UNLR and AVAW initiates a Summer Youth Leadership and Gardening Program.

Thanks to the support of the Roxbury Trust Fund, Boston Youth Environmental Network and ABCD, UNLR and AVAW are able to employ 13 youth living in Roxbury. The youth have been learning about everything from financial literacy, goal setting, self defense, to building and maintaining gardens. The youth will be putting on an end of the summer job celebration on August 15th. Everyone is invited to see what the kids have been working on all summer.

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UNLR and AVAW was awarded the Brownsfield Site grant valued at $75,000 for mold assessment of the Community Center.

UNLR and AVAW was awarded the Brownsfield Site grant valued at $75,000 for mold assessment of the Community Center.

In June 2009, UNLR’s future community center located on 90 Windsor was selected as a Brownsfield site. The Environmental Protection Agency E.P.A., established the Brownsfield site Grant in 1994 to provide technical assistance to assess and clean out hazardous material to sustainably reusable sites. The EPA has expressed how exited they are to work with UNLR and AVAW on the community center. First phase of assessment has been approved and UNLR will be notified in late August for the clean out process. This is the first phase toward construction.

Farmer’s Market and Live Music Saturday 8/15!

Join us on Saturday!

Join us for live music, great BBQ food, fresh affordable produce, and community in Lower Roxbury on Saturday, August 15!

Located at Frederick Douglass Peace Park – 998 Tremont Street.
Easily accessible by T and bus – Ruggles Station is only steps away!
Starts at noon and will continue into the night with a youth party.

Farmer’s Market Opening and Cultural Event This Saturday!

Saturday, May 30 is the opening of the Frederick Douglass Market. The market is open from 11am-4pm and will feature produce, seedlings, used books, and vintage clothes for sale and tons of live music. The market is located on the corner of Tremont and Hammond Street.

Starting at 5pm, there will be a barbeque/live music/movie event in the Frederick Douglass Peace Park. We will have food and music, a short talk about the Lower Roxbury neighborhood, and an outdoor movie showing at sundown.

Interested in volunteering for this event? We need help with set-up and breakdown!! Call 617-271-1966 or email avillageatwork@gmail.com.

Locating and Listening to the Collective Voice: Fill Out a Survey!!!

We are making serious progress on the  re-development of 90 Windsor Street!  A Village at Work and the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury held a major fundraiser brunch in February and hosted several open community volunteer events in the months following.  We’ve met with some wonderful folks at City Hall and now have the support of the city.  We have attended many neighborhood and community forums and meetings and  built relationships with some wonderful people and organizations, including Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and the South End/Lower Roxbury Youth Worker’s Alliance.

 

Our coalition continues to grow and it is beautiful to see the revitalization process create a sense of togetherness and mutual interest in the improvement of Lower Roxbury!  The community center will represent the diverse needs, wants, skills, backgrounds, languages, experiences, and ethnicities present in the Lower Roxbury community.  We are working diligently to survey as many people as possible to ensure that we locate and listen to the voice of every community member and neighbor.  In order to take each individual’s thoughts into account, we need to hear your voice and vision for this community.

 

Please visit this link   to fill out a community survey.  You can also call us at 617-271-1966 or 857-318-1049 to share your thoughts or arrange for us to drop a survey off at your home.

 

We are working hard to involve neighborhood youth in this process.  If you know a young person who is interested in the community center project, please contact us!

 

On May 30, the Frederick Douglass Square Marketplace will open on the corner of Hammond and Tremont Street, featuring local vendors, a farmer’s market, and an exciting raffle!

 

As always, thank you for supporting United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury and A Village at Work’s revitalization of the future community center located at 90 Windsor Street in Roxbury.  Please click the Donate Now! button to make a donation.  Every little bit counts.

 

Yours in peace, justice, and community,

 

Erica Pernell

erica.pernell@gmail.com

 

 

Win a Wii!

We are raffling off a Nintendo Wii system and a Spa Day for Two!  Tickets are just $5 for one and $20 for 5.  Email us at avillageatwork@gmail.com to purchase tickets.

 

And don’t forget our friendly PayPal link to make a secure, tax-deductible donation to United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury.

 

Upcoming Meetings and Events!!

Saturday, April 11, 2009

10am

Dream Day!

Come share your vision and watch BAC’s designBuild studio install canopies around the neighborhood!

Feel free to download and share this flyer with friends, family, and neighbors!

 

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Weekly Planning Meeting

3:00pm-5:00pm

 Saturday, April 18, 2009

11am-3pm

Open Volunteer Event

Assist us in doing some community outreach!  We will canvass, phone, and talk to neighbors about what programs and services the center should provide.  Stop by to say hi, join us for an hour or all four!  Location TBD.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Weekly Planning Meeting

3:00pm-5:00pm

 

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Boston Shines! Community Clean-up Day

Join your neighbors in the task of beautifying our community!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Weekly Planning Meeting

3:00pm-5:00pm

 

Planning Meetings are held at 998 Tremont Street #2, Roxbury, MA 02120

Love Thy Neighborhood Brunch on Saturday!

65 Windsor Street (United Emmanuel Holiness Church)
A 10 minute walk from Ruggles on the Orange Line.
11am-2pm
Wonderful food, great music, and a ceremony to show our love to Community Warriors!!
Tickets: $25
All proceeds benefit the revitalization and creation of a community cultural arts center 90 Windsor Street.

Directions by T: Take the Orange Line to Ruggles Station. Walk straight to Tremont Street and take a left. Take a right after passing Good Eats and cut through the Frederick Douglass Peace Park and take a right on Warwick Street. Follow to end and take a left on Windsor Street. Church is on the left.

Love Thy Neighborhood!

Hello readers,

This is an update of the effort to create a community center at 90 Windsor Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  For more information on our mission and work, check out our first entry.   This update contains information about our upcoming meetings and events. 

On February 14, we are hosting a Valentine’s Day Brunch entitled Love Thy Neighborhood.  There will be live performances by Zimbabwe Band and we will honor local community warriors – people who have struggled for justice, equality, and community in the Lower Roxbury neighborhood throughout the past 30 years.  This event will be a celebration of the achievements of the neighborhood and a fundraiser to continue the excellent work of community builiding in Lower Roxbury.  We will also share some information about the newest project – the revitalization of the building at 90 Windsor Street to create a community cultural arts center.   Contact us at avillageatwork@gmail.com or 857-318-1049 for information about how to purchase tickets or make a donation.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, February 5:  UNLR Monthly Meeting, 7pm, United Emmanuel Holiness Church, 65 Windsor St.

Sunday, February 8:  A Village at Work Weekly Planning Meeting, 3pm, 998 Tremont St. #2

Saturday, February 14:  Love Thy Neighborhood Brunch Celebration!, 11am, 65 Windsor St.

Sunday, February 15: A Village at Work Weekly Planning Meeting, 3pm, 998 Tremont St. #2

Sunday, February 22: A Village at Work Weekly Planning Meeting, 3pm, 998 Tremont St. #2

Sunday, March 1:  A Village at Work Weekly Planning Meeting, 3pm, 998 Tremont St. #2

Thursday, March 5:  UNLR Monthly Meeting, 7pm, United Emmanuel Holiness Church, 65 Windsor St.

Honoring the Legacy of MLK Jr.

“Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace.  A soul generated by love. “

                         – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

NEU students with organizers from A Village at Work after a day of spreading the word about community building efforts.

On Monday, January 19, ten students from Northeastern University trudged through the snowy streets of Lower Roxbury to spread the word and collect donations for our efforts to revitalize 90 Windsor Street as part of MLK Service Day.  Special thanks to Slade’s Bar and Restaurant for graciously allowing us to use their space to organize this event.  The volunteer event began with a brief conversation about how the mission of the center coincides with Dr. King’s beliefs about the power of community.  The volunteers quickly jumped to action and we were able to assemble a large mailing and hand out over 300 flyers to area neighbors and businesses.  A large thank you goes to Good Eats for providing pizza for all the volunteers.  From Slade’s to Good Eats to Northeastern University, together we are A Village at Work.  It’s amazing what our neighborhood can accomplish when we all work together.

Yours in peace, justice, and community,

Erica Pernell

erica.pernell@gmail.com

 

 

Are you  new to this page?  Check out our first entry to get a background on our mission and work.  This is an update of the effort to create a community center at 90 Windsor Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

New Leadership, Wonderful News, and Much Work Ahead!

Hello readers!

Are you  new to this page?  Check out our first entry to get a background on our mission and work.  This is an update of the effort to create a community center at 90 Windsor Street in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  This update begins with a list of upcoming events, then contains a detailed review of the happenings between the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury and A Village at Work.  Finally, find a list of actions you can take to help our cause!

Thanks and enjoy reading!

Upcoming Events:

January 4, 2009 – A Village at Work Weekly Planning Meeting, 3pm, 998 Tremont St #2

January 8, 2009 – UNLR Monthly Meeting, 7pm, Location TBA

January 10, 2009 – Neighborhood Canvassing Drive

January 17, 2009 – Neighborhood Canvassing Drive

Center Updates:

The Latest Vote

The members of the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury and A Village at Work have officially agreed to accept the proposal to turn the building at 90 Windsor Street into a community center.  On December 4, 2008, the members of UNLR gathered for their monthly meeting.  The membership agreed to give exclusive development rights to A Village at Work’s proposal and UNLR has the next 18 months to develop a community center at 90 Windsor Street.  There will be presentations of the progress every 3 months.  This vote gives us time to devote all our energies to the successful revitalization of the center without constantly fighting for our rights to develop the space.  Now is the time to join this effort and we need all the positive energy and assistance we can get!

The New UNLR Board of Directors:

The December 4 meeting also allowed us an opportunity to vote on a new Board of Directors for UNLR.  The new Board met on December 15 and picked officers.  Here is a list of your new UNLR Board of Directors:

1. Michael Catino
2. Nataka Crayton – President
3. Bill Dellea
4. Beth Doriean – Vice-President/Clerk
5. Ian Doriean – Treasurer
6. Erica Pernell – Assistant Clerk
7. Kyle Robidoux
8. Bill Singleton
9. Bonita Walker

The UNLR Board can contain up to 13 members.  As you can see above, we currently have 9 members.  Between now and February 5, UNLR will accept nominations for the 4 empty seats on the Board.  If you have a stake in our community and would like to serve a leadership position, please email avillageatwork@gmail.com or call 857-318-1049.  Experience serving on a Board is not necessary at all.  Everyone can bring something positive to the table, so please let us know if you are interested.

 

The first UNLR meeting of 2009 will take place on Thursday, January 8.  This meeting will be the first under the new leadership of Nataka Crayton.  The main agenda item for this month’s meeting is to discuss how UNLR relates to our lives, needs, wants, and visions for this community.  Please join us and share your voice.  We want to know what our community needs.  We want to hear about your struggle and what keeps you going.  Next month’s UNLR meeting will be a space for open discussion for all community members.

 

How Can I Help?

Help us get the word out.  Talk about what we are doing to anyone who will listen!  Talk to your co-workers, supervisors, friends, neighbors, and family members.
• Attend weekly AVAW meetings to help us plan, raise funds, and do outreach to the community.  AVAW meetings take place every Sunday at 3pm.
• Join UNLR and attend monthly meetings.  To be a member, you must be 18 years of age or older and reside or work in the Lower Roxbury neighborhood (defined by UNLR by-laws).  Email avillageatwork@gmail.com for information or to get a membership form.  OR show up to this month’s UNLR meeting on Thursday, January 8.
• Help us canvass the neighborhood.  Join us for two canvassing drives on January 10 and January 17.  We will pass out informational flyers and brochures and knock on doors to speak to people about the community center.

 

Yours in peace, justice, & community,

Erica Pernell

erica.pernell@gmail.com