NeighborWorks Lincoln sponsored a group of renters and landlords from the Everett and Near South neighborhoods to attend the Community Leadership Institute in Columbus, Ohio. They attended workshops led by nationally recognized community development leaders, but it was the other attendees that made the biggest impact. The Lincolnites said "connecting with others across the United States working on the same issues was the best part of the weekend." 

A seed grant from NeighborWorks America will help the group to implement an Action Plan within the next nine months.  The group will focus on providing renters with resources, improve communication between renters/landlords/community, and create a forum whereby renters' voices can be heard.

NeighborWorks America hosts an annual leadership training, and recognizes community leaders during its Dorothy Richardson Resident Leadership Awards.  To read more about the Dorothy Richardson Leaders click here!

Now that the orange barrels, billowing dust, and oversized trucks are gone, the North 27th Street corridor is starting to shine. The road is intact. The streetlight poles have been painted. The Elaine Hammer pedestrian/trail bridge is outlined in lights. 

Thanks to special grants from NeighborWorks America and Bank of the West, NeighborWorks Lincoln has also been administering a Storefront Improvement Program. Matching grants have been used by Big Sal's Pizza, Dory's Barbecue, Vung Tau Pho Grill, and the shops at 313 N. 27th Street. With about $12,000 in grants, the total reinvestment by these business owners totaled more than $42,000! While that was happening, other owners followed suit: Laundryland, Moose's Tooth and Cycle Works and Kahramana Market to name a few. Looking sharp, N. 27th Street!

Vung Tau Before

Vung Tau After

The Graduate Urban Planning Class at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, led by Professor Gordon Scholz has been busy researching and exploring the neighborhood known as South Salt Creek. 

The class of 13 is collecting and analyzing census data, attending a community meeting to meet with residents, and are conducting door-to-door surveys while mapping the area. Once completed, the information will be compiled and used to isolate key neighborhood issues and concerns. 

NeighborWorks Lincoln will use this material as we begin efforts to organize the community and identify leaders. Meanwhile City Planning and Urban Development may use it as they begin work on an updated Focus Area Plan. Stay tuned for the finished product!

NeighborWorks Lincoln is pleased to introduce the new Homebuyer Education Trainer and three new Board Members. (Fourth new Board Member to be recognized in Winter Newsletter.)

 

Craig Larabee: Homebuyer Education Trainer

Craig is a seasoned and well-known instructor in the real estate industry. Craig has taught pre-licensing and continuing education since 1977 for private schools, colleges, Boards of Realtors and Certified Commercial Investment Broker's (CCIM) Chapters. He has been a featured speaker at many conventions including the Nebraska Auctioneers and has instructed at the Nebraska Realtors Association State Convention and the REEA National Convention. He has written correspondence courses for the University of Nebraska, as well as Instructor Manual's for the Nebraska Real Estate Commission, and is an item writer for National Real Estate Exam Companies. In 1990, Craig started and ran his own Larabee School of Real Estate & Insurance until 2002, when he sold his interest to HomeServices of Nebraska; he remained the Education Director and Executive Vice President until retirement in 2012. Craig remains active in the industry by occasional educational appearances for groups, assisting agents with his coaching skills and real estate consulting.   

Cynthia Harris: Board of Directors

Cynthia Harris, MS, serves as an Administrator for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. As a graduate of the University of Nebraska Lincoln she holds a MS in Human and Family Services Administration, two graduate certificates, and a Bachelor of Science. Harris is also currently working towards a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha. Harris has previously worked for Lincoln Public Schools, Visinet Inc., Better Living Counseling Services Inc, and the Friendship Home. She is an alumni of the foster care system and a survivor of childhood trauma. Harris specializes in behavioral healthcare policy, program development and implementation, community integration, and consumer, family, and youth advocacy within government systems.   

Thomas Christie: Board of Directors

Thomas Christie is currently the Multicultural/Community Administrator (Office of the Superintendent) for Lincoln Public Schools. He is responsible for directing the district's Multicultural Program and Cultural Proficiency, works in  Human Resources, is an Administrator for TeamMates and is the District Office Building Principal. He serves as the Board President of the Clyde Malone Center, the Vice-Chair of the Mayor's Multicultural Committee, a member of Lincoln Public Schools Foundation, the Chair of the Education Committee of the NAACP, a member of the University of Nebraska President Advisory Council and serves on the MLK Freedom Breakfast Committee. In the past, he has served on the Boards of the City Recreation Committee, Lighthouse, UNL Teachers College Alumni Board, Lancaster Women's Commission, Lincoln Indian Education committee and the Child Advocacy Center. Thomas has 42 years of experience in the classroom and in administration. He is the administrator directing the cultural proficiency efforts, co-developer of the Racial Response Team project and played a key role in developing the district's Multicultural focus. He is married to Brenda Christie and they have two children, Fayola Christie and Yohance Christie.   

Joe Shaw: Board of Directors

Before moving to Lincoln in January of 2015, Joe Shaw spent 25 years in Southern California, winning awards as a non-profit communicator at the Braille Institute, the AIDS Service Center in Pasadena and more recently, as President of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, leading efforts to save the last privately owned parcels of wetlands in Huntington Beach, CA. Joe owned a retail store for seven years in downtown Huntington Beach, and was a founding member of the Huntington Beach Downtown Business Improvement District. Joe conceived the idea for and helped create 'Surf City Nights,' Huntington Beach's wildly popular Tuesday night street fair. Joe served as a Planning Commissioner, Public Works Commissioner, Charter Review Commissioner and served on the Huntington Beach City Council from  2010-2014. Here in Lincoln, Joe served for a brief time as the interim executive director at the LUX Center for the Arts and is now the Associate Director. Joe is also on the Board of Directors of Outlinc.