Alcoa Foundation Sponsors Non-Profit Summit for Region's Leaders

Alcoa Foundation today announced that it will sponsor the 2005 Non-Profit Summit, Non-Profits as Agents of Change: Leading Our Region's Next Renaissance, on April 26 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

Some key highlights include:

-- PBS Senior Correspondent Ray Suarez of The NewsHour will provide a national perspective on change as he moderates, "The Challenge of Change, The Courage to Lead" at 12:45 p.m. A panel of Pittsburgh philanthropic leaders will examine the role that non-profit organizations, foundations and corporate giving offices play in transforming the region and increasing the quality of life in Western Pennsylvania. Suarez authored the book, "The Old Neighborhood: What We Lost in the Great Suburban Migration."

-- James Towey, White House assistant to the President and director of faith-based and community initiatives, will be available for a meet and greet with participants following the summit from 5 to 6 p.m. Towey founded Aging with Dignity, a national non-profit organization that helps establish living wills. He also served as legal counsel for Mother Teresa of Calcutta and lived as full-time volunteer in her home for people with AIDS in Washington, D.C.

"The goal of the conference is to encourage non-profit leaders in our region to think and dream big," said Kathleen W. Buechel, president and treasurer of Alcoa Foundation, which invested more than $1.5 million in the Pittsburgh region in 2004. "The non-profit sector holds the keys to drive change that can revitalize and transform our region. This summit will provide that road map for that change by strengthening their leadership skills and teaching them how to develop a change strategy."

The summit is being hosted by Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania and its partners. More than 25 foundations, corporation and companies, and non-profit organizations have contributed resources for the event.

A full schedule for the summit can be accessed online at www.pittsburghnonprofitsummit.org, where registrations are also accepted. The cost is $75 per person and $65 for each additional person from the same organization. The conference will begin in the ballroom reception area on the third floor of the Convention Center. Registration for the day-long summit begins at 8 a.m.

About Alcoa Foundation

Established in 1952, Alcoa Foundation is a global resource that actively invests in improving the quality of life in the countries around the world where Alcoa operates. The Foundation's grants address global and local needs in Areas of Excellence that include: Conservation and Sustainability, Global Education and Workplace Skills, Business and Community Partnerships and Safe and Healthy Children and Families. Alcoa Foundation manages Alcoa's ACTION and Bravo! programs which recognize the volunteer efforts of employees with grants to the organizations they serve. For more information about Alcoa Foundation, visit www.alcoa.com, under Community.

About Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania

Grantmakers of Western Pennsylvania (GWP) is a professional membership association formed in 1985 by leaders who wanted to create an organized mechanism for grantmakers to learn and work together. It is a 501 (c) (3) organization serving 26 counties in Western Pennsylvania. Today there are 81 member organizations from Elk County in the north to Fayette County in the south. Our members have found that through learning and working together, they can produce greater outcomes and benefits to the communities they serve. For more information, visit www.gwpa.org.