Awesome Pittsburgh: $1000 Grants for Great Ideas

We all know someone who is absolutely enthusiastic about a hobby or activity. She keeps inviting you, finding ways to make it easy and fun to join her. You finally can’t resist anymore and jump in.

Michele Thom, our 16^th winner of a $1,000 micro-grant, is literally inviting you to jump. Out of a perfectly fine airplane while it is flying. Really.

Michelle seriously caught the skydiving bug a few years ago and wants to bring other people along for the ride. We fell hard for her enthusiasm (yes, you can groan at the pun) and didn’t want to leave her hopes grounded (groan).

Michelle has launched 60 Seconds of Pure Freedom to enable those who might otherwise not have a chance to experience the thrill of skydiving to take one tandem jump this summer.

She describes skydiving as the “epitome of freedom” because “the second you step out of the airplane door, you forget about any of life’s problems or distresses, and live entirely free and in the moment, until you land back onto the ground with an enormous smile on your face!”   Michelle and her co-organizer, Leon Boczkowski, will couple our award with a discount they negotiated with Skydive PA in Grove City for this project.  They will also solicit additional donations in order to provide the tandem jump opportunity to as many people as possible.

Awesome Pittsburgh Trustee Carolina Pais-Barreto Beyers noted, “What caught my attention was Michelle’s desire to enable others to share an experience that she finds so remarkable.

The 60 Seconds of Pure Freedom committee is taking nominations by the last day of each month, March through July 2013, and will select at least two deserving nominees by the 7^th of each following month. You can find the nomination form at the project’s Facebook page or by emailing the committee at pure.freedom@rocketmail.com. Michelle and Leon hope the winning nominees will agree to tandem jump soon after being selected and plan to join the winners the day they jump.

This spring, start looking for tea pops to pop up around town, courtesy of our 13^th award winner, Healcrest Urban Farm. The for-profit social enterprise teaches community members about urban farm production, green vacant land use, and youth employment and mentorship.

“We have had great experiences vending around town with our products, going to markets and events. We love connecting with people that way and having something to offer them,” noted Maria Graziani, Healcrest Urban Farm’s owner.

Located in Garfield, Healcrest Urban Farm has already transformed a plot of unused urban ruin into a flourishing garden rich with herbs, fruits and vegetables. Maria Graziani and Healcrest’s program coordinator Dana Launius are committed to promoting both community and physical health, including projects specializing in local grown medicinal herbs. With Awesome Pittsburgh’s $1,000 grant, the two hope to expand upon their already existing tea market into a new field.

Maria continued, “Our teas are popular at the markets we attend and depending on your taste they are delicious. We are exploring a frozen treat that incorporates tea, fruit, and herbs. With this product we can satisfy a variety of palettes and tastes with a healthy, delicious, locally grown and hand crafted treat!”

Healcrest Urban Farm currently sells its products in the spring and summer at the Pittsburgh Public Market, Reservoir of Jazz, Penn Avenue Unblurred, Bryant Street Fair, and more locations. Maria and Dana will use our $1,000 to buy a cold storage ice cream cart to take their new frozen tea pops around the community.

Stay tuned to Healcrest’s progress on Facebook or Twitter and let us know what you think when you get to taste the new treats!

Awesome Pittsburgh awards $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to individuals or groups who propose ways of making Pittsburgh stand out in the global economy, connect our communities, or celebrate art or technology and make the city a better place to live, work and play. Submit your short proposal here.

Imagine plummeting 400 feet over a river at a top speed of 50 miles per hour. Sound awesome to you?

It sure did to us! Our eleventh winner of $1,000 is Adam Young, founder of the new venture ZipPitt. We were so excited about the project that we agreed to keep it under wraps for three months while Adam tested the idea with city officials and neighborhood residents.

Adam’s project aims to connect two of Pittsburgh’s most iconic destinations, Mount Washington and the North Shore, with a set of four ziplines.  He’ll use our money to bring in a national zipline company to conduct a feasibility study of the proposed site.

“Imagine yourself gliding from the top of Mt. Washington at 50 mph, across the Ohio River, and landing a half-mile away on the North Shore. You won’t have to imagine forever, because ZipPitt is proposing to make this experience a reality,” Adam said, “ZipPitt hopes to be a permanent zip line connecting Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington to the North Shore. You’ll experience Pittsburgh’s iconic scenery traveling on one of the four parallel lines, nestled beneath the downtown skyline.”

Adam Young hopes to secure Pittsburgh’s title of America’s most livable city by bringing this premier attraction to the area, adding to the city’s already impressive list of activities and entertainment.

The proposed ZipPitt project, which aims to open within two years, will ultimately feature a 400 foot vertical drop at 50 mph across the half-mile ride. Riders will enjoy a thrilling and comfortable experience from a seated harness traveling along one of four parallel zip lines. Currently, the project is advancing through design and development stages, planning for a site survey and feasibility study while seeking permits and approvals. ZipPitt aims to contract with companies based in Pittsburgh for construction, naming rights and business services.

Adam said, “Let’s show the world how Pittsburgh continues to innovate and give riders a riveting experience. A zip line of this magnitude and atmosphere will immerse you in an unprecedented perspective of Pittsburgh.”

You can cheer on Adam’s progress on his web site, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

Have your own awesome, even audacious, idea for the Pittsburgh area? We’re awarding $1,000 grants every month based on submissions we receive by the first of the month. Click here for our easy application process. 

Update 2/9/13: Want to help make this great idea real? You can contribute to Adam’s Indiegogo campaign to raise $15,000 for the initial costs of surveys, design, and permitting.