Changing lives
One Person,
One Family,
One Block at a Time.
Urban Impact has been serving the youth of Pittsburgh’s North Side for 25 years. By working to meet the needs of the whole person through holistic community outreach, we can bring transformative hope to Pittsburgh one person, one family, one block at a time.
Athletics
Our Athletics Department provides opportunities for Pre-K through 12th graders to engage in soccer, baseball, swimming, basketball programs, skill clinics, flag football, and special events.
Education
Urban Impact’s Education Department provides tutoring services to all ages, in-school literacy support and math support, and an 8-week Summer Day Camp focused on limiting regression over the summer months in reading and math.
options
Planning for life after high school is tough. Urban Impact’s Options Department helps high school students by identifying an appropriate path based on each student’s aspirations, and then assists in taking the necessary steps toward completing their goals.
Performing Arts
Our Performing Arts Department provides opportunities for 1st-12th graders in vocal and instrumental music, visual and technical art, theatre, and dance.
![Join us in praying this verse over our students today: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” —Romans 15:13 #joy #peace #hope #urbanimpact #pittsburgh [photo pre-COVID-19]](https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.199/e5h.0f4.myftpupload.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
In 2019
2,300+ Youth Participated in:
Athletics
Education
Options
Performing Arts
Special Events
Become Part of the urban impact story
Get Involved
You can help Urban Impact change lives one person, one family, one block at a time! To a child, the understanding that someone has a vested interest in his or her well-being is priceless. Are you that someone? If you are moved to see Urban Impact’s vision fulfilled, there are multiple ways you can get involved.
Students
Register for one of our Education, Options, Athletics, or Performing Arts programs.
Volunteers
Join the team and make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
DOnate
Where we serve is where we live.
Click through the interactive map below to see Urban Missionaries that serve in your community. By working to meet the needs of the whole person through holistic community outreach, we can bring transformative hope to Pittsburgh one person, one family, one block at a time.
Brighton Heights
Seth Lyon
Manager of Outreach Basketball
Seth came on staff at UIF as the Manager of Outreach Basketball in the summer of 2016 after volunteering in this ministry for five years. Prior to this, Seth taught as a middle school math teacher for six years and also served as a camp counselor and volunteer at Pine Valley Camp for six years as well. Through these experiences, God birthed in him a passion for reaching youth with the all-consuming love of Christ. As an urban missionary, Seth desires to leverage his past experiences as a teacher and camp counselor to maximize his impact as he seeks to be a father to the fatherless, give hope to the hopeless, and spread a passion for the supremacy of God in our community. He lives on the North Side with his wife, Jessica, his daughters, Aria and Lydia, and their foster daughter.
Adam Kennard
Technical Theater Urban Missionary
After graduating in May of 2016 from Carnegie Mellon with a Master of Fine Arts in Theatrical Production and Management the Lord guided him on a path to become a Technical Theatre Urban Missionary. Prior to moving to Pittsburgh Adam was living in his home state of Texas and teaching technical theatre at a high school. Adam is particularly excited for the opportunity to share Christ with the students of the North Side through carpentry, lighting, painting, sewing, and all the production areas of theatre.
Perry North
Seth Reichart
Director of Athletics
Seth Reichart has been with Urban Impact since 2007 and currently serves as the Director of Athletics. He has a heart to preach the Gospel and a passion for winning people to Christ, “to seek and to save that which has been lost” (Luke 19:10). Seth and his wife, Niki, live on the North Side with their seven children, Grayson, Roman, Jackson, Elianna, Tyson, Solomon, and Jai.
Jessica Brodnicki
Literacy Support Urban Missionary
While serving as a Summer Day Camp intern for two years, God prepared Jessica’s heart to work as an Urban Missionary with Urban Impact. She decided to pursue a full-time position with Urban Impact as a Literacy Support Coordinator. Jessica graduated from Grove City College with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education and lives on the North Side of Pittsburgh. She loves creating and developing meaningful relationships with students and families while sharing the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ.
Marshall Shadeland
Rocky Higgins
Basketball Program Leader
Rocky came on staff at UIF as the Basketball Programs Leader in the fall of 2017 after serving as a summer intern in our Summer Day Camp for 4 summers. Prior to this, Rocky attended Geneva College, where he played basketball for two years. The Lord put a calling on Rocky’s heart to serve in ministry full-time when he first accepted Jesus into his heart in 2011. He is passionate about making disciples through relational ministry and using basketball as a tool to do so. He currently lives on the North Side with his wife, Shaina and his son Asher.
Joshua Gerdes
Summer Day Camp Urban Missionary
Growing up in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church, I got to see firsthand the importance missional work can have, not only in other countries, but right here in our own neighborhoods. In 2016, I started volunteering with the Literacy support team at ATA on the North Side. That following summer I decided to work the Summer Day Camp as a camp counselor. I fell in love with the children and the area and I got to see and participate in the changing of lives that Jesus was doing in my own town. Now taking the next step of faith, I signed on as a full time Urban Missionary with Urban Impact, working in the Education department as a Summer Day Camp Coordinator. I am extremally excited to see the growth that God has prepared for the children we are blessed to work with on the North Side.
Manchester
Julia Piecka
Education Urban Fellow
While serving as a Summer Day Camp intern for four years, Julia began to feel a call into full-time missions near the end of her junior year in college. Julia graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s degree in social work in 2018, then traveled around the world on a mission trip called the World Race. After serving the Lord internationally for a year, she found herself back in Pittsburgh with a strong desire to give back to the community. Julia accepted a position with Urban Impact Fellow’s program and is working alongside the Education Department while receiving an education of basic Christian theology and urban Christian community development. Julia loves to serve and build personal relationships with the students. In her free time, she loves spending time in coffee shops, reading a book, or hanging out with friends.
Annie Polka
Performing Arts Urban Missionary
Originally from Pittsburgh, Annie is a 2016 graduate of Grove City College with a Bachelors degree in Music Education. Upon graduation, she became a Pennsylvania certified Pre-K – 12 music educator, seeking to teach in an urban setting. Annie was involved with Urban Impact’s Summer Day Camp Program for two years where she served as a counselor, and taught reading, math, drama, and instrumental music. After college, she felt called to serve families of the North Side and seek to build up God’s kingdom in the area she has come to love!
California-Kirkbride
Micah Carleton
Coordinator of Marketing and Development (Athletics)
Micah joined Urban Impact in the Spring of 2018 as a program assistant in the Athletic Department. He first discovered his passion for serving in the inner city at Pine Valley Bible Camp, where he worked for six summers during high school and college. He then graduated from Malone University in 2015, where he majored in Business Marketing. After spending four years working in various sales and marketing positions in OH and PA, Micah was called to move back to Pittsburgh so that he could serve alongside the great people working at Urban Impact.
Bruce Volstad
Performing Arts Urban Missionary Associate
Bruce returned to Urban Impact after being away for 19 years. He has a long history with Urban Impact, going back to its inception. Of many firsts, Bruce was UIF’s first employee. A graduate of Robert Morris University, Bruce spent time with Special Olympics Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, where Bruce and his family spent three years. Bruce is married to one of the original UIF kids, Amy Duerr Volstad. Amy is a mental health therapist and vice-president of Extravagant Love Project. They’ve lived on the North Side for over 20 years where they have raised their boys, Bodee, Brady, and Brennan.
Perry South
Rachel Hardy
Technical Theatre Urban Missionary
Rachel hails from a small town south of Pittsburgh, but is no stranger to urban settings. Upon graduating from Penn State University with degrees in Theatre Design and Technology, Information Sciences and Technology, and Music Technology, she moved to New York City for three years to work in the field of audio production on Broadway shows and national tours. In 2016, she decided to try touring for herself and spent the next year traveling the continent with a theatrical production. After all these years of adventure, the Lord put it on her heart that it was time to settle down in Pittsburgh and use her gifts to spread a passion for theater and the love of Jesus. Rachel and her husband Kurtis enjoy traveling, scuba diving, cooking, singing Christmas carols, hiking, iced coffee, and spoiling their precious Corgi puppy, Meeko.
Lorenze Jefferson
Instrumental Music Coordinator
Lorenze brings a decade worth of experience working with high school students to Urban Impact. Before joining UIF’s staff, Lorenze was a high school coordinator for the Pittsburgh Project, another North Side nonprofit. He first encountered Urban Impact in 1994, when he was in high school himself, at a basketball outreach night. He continued to cross paths with Urban Impact staff and eventually decided to become an urban missionary. He now coordinates Urban Impact’s bucket band and jazz band and works with music students at Perry High School.
Troy Hill
Olivia Skal
Manager of Disciple Making and Staff Development
Olivia has been with Urban Impact since the summer of 2015 when she came on staff in the Athletics Department as a Program Assistant. She studied at Geneva College, earning a degree in Sociology with a double minor in Spanish and Student Ministry. Olivia sees her position at UIF as a gift from God as she gets to merge her love for people and passion for the organization on a daily basis.
Allegheny Center
Kortney Orwig
Options Coordinator
Kortney Orwig Started with Urban Impact in the spring of 2019, and has made the North side her residence! She graduated from Waynesburg University where she earned her degree in Biblical Ministries Studies. Kortney has a deep passion for high school students to personally know the Lord, and to know their intrinsic value as His beloved children and called servants. She is committed to be an advocate for students and their families as they discover their God given gifts, and as they discern God's calling on their lives.
East Allegheny
Rachel Stojkovic
Assistant Director of Education
Rachel Stojkovic came to Urban Impact in the summer of 2013, and now serves as the Assistant Director. She considers it a tremendous blessing to be able to come alongside North Side schools to help early elementary students academically, while sharing the hope found through Jesus Christ. Rachel graduated from Malone University with a degree in Bible and Theology, and has been certified in Orton-Gillingham Teacher Level Training, which is a multisensory approach to literacy. She currently resides on the North Side.
Amelia Shuppy
Program Assistant
Amelia Shuppy started at Urban Impact Foundation in August of 2016 and serves as a Family Care Urban Missionary within the Athletics Department. She currently resides on the North Side and has felt God’s call to make this community a permanent and central part of her life. She feels abundantly blessed to be doing just that through Urban Impact Foundation, and she looks forward to growing in Christ-centered relationships with children, adolescents, and families on the North Side. She is excited for all that God has in store for the city of Pittsburgh and its people. In her spare time, she loves exploring Pittsburgh and its rich history, grabbing coffee with friends, and hosting dinners with her roommates.
Fineview
Andrew Churchill
Assistant Director of Athletics Operations
After serving two summers during college as a Summer Day Camp intern and working professionally in the architectural field, Andrew returned to Urban Impact in 2009 to serve full-time in the Athletics Department. An urban missionary for the past 10 years, Andrew grew up in Westmoreland County PA and is a 1st generation cross-cultural adoptee. Andrew, his wife Jasmine, and their daughter Desiree are honored to call the North Side their home.
Eric Anderson
Director of Performing Arts
Eric uses his theater and acting experience to reach students of the Urban Impact Performing Arts Academy. He is a Pittsburgh actor, former participant of the Breakthrough Television and Actors’ Theatre in Columbus, and a former volunteer at Urban Impact. As a staff member, Eric oversees the Performing Arts Theatre discipline, directs the Urban Impact Shakes summer acting program, and directs Allegheny Traditional Academy’s theatre program. Eric resides on the North Side with his wife, Laura (also an actor), and their children, Rook, Alec, and Arden.
Summer Hill
Lisa Owens
Director of Options
Lisa was an educator in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for 20 years before joining Urban Impact Staff in 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Writing and master’s degrees in Counseling and Teaching. Lisa has a great sense of urgency to see our young people experience the love of Jesus Christ. She has a passion to help young people reach their potential, and as the Director of Options, she has the perfect opportunity to use her educational background and her love of Jesus to minister to students. Lisa and her husband, Ross, who is a pastor at Allegheny Center Alliance Church, are blessed to serve in ministry together. They have two children, Lani & Ross, Jr.
Brighton Heights
Courtney McClelland
Theatre Program Assistant
After graduating from Grove City College in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with minors in Theatre and Studio Art, Courtney felt called to join her husband, Zack, as a Performing Arts Urban Missionary. She is involved with various aspects of the department, such as mentoring students in the Urban Impact Choir, teaching acting classes in the Performing Arts Academy, and assisting with the annual Urban Impact Shakes and spring elementary school musical performances. Zack and Courtney live on the North Side of Pittsburgh and love serving their community.
Zach McClelland
Theatre & Video Urban Missionary
After working for two years at Urban Impact, God called Zack to be more involved with the ministry as an Urban Missionary. Zack is involved with various aspects of the Performing Arts department––mentoring students in the Urban Impact Choir, Performing Arts Academy, and Urban Impact Shakes. He has also been able to use his passion for video editing to assist the Performing Arts department with marketing and program videos. He hopes to eventually teach video editing to students in the Performing Arts. Zack and his lovely wife, Courtney, are raising their support as a couple to serve God on the North Side of Pittsburgh.
Brighton Heights
Ruth Hager
Performing Arts Academy Coordinator
Ruth Hager joined Urban Impact in June 2013 after moving to Pittsburgh from Buena Vista, Colorado. Ruth brings with her a wealth of Christian nonprofit experience. She provided administrative and donor support services at Compassion International, held a leadership role in Adventures in Missions’ World Race, and led a Young Life group for high school students. Ruth currently lives on the North Side with her husband, Shaq, and coordinates the Performing Arts Academy, co-leads a girls’ Bible study, and assists in the MSHS Choir.
Sarah Prosser
Literacy Support Urban Missionary
Sarah has always had a passion for urban education, but she never expected to end up in ministry. However, interning with Urban Impact’s Summer Day Camp for three years showed her that God had a different plan for her life. After graduating from Grove City College in 2017, she joined Urban Impact full-time as an Education Urban Missionary. Sarah is certified in English Education, grades 7-12, and helps coordinate Enrichment at Pittsburgh Allegheny and Literacy Support at Pittsburgh Perry. She enjoys living on the North Side and building intentional relationships that lead kids to Christ.
Marshall Shadeland
Amy Glover
Assistant Director of Education
Amy Glover joined Urban Impact Foundation in the fall of 2013. As an Education Urban Missionary and Assistant Director, Amy is closely involved in the department’s out-of-school programs, and is continually helping develop the department to better impact and reach students. Amy, a Pittsburgh native, graduated from American University with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, which included Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government and her last job was at the Glover Park Group, a Washington, DC strategic communications and government affairs firm. She and her husband, Nate, live on the North Side of Pittsburgh with their two young sons.
Marshall Shadeland
Amanda Wagner
Director of Education
After serving as an intern for two summers at Urban Impact’s Summer Day Camp, Amanda knew that urban ministry was where God wanted her to be. Graduating from Taylor University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Christian Educational Ministry and a minor in Sociology, Amanda began full-time ministry at Urban Impact. As Director of Education, Amanda’s desire is to share the hope and love of Jesus through academic programs – knowing that true transformation only occurs through relationships. Connor, Amanda, and Abraham have lived on the North Side since 2011.
Sara Kilmer
Options Coordinator, Education
Sara has always been passionate about working with kids and helping them learn about the love of Christ! She earned a Children’s Ministry degree from Lincoln Christian University with the coal of gaining the experience necessary to help her more effectively serve the Kingdom. After several years of working in a local children’s ministry and childcare facility, she felt led to do an internship with Urban Impact’s Summer Day Camp. She instantly fell in love with teaching and creating disciples of young people in Pittsburgh, and has continued volunteering at the Tutoring Center since her internship over the summer. She then accepted a position as an urban missionary in the Education department. This position will continue to strengthen the relationships she has built with the students and she is excited to reach the city for Christ, one person, one family, one block at a time.
Be part of the story
Urban Impact Foundation has consistently served the North Side of Pittsburgh for 25 years. Would you prayerfully consider where God is calling you?