{"id":2139,"date":"2018-11-07T17:03:33","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T22:03:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2139"},"modified":"2018-11-07T17:25:21","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T22:25:21","slug":"sheena-solomon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2139","title":{"rendered":"Sheena Solomon"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Building Blocks of Community <\/em><\/h1>\n

By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Paul Carmen Viggiano<\/em><\/p>\n

Sheena Solomon, director of neighborhood initiatives at the Gifford Foundation, began to demonstrate the skills of a leader at a young age. When she was 16 years old, she had her first child. The experience encouraged her to complete high school and set an example for her son, so he would never have a reason not to graduate, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was challenging,\u201d Sheena said, \u201cbut my goal was really to beat the stereotypes of being a teenage mom and be more than what people expected me to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon after high school, Sheena moved from Ithaca to Syracuse, where she attended Bryant & Stratton College and eventually began her career in area nonprofit organizations. The experience acquainted her with the inner workings of nonprofits, including funding, finances and staffing.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Sheena learned the Gifford Foundation had an opening for a program associate. She applied for the job and was hired by Kathy Goldfarb-Findling, the organization\u2019s executive director at the time and Sheena\u2019s No. 1 professional inspiration.<\/p>\n

Kathy had been interested in Sheena\u2019s community impact, Sheena remembered. Through her career, Sheena had become familiar with the neighborhood the Gifford Foundation was serving at the time, Syracuse\u2019s South Side. She knew how to be a listener and cared about the people.<\/p>\n

Now, 11 years later, Sheena still utilizes those skills as director of neighborhood initiatives.<\/p>\n

Her work at the foundation is full-circle grant making, Sheena said. Not only does she read grant proposals, but she also works with the grant applicants to help them create the best possible application and stays in touch with the residents served by the funded projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what really makes our community work as the mechanism it is,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, that piece is really important: actually talking to people, finding out if the programs that we\u2019re supporting are working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents themselves have the opportunity to work directly with the foundation through the \u201cWhat if\u2026\u201d mini grant program, an initiative Sheena helped make a reality.<\/p>\n

The largest barrier to smaller community-centric projects \u2014 like the creation of a dance class or community garden \u2014 is typically finances, Sheena explained. So, she suggested that the foundation create mini grants.<\/p>\n

While the foundation typically works with two Syracuse neighborhoods \u2014 the West Side and the South Side \u2014 the \u201cWhat if\u2026\u201d grants are awarded for projects with a total budget of $5,000 or less within the city limits. Orientations are held once a month to inform interested community members about the opportunities. Grant proposals are accepted several times a year.<\/p>\n

Sheena designed the application process so her daughter, who was 12 years old at the time, could fill one out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really about accessibility because that\u2019s the issue \u2014 accessibility and opportunity,\u201d she said. \u201cIf people don\u2019t have opportunities and they don\u2019t have accessibility to those opportunities, then they feel no hope. It\u2019s taking all the barriers possible out of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few years after she helped implement the mini grant series in 2011, Sheena helped develop another Gifford Foundation program: Nourishing Tomorrow\u2019s Leaders.<\/p>\n

While reading grant proposals, Sheena noticed a trend in lack of diversity on nonprofit boards. The groups didn\u2019t reflect the community they served, she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow are you making decisions for your constituents when they\u2019re not represented at decision-making tables?\u201d she thought.<\/p>\n

So, the Gifford Foundation worked with the Central New York Community Foundation, Leadership Greater Syracuse, the Human Services Leadership Council and City of Syracuse residents to develop Nourishing Tomorrow\u2019s Leaders. It began as a board development initiative but eventually evolved to be more about leadership, Sheena said.<\/p>\n

Now, 30 people participate in the program each year, learning skills like board responsibilities, how to ask questions and truly be involved with board leadership and how to deal with being the minority on a board.<\/p>\n

Having diversity in a group of decision makers is what makes a board successful, Sheena said, adding that diversity extends beyond race and gender to factors like age, geography and ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust having that type of diversity around the table helps make effective and impactful decision making,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Sheena currently serves on several boards herself, donating her time and insight to You Can\u2019t Fail Inc., the Syracuse Economic Development Corp., The Near Westside Initiative and the PLACES advisory board.<\/p>\n

Though she stays busy with work and volunteer involvement, she also makes sure to prioritize time for her three children. She hopes to instill in them the same appreciation for paying it forward she possesses.<\/p>\n

In everything she does, the people she collaborates with inspire her. She definitely does not do it alone, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely takes a team. It\u2019s not just me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m totally a collaborator\/partner\/team player. Nothing that I do is by myself.\u201d SWM <\/em><\/p>\n

Special thanks to Tiffany Nickens for Sheena\u2019s hair and makeup styling.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Building Blocks of Community By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Paul Carmen Viggiano Sheena Solomon, director of neighborhood initiatives at the Gifford Foundation, began to demonstrate the skills of a leader at a young age. When she was 16 years old, she had her first child. The experience encouraged her to complete high school…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2140,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/005_SWM_Sheena.jpg?fit=5200%2C3435&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2142,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2142","url_meta":{"origin":2139,"position":0},"title":"Meg George","author":"Staff","date":"November 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Bringing Philanthropy Full Circle By Jamie Jenson | Photography by Sheena Christ of Torrent Photography A quick perusal of Meg George\u2019s resume might yield a few surprises. 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