PennFuture’s Pittsburgh supporters have been making big news on their own recently.

In a December 26, 2005 front page story on the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PennFuture member Jason Vrabel, CDCP Design Fund Manager, is extensively quoted. Speaking about the importance of the work of CDCP, Mr. Vrabel said, "There is almost always real value in community building, developing a common vision, developing a better understanding of the role of design, etc."

We agree. And we are proud that Mr. Vrabel has also signed on as a PennFuture member. To read the article, go to http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05360/628053.stm

Another member in the news is Richard St. John, whose new book of poetry, The Pure Inconstancy of Grace, was highlighted in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in the Books Section on Sunday, December 25, 2005.

His book was published when his work attracted the attention of a panel judging the T.S. Eliot Prize for poetry. The Truman State University Press is the publisher. Mr. St. John says that he gets much of his inspiration while being in the real world, during long walks and riding the bus, rather than driving.

Having Mr. St. John as a PennFuture supporter is a true honor. To read a review and a small piece of one poem, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/search/s_407024.html