[ Back to eNewsletters ] June-July 2010 Statewide summit set for Friday The Building One Pennsylvania Conference is tomorrow, and YorkCounts has been proud to work on the first statewide summit on regional opportunity. The event, an ambitious effort to reframe the public policy debate in Harrisburg, marks the first time groups from around the state have organized to advocate on shared issues such as investing in older communities, supporting struggling schools, fixing abandoned downtowns and promoting regional collaboration. YorkCounts has been working on these things at the county level for the past decade, but as YorkCounts Director James DeBord said, “We’ve come to realize that there are some problems that have to be addressed at the state level. That’s why we’re part of Building One PA.” James will tell the YorkCounts story to set up the day’s discussion. Myron Orfield, an expert on land-use policy and municipal governance, and G. Terry Madonna, director of Franklin & Marshall College’s Center for Opinion Research, are two of the confirmed speakers. Also, the chairmen of the State House and Senate policy committees – one Democrat and one Republican – will participate in a panel discussion. More than 600 people registered for the summit, which will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 16 at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster. We partnered with 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Good Schools Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Council of Churches and the Southeastern Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project to plan the event. Stakeholder meeting planned for child abuse We had more than 250 people come to the York Jewish Community Center June 10 for a town hall meeting to explore the challenges we face in confronting child abuse and to explore possible solutions. YorkCounts emphasized going in that we didn't want the discussion to end at the meeting; we asked for a commitment from the stakeholder group to meet again to flesh out plans for next steps and goals. That's happening. YorkCounts worked with Bev Mackereth, director of York County Human Services Department, to bring the stakeholders back together for a meeting July 23. The purpose of that meeting will be to identify one or two next steps that can be undertaken right now and to discuss who else should be at the table for any kind of broad community conversation about child abuse. The group will also explore which organization might be best suited to serve as the clearly identified "face" of child abuse prevention and education for the county. And finally, and maybe most importantly, folks will also be asked to participate in a planning retreat that will be used to develop a structured, coordinated plan for reducing child abuse in York County. We'll help them in whatever ways we can. And we wish them luck. There's a lot of important work happening in York County, but I'm not sure anything could be more important than protecting our most vulnerable citizens. Save the date: Sept. 21, Truancy Summit Last year, YorkCounts helped the United Way of York County present “The Stay in School Report to the Community,” a study that examined the causes of and solutions for York County’s dropout problems. That report led to the hiring earlier this year of the county’s first truancy coordinator, Leigh Dalton. One of Leigh’s first tasks: to organize the county’s first truancy summit. That’s happening 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the York County School of Technology. The summit will bring the folks involved in the York County Truancy Task Force in front of the community to hear feedback, brainstorm solutions, examine best practices and consider next steps. YorkCounts revamps social networks presence We’ve been dabbling on Twitter and Facebook over the past year, but we’ve taken what we think are some big steps forward recently in using them to communicate YorkCounts’ message and engage online audiences. Thanks to Kim Walsh-Phillips of Inside Out Creative for her guidance and counsel, and to Stacey Burroughs, a YorkCounts volunteer and passionate community supporter, who lends who lends her social networking savvy to our cause. Community Events Sept. 16: Downtown First Awards, York 4-9 p.m. Sept. 16, Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, York The annual awards celebrate the people and businesses that put Downtown York first through their commitments of volunteer service, financial support and advocacy efforts. Nominations will be accepted until July 23. Download a nomination form here. For details, call Downtown Inc. at 849-2331 or send e-mail to info@downtownyorkpa.com. Sept. 16: “Driving Growth After the Recession” 8-11:30 a.m. Sept. 16, Holiday Inn Harrisburg, New Cumberland Dr. Ned Hill, one of the nation’s thought leaders on manufacturing and chairman of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership’s National Advisory Board, will deliver the keynote. Event presented by MANTEC and the York County Chamber of Commerce. Cost, $50. To register, click here. Sept. 21: York County Truancy Summit 4-7 p.m. Sept. 21, York County School of Technology, York Members of the York County Truancy Task Force, led by the county’s new truancy coordinator Leigh Dalton, are planning a summit on truancy. The group will gather feedback, brainstorm solutions, examine best practices and identify possible next steps. Additional information will be available soon. Oct. 5: Hanover Diversity Summit 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 W. Chestnut St., Hanover A day of speakers and workshops for educators, business owners, medical professionals and the general public will cover topics ranging from the basics of immigration and gangs to managing diversity in the workplace. Speakers include Norman Bristol Colon, executive director of the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs. Cost: Basic registration is $40. For details, read the informational flyer. In the News The work of YorkCounts and its partner organizations involved in the Building One Pennsylvania Conference received attention in articles around the region. For all YorkCounts news coverage, click here.

YorkCounts - 105 Leader Heights Road, Suite 2 - York, PA 17403 - 717/650-1450 - yorkcounts@gmail.com YorkCounts is a community-based coalition working to assess, sustain and enhance York County's quality of life. Partners include Better York, The United Way of York County, WellSpan Health, York College of Pennsylvania, the York County Chamber of Commerce, the York County Commissioners, The York County Community Foundation and the York County Economic Development Corp. For the Media - Site Tools - Terms of Service/Privacy