40 Below To Hold Third Summit By Taking To The City's Streets

Maureen Nolan, Staff writer

May 31, 2007

The Post Standard/Herald-Journal

The plan is to ditch the conference rooms and fan out across Syracuse's core to plant the seeds of future action.

The civic organization 40 Below is hitting the streets Friday for its third summit. The first two gatherings unfolded in the Oncenter. This time summit-goers will spend much of their time rebuilding a park, collecting oral histories or otherwise experiencing Syracuse. As of Wednesday, 450 people had signed up for the summit.

The organization takes its name from its target age group, and its mission is to "connect, engage and empower young adults" and to tap their talents to create a vibrant region.

Jessica Crawford, chairwoman of the 40 Below Steering Committee, considers the hands-on summit to be a natural progression for the group.

"Now it's really time to put some tools in the hands of 40-Belowers so that they can find their outlet within the community and make their own impact," Crawford said.

That's not just for Friday, but the future.

"Hopefully, it will have a more lasting effect on the community," she said of this year's summit.

It will begin with registration at noon at the Oncenter, where New York first lady Silda Wall Spitzer and Rep. James Walsh will be the keynote speakers.

Participants will sit in on a panel discussion and then head north, south, west or downtown, for a related "action session."

Maureen Nolan can be reached at 470-2185 or mnolan@syracuse.com

If you go:

What: 40 Below summit.

When: Noon to 5 p.m. Friday.

Where: Starts at the Oncenter, moves out into the city and ends with an After Party at 5:30 p.m. in Hanover Square.

Cost: $20 - $15 for students.

Some of the activities planned:

Helping Habitat for Humanity.

Making videos to "sell" Syracuse.

Cleaning up and planting gardens.

Creating art with students.

This item was published on 05/31/2007

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