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A Message from the President and CEO |
Greetings!
There are so many things I’ve missed over this past year. One of the things I miss the most is the smiles. I just love to exchange them; with loved ones for sure, although I think the ones that are sometimes the most fun are those with people I don’t even know, the ones that are just spontaneous in the moment. You know what I mean.
“The Smile” by William Blake
There is a Smile of Love
And there is a Smile of Deceit
And there is a Smile of Smiles
In which these two Smiles meet
And there is a Frown of Hate
And there is a Frown of Disdain
And there is a Frown of Frowns
Which you strive to forget in vain
For it sticks in the Hearts deep Core
And it sticks in the deep Back bone
And no Smile that ever was smild
But only one Smile alone
That betwixt the Cradle & Grave
It only once Smild can be
But when it once is Smild
There’s an end to all Misery.
Happy New Year :-)
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Jay Linnehan
GLCF President + CEO
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We appreciate your support all year long – now PayPal makes it easy to think of us. Want to support GLCF when you shop online? Set us as your favorite charity on PayPal, then click to donate $1 each time you checkout with PayPal. It’s a little thing that can add up to a big impact. Setup is fast and easy: http://bit.ly/3pyB7vF
Thanks for your support.
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Community Partners Come to the Aid of Seniors Facing Food Insecurity |
Over the past nine months, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated food insecurity among local senior citizens, and the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF) is stepping up to help.
Last spring, as COVID-19 began infecting older adults in high numbers, nonprofit agencies providing support to this demographic — like Minuteman Senior Services (MSS) and Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley & North Shore (ESMV-NS) — were hit hard by another jolt: Most of the volunteers they depended on to distribute meals to their senior clients were seniors themselves.
“Before COVID we had robust Meals on Wheels programs, as well as popular ‘congregate meal’ programs, which allowed people to eat together at their local senior centers,” explained Patti Dubielak, Director of Marketing & Development at MSS, which serves 16 towns, including Bedford, Burlington, Carlisle, Concord, Littleton and Wilmington.
PHOTO: Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley & North Shore (ESMV-NS) volunteer packages and later delivers hot lunch to homebound seniors. ESMV-NS received grants from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation to address elder food insecurity.
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GLCF receives Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce 2020 Steve Jones Community Champion Award |
On Nov. 30 at Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce's virtual Annual Meeting, GLCF was honored with the Steve Jones Community Champion Award for for "amazing work done" during the pandemic.
In 2016, GLCC renamed their Community Champion Award in honor of Steve Jones, the late Vice President of Community Development at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. Steve was heavily involved with the Greater Lowell Chamber for well over a decade. He served on the Board of Directors for eight years, three of those years as board Co-Chair and Chairman. More recently, Steve was an Ambassador for the Chamber. He is deeply missed by the Chamber and the Greater Lowell community.
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GLCF Grant Helps Nonprofits Improve Virtual Programming |
Virtual well-baby visits for new moms and infants; monitoring a nest of turtle eggs in the wild; cooking videos led by a local nutritionist; and online nature walks with a botanical illustrator. These are just a few examples of the new online programming local nonprofits have created, thanks to technical-training classes from Lowell TeleMedia Center, funded by a grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.
Last spring, when the pandemic forced nonprofit organizations into lockdown mode, they moved their face-to-face programs online. However, as summer fast approached, many realized they needed help creating virtual programming to attract young people.
“Kids are usually outside running around during the summer, but all that changed this year with COVID-19,” explained Wendy Blom, Executive Director of Lowell TeleMedia Center (LTC). “Our local nonprofits knew they had to start offering online summer programming -- and they had to do it quickly.”
PHOTO: A baby Blanding’s turtle hatched from a nest monitored by Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust (LPCT) as part of its virtual summer programming. The LPCT received LTC training to create virtual content as part of a grant from the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.
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EVENT - GLCF's Housing Instability and COVID-19
On Dec. 1, more than 100 members of the community attended a panel convened by GLCF on Housing Instability and COVID-19.
The event included participation from: United States Representative Lori Trahan; Massachusetts State Senator Ed Kennedy; Carl Howell, Community Teamwork Inc.; Lawrence Curtis, WinnDevelopment; Rachel Heller, Citizens’ Housing and Planning; and Connie Martin, Community Teamwork Inc.
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- Saturday, February 20, 2021
- 7:30 PM 8:30 PM
Two masterpieces that deal with the concept of mortality encompass the entirety of the program. Jeremy Gill’s virtuosic work for double string orchestra is a series of meditations on the first of Bartók's four early Dirges for Piano, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s sets texts by Apollinaire, Küchelbecker, Lorca, and Rilke.
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VITAL VOICES: Princess Moon, Poet
Princess Moon wants to empower people to “break their silence, to find the strength within themselves to share their stories, and to grow as human beings, because that’s what we all are after all: human.” As a poet, teaching artist, and community organizer, she is empowered and empowering others.
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GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund |
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- Nonprofit Partner Highlight - |
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Lowell Humane Society
Quality Care for Homeless Pets
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With the help of the 2020 GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Grant Lowell Humane Society is able to continue their outstanding work in providing quality care and medical treatment to homeless pets that need help and medical attention the most.
"Lowell Humane Society receives a number of medically compromised pets who require diagnostic and supportive care each year," shared Jill O'Connell, Executive Director, Lowell Humane Society. "Thanks to a grant from GLCF, we are able to continue providing quality care and medical treatment to homeless pets who need us most."
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For the latest info on the GLCF COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, see the Fund webpage.
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Volunteers Wanted:
2021 LHS Scholarship Selection Committee
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For more information or to sign-up as a volunteer, please contact Fatima Palermo, Scholarship Coordinator at fatima@glcfoundation.org.
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The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is seeking volunteers to assist with reviewing scholarship applications for students at Lowell High School. Last year, the Community Foundation awarded over $450,000 in scholarships at Lowell High School. These awards could not have been made without the help of the volunteer Honors Night Selection Committee.
The committee consists of parents, teachers, scholarship donors, and representatives from Greater Lowell businesses and the community. Participating offers an incredible opportunity to learn more about the accomplishments and work many deserving students attending Lowell High School. Reviewers will read and score scholarships online in the months of February and March. It does require a time commitment: last year the average number of scholarship applications assigned to each committee member was 65.
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100 Merrimack Street, Suite 202
Lowell, MA 01852
PHONE 978-970-1600
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