During this series of three one-hour sessions, participants will learn about planning, evaluation, and budgeting for grant proposals, as well as the ins and outs of the grant review process. Designed for staff and volunteers of nonprofits interested in learning more about writing grants, session topics are:

April 1: Creating & Using Logic Models - Session one of the three-part Advanced Grant Writing Workshop will provide an overview of logic models and how to create and use a logic model in project planning.

April 8: Evaluation & Budget Planning - Session two of the three-part Advanced Grant Writing Workshop will focus on developing meaningful evaluation strategies and tools and preparing realistic and thoughtful budgets - key pieces to any grant application.

April 15: Understanding the Grant Review Process - In this final session of the Advanced Grant Writing Workshop, participants will learn about grant review processes, include peer review and assessment rubrics.

Preregister for one, two, or all three sessions of this FREE three-part series! All sessions will be held from 5p-6p at the Corry Higher Education Council. Preregistration required by visiting www.corryhied.org or by calling 814-664-9405.

Journey with Carol Fielding through the triumphs and tribulations of life on the Appalachian Trail. From the initial excitement of taking those first steps on Springer Mountain to the grueling climbs in the White Mountains, from the kindness of trail angels to the camaraderie of fellow hikers, and from moments of profound solitude to battles against the elements – she'll speak on perseverance, self-discovery, and the raw beauty of nature, plus answer your questions about the trail. This free presentation will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 5:30p-6:30p at the Corry Higher Education. Preregistration required - please visit www.corryhied.org or call 814-664-9405. 

Bring your friends, favorite drinks (BYOB - alcohol permitted) and snacks, and enjoy a fun filled evening creating your very own masterpiece during a ‘paint & sip’! Students will paint a Spring landscape to enjoy for the Spring season. Instructor Martha will be there to guide you through every step. The cost to register is $30.00 and includes all supplies. The class will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 5:30p-8p at the Corry Higher Education Council. To register, please visit www.corryhied.org or call 814-664-9405.

**Must be 21+ to attend. ID check and signed waiver required at time of check-in.

The ServSafe Food Safety program is for individuals who are serving as managers or are in a supervisory role requiring certification. Upon successful completion, participants will receive the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certificate. This training meets the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture requirements for the Food Employee Certification Act. This program will be offered on two consecutive Mondays, April 21 & 28, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., and November 6 from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; a lunch break will be provided. Participants will sit for their certification examination on Day 2, between 11 a.m. and noon. The cost is $165, which includes the study book and examination fee.  Register online with the Penn State Extension at https://extension.psu.edu/servsafe or by calling 877-345-0691.

This purpose of this workshop is to learn to confidently navigate your way through basic systems, including the desktop environment, internet searching, emailing and Microsoft Word. Presented by: PA CareerLink

The free workshop will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from 1:30p-2:30p at the Corry Higher Education Council. To register, please visit www.corryhied.org or call 814-664-9405. 

QuickBooks is the industry standard for small and medium business bookkeeping and an in-demand skill for today’s workplace.  Certified CPA Jim Embrey of Kersey & Associates, PC in Warren, PA will be your instructor for this beginner’s class. This class is for new users and will cover subjects such as how to restore and open files, change preferences, view and adjust reports, and how to back up a QB file. In addition, you will work on mastery of the following BIG 4 areas; writing checks, making deposits, performing monthly bank reconciliations and making adjusting journal entries. Lastly if time permits, you will work on customer invoices and receipts and how to set up vendor bills and payments.  This one-day course will be offered on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Corry Higher Education Council.  The cost is $95.  Register online at www.corryhied.org or call 814-664-9405.  

Learn to cultivate gourmet mushrooms at home both indoors and outdoors. This is a beginner’s class that will cover a variety of topics and techniques but will focus on cost effective methods that are easiest for first time cultivators. The class will also touch on more advanced methods and techniques, sterilization procedures, contamination, and different choices of substrate and gourmet species. Attendees will be given a prepared 'ready to fruit' oyster mushroom substrate (with instructions) to grow on their counter at home. The class will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, from 5p-6:30p at the Corry Higher Education Council. The cost to register is $30.

*Signed waiver will be required at the beginning of the class. 

Forests play an important role in our communities.  They offer habitat for wildlife, protect clean water, and provide the forest products upon which we all rely, to name just a few. How we care for those forests today will have a big impact on their overall health and resilience for the future. This presentation by the Foundation for Sustainable Forests will offer a holistic approach to managing your timber to protect and enhance forest health, resilience, habitat diversity, and other goals you may have.

The Foundation for Sustainable Forests is a Spartansburg-based charitable organization that strives to conserve woodlands as sustainably managed working forests and promote thoughtful stewardship practices for the benefit of the land.

Presenters:

• Annie Maloney, PhD, Executive Director, Foundation for Sustainable Forests. Annie joined the Foundation for Sustainable Forests team in 2016 and wears many hats in support of the Foundation's mission to conserve forested land and promote sustainable management practices.. Before then, Annie earned a PhD in Forest Ecology from Boston University and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University. No stranger to natural lands and wild places, she spent 15 years in wilderness education and leadership development with the Voyageur Outward Bound School in northern Minnesota and Cornell University's Team and Leadership Center in upstate New York. Annie lives on a farm and forest in Crawford County with her husband and two children.
• Bennett Gould, Conservation and Outreach Coordinator, Foundation for Sustainable Forests. Bennett joined the Foundation for Sustainable Forests in 2021 and serves as the organization's Conservation and Outreach Coordinator. He organizes educational offerings and outreach to private forest landowners who are seeking to achieve their conservation objectives through active management.  In addition, Bennett works to advance FSF's forest conservation and stewardship projects. He holds a B.S. from Allegheny College in Environmental Science with a minor in Community and Justice Studies. Bennett is the seventh-generation steward of a family forest and homestead on the upper Allegheny River.  He lives in Meadville, PA with his wife, Jenny.

To register for the free presentation on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 5p-6:30p at the Corry Higher Education Council, please visit www.corryhied.org or by calling 814-664-9405.