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'Party' to Make Johnstown a Vibrant Community

“Lift Johnstown” is throwing a community-wide party Thursday -- a “Project Party.”

The goal of the “party” is to connect Johnstown residents with a local non-profit to help improve the community.

“Lift Johnstown is a collaborative effort to reinvent our community as a vibrant, small city,” Brad Clemenson, coordinator, said. “And one of the many ways we do that is we try to engage people in coming out, making a difference, getting involved, getting their hands dirty, working with people, whatever they like to do, you can help, you can make a difference.”

According to Clemenson, each non-profit will have a table and information about what they do and in what ways they need help.

He said more than 65 non-profit organizations are participating this year, and they need volunteers with a whole range of skills.

“Whether it’s working with youth, mentoring youth, working with elderly folks, hospice, pounding nails, gardening,” Clemenson said. “And anything that you like to do, clerical work, there will be organizations that could use your skills and use your help.”

He noted that the event will not be used as a way to solicit funds or seek volunteers to assist with fundraising.

Clemenson said since they began throwing the “parties” three years ago, they have been able to make a difference with projects like the construction of the community gardens and the trail to connect the Path of the Flood “missing link.”

Clemenson said they were trying to reinvigorate Johnstown and the best way to do that is to get people involved in the renovations.

“If people put some of their time and effort into doing something for the community, they buy into it, they get excited about, they recognize that they can help make a difference and they’ll invest a lot more of their time and their talents into what we’re trying to do,” Clemenson said.

The Project Party will be held at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center between 12 to 7 p.m.

Jess is from Elizabeth Borough, PA and is a junior at Duquesne University with a double major in journalism and public relations. She was named as a fellow in the WESA newsroom in May 2013.