First and Ten is all about making communities better and uniting fans who love to #give10. The Browns First and Ten movement has been inspiring people around the world to give back and help their communities in unique ways. This week we are highlighting the PNC Fairfax Connection. Located in the Fairfax neighborhood, the mission of the center is aligned with the Browns First and Ten initiative.
PNC Fairfax Connection, located in the Fairfax community, exudes the message of First and Ten. Collette Laisure, the executive director of the PNC Fairfax Connection, is excited about the Browns being on-site next Tuesday.
"The Browns First and Ten initiative aligns well with our work to engage the community and promote service to others, and we find our members respond well to the opportunity to give back to their friends and neighbors."
PNC Fairfax Connection has contributed to the community in tremendous ways, because of its unique offerings, more than 3,500members to date and counting. This was an opportunity that the company saw to #give10 and implement new beginnings in a neighborhood bursting with potential. Because of that initial belief, the facility has become a center for those in the community seeking educational, employment and cultural resources. The rich history and heritage of the community provided a basis in which the project could truly grow and thrive.
The Browns First and Ten movement is all about helping communities. PNC Fairfax Connection continues to engage the people in its community daily. As a free community resource center, PNC Fairfax Connection has leveraged its partnerships with the nearby education, healthcare and cultural institutions. Laisure says that their goal is to connect people in the Fairfax community in new and unique ways, in hopes that people will continue the relationships that begins at the center.
"The center is meant to serve as an intersection of technology and people, offering training and workshops to connect people to learning resources, jobs and educational opportunities," Laisure said.
Programs offered at the center were developed based on resident needs, business owners input and community leaders' support. PNC Fairfax Connection sets itself apart from other local community centers is this way.
"PNC built the center from the inside-out with the input of the community, taking into consideration its needs, from the first idea on the drawing board to the day the doors opened," Laisure said.
PNC Fairfax Connection allows the community to access resources that aren't available elsewhere in the neighborhood and see it in a new way.
"We work hard to ensure our programming is additive and doesn't duplicate what other local organizations are offering," Laisure said. "There is so much news today about technology isolating people, but we're use the state-of-the art technology at the center to empower and connect neighbors in new ways."
Every day PNC Fairfax Connection and its members #give10 and are making themselves and their communities better.
"We hear stories from people who have turned an experience or program at the center into a personal success! We encourage people to come experience a success of their own," Laisure said.
People of all ages are being inspired at the center and making lifelong changes for the better. PNC Fairfax Connection has prepared preschoolers for kindergarten, introduced seniors to the web, collaborated with small business owners, assisted job hunters, taught teenagers how to produce their own videos and brought families together through cooking classes and game nights.
"I have the privilege of witnessing the incredible first impressions this center makes on people," Laisure says. "It's exciting to see people's eyes light up when they experience PNC Fairfax Connection. We enjoy the partnership with the Cleveland Browns and having the Browns on-site in the community is always exciting for our members."
The Browns will be on-site at the PNC Fairfax Connection, 8220 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.
The Browns are also inviting all of their fans to come visit to enjoy the center, pledge to #give10, win prizes, and enjoy the space and all of the activities being offered. Cleveland Browns alumnus, Greg Pruitt, will be on-site as well as #77 Browns Offensive Lineman, John Greco.
If you have not signed up for First and Ten and would like to, please visit our**website**. You can also share with @BrownsGiveBack your story of how you make a difference on Twitter and Instagram using #give10.
