The Will Allen Foundation has been working with the Clairton City School District and its students since 2019. So on Aug. 11 when the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works explosion rocked the town, its leader and staff knew they needed to respond.
They launched the The Clairton Huddle, a campaign aiming to strengthen mental health support for local youth and provide essential items for students in need, according to a news release that listed the city’s school district and the McElhattan Foundation as partners.
So when the children returned to classes Monday, a new after-school program the former Pittsburgh Steeler’s foundation crafted for students in grades three to seven began. Twenty students have registered for the program led by foundation staff that runs from 2:45 to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The capacity is 30, according to foundation Chief Executive Officer Jessi Marsh, and she expects to reach that number.
The McElhattan Foundation awarded Allen and his staff a $50,000 grant that will incorporate social-emotional learning, which Allen called important, and a move that builds upon the foundation’s ongoing efforts with Clairton students.
“This new initiative, The Clairton Huddle, is about more than responding to one incident,” he said in the news release. “It’s about continuing to rally together for the long-term well-being of our kids.”
Marsh said the new after-school program combines academics, mental health initiatives and practices, arts and crafts, physical activity, and mentoring, all with the goal of providing a safe structure for the children.
She added that they knew from people they have worked with in the school district and community that the children are anxious about the mill and explosion. “These children are experiencing trauma in the community,” Marsh said, whether it is from the stress of someone in their families working there or fearing another fire or explosion.
This new effort follows the Will Allen Foundation’s Clairton summer enrichment program, enabled with a $25,000 Jefferson Regional Foundation grant. Students learned about science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, careers, as one part of it, with the goal of increasing youth interest and potential future economic mobility.
Targeting younger students is important, Allen said. “I think we take a very intentional approach supporting the young people at an early age so they can grow when they get to high school,” the former Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh Steelers player said. He is now a principal in Magarac Venture Partner, a Pittsburgh early-stage venture capital firm. “[They gain a] Stronger confidence about themselves and their schoolwork. They have these touchpoints with us.
“We went down the chain a little to meet students, families where they are. We are seeing more confident students, more curious. They want to learn and be part of something special. They are starting to care more about their grades, how they present themselves. It is just remarkable to see how in just a couple hours of every month reinforcing and reintroducing confidence and self- esteem – [teaching them to] be curious and work their minds differently – it makes a big difference.”
That appealed to the foundation supporting the new after-school program. “Pivotal life moments require bold action, and this is one of those moments,” McElhattan Foundation Chairman and CEO Kent McElhattan said in the news release. “By supporting youth development in Clairton, we are working to ensure that our future generations have the opportunity to succeed and thrive.”
Marsh said the new program will work with the foundation’s and school district’s current ongoing programs so the students can still participate in those and any other concurrent activities. In that way, she stressed, the after-school program is customized.
“We want to be that bridge,” she said. “You can come to this program whenever you need it.”
The Will Allen Foundation started its work in Clairton with robotics, and that effort continues with partner Carnegie Mellon University that permits the high school students to earn certificates for their work, and a Vex robotics program that reaches elementary and middle school students.
In addition, the foundation runs a Health Explorers Club for high school students; Pathways, a workforce development project with partner Allegheny Health Network, detailing careers in nursing, IT and print shop jobs in health care; another one focusing on electrical careers with interested students; and a 19-month licensed practical nurse program with AHN and Carlow.
Four Clairton graduates are now at Carlow preparing to become licensed practical nurses. Students from other schools that partner with the Will Allen Foundation can enroll in it as well.
Marsh explained that the Carlow program runs the gamut: preparing them for exams, learning how to study at a college level, attaining CPR certification, studying for qualifying exams, and other coaching and mentoring. They live on campus.
Three full-time staff members of the foundation will work with the Clairton students in the new after-school program, rotating days as needed. One staffer who also teaches and leads robotic programs there will serve as coordinator. Clairton teachers will join in as needed and be paid a stipend, Marsh said.
School district staff will give out the items requested in the Clairton Huddle push – including socks, feminine-hygiene products, deodorant, lip balm and nondisposable water bottles. COHatch locations across Pittsburgh will serve as collection locations for donations during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., according to the news release. They will be stored and replenished as needed.
Allen noted that many Clairton school district students walk to school, and that can mean they can arrive for classes sweaty, wet from rain, or cold and wet in wintry weather, not starting off the day in the best frame of mind to learn and be near others. “You want a good environment,” he said. The goal: create a strong environment so people can thrive.
He sees his foundation’s role with the partner schools not only as a provider but also a resource hub.
“With the after-school program, we look at it that way,” Allen said. “If a student needs a health care item, they need to speak to somebody, they want more enrichment, [or] they want math and science tutoring, we want to provide that. … We’re creating another outlet so these people know someone cares about them. And two, they know where to go and get the tools they need.”
For the district, these efforts make a difference. Clairton Superintendent Tamara Allen-Thomas said in the release, “Classroom learning is only part of what we offer. Our students deserve to feel safe, seen and supported, especially in times of community crisis. This partnership ensures we are not just addressing academic needs but the whole child.”
Earlier this month Allen and staff visited Clairton and Imani Christian Academy distributing backpacks. Any student who didn’t receive one can request one. And because those can wear out, anyone can ask for a replacement, Marsh said.
Allen started his foundation when he played safety for his first NFL team, Tampa Bay, that selected him in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. Allen found out when he arrived that his fellow players had founded their own nonprofits and worked in the community. They were helping in different ways – single moms, youth and education, early childhood development or football camps – and that spurred him.
He did have some experience with community service during his collegiate football years. When Allen played football for Ohio State University, coach Jim Tressel would take the team to visit cancer patients, sick children, and military members who were wounded or ill, according to his website. He realized the impact of these acts of kindness, and he wanted to do more.
“What prompted me I noticed there was a gap in giving and supporting high school students, primarily preparing them for life after high school,” he said. He said he thought about the students who just want to prepare for life and wanted to offer them some pathways and resources. Taking advantage of those would lead them to make good decisions on careers and more. He just had to figure out how to do that.
“I didn’t have the support, mentorship. I didn’t know what to do with my money. It was embarrassing to be in the NFL and not have the tools in my toolbox,” Allen said. “Typically when that happens, you make a lot of mistakes.”
So he said he just questioned his fellow players, learned from them and began working in Tampa Bay-area schools.
Allen kept up those efforts as he moved around the NFL. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and had two stints with the Steelers. When he moved here the first time in 2010, he started working with school students, beginning with Westinghouse at the suggestion of the team community relations staff.
The moves led him to others, including Wayne High School, his alma mater in Dayton, Ohio, and he still worked with some Florida schools. Now all his efforts are consolidated in Western Pennsylvania, and the foundation has worked with students in the North Hills School District, Holy Family Academy, and Perry High School in the Pittsburgh City Schools. Right now it works with The Neighborhood Academy as well as Clairton.
He met former Clairton Superintendent Ginny Hunt through a friend, Brett Fulesday, and started the robotics efforts. The backpack distribution began after students returned to in-person classes after the pandemic ended. The students also purchase holiday gifts for their families through the foundation’s Purposeful Acts of Kindness program. The last one teaches them to be caring and give back.
The foundation will evaluate its after-school program after this first year. Allen is unsure where that may lead for Clairton and possibly other partner schools. “We are going to see. We have to make sure we’re effective and efficient early on,” he said.
To donate to the Clairton Huddle, visit this link: https://willallenfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/257210-clairton-huddle.
Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she's currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.