In This Issue
Saint Polycarp Groundbreaking & Time Capsule
Membership and T-Shirts
Leadership Development Institute
Successful Community Design Workshop, Union Square
First Time Homebuyers Seminars
Jobs for Somerville Retreat
Career Counseling Opportunities
Legislative Breakfast 3/15
Save Our Homes Walk 5/19

Groundbreaking and a  

Time Capsule at Saint Polycarp Village Phase III! 


SPV3 groundbreaking Monday, February 25th, was not only the day that SCC and our partners officially broke ground on the 3rd phase of Saint Polycarp Village, we also opened a time capsule that had been buried in the walls of the former Saint Polycarp School building since 1956! A celebration of the future and a reflection of the past all at once, we were proud to bring together not only our key partners, funders, and political leaders, but a group of former Saint Polycarp students whose names were actually written inside the time capsule!
time capsule opened
Watch a video of the time capsule opening
Read about the event in the Boston Globe, the Somerville Patch, and the Somerville News
SCC Membership
Become an SCC Member! SCC is an organization of relationships-people with a passion for social justice. When we are members together in an organization, we access collective power and have a greater impact in our community. When we work together, we get more accomplished. To become a member please contact

 

Julia at 617-776-5931 x239 or jpwallerce@somervillecdc.org 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ongoing Meetings
Please click on the calendar image below to see the calendar on our website!
12.09 Elizabeth Peabody
Links

 

Join Our Mailing List!   

 

Greetings!
 

It's been an action-packed winter here at SCC. In February alone, we hosted a successful community design workshop for neighbors of Washington Street/Union Square, held our first annual Jobs for Somerville retreat, and broke ground on the third phase of Saint Polycarp Village which- in addition to creating 31 new homes for Somerville families- also lead to the greatly anticipated opening of a school time capsule circa 1956!  

 

We hope that this newsletter finds you happy and healthy in this tail end of winter, and that you will feel free to contact us 

if you are interested in supporting SCC or getting involved in any of our work. Here's to SPRING being just around the corner!
SCC is now on Twitter!
We're on Twitter!
In addition to sharing our photos, information and ideas on our Facebook page, we are now increasing our social media presence through Twitter! Please follow us @SCC_Somerville and join the conversation!
Leadership Development Institute (LDI) Spring Course
SCC's annual Leadership Development Institute (LDI) will begin taking place on Saturdays this month (3/30, 4/6, 4/20, 4/27). LDI is a series of training sessions designed to help individuals gain the skills important to becoming strong leaders in the community. Would you or someone you know  like to participate in this free training this year? Please request an application by contacting Rene at rmardones@somervillecdc.org 617-776-5931 x226. more

Community Design Workshop 2/23 Helps Residents Imagine a Connected Gateway Project in Union Square

Design Wkshop 2-23.group On February 23rd, more than 65 participants combined local knowledge, creativity, and community values in an interactive design workshop at SCC's and Cathartes Private Investments' proposed development along Washington Street. Neighbors were asked to envision ways to make this gateway project a vibrant resource for the community and to think "big picture" for making this a model community project. After an engaging neighborhood and site walk, participants gathered in small groups to identify common values and create a spontaneous visual gallery for viewing one anothers' visions. The day ended with a large group brainstorm about how best to bring these visions to life given the reality of financial constraints and project timelines. 

 

According to Rosemary Park, the event emcee and a member of LINK Somerville, "[it] felt like people were engaged and invested and it was wonderfulDesign Wkshop 2-23.indiv to see the developers, the architect, and the community come together to voice their desires and concerns about the public spaces on the site."Chris Timmel, LINK Somerville member and a workshop facilitator captured the spirit of workshop: "Looking around the room to see a diverse audience of Somerville residents working collaboratively with smiles on their faces put a smile on my face. Not only did this prove to me that people enjoy shaping their community, but also that the public values being asked to be a part of the planning process."

  

*LINK Somerville is a grassroots advisory team pushing forward an equitable community planning agenda after having engaged over 900 people over the last three years to create, prioritize, and ratify community principles for the Green Line Corridor.  
First Time Homebuyers Seminars This Spring!

SCC has been busy at work training first-time homebuyers so that they can hit the ground running and avoid unpleasant surprises on the road to home-ownership. If you're thinking of buying a home, it's definitely worth it to educate yourself about the process before you start. The four-session, 12-hour class will feature presentations by a real estate agent, a lender, a home inspector, a real estate attorney, and an insurance agent, in addition to SCC staff, and it will teach you everything you need to know before you start the process of buying your first home. Upon completion of the course, participants receive a certificate that enables them to access products geared specifically towards first-time homebuyers, such as SoftSecond.  

 

Our next class will be conducted in English from 6:00 pm to 9:00 p.m. on April 23, 25, 30 and May 2. The registration fee is $35 per participant. Call Thais DeMarco 617-776-5931 x233 or Shannon Erb x238 to register!

Jobs for Somerville Holds Successful Annual Retreat
Jobs for Somerville
On February 16th, the Jobs for Somerville committee came together for their first annual retreat to discuss

past work and potential future campaigns, which includeAssembly Square, the Green Line Extension, and the closed Johnnie Foodmaster Supermarket. The committee identified four areas of interest (Key Issues, Base Building, Resources in the Community, and Communication Strategies) which they will address through small working groups.The base-building working group will create a consistent plan to train themselves and engage new members in a more strategic way in the fight for Jobs for Somerville.

  

The next monthly meeting of Jobs for Somerville will be Wednesday, March 20 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at SCC's office. All are welcome! Please contact Ren� Mardones at 617-776 5931 x 226 or email rmardones@somervillecdc.org  

Career Counseling Opportunities 

Interested in figuring out what your career path should be? Need help with your resume or cover letter? Not sure how to go about finding the job of your dreams? Come to SCC to see a Career Counselor from The Career Place!  

 

For details, or to set up a time to see someone, please call Thais DeMarco at x233 to schedule an intake.

Coming Up: Legislative Breakfast: Friday, March 15th 
As we have done annually for the past several years, SCC is hosting a meeting with our legislative delegation - Senator Pat Jehlen and Representatives Denise Provost, Carl Sciortino and Tim Toomey - at the SCC office on Friday March 15th, 8:30-10:00 am.   

 

At this meeting with legislators, SCC Board and Committee members, along with SCC staff, will discuss a number of local and state issues that SCC is working on with our legislators, such as the Green Line extension, jobs for Somerville residents with both state-funded projects and private development, and the new State Housing Bond Bill to provide the funding needed to build more affordable housing.  If you're interested in joining in on the meeting at the SCC office, contact Danny LeBlanc at 617-776-5931 x223 or dleblanc@somervillecdc.org.

Save Our Homes Walk: May 19th  

Save Our Homes Walk

On the afternoon of
Sunday May 19th, SCC will join the Somerville Homeless Coalition, Community Action Agency of Somerville, and Cambridge-Somerville Legal Services in sponsoring the 10th annual Save Our Homes Walk.  SCC members join with other organizations and residents in this 5K walk to raise money to support our friends and neighbors who find themselves behind in their rent and at risk of becoming homeless as a result.  We often find that a fairly small amount of money can make the difference between keeping someone in safe decent housing, and that same person finding him or herself out on the street, homeless.   

 

Over the 10 years of our efforts with Save Our Homes, hundreds of families and individuals have been helped to stay in their homes.  Join us for a fun, festive afternoon with a nice walk through a few Somerville neighborhoods, and know that you are helping some fellow Somervilleans stay in their homes.  Contact Kathryn Benjamin at 617-625-6111 x225 or somervillesohwalk@gmail.com if you'd like to walk or help out in some other way.

As always, we appreciate feedback.  We look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon! 

Sincerely,
Daniel LeBlanc
Somerville Community Corporation