March 2023

Seneca Highlands Career & Technical Center

Last Friday, we had the pleasure of hosting the McKean County Leadership meeting at our Career and Technology Center! A stellar group of community leaders joined us to learn more about our programs and students’ experiences.

We’re proud of our students who participated in the CTC panel discussion: Bennett Harris (Welding), Brooklynn Burt (Early Childhood Education), Kyle Worthington (Engineering), Owen Peterson (Networking), Brady Danielson (Automotive), Ian Fox (Homeland Security), Seth Benson (Culinary), and Faith Miller (Health Assisting). They had some wonderful things to say about our dedicated school team, who have been instrumental in guiding them along their career paths.

During the panel, our students discussed the unique challenges they faced in choosing a program without being able to tour the CTC in person due to the pandemic. Thanks to Mr. Young’s informative video tour and our school counselor’s unwavering support, they were able to make informed decisions about their futures.

We learned that sometimes, the CTC experience helps students discover not only what they want to do but also what they don’t want to do, saving them time and money in the long run.

In more exciting news, we believe each of these outstanding students will be inducted into the National Technical Honor Society! The ceremony is scheduled for April 27th, with details to follow. Keep an eye out for invites in April!

We also want to highlight the incredible successes our students have experienced in finding their career paths, building strong connections with their peers, and acquiring valuable job-ready skills!

Our CTC programs not only equip students with the practical knowledge and hands-on experience necessary for their chosen fields, but they also foster an environment that encourages teamwork, collaboration, and a sense of community. These experiences help our students develop essential soft skills that will serve them well in their future careers.

It’s truly inspiring to see how our students have grown and matured throughout their time at the CTC. Their career preparedness, confidence, and readiness to enter the workforce are testaments to the dedication and hard work of both the students and our phenomenal CTC staff.

We can’t wait to see where their bright futures will take them, and we’re confident that the skills and connections they’ve gained at the CTC will serve as solid foundations for their long-term success.

Join us in celebrating our students’ achievements and the fantastic work of everyone at the CTC!

The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies (CFNA) announced they have reached a new milestone of over $1.5 million in grants awarded to area non-profit organizations in one granting year. CFNA is the parent company of the McKean County Community Foundation and the Elk County Community Foundation. 

Because Elk and McKean donors continue to meet community needs with unparalleled generosity, grant awards in 2022 have helped fund $1.5 million in community improvements, educational and social programs, student scholarships for continuing education, and so much more. Those who live in, or have ever been to Elk and McKean Counties, know that it is a beautiful place to live, work, and raise a family. The Community Foundation works to keep it that way by providing donors with a simple but powerful and highly personal approach to achieving their charitable goals while enhancing the quality of life for the people of our region. Donors who establish their own funds, and those who donate towards growing Foundation granting dollars, are all a part of building a better future for everyone in our area.

During the 1990’s a group of business and civic leaders began to explore establishing a Community Foundation in the Elk County Area.  As a result, the Elk County Community Foundation incorporated in 2000, and a year later became a non-profit organization. In 2017, the McKean County Community Foundation was established. The two Foundations are both affiliates of the Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies. To date, they have distributed over $6 million in grants, and more than $2.5 million in scholarships throughout our communities.

The Community Foundation of the Northern Alleghenies, is a non-profit organization that strives to strengthen our region through development, stewardship and grant making as it works with donors to achieve their philanthropic goals. Donors interested in learning more about establishing a fund can contact the Foundation at 1-844-238-2289.

Members of the 4-H program, on a local and state level, pledge their hands to larger service. Those in the program agree to serve their community in a variety of ways while they are active. This service takes many different forms; however youth are encouraged to find enjoyable and engaging ways to interact with their community. In the past, club members and leaders have assisted their communities by planting gardens at local buildings, organizing litter clean-ups in natural areas, serving milkshakes during the county fair, and planting trees with the conservation district.

In Potter County, 4-H members of all ages are recognized at the end of the program year for the service they provide throughout their communities each year. Youth can participate in service offerings chosen by club and county leaders, or research community needs to accomplish on their own. If you or someone you know is interested in performing community service, consider joining or volunteering with a local 4-H club in the area!

Potter County Extension Office at 814-274-8540 or email sqg5901@psu.edu. Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

The District will now begin accepting applications for round 1 until April 28, 2023 for the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) for funding to implement agricultural conservation practices. These applications will be ranked on May 17, 2023.

The 2023 Application & Ranking Schedule:

¨ Round 2      July 24, 2023 deadline

                        August 9, 2023 ranked

¨ Round 3      November 15, 2023 deadline

                         December 13, 2023 ranked

To be eligible, an applicant must have a conservation plan or agricultural erosion and sediment control plan and a manure or nutrient management plan.  

The following are examples of the BMPs that may be implemented through the ACAP program:

¨ Agricultural stream accesses

¨ Heavy Use Areas with or without a roof

¨ Roofed Manure Stacking Pad

¨ Exclusionary & Streambank fencing

¨ Spring development 

¨ Streambank Stabilization Structures

The District will work with participating farmers and landowners to help design and implement soil and water conservation practices. These practices are designed to reduce or prevent nutrient and sediment losses from their farms while improving water quality and soil health across the Commonwealth. This funding will be available for all farmers within McKean County.

Pre-application site visits are required for the District to assist the potential program participants to ensure the application they submit is in the best interest of the applicant and the program. Please contact Adam Causer, Watershed Specialist at 814-887-4003 or accauser@mckeancountypa.org to schedule a pre-application visit. 

Cindy Wagner knows the value of giving, having worked in the nonprofit sector for much of her career.

Wagner recently established Wagner Family Fund at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation to give support to libraries in Cattaraugus and Allegany counties beginning in 2023.

The fund’s grant application process will open August 1 with a September 30 deadline, and awards will be made in November each year.

Wagner also knows the value of the grant process, beginning her career in grant writing when she was working with a shelter for women who were victims of domestic violence in Cortland. She would go on to a 30+-year career in nonprofit management with nonprofits up and down the East Coast, but she always continued to write grants, even when serving as director of an organization, she said.

A native of Portville, Wagner began college at 28 as a full-time working, single mother of two, and graduated from Jamestown Community College with High Honors and Cum Laude from SUNY Fredonia in just three and half years – a feat that remains one of her proudest achievements to date.

Wagner, as well as the rest of her family, were also active volunteering in the community.