A Little LIFT Committee

A Little LIFT (ALL) is an innovative initiative developed by Blueprints, a non-profit organization, that has been serving our area since 1965. Founded by a group of community leaders, the initial focus of the agency was to mobilize public and private resources to deal with the causes of poverty not just its impact. Blueprints helps over 20,000 individuals each year through their 50 programs in Washington and Greene counties of Pennsylvania and throughout West Virginia.

ALL which was founded in 2017 is a community-led, member-directed initiative that has an immediate impact on Blueprints-participating individuals and families. A Little Lift identifies a program participant who has hit a barrier to self-reliance. Many times, individuals who are working towards self-reliance face barriers such as a need for new tires, broken appliances, family supplies (diapers, formula, and clothing). These barriers frequently cannot be resolved with traditional, grant-funded programming; and these individuals needlessly lose progress towards self-reliance, perpetuating the need for additional services and dependence on those services. The ALL initiative is an opportunity for community members or groups to easily prevent small problems from becoming catastrophes for local families and making our community stronger as a result.

Recognizing the importance of ALL, the Senior Management Team of Washington Financial Bank created and funded The Washington Financial Bank A Little LIFT Committee. The committee was created as an innovative program to directly help fill these needs through grants that are administered by a group of diverse bank employees who review the needs and decide upon the funds granted; thus, this committee directly gives back to the community.