|  |  | Greater Lauraville Gazette Your place for VALUE:
a Very Affordable Leafy Urban Existence
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January 2007 -
Vol 1, Issue 3 |
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In This Issue | | | |
Quick Links | | | |
| | | |  Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville, Inc. would like to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year! We hope that after the holidays you and your families are refreshed and ready for 2007. After the release of our first Gazette last month we received many compliments about the newsletter! Thank you so much for your support. We also became aware of a small problem. The sign- up button doesn't work for many of you and we apologize for that inconvenience. We have contacted our technical support and are working to fix the problem. In the mean time, if you would like to become a subscribing member of the Greater Lauraville Gazette please email Krista at kmahl001@umaryland.edu. She will promptly add you as a subscriber. If you join as a subscriber you will receive the newsletter directly, but it may also come to you via the NOGLI list serve (if you are a list serve member.) We would like you to become a direct subscriber to the Gazette!
Look for our updated website at the end of January. We hope that it will become a valuable resource to you! Your support and patience is appreciated! | |
| |  The 3900 block of Woodlea Avenue has an exciting new joint venture. It all started at the September 2006 monthly meeting for the Waltherson Improvement Association (WIA) where we were introduced to our new community organizer, Krista Mahler. Krista made it known that there were funds available through the ‘Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative’ for block projects. These funds were to be used on projects to create a sense of unity between the residents and to help them beautify their blocks. An initial meeting of neighbors was held in early October 2006 to hammer out ideas for the potential project. This led to a door to door campaign on October 28, 2006. We spoke to neighbors informing them of the WIA monthly meetings and asked if they would be interested in enhancing their community and participating in a block project. Neighbors were also advised that there would be a meeting regarding the proposed block project and that a notice was forthcoming with the date and place.
Flyers were placed at every home in the 3900 block of Woodlea Ave. to announce that the meeting would take place on December 2, 2006 at the Church of the Pentecost USA Inc, Baltimore Assembly located at 4920 Walther Avenue, where Rev. Seth Asante generously made the church hall available. We enjoyed a festive luncheon provided by Krista, and during the meeting it was decided that the first block project would be installing solar house numbers on every home on the block. Krista would now write the grant proposal and submit it for approval. The neighbors in attendance were very excited about the project and looked forward to brainstorming for a major project in the spring.
Our deep appreciation and thanks go out to Krista Mahler for her tireless efforts in organizing to get this project up and running. We also thank Krista for the lovely red Holiday bows for our block to place on our front doors or porch railings to create a sense of holiday spirit and unity.
Jacquelyn Williams, Waltherson Resident |
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“1st Annual Arcadia Ball Fall” | |  This was an idea hatched in the mind of a former Arcadia president, Gene Nuth, sometime around Christmas eve of 2006. He proposed we create a ball drop mimicking Times Square in NYC.
So what made it happen? He called on four former presidents of the association and organized the construction and erection of the would be structure. Along with other willing volunteers the event began taking shape on December 30 and was completed in time for welcoming in the 2007 New Year.
Community spirit and non-political cooperation made the event memorable. Times Square has nothing to fear, but ARCADIA will always be a community with local people who care about their neighborhood. There were over 100 attendees who came out to celebrate the New Year together.
Betty Mayes, Arcadia Resident | |
Northeast Baltimore Crime Round Table | |  Event: Northeast Baltimore Crime Round Table
Date: February 26, 2007
Day of Week: Monday
Time: 7 PM
Location: Episcopal Church of the Messiah, 5801 Harford Road
The perception of increasing crime has become an intense issue for the communities within Northeast Baltimore. Members of the community at large have been attributing this to an insufficient number of police assigned to the area, an inability on the part of the State of Maryland to operate effective juvenile and adult justice programs, or a lack of sufficient Federal funding to support community based crime initiatives. In an effort to identify the problem and potential solutions the HARBEL Community Organization, Inc., the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville, Inc. (NOGLI), and the Episcopal Church of the Messiah are sponsoring a round table of Federal, State, and City elected officials on Monday, February 26th at 7:00 PM at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah at 5801 Harford Road. Please mark your calendars and attend this crucial meeting concerning the future of Northeast Baltimore. | |
Introducing Our New Executive Director | | Greetings!
I am Lorrie Schoettler, the new Executive Director of the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville. I am a local Lauraville resident and a life-time Baltimore resident as well. I’ve worked to create a better quality of life in Baltimore neighborhoods for nearly 15 years, most recently as the Director of Market Development for the Faith Fund (a community development financial institution). I studied community development and nonprofit management at Goddard College, a small private college in Vermont.
I have been trained in nonviolence by the Quakers, where I worked as a program director at the American Friends Service Committee in various capacities through most of the 1990s; grant writing by the Foundation Center (I have raised nearly $2 million in grant funds and donations over the past 10 years); and commercial revitalization by the Baltimore and National Main Street programs (I was the Main Street Manager on East Monument Street in east Baltimore).
I am excited to serve the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville as its Executive Director. Over the next year I want to focus on the following:
- Organizational strengthening to ensure a viable community development corporation is serving northeast Baltimore for in many meaningful ways for years to come.
- Marketing and serving the residential communities through the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative by initiating small block activities, technical assistance to our member community associations who request it, and organizing promotional events.
- Updating the website and modernizing the list serve to ensure quality communications between and among local residents and those interested in becoming local residents.
- Working with the Baltimore Development Corporation to create a welcoming and viable commercial district on Harford Road.
I have been touched by the outpouring of support from many local leaders and area residents. E- mails and drop-in visits sprinkle my days with support and encouragement. This defines the Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville for me- kind, welcoming people creating a sense of community. I hope to create an environment where all residents and stakeholders feel that this organization is available to them. What are your hopes and dreams for the area? Call, e-mail, or drop-in. I’d love to hear about them, and even more- I’d love to help you actualize them!
Contact Information:
Phone: 410-444-9188
Fax: 410-444-9288
e-mail: director@greaterlauraville.org | |
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| If you have something that you would like to put in the Greater Lauraville Gazette please contact us.
Our new website will be up and running by the end of January and we will let you know when that new resource is available to you! Thank you for your support and enjoy 2007!
Lorrie Schoettler, Executive Director Neighborhoods of Greater Lauraville, Inc.
phone: 410-444-9188 | |
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