary Hunninen JB International Advisors Jean Kim Ian Lipsky Rhonda Madden Kristen Matthews Jake Milofsky Tiffany Mrotek Bob & Susan Nitzberg Mary Ohmer Brad Palmisiano Patty's Soup Party Guests Pomo Development Daniel Rosen & Shani Lasin Emilie Rzotkiewicz Heather Sage Evaine K. Sing Cynthia Tilson Erin Tobin James Van Nostrand Autumn Walker Marcie & Michael Zanic Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea. Food Suppliers Individual & Corporate Support Finances Our Supporters Buhl Foundation Garden Club of Allegheny County Montague Family Foundation Neighborhood Allies Office of Vocation and Rehabilitation PNC Charitable Trust Stanny Foundation The Cornelia Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation The Heinz Endowments The Henry L. Hillman Foundation The Lois Tack Thompson Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation The Opportunity Fund Foundation & Government support Allegheny Land Trust EvolveEA FOCUS Pittsburgh Grow Pittsburgh GTECH Strategies Nine Mile Run Watershed Association / Stormworks Phipps Conservatory Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy South Side Slpes Neighborhood Association Sustainable Millvale The Hazelwood Initiative Tree Pittsburgh Triumph Baptist Church Urban Redevelopment Authority Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Our Partners 2017 Land Stewardship Partners Dr. Mary Ohmer, President Kathryn Hunninen, Vice President Michelle Fries, Treasurer Emilie Rzotkiewicz, Secretary Dr. Jamil Bey Travis Bannon Dr. Jordan Fischbach Ida Ford Rhonda Madden Evaine Sing Charles Strothers Board of Directors Our Board of Directors & Staff Board of Directors info@landforcepgh.org thomas@landforcepgh.org john@landforcepgh.org ilyssa@landforcepgh.org tiffany@landforcepgh.org shawn@landforcepgh.org Shequaya Bailey Thomas Guentner John Jones Dr. Ilyssa Manspeizer Tiffany Mrotek Shawn Taylor Administrative Coordinator Program Manager Program Assistant Executive Director Workforce Development Manager Crew Leader Staff 2017 Workforce Readiness Partners Allegheny Intermediate Unit Goodwill Northside Common Ministries Oakland Planning and Dev. Co. JobLinks Mon Valley Initiative Center for Victims CareerLink Early Innovation Center Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh CCAC YouthPlaces A. Phillip Randolph Institute Established in 2015, Landforce's mission is to support people and restore land.by using the much needed stewardship of the environment as a social and economic equalizer, hiring people with barriers to employment to work on community and environmental projects while addressing their barriers and connecting to future employment. This results in gainful employment opportunities and widespread community and environmental benefit. 201 North Braddock Avenue #230 Pittsburgh, PA 15208 412 .727.6936 info@landforcepgh.org www.landforcepgh.org