Lowell
Massachusetts
Greater Lowell Community Foundation Newsletter - February 2023
Clubs and Organizations
March 1, 2023
From: Greater Lowell Community FoundationA Message from the President and CEO
Dear Nelson,
Happy belated Valentine’s Day – a day dedicated to love. This is something our world needs a lot more of.
Love is undoubtedly the most powerful emotion we possess. We love both people and things with amazing unselfishness and dedication. I love love as it creates the most wonderful sense of being. I can never get enough.
“Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over another’s sins but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance. In a word, three things last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.” (1 Corinthians 13).
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Share the love,
GLCF News
Annual Meeting 2023
Equity and the Rule of Law: A Conversation with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell
Open to all community members, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation is set to host its annual meeting on Wednesday, June 7, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. The event will highlight Equity and the Rule of Law: A Conversation with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
On January 18, 2023, Andrea Joy Campbell was sworn in to be the 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pledging to build economic prosperity and stability for all residents, prioritize the mental health and well-being of children, stop cycles of incarceration and violence and ensure the people across the state have access to the AG’s Office regardless of their zip code, language or ability.
Andrea served as legal counsel to Governor Deval Patrick, working to improve our education and transportation systems and move forward an agenda of equity across the state.
In 2015, Andrea successfully ran for the Boston City Council becoming the first woman to represent District 4 on the Council. Her first piece of legislation was the Community Preservation Act, which still generates over $20 million annually for new affordable housing, historical preservation, and parks and open space. In 2018, she was unanimously elected City Council President – the first Black woman to hold the title.
The event is free, but registration is required as seating is limited
A Panel Discussion for Nonprofit Leaders
Navigating Your Organization’s Road to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
April 11, 2023 • 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. • UTEC - 35 WARREN ST., LOWELL_
Join the Greater Lowell Community Foundation for a panel discussion on Navigating Your Organization’s Road to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation launched dedicated Racial Equity and Inclusion funding in 2020 for community nonprofits. There are many approaches to raising diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within your organization and this event will feature a panel of nonprofit leaders who received funding. They will share their initiatives and insights from their work.
There will be a Q+A to help you frame the questions you need to answer within your organization to find the best pathway toward equity.
Moderator:
-Sheila Och, Chief Engagement and Equity Officer, Lowell Community Health Center
Panelists:
-Yun-Ju Choi, Executive Director, Coalition for a Better Acre
-Amanda Kuffoh, Sr. Director of DEI and Professional Development, UTEC
-JuanCarlos Rivera, Director of Operations, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell
-Jessica Wilson, Executive Director, Mill City Grows
-Isa Woldeguiorguis, Executive Director, The Center for Hope and Healing
This event is free and open to the leadership of our Greater Lowell nonprofit partners.
Women Working Wonders Fund Awards $10,000 in 2023 Mini-Grants to Nonprofits Impacting Women and Girls
The Women Working Wonders Fund, a permanently endowed fund of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, is pleased to announce the awarding of $10,000 in mini grants to deserving nonprofits impacting the lives of women and girls in Greater Lowell.
“As we have worked hard to continue to grow our endowment, we have the privilege to increase grant support to our community beyond our annual grant cycle each summer,” said Marci Barnes, Women Working Wonders board president. “An economic downturn and an ongoing pandemic have increased the needs of the community, and we are responding by offering up to $10,000 in mini-grants to support area nonprofits during this challenging time.”
GLCF Grants
2023 NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Community Grant Program
Focus on funding mental health and addiction support services for young adults aged 18-25 in Greater Lowell
NETSCOUT will offer THREE grant opportunities (a $10,000 grant, a $3,500 grant, and a $1,500 grant to be awarded to pitch finalists*) through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) as part of the 2023 Heart of Giving Community Grant Program with a focus on funding mental health and addiction support services for young adults aged 18-25.
This grant program recognizes the critical need to assist young adults and offer spaces that support ongoing growth and development in the face of various challenges, including the mental health impacts of the pandemic.
DEADLINE APPROACHING - GLCF Seeks Request for Proposals for 2023 Discretionary Grant Cycles
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation will open its 2023 Discretionary Grant Cycles on February 1 and is seeking requests for proposals from nonprofit organizations. The Foundation will award $200,000 through the Discretionary Grant Cycle.
Nonprofit organizations serving the communities of Acton, Ashby, Ayer, Bedford, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Littleton, Lowell, Pepperell, Shirley, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsboro, Westford, and Wilmington are invited to apply.
GLCF in the Community
Site Visit: Open Table
Maynard, Mass.- On our most recent site visit, Greater Lowell Community Foundation stopped by Open Table. Open Table’s mission is to end hunger in their local community by providing healthy food in ways that respect the dignity and diversity of those served.
Open Table’s new executive director, Alexandra DePalo, gave a tour of their expanding facilities, and spoke about how they offer a wide variety of healthy and culturally appropriate groceries and prepared meals at their main facility in Maynard and through several mobile pantries and delivery programs. Open Table serves several of the towns in GLCF’s catchment area: Acton, Bedford, Billerica, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Littleton, Lowell, and Westford. Alexandra also shared how their volunteers are a crucial part of their operations. During the tour GLCF spotted several volunteers hard at work preparing for the distribution taking place later in the day.
GLCF provided grant funding during the pandemic from the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to Open Table for Mobile Meals and Groceries Program, and grant funding from GLCF CDBG-CV Food Insecurity COVID-19 Funds to provide frozen prepared meals to The Robinson School Project and to support their Council on Aging programs in Acton, Carlisle, Concord, and Westford.
Mosaic Lowell News
Winterfest
For the 2nd year in a row, Mosaic Lowell sponsored an Arts Market and Youth Mural Competition during the City of Lowell’s Winterfest. Held in Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Friday and Saturday, February 18 and 19, the bustling Art Market included 50+ vendors who offered a wide variety of high quality arts, crafts, jewelry, and more. Tunes from Spins & Needles DJs and Mill City Rags band kept things lively.
On Saturday, teams of young artists from seven Lowell clubs and schools participated in the Youth Mural Competition by live-painting their vision for: Coming Soon - What would you add to Lowell? All works were amazing, so judges Mayor Sokhary Chau, Brush Gallery Director Jim Dyment, and artist Gwendolyn Lanier had their work cut out to decide the winners. 1st Place: Refuge Lowell; 2nd Place: Lowell Community Charter Public School; 3rd Place: Greater Lowell Technical High School; and Honorable mentions to STEM Academy, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Girls Inc., and YWCA of Lowell. All murals will be on display at Lowell City Hall through the month of March with an Opening Reception on Tuesday, March 14.
Mosaic Lowell Hires a Director
The Executive Committee of Mosaic Lowell Is proud to welcome Lowell resident Jessica O’Hearn as the Director to lead the implementation of the plan. Before joining Mosaic, Ms. O’Hearn served as Executive Director of the Brookline Art Center. Prior to that, she served as Artistic Director and Curator of the Juliet Art Museum in Charleston, WV. O’Hearn earned her MFA at MassArt, BFA at Lesley University, and a certificate in nonprofit leadership from the University of Notre Dame. She begins with Mosaic on March 27.
GLCF Grant Highlight
GRANT HIGHLIGHT -
The Center for Hope & Healing
The Center for Hope & Healing (CHH) provides services to survivors of sexual violence. Their focus populations are people of color, children and youth, male survivors, LGBQ/T folks, refugees and immigrants, and people with disabilities who are disproportionately affected.
The Center for Hope & Healing received a GLCF COVID-19 DOHCD Emergency Response grant to enable them to continue their DrivingHope program and to staff a full-time counselor to provide mental health support to survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones. DrivingHope program reaches survivors where they are at, especially survivors in the underserved communities. GLCF COVID-19 DOHCD Funds allowed CHH to serve 1,167 people by providing necessary basic household needs to survivors and families - many of whom were below median income – through gift cards and Lotus Bundles which included food, toiletries, personal care supplies and sanitary products to alleviate food insecurity and job loss. DrivingHope, also coordinated the distribution of COVID-19 resources to survivors in the Greater Lowell communities. Funds also covered administrative costs and maintenance of the DrivingHope van.
Partner News
Lowell Forward Survey
GLCF Fiscal Sponsor News
Women Accelerators:
Networking Hours with Guest Speaker Kathleen Ralls, PhD
Come talk, connect, eat, and hear insightful words from Kathleen Ralls in this FREE, networking filled event!
Join Women Accelerators, the UMass Lowell Innovation Hub, Lowell Women's Week, and Kathleen Ralls for this exciting new event!
Kathleen defended her PhD with the plan to pursue a new career path in higher education. The pandemic had other plans, however, and she pivoted into a new and exciting career path as an entrepreneur. In this talk she will discuss how the road to success as a career-changer is not always an easy one from building new networks to redefining skills to succeed in a new industry. Still, the opportunity to set new goals and continue to learn makes it all worthwhile!
Give to the Future: Make a Planned Gift
Everyone has a legacy. What’s yours?
Your legacy can be shaped to support the causes you care about now and provide financial and estate savings.
To discuss creating a personalized estate plan that supports issues important to you, please call Jay or Howard at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation at 978-970-1600.