Santa came early for Canonsburg non-profit
CANONSBURG (KDKA) - 'Tis the season for celebrating, albeit six months early! The timing couldn't be better for a Canonsburg non-profit to receive a donation from Noble Environmental as part of their Christmas in July initiative.
The Canonsburg Educational & Cultural Institute (CECI) received approval from the Canon-McMillan School Board to purchase the former Canon McMillan Middle School, with the intent of turning it into a regional center for arts, education and culture. CECI will immediately begin due diligence and evaluation of the facilities and campus to determine the comprehensive investment required to bring the vision to reality. Initial commitments for due diligence are in place and a capital campaign to solicit corporate donations, public and private grants and legacy gifts will take place once the property and programming evaluations have been concluded.
Noble Environmental selected CECI as one of several area organizations to receive a Christmas in July donation of $2,500. Noble Environmental, the parent company of County Hauling and Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill, is making $20,000 in donations to area charities this summer.
The organization is committed to corporate citizenship and wants to recognize the good work being done in the communities they serve, including CECI.
CECI envisions the former middle school campus as an anchor to provide programs and services to support unmet needs for the community and surrounding areas. This effort builds on and supports the success of revitalizing downtown Canonsburg.
Tony Colaizzo, President of CECI, said there are four major priorities for the organization to evaluate over the next year: renovation of the 850-seat auditorium to create a regional theatre, conversion of the gymnasium to a family recreation center, upgrades to the large cafeteria kitchen to make room for restaurants, and usage of the current classrooms for adult education and children services.
"Over the next year, we would like to build out a strategy to operationalize this vision," Colaizzo said. "We need to take a close look at the building and evaluate potential funding sources. Our goal is to create a one-of-a-kind landmark that is value-added to families in Canonsburg and will become a destination and regional asset for Washington County and beyond."
Canonsburg Educational and Cultural Institute, CECI was established in 2021 and operates as a 501c3 non-profit organization open to educators and passionate volunteers that share their time, treasure and talents. Notable participants and current Board Members involved in the organization are Lisa Scarmazzi, Canonsburg's Director of Economic Development, and her husband, Paul, CEO of Scarmazzi Homes, Mike Melone, founder of Melone Advertising Group in Canonsburg, Attorney Eugene Tempesta, and the late Jay Romano, CFO of The Pittsburgh Ballet. Board President Tony Colaizzo is a native of Canonsburg and returned home after working for UPS Corporation, where he served as Vice President of Operations in Western Europe. He also worked with Amazon to build out their final mile operation.
"Each one of us is committed to the community. We enjoy living in this wonderful place and we believe this very unique asset and vision will be transformational for the town and region for years to come" Colaizzo said.