Side Project Inc. 2013 Year in Review
West Palm Beach, FL, September 12, 2013 --(PR.com)-- August 16, 2013 marked the one-year anniversary of the founding of Side Project Inc. by its President Jeff Fromknecht. Side Project is a nonprofit corporation (tax-exempt status pending) with offices in West Palm Beach, FL and Pittsburgh, PA. Its goal is to support community oriented organizations, large and small, through legal and professional support services. Side Project is able to increase the social impact of its clients by allowing them to focus more time and energy on serving their communities, and less of their energy on time-consuming administrative “side projects.” Side Project has provided over 2000 hours of legal and administrative services to 15 socially minded organizations in Western Pennsylvania and South Florida.
Fromknecht, who received his M.S.W. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work in 2007 and his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 2012, is a social worker turned lawyer with over a decade of experience working at health and human services nonprofits. He credits a combination of his professional experiences as a social worker and his legal training, coupled with a passion for building community as the launching point for Side Project Inc. “Small nonprofits and grassroots efforts are the lifeblood of true community change,” says Fromknecht, “We created Side Project to work with and support these folks. As a catalyst and incubator for these projects, we help spur community level change.”
Fromknecht is far from alone in his efforts to better his community. Side Project is staffed by a dedicated team of over a dozen volunteers with a diverse set of professional skills ranging from law to accounting to information technology. These volunteers make up the Side Project Action & Advisory Committee, which logged a total of more than 500 volunteer hours in the past year. Andrew Miskowiec, a close friend of Fromknecht, was the first member of this committee. “Volunteering with Side Project is really a labor of love,” explained Miskowiec, “I am able to use my skills to help out and support my local nonprofit community.”
Side Project’s clients are as diverse as its staff, ranging from health and human services nonprofits to women’s advocacy groups to veteran’s support groups, but the common thread is that all of these organizations are dedicated to serving their individual constituencies in an effort to improve the overall quality of our community. Some of these clients include the Rukmini Foundation and the Arts for Autism Foundation of Pittsburgh, two educational foundations that Side Project helped to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS. Additionally, Side Project has provided evaluation support for Community Living and Support Services (CLASS) of Pittsburgh and the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Other clients include Tigerlili Resources and Perks & Moore, both of Palm Beach County, FL, which provide services and support to single women and caretakers, respectively, The Washington County (PA) Sports & Recreation Foundation, and One9Five.org, a Pittsburgh based veteran’s support nonprofit.
This year, Fromknecht co-founded the Interdependence Network with leaders from five health and human service organizations from the United States and Canada, including Dr. Al Condelucci, CEO of CLASS. The Interdependence Network is dedicated to promoting, encouraging and measuring community engagement for people with disabilities. It is organized and managed by Side Project, and is partially funded by a $37,000 grant by the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation, which was secured by Fromknecht. This money is currently being used to provide continuing education and training for health and human service professionals across the country.
Side Project’s clients have had nothing but good things to say about their working relationships with Fromknecht and the rest of the Side Project Action & Advisory Committee. About her experience in working with Side Project to incorporate her nonprofit, Arts for Autism Foundation, Executive Director Carolyn Hare says, “In addition to softening the edges of a daunting process, the folks at Side Project have remained genuinely interested in the success of our program. Because of this dedication, they continue to help us network with relevant groups, review our grant applications, and simply take the time to listen and problem solve as questions arise. Jeff and his colleagues have gone above and beyond in establishing a solid footing from which we are flourishing.”
While he describes Side Project’s inaugural year as “eye-opening, humbling, rewarding, and, ultimately, successful,” Fromknecht acknowledges that progress should be measured not by how far one has come, but by how far is yet to go. Side Project has begun to build the framework upon which bigger and better programs and projects can be supported. The Action & Advisory Committee continues to seek out new clients and new charitable and service oriented opportunities, and Side Project welcomes private donors who may be interested in working with a responsible, socially-minded nonprofit to effect change and expand a sense of community.
For more information please visit www.sideprojectinc.org or email Jeff at jeff@sideprojectinc.org
Fromknecht, who received his M.S.W. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work in 2007 and his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law in 2012, is a social worker turned lawyer with over a decade of experience working at health and human services nonprofits. He credits a combination of his professional experiences as a social worker and his legal training, coupled with a passion for building community as the launching point for Side Project Inc. “Small nonprofits and grassroots efforts are the lifeblood of true community change,” says Fromknecht, “We created Side Project to work with and support these folks. As a catalyst and incubator for these projects, we help spur community level change.”
Fromknecht is far from alone in his efforts to better his community. Side Project is staffed by a dedicated team of over a dozen volunteers with a diverse set of professional skills ranging from law to accounting to information technology. These volunteers make up the Side Project Action & Advisory Committee, which logged a total of more than 500 volunteer hours in the past year. Andrew Miskowiec, a close friend of Fromknecht, was the first member of this committee. “Volunteering with Side Project is really a labor of love,” explained Miskowiec, “I am able to use my skills to help out and support my local nonprofit community.”
Side Project’s clients are as diverse as its staff, ranging from health and human services nonprofits to women’s advocacy groups to veteran’s support groups, but the common thread is that all of these organizations are dedicated to serving their individual constituencies in an effort to improve the overall quality of our community. Some of these clients include the Rukmini Foundation and the Arts for Autism Foundation of Pittsburgh, two educational foundations that Side Project helped to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS. Additionally, Side Project has provided evaluation support for Community Living and Support Services (CLASS) of Pittsburgh and the George Snow Scholarship Fund. Other clients include Tigerlili Resources and Perks & Moore, both of Palm Beach County, FL, which provide services and support to single women and caretakers, respectively, The Washington County (PA) Sports & Recreation Foundation, and One9Five.org, a Pittsburgh based veteran’s support nonprofit.
This year, Fromknecht co-founded the Interdependence Network with leaders from five health and human service organizations from the United States and Canada, including Dr. Al Condelucci, CEO of CLASS. The Interdependence Network is dedicated to promoting, encouraging and measuring community engagement for people with disabilities. It is organized and managed by Side Project, and is partially funded by a $37,000 grant by the Milbank Foundation for Rehabilitation, which was secured by Fromknecht. This money is currently being used to provide continuing education and training for health and human service professionals across the country.
Side Project’s clients have had nothing but good things to say about their working relationships with Fromknecht and the rest of the Side Project Action & Advisory Committee. About her experience in working with Side Project to incorporate her nonprofit, Arts for Autism Foundation, Executive Director Carolyn Hare says, “In addition to softening the edges of a daunting process, the folks at Side Project have remained genuinely interested in the success of our program. Because of this dedication, they continue to help us network with relevant groups, review our grant applications, and simply take the time to listen and problem solve as questions arise. Jeff and his colleagues have gone above and beyond in establishing a solid footing from which we are flourishing.”
While he describes Side Project’s inaugural year as “eye-opening, humbling, rewarding, and, ultimately, successful,” Fromknecht acknowledges that progress should be measured not by how far one has come, but by how far is yet to go. Side Project has begun to build the framework upon which bigger and better programs and projects can be supported. The Action & Advisory Committee continues to seek out new clients and new charitable and service oriented opportunities, and Side Project welcomes private donors who may be interested in working with a responsible, socially-minded nonprofit to effect change and expand a sense of community.
For more information please visit www.sideprojectinc.org or email Jeff at jeff@sideprojectinc.org
Contact
Side Project Inc.
Jeffrey D. Fromknecht
561 755 7433
sideprojectinc.org
Jeffrey D. Fromknecht
561 755 7433
sideprojectinc.org
Contact
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