Boston LISC’s own Bob Van Meter served on a panel discussion at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) Energy Efficiency Finance Forum held in Boston at the Omni Parker House Hotel last week. The panel was titled “Financial Innovation for Underserved Customers” and highlighted several unique programs across the country to address the needs for energy efficiency in affordable housing.
Fifty residents gathered in the Blue Hill Library on May 15th to imagine what could happen in the next five years to make Mattapan a safe and healthy community – and the local press noticed. The "Visioning Meeting" was convened by Mattapan United, a Boston LISC funded group part of the Resilient Communities/Resilient Families Initiative. Consultant Maria Elena facilitated the discussion from brainstorming dreams and possibilities to strategies for achievement.
Boston.com’s Patrick Rosso covered the event in “Mattapan residents share their vision for the community” as did Dorchester Reporter’s Gintautas Dumcius in “‘Mattapan United’ seeking a vision”.
In another effort to build a stronger community, on April 20th Viet-AID teamed up with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation for its second LISC Day of Community Service. This was an opportunity for LISC to be involved in efforts to “give back” to the communities LISC works with. Viet-AID staff, Boston LISC staff and the LISC AmeriCorps members helped paint and clean up the 1392 Dorchester House. This is a three story building in the Fields Corner neighborhood of Dorchester. Along with LISC the Viet-AID staff members Aspasia Xypolia, Dani Nguyen and Phi Tran have coordinated the service-day and their efforts have resulted in a great, successful day. But the beautiful results from the April 20th service day should be credited to all of the LISC AmeriCorps members, LISC and the Viet-AID staffs. LISC assisted Viet-AID’s 1392 House with funds to cover some of the costs associated with the construction/ renovation of building.
Workforce development is integral to the success of our neighborhoods. At Boston LISC, we know that beyond the bricks and mortar of new developments are people and families with ample skills and talent that deserve a rewarding job and career. On May 14th we sponsored over 20 attendees to join with hundreds of practitioners at the Ninth Annual Statewide Conference for Workforce Development Professionals, hosted by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) and the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition. This year’s conference, entitled “Sharing Skills, Building Connections – Partnering for Opportunity,” drew attention to the success of partnering in a time of inconsistent funding streams and budget cuts. Keynote speaker Kevin Jordan of national LISC presented the Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) as a proven model for beneficial partnering and providing optimal results for clients. Chelsea CONNECT, a Boston LISC funded Financial Opportunity Center, led a session called "Building Economic Security through Community Coalition: The CONNECT Experience" that showcased how the FOC model is being implemented locally.
Meet Dani Nguyen and Phi Tran, this month's AmeriCorps Spotlight. They are the two wonderful AmeriCorps members working at Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (Viet-AID) a non profit organization founded in 1994. Viet Aid’s mission is to build a strong Vietnamese American community in the Greater Boston area and a vibrant Fields Corner neighborhood. Dani Nguyen is a part-time LISC AmeriCorps member serving at Viet-AID as a community organizer. Read more...
The first Millennium Ten-Neighborhood Association Dinner on April 30th was a milestone event in Codman Square history. Leaders of ten different neighborhood associations and civic groups sat down together for the first time in recent history to share with each other their current successes and future plans for their community. Over 50 people joined Millennium Ten for dinner over locally catered food to talk about what has been going on in their neighborhood over the past year.
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Boston LISC Staff members share their perspective on LISC's work, the community development world. and many other topics.
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