Summer 16 in Pittsburgh

I feel it. Sunshine, smiles, unscheduled time......SUMMER must be here. We are soaking it up! I am so happy for a break from regular alarm clocks (if you don't count my kids, of course!), school schedules and cold days cooped up inside. We are ready to enjoy Pittsburgh summer to the max!!

We have SO MANY amazing opportunities for summer fun in Pittsburgh. The hard decision is which activities do we choose? This summer, I've partnered with the Summer 16 Campaign which is providing a website dedicated to helping your kids stay active and find learning activities, events and even youth employment opportunities.

My kids are ready to help me choose some summer fun from pghsummer16.com!

Our Summer 16 team includes Mayor William Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, United Way's Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time and other organizations to promote Summer 16 Dream! Explore! Do!

Summer 16 Dream! Explore! Do! provides thousands of local children, grades K-12, with fun, learning activities. The goal of Summer 16 is to engage at least 16,000 youth throughout the city and county in meaningful summer learning opportunities. The Summer 16 website includes a checklist for parents, an activities calendar and a centralized repository of summer programs to ensure that all children have a safe, healthy and productive summer. The website also enables parents and youth of all ages to request information on no cost and fee-based activities in the region this summer.

One of our family's favorite free summer activities is being involved in the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Summer Reading Contest. I'm always amazed at the amount of free books (and even free Pirates tickets) my kids have been able to earn through reading. Join us in helping CLP reach their goal to have 90,000 books logged by Pittsburgh readers this summer!

Some other resources that might be helpful to your family, depending on the ages of your kids, include:
• Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board (3RWIB), the City of Pittsburgh, and Allegheny County Learn and Earn Initiative: http://www.trwib.org/learnandearn/
• Citiparks programming: http://pittsburghpa.gov/citiparks/
• Youth Express: http://youthexpress.org/

What are your favorite activities planned for this summer?

Let us know how you’re spending the summer by participating in the Summer 16 Selfie Promotion! Snap a selfie and share it on social media (#PghSummer16).

If you're on Twitter, come join us on Friday, June 17, 12:30-1:30pm, for the #PghSummer16 Twitter Party. You'll find out more about events and activities for your family that happening this summer.

HAPPY SUMMER!

I’ve teamed up with Summer 16 to help ensure all Allegheny County children have a safe, healthy and productive summer. Although I am receiving some form of compensation, all opinions remain my own. #PghSummer16

The Summer 16 campaign is generously supported by PNC.