But now, citizens, there’s hope. A vigilante. A creped crusader. Not the crepes this city deserves, but the crepes this city needs right now.

Mike Good at the Union Project

Meet Mike Good, “a pretty simple guy, in name, body, and spirit – by nature entrepreneurial and socially conscious.” With his new $1,000 Awesome Pittsburgh award, he’s turning into the Creped Crusader complete with a custom push cart and extra equipment. His new Creped Crusade will make crepes more easily available, partly through partnering with local coffee shops.

Mike said, “There is still a void of crepes in the Golden Triangle. This is the greatest city in the United States and it must offer easy access to crepes.” He promised, “If there ever was, there is no longer any shred of doubt – whether you crepe at noon, or crepe at night, any crepe is indeed a great crepe when you crepe with Mike.”

The Creped Crusader and his sidekick Batterboy made their public debut (in street clothes) at the Union Project’s Flat Floor Fiesta on May 17 and will next save our city at Artists Image Resource’s June 1 fundraiser. Watch the Crusader’s website and Facebook page for future dates!

“Sharing is a more sustainable way to enjoy fashion,” said Sara Longo, co-founder of Share Closet. “We are thankful to the Awesome Foundation for supporting our startup,” she added.

In her application to Awesome Pittsburgh, Andrea wrote that friends will be “able to browse the closet to choose items they would like to borrow. Share Closet™ keeps track of who has borrowed what, and sends reminders to friends on the users’ behalf. Users set their own lending terms (e.g. whether clothes may be taken on vacation, whether clothes should be dry cleaned prior to return), to which friends must agree prior to borrowing.”

Andrea and Sara will use their $1,000 award for alpha testing of the site. They were recently featured in Pop City and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and you can follow their progress at their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Have an idea that makes the Pittsburgh area stand out in the global economy; celebrates art or technology; makes the city a better place to live, work and play; or simply surprises and delights your fellow Pittsburghers? The deadline for our easy application is the 1st of each month and we’d love to hear your idea!

Led by an idea sparked by Amanda Goss, a growing community of knitting enthusiasts plan to attempt one of the largest “yarn bombs” in the world. In recent years, yarn-bombing–a type of street art where everyday objects and fixtures in public spaces are covered with yarn–has become a popular movement that has drastically increased the popularity of what was once deemed a lost art form.

The group behind Knit the Bridge hopes to “literally and figuratively weave the region together,” by yarn-bombing one of the three sisters bridges in the summer/fall of 2013.  The installation will be made by over 400 volunteers from across the region in advance, and many segments have already been submitted.  When it is removed, sections will be distributed to local shelters and community living facilities to be reused as blankets and wall hangings.

“Knit the Bridge is a dynamic art project that brings together diverse groups from throughout our community and embraces one of Pittsburgh most distinct assets, our bridges,” said Mary Ellen Solomon, Awesome Pittsburgh Trustee. “It’s a colorful way to engage people and to celebrate the region’s thriving arts scene. Knit the Bridge is just one more cool idea that makes Pittsburgh awesome.”

Awesome Pittsburgh is excited that Knit the Bridge will be giving a demonstration at its upcoming quarterly award party on Tuesday, April 30th.  The Awesome Pittsburgh party is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Union Project at 801 N. Negley Avenue in Highland Park.  The event is free and open to the public.

For more information on the Knit the Bridge project and to volunteer to knit a section, interested parties can visit knitthebridge.wordpress.com or facebook.com/knitthebridge.  

Then come on down to Awesome Pittsburgh’s next public party:

Tuesday, April 30, 6:30-8:30pm

Union Project

801 N. Negley Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Join our trustees and friends in celebrating recent $1,000 award winners, applicants, and all the awesome projects and ideas in Pittsburgh. Our 15th award winner, 60 Seconds of Pure Freedom, will be there to tell you about their first skydive winner’s experience and how you can nominate your loved ones to be next to jump. Our 16th winner, Knit the Bridge, will be there to give a demonstration of their craft and we’ll announce our 17th winner that night!

While you’re partying, learn more about all the awesome things going on at the nonprofit Union Project, participate in a mini-awesome idea competition, and sample snacks created and donated by Kate Romane, founder and chef at local foodie fave E2, and house caterer at the Union Project.

Feel free to tell us you’re coming on our Facebook event and of course feel free to forward the invite to friends. We can’t wait to see you there!

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.

Our vision is to bring innovative juices to the area through diverse, creative media and inspire a broader conversation about access & behavioral norms in order to educate and empower traditionally underserved demographics regarding health & wellness.

The grant money will help to fund their first effort: the “I Juice” Campaign, a short video that highlights local thought leaders and changemakers to explain the importance of ‘juicing’ as well as the benefits a healthy diet can provide.  This short grassroots video will be shared throughout social media to raise awareness of the Juice Up 412 project as well as introduce general health and nutritional concepts to the community. In addition, the Juice Up crew will host a three-part film series, showing topical films in open neighborhood spaces. These Movie Nights will also feature juicing demonstrations, presentations from local food and health industry experts, and a forum for conversation and community action.

Find out more about Juice Up 412 by following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook and try some of their juice today!

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.

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.

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.

When: Thursday, January 31st from 7 – 9 pm

Where: AVA Lounge, 126 S. Highland Avenue, East Liberty (map)

Visit our Facebook page to let us know you are coming, or just show up and surprise us!

Sewing instruction has become increasingly rare for students in a lot of schools. In fact, the idea for Urban Stitches came to Ms. Reed when she discovered that the local schools no longer offered sewing classes. That’s when she decided to develop and offer a course at no cost to students. Urban Stitches will provide an opportunity for teens ages 13-18 to learn outside of the classroom in a less intimidating setting. Reed, a Pittsburgh native and former Clarissa School of Fashion Design student, plans to use Awesome Pittsburgh’s $1,000 grant  to purchase several sewing machines for the program and offer classes as part of an 8-week program.

Congrats to Urban Stitches!

Awesome Pittsburgh awards $1000 grants every month to great ideas like Tameka’s. Any idea that you believe is awesome is eligible, and submissions are due on the first of each month. Apply today!

Update 2/5/13: Tameka is launching the classes for 10 young women ages 12-18 at George Westinghouse High School in collaboration with the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh. She’s looking for donations of sewing machines, notions, patterns, fabrics, zippers, buttons, etc. If you’ve got anything to donate, please contact Tameka (sew_1 [at] msn.com) - your generosity will help introduce a new generation to sewing!