CREATING LANDSCAPES

Teacher Allies is a community of educators dedicated to supporting and uplifting fellow teachers through collaboration, conversation, and professional development. We organize events that provide practical strategies, foster connections, and create spaces for teachers to share, grow, and thrive together.

Program Coordinator: Miles O'Shea

The primary goal of Walkable Meadville is to encourage safe and available pathways within and through the community. Pathways that connect our gardens and parks are intended to be accessible, interesting, educational and fun. These pathways, marked by garden stones Meadville children created, provide opportunities for learning to notice more and for physical exercise. In addition, Walkable Meadville launched our community’s annual spring Walk-A-Thons.

Program Coordinators: Tamara Clark and Jan Hyatt

Grow Meadville promotes growing food and brings together Meadville community members of all ages. Along the Walkable Meadville pathways, a variety of garden venues emerged. Two of many are described below.

City Gardens promote accessibility to fresh vegetables through developing small food plots throughout the city. A cooperative team administers the planning, planting and maintenance of each individual plot. Garden bounty is free for all to enjoy

Program Coordinator: Barb Newcamp

The Children’s Garden provides a safe place and an opportunity for children to notice the natural world. On Saturday mornings students create garden art and engage in garden care through weeding, watering, planting, and harvesting. They become environmental stewards by preparing pollinator friendly habitats in their garden and along the walking path to the library. Additionally, they practice conserving natural resources. They also play!

In spring ’24, the children joined members of the Creating Landscapes Walk-a-thon team to explore the Ernst Trails. Along with 17 other walking teams, they walked 19,060 miles to earn $20,000 for the Summer Parks Playground Program.

Program Coordinator: Jan Hyatt

At the 2024 Summer Parks Program at Shadybrook Park, eight junior counselors ranging from 8th-12th grade along with four Allegheny Students and three program coordinators enjoy guiding children in this year’s program where free play energizes daily activities. These include finding crawfish in the creek, rolling down the big hill, drawing, painting, drumming, climbing, and inventing.

What a joy and privilege to witness 50 children, running, and laughing as they interact with one another and the natural environment free from the over-scheduled and increasingly digital world.

Children sign up for organized activities such as exploring nature with our guides from French Creek Conservancy and Penn State Extension, walking to the library, tending our garden at the Meadville Area Recreational Complex (MARC), or creating art with Mr. Marley. In this joyful environment, children easily make friends and try new things. To complete each day, children gather to write, draw, and reflect in their journals.

Program Coordinators: Roseann Sommers and Mark McGinty

Crawford County Food Alliance (CCFA): Two members of the Food4Thought board serve on the core group of the CCFA. The CCFA was established to determine the nature and extent of food insecurity in Crawford County and to identify organizations, agencies and other groups that address food insecurity in the county. 

In 2023-2024 the CCFA hosted two roundtables to which organizations addressing food insecurity were invited. We shared the CCFA website with those in attendance to get their input, distributed posters, building signs, business cards and window clings with links to information on sources of food (e.g. food boxes and meals), and solicited suggestions for addressing challenges faced by these organizations in connecting with people who need food.

The CCFA core group includes representatives from Active Aging, Allegheny College, Food4Thought, Master Gardeners, Penn State Extension and Meadville YMCA.

Program Coordinators: Ann Areson and Kinorea Tigri

At Families Grow/Reading Allies our vision is a community where all have the ability to read. Families GROW/Reading Allies is a literacy initiative led by a group of community members trained on how to help our community overcome the struggles of not being able to read. Our mission is clear: we need to increase literacy among adults, children and families as a community.

Families Grow/Reading Allies had a successful first year. We approached Dr. Ann Noonen, Director of Elementary Curriculum and Title I Programs, at Crawford Central School District, to explore the possibility of helping 7 students who were struggling with reading. Dr.Noonen informed the Allies that there was a need in first grade at all the elementary schools in the district. Recently, Dr. Noonen told us Crawford Central teachers were looking forward to our working with students for the 2024-25 school year. Since 2023 we have provided services to more than 50 members of our community. Reading levels are increasing, and the data have proven that this program works for both children and adults.

Program Coordinators: Jackie Robison and Wally Mason

GOOD TO GO 5-2-1-0: F4T will begin its third year of promoting healthy choices designed to improve families and children’s health. Titusville Middle School Principal, Miles O’Shea will begin a pilot program in the Middle School this fall 2024. Along with 5-or more fruits and vegetables, 2-hours or less of recreational screen time, 1-hour or more of physical activity, and 0-sugary drinks, more water. Miles plans to add 8-hours of sleep each night as a goal for healthy living.

Program Coordinator: Wally Mason

Adult Learning Force formed as an aspect of the Creating Landscapes Enrichment Program at Allegheny College. During the COVID college shut down the adult learners were welcomed under the F4T fiscal umbrella. Through guided inquiry, they continue to maintain and enjoy their connection to liberal arts learning.

Program Coordinators: Jan Hyatt and Donna Baker