IN Cranberry Fall 2016 | Page 25

township, to a three-day festival of artists, carnival and concerts that draws tens of thousands of people and enlists more than 600 volunteers each year. Additionally, CTCC funds a community Project of the Year where donations from businesses and residents go toward building treasured assets within the community. Past projects include a community sign erected in 2011 that enables local nonprofits to display information and promote upcoming events in a place where as many as 100,000 vehicles pass daily; a centennial scouting plaza and fishing lake that commemorates the 100th anniversary of both the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts of America; Kid’s Castle in 2013 which includes the replacement playground for Cranberry Community Park’s 22-year-old Playtime Palace; Fitness stations in 2014 throughout several local parks to help keep residents in shape and healthy and a Volunteer Firefighter Initiative in 2015 that acquired an Emergency Fire Training Trailer. The Project of the Year is revealed annually during the Community Days festival, and Above: Photo from CTCC's first fundraiser in 1976, provided by the Cranberry Rotary. Below: Drawing plans for CTCC's 2016 Project of the Year: Miracle League Resurfacing and Playground project. this year’s project included the resurfacing of Miracle League Ball Field and the construction of a new Miracle Playground. The 2017 Project of the Year, revealed during this year’s Community Days, will be the creation of Sportscourts in Graham Park—CTCC’s largest Project of the Year yet. CTCC also started the Cranberry Legacy Endowment, a community foundation that allows donors to support many of the local nonprofit groups indefinitely. CTCC has closed in on nearly $1 million in assets since the Endowment began. With no paid staff, CTCC is a 100 percent volunteer organization. In addition, the CTCC board donates more than 2,000 volunteer hours and contributes thousands of dollars to the organization. As a result, every dollar donated goes toward improving the community. CTCC has truly become an essential organization within the Cranberry community. “We feel we create a true sense of community where people step up through volunteering,” says Bruce Mazzoni, CTCC board member and chairman of both Project of the Year and Community Days.  ■ Continued on next page > Annually, CTCC sponsors Cranberry Community Days that draws in tens of thousands of people to the community each year. CTCC’s 2011 Project of the Year: A Community Sign located at the corner of Routes 19 and 228, in front of the UPMC building. For more information about the CTCC, to donate or to become involved, visitctcchest.org. Cranberry | Fall 2016 | icmags.com 23