Your Monthly Update
from the Community Development Partnership
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A Word from Jay...
Looking Forward to a Promising New Year
The New Year has continued to challenge our Lower Cape Community and my colleagues at the CDP as COVID-19 infections continue. However, we have much to be excited about in the coming year.
We have welcomed two new members to the CDP team. Kathleen Boyce has joined us as our new Chief Financial & Administrative Officer and Vicky Crea is our new Housing Rehabilitation Program Manager. You can read more about them in this issue. In the coming weeks, we expect to announce several new hires as the CDP’s staff expands to 23 talented professionals working to build a more diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work, and thrive here.
This month I hope you will read two inspiring stories featuring residents of the Lower Cape working to build lives here. M&L Landscaping is a business owned by Jamaican brothers who immigrated to the US – a growing segment of our Lower Cape population. You will learn how our Business & Credit Program is helping them build their business.
Laura Pessolano is a resident of Harbor Hill in Provincetown and the pastry chef at the Blue Monkey where her boss gave her a raise to make sure she could afford her rent and put down roots on the Outer Cape. Their story is another great example of employers and employees working together to meet the housing needs of our workforce.
Finally, I want to thank you, our generous donors, for helping us to achieve a record-breaking fundraising year. Just halfway into our fiscal year, we have raised over $640,000 – 20 times the amount we raised in 2013 when I joined the CDP.
Best wishes for a safe and healthy New Year.
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Jay Coburn
President & Chief Executive Officer
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Supporting Local Business |
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The CDP Helps a New Landscaping Business Get Started |
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“I would encourage anyone who hasn’t worked with the CDP
to at least see what they have to offer.”
–Kevon Campbell, Owner, M & L Landscaping
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Over a decade ago, Kevon Campbell and his brother Evon Campbell immigrated to the Outer Cape from Jamaica seeking new opportunities and to be closer to family who had already moved here. In 2021, as the brothers were building a new landscaping business, they realized they needed guidance with managing the business and reached out to the Community Development Partnership (CDP) for help. The CDP’s Business & Credit programs offer a variety of services to promote the success of small businesses on the Lower and Outer Cape.
Like many who immigrate to the Outer Cape, Kevon initially found work in the restaurant industry as a bartender in Orleans. He later moved to Provincetown, where he worked at multiple restaurants along with landscaping jobs on the side.
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*Photo: Kevon (left) and his brother Evon |
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Harbor Hill Allows Local Pastry Chef to Stay in Town |
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“If it wasn’t for Harbor Hill,
then I probably would have had to leave Provincetown.”
–Laura Pessolano, Resident, Harbor Hill
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Laura Pessolano was living in Portland, Oregon working as a pastry chef for a small cruise line when she, like many others, became unemployed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In searching for a new position, she came across an opening at the Blue Monkey Café, a newly opened restaurant in Provincetown, MA. After meeting with the owners, they all knew she was a perfect fit, and Laura was hired as their Executive Pastry Chef. Laura began planning her move in the fall of 2020. “Growing up in western Massachusetts, I would visit with friends and family,” she recalls, “I was really excited to move back to a small town.” Now, she needed to find a place to live.
When Laura arrived in Provincetown, she found a short-term rental for the winter and moved into another apartment during summer. Skyrocketing housing costs and a lack of year-round rental units make it increasingly difficult for workers to live on the Lower and Outer Cape but Laura was eager to find a year-round home. Laura, a homebody, found this housing insecurity difficult. “My home is very important to me, and it is hard to relax when you don’t know where you will be able to stay,” she says. Despite her housing challenges, she quickly fell in love with the café and Provincetown, and knew she wanted to stay.
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Supporter Spotlight: Heather Hill |
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“I was inspired by the programs and services the CDP was offering, and the information about the CITC Tax Credit Program made it an easy decision to donate.”
–Heather Hill, CDP Supporter
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A decade ago, after living in North Carolina for 20 years, Heather and David Hill decided it was time for their family to move up north. David worked remotely so moving to another state would not be a concern. They were eager to be closer to family and wanted to live in an economically diverse area with a good school system for their three sons. The Nauset school system along with the natural environment of the lower cape was very appealing to Heather.
The family settled in Orleans and Heather immediately loved the sense of community. She became an active volunteer in the school system, at Mass Audubon, and with the Friends of the National Seashore. And then, like many who vacationed on the Cape and decided to move here year-round, she began to see some of the challenges within the community resulting from a one-season economy.
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Meet the New Members of the CDP Team |
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Kathleen Boyce - Chief Financial and Administrative Officer |
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Kathleen Boyce joined the CDP in January 2022 as the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer (CFAO). She began her career in public accounting working in the Boston office of Arthur Andersen LLP. For the past 18 years, she was the CFO/COO at the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) the professional association for dentists in Massachusetts. Prior to joining the MDS, she was a sole practitioner in the business of providing part-time CFO services to small and medium-sized businesses. She received a BS in Business Administration from Boston College with concentrations in accounting and finance and is a certified public accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Kathleen was born and raised in Madison, New Jersey. After graduating from college, she settled in the Boston area. She and her husband Brian raised their 4 children in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Kathleen was a very active member of the Wellesley community with her focus being the town, the schools, and her children's activities. As a family, they frequented the Jersey shore for their summer vacations but in 2010 she and her husband purchased a 2nd home here on Cape Cod to be able to enjoy the beach and the beauty of Cape Cod more easily throughout the year. With the children now grown Kathleen and her husband made a permanent move to their home in Hyannis in June 2021.
In her free time, Kathleen enjoys playing golf and traveling, especially to visit her children and grandchild living out of state.
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Vicky Crea - Housing Rehabilitation Program Manager |
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Originally from New York, Vittoria Crea and her family moved to West Yarmouth in 2019, after living in western Connecticut for over 20 years. Vicky earned a BA in Accounting from Pace University and a law degree from Pace University School of Law.
Vicky had a successful 25-year career in the corporate tax field, with a special focus on international trade compliance and policy. Before joining the Community Development Partnership, Vicky worked for Cargill, Inc., the largest agriculture company in the world where she became keenly aware of food insecurity in the United States.
Vicky spent numerous hours volunteering at community service projects sponsored by Cargill, and with her church where she served in leadership roles for 15 years. Vicky made the decision to leave her corporate career due to her desire to make a positive difference in her community.
In her free time, Vicky enjoys golfing, reading, and cooking.
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Damian Keber - Executive Assistant and Administrative Coordinator |
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Originally from North Carolina before moving to Brooklyn, NY, Damian worked as an executive administrator in the corporate sector at Hearst Corporation and E-Trade Financial in New York City.
After many years of visiting the Cape and Islands during the summer, Damian, along with his wife and daughter moved to Eastham year-round in 2020. He joined the CDP as an Executive Assistant/Administrative Coordinator supporting the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer in December 2021.
Damian earned a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He enjoys jogging, cycling, and playing shuffleboard, and he’s the reigning champion of a Mariah Carey-themed fantasy football league.
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Join our Advisory Council! |
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The Community Development Partnership (CDP) is currently recruiting nominations for new members of our Advisory Council (AC). This is a terrific opportunity to lend expertise to the organization and be more formally involved with the CDP.
Members of the AC are community and business leaders who support the mission of the CDP and who counsel, advocate for and contribute to the success of the organization.
There are no formal meetings of the AC, but members are invited to attend the Annual Meeting and may be asked to serve on a Board committee or special working group. The role of the Advisory Council is limited to the provision of advice and assistance. However, their viewpoints and advice are actively solicited and encouraged.
It is hoped that every member of the AC will be an advocate for the CDP in the community at large and make an annual financial contribution to the organization. If you are interested in joining the advisory council for a three-year term, please contact Jay Coburn, President and Chief Executive Officer, at jay@capecdp.org.
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Apply for a Housing Rehab Loan |
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Our Housing Rehabilitation Program is available to income-qualified residents of Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown. Qualified residents can receive up to $40,000 per household to pay for critical home repairs (such as roofing and siding, electrical, heating, and plumbing work), lead paint abatement, and energy efficiency upgrades to keep their properties in good condition for the long term. And with local contractors doing the work, it helps keep our local economy strong.
The program is designed to preserve existing homes for year-round residents at or below 80% of the median area income.
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Our annual Lower Cape Housing Institute is in full swing. You can watch our latest workshop, Community by Design, below! |
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Business & Credit Offerings |
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Free Small Business Assistance
The CDP's Business & Credit program team is available for one-on-one technical assistance. If you have questions about managing your business or need support with programs like QuickBooks, the CDP is here to help!
Pam Andersen, Director of Business and Credit Programs, is available for free small business support over the phone or via video conference. Find a time that fits into your schedule so you can get the assistance you need to prepare your business for success!
Click the link below to schedule a 30 or 60-minute appointment!
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The CDP continues to offer all trainings, workshops, technical assistance sessions, and appointments virtually.
We remain committed to serving our business clients and our community. Staff is working both remotely and from the office. While we are not taking in-person meetings at this time, we will continue to meet with clients via phone or video conference.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please reach out to Pam Andersen at pam@capecdp.org or 508-240-7873 x18.
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Follow the CDP on Social Media |
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Additional Resources for Businesses |
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We have created a separate page on our website that is a compilation of resources for local businesses, including various SBA, unemployment, and other federal programs. |
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If you or someone you know is interested in receiving weekly updates from our Business and Credit Program that are targeted to small businesses, please sign up for our Inside Scoop.
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