MPDC was born out of community activism and in 2021 we will remain as committed to the fight for racial justice as ever. Whether you choose to support MPDC's food access efforts that are feeding over 600 individuals or our workforce training programs that are providing over 250 local high school students, young adults and adult job seekers with training and hands-on experience, your #GivingTuesday gift will make a huge impact. We are honored to be part of Roxbury’s history for the past 54 years and we hope that this #GivingTuesday, you will join us in our community building efforts.
You can make your donation by clicking the 'DONATE NOW' button below, or by mailing a check to:
MPDC
184 Dudley Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
We thank you for your support of our essential work, especially this year!
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Thank you for a successful
Sparks for Arts!
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As much as we wish we could have gathered together in Hibernian Hall celebrating the work of MPDC's many programs, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided in April to move MPDC's Sparks for Arts annual gala to an online format. The theme of this year's Sparks for Arts was Dinner in Black. On a surface level, we thought of black gowns, black ties, and some glitz and glamour, but this year as we face only the most recent reckoning of the racial injustice in our country, it was, of course, more profound than that.
For nearly 55 years, Madison Park Development Corporation has been rooted in Nubian Square and the Lower Roxbury community, dedicated to creating a place where Black lives are valued, honored, and celebrated. We wanted to carry that dedication over to Dinner In Black by honoring Black artists, community leaders, and business owners and celebrating Black excellence and Black lives. That is why we dedicated over half of the budget for this year's event to doing so.
We purchased gift cards from local and Black-owned restaurants (MIDA, Slade's Bar and Grill, Haley House Bakery Cafe, and Ethnica Catering). We hired Black artists & performers (Adonis Martin, VLA Dance, Allegra Fletcher, L'Merchie Fraizer, and DJ Dex). We hired Black story tellers and youth artists for our Youth Sparks! Livestream. We sourced out projects to Black run organizations like our outstanding producers from The Loop Lab. We honored incredible Black community leaders like Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, artist Darlene Smart, and community activist Lisa Hall. We even cut ties with the traditional idea of asking for in-kind donations for our online auction. Instead, we dedicated a portion of the budget to purchase items to help support our local businesses.
With the help of sponsors and donors, we raised over $200,000 to support MPDC programs and help us continue fostering a vibrant and healthy Roxbury community. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this innovative and exciting evening, and thank you to everyone who helped us surpass our fundraising goal.
We'll see you next year!
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Haynes House achieves 100% occupancy |
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In November, MPDC reached substantial completion of the rehab of the Haynes House, and Winn Management moved in the final residents to achieve 100% qualified occupancy. Just five months ago, we were emerging from the COVID-19 construction moratorium in Boston and did not think this was possible. Project Manager Ben Baldwin and the great project team, including Dellbrook JKS, Davis Square Architects, Nat Hailey, and Judy Cohn, pulled together and achieved this remarkable accomplishment!
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From MACDC: New Report on Health-Related Work Among MA CDC's |
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Based on data collected from MACDC’s 2020 GOALs survey, MACDC published a report that details Massachusetts CDCs’ growing engagement in the health space and creates a foundation from which to further develop our field’s work – as individual CDCs and as the Community Development movement overall.
The 2020 GOALs survey, which requested data on programs and projects from calendar year 2019, contained a survey specific to CDCs’ health-related work, so that MACDC can understand the depth and breadth of CDCs’ deepening engagement in this area. The survey found that the majority of Massachusetts CDCs were engaged in some explicit health-related work in 2019, although the specific nature and scale of this work varied considerably by organization.
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A yummy recipe from
MPDC's Kids' Garden Club
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MPDC's Health Equity & Community Wellness team continues to work with kids to promote healthy food at their tables and ours. The Kids' Garden Club has been working all summer growing vegetables and herbs from home. Now, the kids are working on a cookbook featuring their healthy recipes. This month, Rilee cooked up her favorite vegetable, carrots with a bit of parsley and seasoning. The carrots and parsley were harvested from MPDC's Hope Community Garden. Check out her recipe:
Skillet Carrots & Herbs
2 carrots
1 cup of parsley
2 tsp. of olive oil
1 tsp. of basil
1/2 tsp. of garlic powder
Cut and mix carrots & parsley in a bowl.
Heat skillet.
Add oil to skillet on low flame.
Add carrots, parsley, basil, and seasoning.
Sautee until desired consistency.
Enjoy!
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Thanksgiving Love from MPDC |
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This year, MPDC's Thanksgiving meal distribution was certainly different, and we are grateful for the increase in volunteers who helped us to deliver Thanksgiving dinner supplies to more than 300 households. MPDC residents repeatedly stressed how grateful they are to have MPDC as a part of their family and how this Thanksgiving meant so much to them.
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The Delta Gems #DoItAtTheDewitt |
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The Dewitt Center is happy to welcome back the Delta Gems (virtually) for another year of impactful programming! The Boston Alumnae Chapter Delta GEMS program further empowers high school girls to prepare for college, build self-esteem, develop sisterhood communities among other young women, and more. The Delta Gems accomplish this through programming modules and community service activities that promote healthy discussion, hands-on activities, and meaningful community service projects throughout Boston.
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Congratulations, Wilbur Smart! |
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Wilbur brings over 18 years of professional experience working with high-risk youth development, community organizing, and mobilization. Wilbur previously worked at the Boston Public Health Commission, where he was appointed to the Emergency Response Team, a position in which his responsibility included organizing and mobilizing teams in response to emergencies and acts of violence and trauma. His skills and relevant experience have prepared him well for the new Community Support Manager position.
Please join us in congratulating Wilbur on his new role!
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MPDC Youth participate in
Workforce Academy Month
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MPDC's Youth Development Program capped off another exciting month of programming in November. Since October, over 35 youth have participated in Workforce Academy Month, a month dedicated to engaging youth in viable workforce skills paired with civics and enrichment. 100% of our youth completed resumes and 80% have composed LinkedIn pages!
Community Rowing hosted a three day socially distanced indoor rowing program at The Dewitt Center. Six youth participants learned the fundamentals of rowing on mobile ERG machines instructed by expert rowing coaches. Another program, in collaboration with Citizens For Juvenile Justice, focused on creating a bilingual PSA about COVID-19 with four of MPDC's Spanish speaking youth.
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Congratulations,
Madison's Train 2 Trade graduates!
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Madison’s Train 2 Trades (MT2T), MPDC’s first Construction Pre-Apprenticeship program, graduated nine adult learners in November. Students closed out their last day in the program with a carpentry & drywall instruction from Cross Country Painting and a conversation with Charlie Cofield, Business Representative of Carpenters Union Local 327.
Adult learners in MT2T are introduced to multiple trades through a series of hands-on workshops and job shadowing opportunities. In the first session, participants completed courses in OSHA-10, COVID-19 Safety, Construction Math, and Construction Plan Reading. MPDC awarded all graduates with a set of tools, a hardhat, and a $300 stipend for completing the program.
Congratulations to Randy Desir, Lacora Jones, Victoria Kazachenko, Terry Hart, Marvin Morale, Isaiah Cleckley, Maurice Hallet, Andraya Holmes, and Shaneling Coren-Garcia!
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Hibernian Hall celebrates BLACK LOVE |
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Hibernian Hall is delighted to continue our partnership with Castle of our Skins for their beautiful production of
Through multimedia, spoken word, movement, and music, Black Love explored themes of self-care, healing, and love featuring:
BLACK LOVE will be available on YouTube soon. Stay tuned!
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MPDC's Census & GOTV Team makes an impact in Roxbury |
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MPDC's 2020 Census and Get Out the Vote Team made 13,269 calls to Roxbury residents! MPDC started with Census outreach and then transitioned into calls for the primary and general elections. These efforts would not have been possible without Madison Park's resident leaders and the Youth Workforce Department high school participants' commitment and leadership. If we can accomplish this with the pandemic, what is possible when we can come together in person and knock on doors?! Cheers to an amazing and committed intergenerational group -- you are all amazing!
Special thanks to Pauline Sheridan, Lascene Hooker, T.D. Byrd Hughes, Bill Peterson, Ismael Diaz, Belencita Rosa, Valerie Shelley, Lisa Hall, Charmaine Shelley, Jeannette Varris, Joann Williams, Joyce Williams, Marisol Olivera, Rosa de la Rosa, Regina McClay, Regina Offutt, Desiree Franjul, Pamela Johnson, Peggy Holt, Lisa Morishanti, Angela Kelly, and MPDC's Youth Workforce participants & staff.
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MPDC is hiring a Geriatric Fitness Specialist to guide the Wellness Room for older adults at the Smith House, home to 132 households. A build-out and equipping of a room on the scenic twelfth floor of Smith House is almost complete. MPDC seeks a Geriatric Fitness Specialist to facilitate the space, provide instruction and training, and help residents with their fitness goals.
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Updates on PLAN: Nubian Square |
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The Madison-Whittier Coalition has been following the Nubian Square area's following developments as part of PLAN: Nubian Square. Most recent updates include:
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Blair Lot: This proposal includes a parking garage, artist housing and workspaces, a cultural hall, outdoor open space, Black Market, a culinary arts collaboration with CommonWealth Kitchen, and office or lab space. This presentation can be accessed here.
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The Nawn Factory: Two different proposals were submitted, and the presentation can be viewed here.
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The Wellness & History Center at the Owen Nawn Factory presented by Historic Boston, Inc. repurposes the property for historical interpretation, retail, cultural, educational, and commercial uses. The Wellness Collaborative, a Roxbury-based & focused non-profit health and wellness-focused non-profit, will serve the Roxbury community.
- Art @ The Nawn Factory was presented by Jonathon Smalls and would provide space for exercise classes, youth arts programs, and artist rental space.
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Crescent Parcel: The plot of land on the corner of Tremont Street and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Madison Park Village residents best know this space as the undeveloped area at Raynor Circle. This Request for Proposal now includes a focus on protecting tree canopy and respecting Roxbury residents' concerns. Initially, the RFP was going to allow for one 14-story building that tapers off. Madison-Whittier Coalition and other Roxbury residents voiced concerns about that design hiding Roxbury from Northeastern and acting as a literal divide.
Do you have ideas about how Warren Street or Malcolm X Boulevard can be improved?
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Hibernian Hall presents
Celebrate the King
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Kick-off the holiday season with Hibernian Hall's holiday musical production!
WHEN: December 10 - December 13
Various Times
TICKETS: $5 - 50
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