Building Communities

Changing Lives

June 2023



Dear Friends and Supporters,

Thank you to all who came out to celebrate our three Champions of Community Action, Richard Chávez, EVP, Enterprise Bank, Cathy Mercado, Executive Director at the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership, and Stacey Thompson, Lowell School Committee Member and Director of Learning and Workforce Development. And thank you to all of our Sponsors and community partners who helped make the event such a success. Links to pictures and video can be found below.

This month we are happy to celebrate all things PRIDE with our staff and community, and ask the question, What does it mean to be an Ally? We also celebrated many milestones at our All Staff Day last week on the lawns of the beautiful Boarding House Park in downtown Lowell, followed by a visit from the Cookie Monstah Truck!

And, as a sure sign of summer, the Lowell Farmers' Market will be starting July 7th and continue every Friday from 11am-3pm through October. Please come by to visit us at our new location in the Hamilton Canal District.

Please read below for more news and updates from Community Teamwork.

We thank you again for all of your support and wish you a happy and healthy summer!

Gratefully,

Karen Frederick, CEO

Community Teamwork

New:

State Budget Priorities for FY24

Annual Report 2022

Constituency Guide 2022

Programs and Services Brochure 2023

June is PRIDE Month

Allyship refers to the actions, behaviors, and practices that people take to support, amplify, and advocate with others, especially with individuals who don't belong to the same social identity groups as themselves - both in society at large and in particular social contexts, for example universities or workplaces. Quite simply put, an LGBTQIA+ ally is someone who supports and educates themselves about and speaks out and advocates for LGBTQIA+ people and/or community. 

We asked some of our employees and community members to finish the statements: I need an ally because... and I am an ally because...Some of reflections appear below along with images from the PRIDE parade and festival in Lowell and Tewksbury.

Lowell Farmers' Market

GRAND OPENING

Friday, July 7, 11am-3pm

RIBBON CUTTING AT NOON

New Location in Hamilton Canal District

Stay tuned for details - including a special guest speaker and a cooking demonstration.

Learn more about The Lowell Farmers' Market

Community Teamwork’s COMMON GROUND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Celebrated the Opening of Tavernier Place

A fitting celebration for a grand achievement — the opening of Tavernier Place, a 31-unit apartment complex for seniors and non-elderly disabled residents in Acton.

Senator Jamie Eldridge, State Representatives Simon Cataldo and Dan Sena joined many local officials to cut the ribbon for this impressive building - including; Select Board Members Jim Snyder-Grant, David Martin, and Dean Charter; leaders from Community Teamwork, Inc.’s Common Ground Development Corporation (CGDC) - Steve Joncas, Rachelly Bartolotta and Christine DeFeo; Alice Wong of Massachusetts Housing Partnership; Janet K. Adachi - Chair of the Acton Community Housing Corporation (ACHC); Kelley Cronin - Executive Director of the Acton Housing Authority; and Rick Lefferts from Commonweal Collaborative.

During his remarks, State Representative Cataldo spoke about how they’ve found ways to help constituents find housing and allay moving costs. He encouraged people to contact his office as early as possible when housing insecurity is on the horizon. State Representative Sena shared that this community is a great step in addressing housing needs locally while honoring advocate Nancy Tavernier's work in Acton.

Congratulations to the many people and organizations who made this possible, including of course Nancy Tavernier.

www.commteam.org/common-ground-development



www.LiveTavernier.com

Pictured above L-R: Steve Joncas - Director of Real Estate Development CGDC, State Representative Dan Sena, Rick Lefferts - Vice President of Commonweal Collaborative, Rachelly Bartolotta - Senior Project Manager at CGDC, State Representative Simon Cataldo, Janet K. Adachi - Chair ACHC, Senator Jamie Eldridge, Jim Snyder-Grant - Chairman of Acton Board of Selectmen, and Alice Wong - Senior Loan Officer at MHP

Everyone is entitled to housing without discrimination. Discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, family status, disability, and source of income are all prohibited.

The Fair Housing Program at CTI offers free Fair Housing trainings (virtually or in-person). Fair Housing is housing without discrimination. Tenant and advocate trainings focus on rights, self-advocacy and enforcement. Trainings for housing providers (landlords & property management) focus on rights and best practices. Every Thursday, the Fair Housing Program also hosts an open house where questions can be answered virtually.

To register, visit: https://www.cognitoforms.com/CommunityTeamwork1/FairHousingTrainingRegistration

CONTACT THE COMMUNITY TEAMWORK FAIR HOUSING PROGRAM

Contact us at (978) 654-5736 or fairhousing@commteam.org OR

visit www.commteam.org/fair-housing-program

TENANTS & HOMEBUYERS - Sign up HERE for our Newsletter/Resources

HOUSING PROVIDERS - Sign up HERE for our Newsletter/Resources

#fairhousing #FairHousingAct #fairhousingforall #stopdiscrimination

YouthBuild Spring 2023 Cohort Begins

"Mental Toughness"

Mental Toughness is a time for students to get introduced to the YouthBuild Program, through team building activities, group discussions, guest speakers and much more.

During Week One, students participated in the Culinary Charcuterie Challenge (above), a community service tour - including a picnic lunch at Ironstone Farms, a Nail Off Construction Challenge, a visit with Army recruiter - SSO Do Santos, and a Q&A panel with YouthBuild Alumni.

Students Are excited for Week 2!

The Spring Celebration was a Great Success Enjoyed by a Sold-Out Crowd!

Thank you to all who came out to celebrate our Champions of Community Action, Richard Chavez, Cathy Mercado and Stacey Thompson

And a special thank you to our generous sponsors listed below

Enjoy these videos and photographs honoring champions who turned their passion into community action:

Richard Chávez

Cathy Mercado

Stacey Thompson

Videos by KFP_Media

CTI Spring Celebration and Awards - Gallery



Photos by Harkins Photography



www.commteam.org/spring-celebration-2023

BERNADETTE AND ROBERT WHEELER

BPB REALTY

ALEKSANDRA AND BOBBY TUGBIYELE

CAREERS AT COMMUNITY TEAMWORK

Teacher - YouthBuild

Early Learning Division is Hiring Teachers, Assistant Teachers and more

Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Teacher Aides

Special Career, Excellent Benefits

Sign-On Bonus $3k* Full-Time (*Teachers, Assistant Teachers, Bus Drivers),

$1k Part-time

ENJOY THE VIDEOS ~ GROW YOUR CAREER AT COMMUNITY TEAMWORK

Top Pay and Benefits

Supportive Culture

Teach with Impact

CLICK HERE to see all career opportunities at Community Teamwork

ENJOY THE VIDEO ~ Come Join Us

IN THE NEWS

Community Teamwork’s Common Ground Development Corporation Celebrated the Opening of Acton Senior Affordable Housing Development 6/5/23

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces $246 Million to Build and Preserve 1,600 Affordable and Mixed-Income Housing Unit - Mass.gov 5/18/23

Healey-Driscoll: $246 million toward state’s housing crisis - Lowell Sun 5/18/23

Lost in the woods: Housing Crisis pushing more people into encampments 5/8/23 NBC10 News

How can Gov. Healey make Mass. less pricey? Housing advocates weigh in - Boston Business Journal 4/20/23

Advocates address needs of unhoused population - The Sun 4/5/23

A fundamental tool to alleviate the housing crisis -The Sun 4/2/23

For more news, please visit https://www.commteam.org/news-events/news/