A Reason to Smile
Every year, Summerset at Frick Park resident and Pittsburgh Allderdice jewelry teacher, Julie Farber likes to have her students give back by selling their jewelry to “help the community and to teach my kids about being good citizens.”
Mrs. Farber explains, that “usually we have the jewelry and auction it off and the money goes towards a certain charity.” But because a former student had recently lost her mother to cancer, she decided to do something a little different. She decided that this year, she would like to give women experiencing cancer a reason to smile.
She reached out to Lisa Lurie, who along with her good friend Ellen Kantor, founded Cancer be Glammed. Cancer be Glammed is a website designed to help women going through treatment for cancer. The site offers support and suggestions, including product suggestions, that help make going through cancer easier and women feel better about themselves in the process. Mrs. Lurie said that she and Julie “talked about the cancer experience, trying to recover from cancer and cope with the effect of cancer” which can be “really demoralizing to women.” With Lisa Lurie on board and happy to assist, they found women through Gilda’s Club and the Cancer Caring Center who the students could try to bring a smile to by creating a one of a kind piece of jewelry just for them.
Farber arranged for her students to work with each participating woman to learn a little about her, her personal tastes and what kind of jewelry she liked to wear. Each piece was designed expressly for the woman receiving it. For months, the students in the jewelry class worked on the pieces. When the students finished the pieces, Mrs. Farber arranged a get-together at the Summerset at Frick Park Community Center for the women and the students so they could personally present the pieces to each recipient.
On Saturday, May 5th, the women, the students and their families gathered for the presentation of the pieces. Nearly one hundred people were on hand for this event. The women, many of whom are currently in treatment for breast cancer, were visibly touched by the effort and caring the students put into the creation of each personalized piece. While the actual presentation of the custom jewelry was over in a short time, the students, participants and families stayed and spent time getting to know each other
Julie Farber said that the program proved to be a great success and she would like to have it every year. One student said he “felt honored” to be involved in this program and to make a custom gift for someone. Lisa Lurie explains “to have somebody, like Julie and her students take the time to do something so personal and so special is so moving and uplifting. That is amazing!”
If your interested in helping with projects like this, please contact Mrs. Farber at Pittsburgh Allderdice, 412-422-4800. For more information on Cancer Be Glammed, please visit the website.
Save the Date!
Join Nine Mile Run Watershed Association for a Friends of the Waterfront cookout!
Sunday, September 15th, 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Community Center at Summerset
1425 Parkview Blvd.
Tickets: $25 each, $5 one child $10 two or more children
For more information and tickets:
http://www.ninemilerun.org/upcoming-nmrwa-events/
or call Judi at NMRWA, 412-371-8779, ext. 119.
House Calls with Melissa
Sales manager Melissa Reich has recently earned the Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation. As an SRES, Melissa is specially trained to help meet the needs of buyers over 50 years old.
Along with training in assisting with financial considerations for those nearing or in retirement, she also received training to help mature home buyers identify special considerations so they find a home that will meet both their current and future needs.
Melissa works with home buyers of all ages and life stages at Summerset at Frick Park. Through her years of experience, she is able to offer advice for buyers over 50 and to make suggestions for young, growing families.
To arrange for a consultation to discuss your next home, call Melissa at 412-420-0120 or email, reich@rubinoffcompany.com
Yoga for Mind and Body
Start the day off right with a yoga class. Monica Calero, a Summerset at Frick Park resident, is offering a residents-only yoga classes to her neighbors in the Community Center.
This free program (donations are appreciated, to offset music and other costs), is designed to introduce neighbors to a wonderful way to reduce stress and promote well-being. Class are designed to accommodate all abilities and no prior experience necessary. She can work with all abilities in this class, from someone who has practiced for years, to someone who’s trying yoga for the first time. Accommodations can be made for those issues with back, knees, etc. She often offers a modified version of a pose to account for varied abilities.
Ms. Calero has been practicing yoga for about seven years and recently began a yoga teacher training program in January. “Yoga has always been my therapy,” Monica explains. “It’s much more than an exercise for me,” she adds.
In addition to the physical and mental benefits of yoga offers, she also stresses that this is a great way to meet other neighbors and develop a greater sense of community in this wonderful neighborhood. ”One of the things that inspired me about doing yoga here is that it is such a beautiful space, indoors and outdoors, and now that the weather is getting nicer, we may meet outside by the Crescent Pavilion or by the pool.” She’s hoping that the outdoor classes tempt even more residents to give yoga a try. Classes are an hour long and varied music keeps things fresh and moving along. “Come and try it; It’s a wonderful way to explore a form of exercise,” encourages Ms. Calero. For further information or to receive her class schedule, you can get in touch with her through the Summerset at Frick Park facebook page or the Summerset at Frick park office and get on her email list.
The First Rain Barrel
StormWorks, the rain water management extension of Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, installed the neighborhood’s first rain barrel this May. Luke Stamper, sales manager for StormWorks, invited Summerset Living to come along on the installation.
Prior to installation, StormWorks met with the homeowners for a consultation to access their needs and determine the placement of the rain barrels. They also received approval from the neighborhood review board to ensure that the new rain barrels met neighborhood guidelines. Mr. Stamper is happy to see the neighborhood getting its first rain barrel. He notes, “It’s really nice to have folks that live so close to the the stream doing what they can to help make an impact and help keep the stream ecosystem healthy and thriving.
Collecting rainwater helps manage rainwater in the watershed by reducing the runoff to storm drains and streams when it rains. It’s an easy way to do your part. The rainwater collected can be used to water gardens. Since outdoor watering can account for 30% more water used in the summer months, using a rain barrel saves money and limits wasting water.
Rain barrels are clearly beneficial to the environment and save homeowners money on their water bill, but they are not particularly attractive. Mr. Stamper suggests that rain barrels can be strategically placed where they are hidden by landscaping or trellises with flowering vines in front of them so that they they blend into their surroundings and are less noticeable.
Those interested in using rain barrels can contact StormWorks. For a $75 consultation fee (refundable with purchase of a rain barrel), they will meet with residents to determine capacity requirements based on the area of the roof and the downspout locations. They will make recommendations based on the homeowner’s needs and the neighborhood guidelines. Currently, the Review Board has approved a 65 gallon container for rain barrels as long as the overflow is tied back into the current water drainage system. Mr. Stamper hopes that “this rain barrel will be the first of many at Summerset at Frick Park.” For an installation fee, StormWorks will place and install rain barrels which includes tying it into the downspout to complying with neighborhood guidelines.
For more information on rain barrels, visit the Stormworks website.
Neighbor Profile
What brings people to Summerset at Frick Park? While we were visiting Julie Farber,we also asked her about how she discovered Summerset at Frick Park.
As it turns out, Julie’s mother, Zelda Curtiss, was an attorney for the DEP who worked on the Summerset at Frick Park project in the initial stages. She is also a board member of Nine Mile Run Watershed Association (NMRWA). NMWRA works to protect the watershed, which runs through neighboring Frick Park.
“Ten or eleven years ago, my mother was working on a project with the DEP. She was an attorney and she made sure that the ground was safe to build homes on at Summerset at Frick Park. At that time I was looking for a house. We had one of the first homes. We weren’t in the initial lottery but I picked one of the townhomes right on Frick Lane, which I absolutely adore. I walk by it nearly everyday. Then I got married and had three kids, so I built a bigger home down the street that I love even more. It’s amazing. It’s so easy to live here with kids. I love it!”
Independence Day Celebration
The Fourth of July celebration is one of Summerset at Frick Park’s most anticipated neighborhood events. This year’s event featured a bounce house, obstacle course, dunk tank and wrecking ball!
Neighbors enjoyed The Icee truck and were entertained by the popular Balloon and Tattoo lady. Neighbors brought desserts and side dishes and enjoyed the grill foods and drinks provided. Ed Lettieri and his family, helped create this celebration, along with three other families about four years ago. He moved back to Pittsburgh from Chicago in 2004 and they settled on Summerset at Frick Park because they liked the location and that the homes had old home appeal but not old home maintenance. Another reason they chose to live here, Ed notes, is that “the neighborhood is full of kids, and is great for riding bikes, playing ball and relaxing at the pool.”
