Thursday, September 3, 2009

Empower Lewiston funds new DownStage at L/A Arts


Alyson Stone, Executive Director of Empower Lewiston, gives Andrew Harris, Executive Director of L/A Arts, their $5,000 community grant award in the new DownStage performance and workshop space located at 221 Lisbon Street, Lewiston. Although still a work in progress, the new DownStage space is ready for its first production, Medea by Out of the Box Theatre, opening Friday evening, August 28th at 7:30 pm. Renovations include theatre quality lighting and sound, new seating, and soundproofing for improved acoustics. DownStage will provide a venue for downtown residents, particularly youth and young adults, to participate in the creative and performing arts. DownStage will be utilized for L/A Arts’ Arts-in–Education programming, workshops and small community performances as well as four advanced enrichment or Master Classes be offered through the recent 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant. Plans for DownStage include week long intensive theater workshops, music appreciation and music therapy course offerings, open-mic events, family dance workshops, painting courses and more. With the new studio space, L/A Arts will be able to expand offerings to evenings and weekends and throughout the summer, making it more accessible to for wider community participation and audiences. Additionally, the space will enable them to generate revenues supporting the studio’s sustainability and its community arts mission and purpose. For more information on the DownStage at L/A Arts space and upcoming offerings, please call L/A Arts at 782-7228. Performances at the new space can be accessed in the rear of 21 Lisbon Street on Canal Street Alley and ample parking will be available at the Centre Ville Garage and the Camden National car park (after hours).

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Empower Lewiston Awards $181,580 in Community Grants

Empower Lewiston has been active with its latest round of community grants funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Enterprise Community program. Proposals addressed varied goals and objectives of the City of Lewiston’s Downtown Neighborhood Action Plan. Empower Lewiston’s Board of Directors had a large task in front of them at their most recent board meeting as they conducted the final review of twenty seven proposals totaling ranging from $4,000 to $25,000 and totaling more than $420,000. Proposals addressed community capacity building, youth development, neighborhood engagement, workforce development, education, health, art and housing, and in the final review, the thirteen successful proposals selected reflected the same variety and range as board members worked to deliver funding where it would have the widest and deepest impact. Entities receiving awards included: L/A Arts - $5000 towards the creation of a performance/workshop space and advanced enrichment programming; Lewiston-Auburn Neighborhood Network-$5,000 for community liaison for neighborhood after school programming; ArtVan- $5,400 for expanded children’s art programming at the Lewiston Public Library; Lewiston Public Library-$7,450 for YADA’s Teen Engagement Project; St. Mary’s Community Nutrition Programming--$10,000 for additional offerings at the Nutrition Center including multigenerational cooking classes, a teen catering program, and snack sessions for Head Start; City of Lewiston - $13,000 supporting development of a housing dvd for tenants and landlords; Maine People’s Resource Center/Visible Community- development of a Neighborhood Housing League to develop resident leadership addressing housing issues and proactive building and neighborhood stewardship; Trinity Jubilee Center--$17,500 toward the Meals Program and Food Pantry; Lewiston Adult Education--$18,100 towards upgrading community computer labs; New Beginnings--$21,190 to pilot expanded weekend programming at its drop-in center for youth; Downtown Education Collaborative--$23,940 to further educational success and bridging the digital divide programming through support of a VISTA, work study students, an educational technician and upgrades to increase functionality at their space; Outsource Works--$25,000 to support employee performance and to develop a peer coaching training curriculum and program. Awardees themselves are bringing $512,236 in additional funding and in-kind support to the projects and proposals.

As Empower Lewiston passes the baton to these entities and others, our Celebration Team is beginning its event planning for later this year and will be announcing the date shortly. If you or your organization would like to be a part of this celebration highlighting 10 years of new downtown Enterprise Community happenings, of which the above is only a small portion, please contact Empower Lewiston at 777-5144.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent Refund for 2008 Now Available!

Maine Residents Property Tax and Rent "Circuit Breaker" Refund
Summary of the Program Beginning August 1, 2009 for Refunds of Property Tax Assessed and Rent Paid During 2008. (Note: The program to apply for refunds of property tax assessed and/or rent paid during 2009 begins August 1, 2010.)
Nearly 200,000 Maine households qualify for a partial refund of property tax assessed and/or rent they paid in 2008. The maximum refund available is $1,600.

You may qualify for a refund if:

You do not have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $61,400 or less; or
You do have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $81,850 or less
AND
Your 2008 property tax was more than 4% of your 2008 household income; or
The rent you paid in 2008 was more than 20% of your 2008 household income.
NOTE: Seniors do not need to meet this requirement when their household income is below $13,900 for those living alone or below $17,200 for those living with a spouse or dependent. See the application booklet for more information on who qualifies for the senior portion of the program.


File online now at www.maine.gov/revenue
Applications must be filed by
June 1, 2010

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Empower Lewiston Announces a Call for Proposals!

You can download and print a copy of the RFP by clicking on the link below:

Empower Lewiston is the non-profit organization established in 1999 when the two downtown census tracts, census tracts 201 & 204, received the federal designation of a USDA Round II Enterprise Community due to the high rates of poverty and the need for economic development. As of December 24, 2008, our federal designation officially ends with an additional year to utilize our remaining USDA funding for the benefit of our Enterprise Community.
In our ten years, we have supported the creation of public spaces such as the B Street Community Center, the Marsden Hartley Cultural Center, Museum L/A, and the Kennedy Park Skate Park; the development of entities such as Outsource Works, a budding social enterprise dedicated to providing a flexible alternative work setting for downtown residents, and Lots to Gardens, now a successful community gardening, neighborhood beautification and youth leadership program; and partnerships dedicated to advancing the personal goals of individuals through the teamwork of the L-A CA$H Coalition, Casey’s Rural Family Economic Success Initiative, College for ME-Androscoggin, Coastal Enterprises IDA Home Ownership Program and the Downtown Education Collaborative.
We recently completed the Downtown Neighborhood Action Plan with other members of the City’s Downtown Neighborhood Task Force. This plan which incorporates many elements of Empower Lewiston’s Strategic Plan is now before City Councilors. Proposals that address the goals and objectives of “The Third Place”, the Downtown Neighborhood Action Plan will be given priority. The plan can be accessed at http://www.ci.lewiston.me.us/development/dntf/dntf-files/DNTF-ActionPlan02-2009.pdf

We will give priority to proposals that:
· Build and strengthen community capacity.
· Promote community resident participation and engagement.
· Foster collaboration among different community agencies, businesses, neighborhood groups and/or City government.
· Reflect a comprehensive approach to community concerns.
· Leverage other funding and resources.
· Demonstrate a well-planned long-term sustainability plan.
· Can serve as models for a wider audience of community entities.

Grant Guidelines
Following is Empower Lewiston’s grant making program, eligibility criteria, and the procedures to follow in submitting your proposal. Please review these guidelines and the application process carefully and submit your proposal in the requested format.

Proposals MUST be for the benefit of downtown Lewiston and its residents.

Applicant Eligibility: Applicants must be a non-profit corporation with proof of 501(c)(3) or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

Ineligible Uses: Capital building projects, lobbying or religious purposes. As Empower Lewiston grants are made available through the USDA Federal EZ/EC program, Empower Lewiston funding may not be used as a match for other federal funding.

Grant Awards: $25,000 or under for new proposals. $15,000 or under for successful applicants of earlier round for the same project/proposal. For maximum community benefit, please request funding amount at level truly needed for proposal rather than simply request what’s the maximum available. Budget justification will be carefully reviewed.

Proposal Copies & Deadline: Please submit 15 COPIES with paper or binder clips for ease of copying. NO STAPLES. Please add proposal title and page number on headers and/or footers. All grant proposals must be received by 5 PM at Empower Lewiston, 57 Birch St. , Lewiston, ME 04240 by July 1, 2009. NO EXCEPTIONS. Any questions, please call us at 777-5144. Awards will be announced by July 24, 2009.

Reporting: Successful applicants will be required to submit quarterly reports.

SPECIAL NOTE: All Empower Lewiston awarded funding will need to be expended by December 31, 2009.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Empower Lewiston to hand the reins over to community partners

After 10 years of working with residents, business and other community members, Empower Lewiston has announced their intention to officially complete their work and hand the reigns over to other community organizations. As a USDA Round II Enterprise Community, the Empower Lewiston Enterprise Community designation officially ended December 24, 2008. Empower Lewiston is dedicated to administering its current USDA funding and any other funds that may be received before the end of the calendar year, which is also the end of the USDA Round II Enterprise Community’s grant period.

“Many aspects of the original Community Strategic Plan have been accomplished and in many respects, the torch has already been passed to other community organizations and neighborhood groups it has fostered or with whom Empower Lewiston has partnered or collaborated,” says Empower Lewiston’s Executive Director, Alyson Stone. “More recently, we have concluded two years of active participation on the City of Lewiston’s Downtown Neighborhood Task Force resulting in an Action Plan that is now before our City Councilors.”

Empower Lewiston is the 501c3 non-profit established in 1999 to administer USDA funding and oversee the Community Strategic plan for the Lewiston Enterprise Community (Census Tracts 201 and 204), which received its official federal EZ/EC designation in 1998.

Alyson Stone says before wrapping up their work they have a busy few months ahead of them. “We look forward to the active months ahead and celebration of all this small downtown community has been able to accomplish in 10 years with its resources and partners. “

In the coming days Empower Lewiston plans to announce they will again be soliciting grant proposals from non profits and their partners interested in creating positive change in the downtown area. More details will be forthcoming.

Since its inception, Empower Lewiston has been dedicated to:
Creating public spaces such as the B Street Community Center, the Marsden Hartley Cultural Center, Museum L/A, and the Kennedy Park Skate Park.


Supporting the development of entities such as Outsource Works, a budding social enterprise dedicated to providing a flexible alternative work setting for downtown residents, and Lots to Gardens, now a successful community gardening, neighborhood beautification and youth leadership program.
Advancing the personal goals of individuals through the teamwork of the L-A Tax Credit CA$H Coalition, Casey’s Rural Family Economic Success Initiative, College for ME-Androscoggin, Coastal Enterprises IDA Home Ownership Program.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Neighborly News!

The Spring edition is now out and can be found around town. If you would like to recieve our quarterly newsletter, please email us with your name and mailing address at hillary@empowerlewiston.org.

If you have any tips of interesting resources or stories that we should include in our next newsletter... let us know! This is your newsletter!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign

Maine 2009 Speaking Tour - April 2 - 8

Cheri Honkala

National Coordinator

Join us in Lewiston!
Tuesday, April 7th

12:00 noon: Lewiston Public Library
Callahan Hall

Bring your own lunch and join in on a discussion with Cheri.


What Are Economic Human Rights?

Economic Human Rights include the RIGHT to:
ü Quality health care,
ü A job or income, living wages, equal pay, and
the ability to join a union
ü Affordable housing,
ü Adequate and nutritional food
ü Free education, and
ü A decent standard of living.

Just as we have a right: ~ to free speech,
~ to practice our religion,
~ to trial by jury, and
~ to other political rights…

The right to participate actively in our economy and
to have our basic needs met ought to be a right as well.
It is what people in most European and other industrialized countries already have.
FMI: http://www.economichumanrights.org

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Lewiston Residents to benefit from Empower Lewiston Grants

In keeping with Empower Lewiston’s priorities to address transportation accessibility in downtown Lewiston and the delivery and accessibility of nutritional food programs and neighborhood education, Empower Lewiston is awarding three, $10,000 grants to area non profits.

Alyson Stone, Empower Lewiston Executive Director, says the quality of applicants reflects well upon the groups working to better the lives of the residents in downtown Lewiston. “We received applications that exemplified the dedication of neighborhood groups and non-profit agencies to build capacity among residents and for the downtown.”

Community Concepts was awarded two separate grants to benefit two distinct programs. The first of which helps to address transportation issues between downtown Lewiston and the Good Shepherd Food Bank.

Many residents from downtown Lewiston utilize the services of Auburn’s Good Shepherd Food Bank, but lack the transportation to get there (14 mile round trip). With the help of Empower Lewiston’s grant, Community Concepts will utilize an agency van to bring residents from Lewiston to the food bank.

Jim Wilkins, Director of Advancement at Community Concepts believes they will now be able to meet a critical need. “41 percent of the residents that live in Empower Lewiston’s Enterprise Community live in poverty and lack adequate transportation. Public transportation does not go to Good Shepherd Food Bank. A cab company quoted $20 for roundtrip from downtown Lewiston to the food bank and back. This is not an expense a struggling family can take on.”

Community Concepts expects to be able to help up to 16 people per week for 50 weeks.
Rides will be offered two days per week, twice a day, with scheduled pick up times and locations. Schedules will be flexible enough to allow people to obtain food and return immediately, or to both volunteer and obtain their food and return at a latter time. Community Concepts is in the process of setting up the van schedule, more information will be available at www.community-concepts.org

The second grant awarded to Community Concepts will aid in their efforts to support Family Friend and Neighbor (FFN) childcare providers who work with the Somali population in Lewiston. A Community Concepts point person will work with FFN providers to address key issues within the Somali population in Lewiston; nutrition, literacy, access to diapers and assistance with taxes. "We are looking forward to working with the FFN providers to address their stated needs. It is our deepest hope that we can create a sustainable system that FFN providers can use for years to come," says Wilkins

The point person will identify local resources to meet the needs of the FFN providers and the families they serve. Community Concepts believes most of the identified needs can be met by utilizing existing community resources and establishing an intermediary link to help bring the resources to those who will most benefit from them. Within six months, this project will be fully sustainable.

The St. Mary’s Nutrition Center of Maine was awarded a grant to support the development and delivery of their Community Nutrition Programs. These regular nutrition and cooking programs help eager participants learn how to cook for themselves and create a community-centered approach to preparing and enjoying healthy foods.
Kirsten Walter, Director of the Nutrition Center says the grant will help them work toward their mission of a holistic approach to serving the community. “St. Mary's believes that innovative, comprehensive and preventative approaches must be used to address the issues of hunger and poor health in our community. The grant from Empower Lewiston provides essential support for program staff and supplies so that the Nutrition Center can offer a wider variety of educational programs that, in turn, will foster a community where the healthy choice becomes the easier choice.”
The Nutrition Center, located in downtown Lewiston across from Kennedy Park, will offer multi-week healthy eating programs, healthy snack sessions for children in Head Start, demonstrations and intergenerational cooking classes for youth and adults. These education programs will support participants in gaining the confidence and skills needed to prepare nutritious meals and make healthier food choices.

Alyson Stone of Empower Lewiston says they are proud to be able to support the work of the grantees. “The groups represented are continuing the work of Empower Lewiston to support the community vision of a rich, strong, vibrant and diverse downtown by working in partnership and bringing collaborative support and solutions to make that happen.”
Empower Lewiston is working with other applicants to pursue the possibility of refining and further developing proposal ideas that would enrich downtown. For more information call 777-5144

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

GET YOUR TAXES DONE FOR FREE!


“SUPER REFUND SATURDAY”
February 7, 2009
9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Multi-Purpose Center
(145 Birch Street, Lewiston)

“FREE E--FILE TAX PREPARATION”
(No Loans, Fees, Charges – 100% Free)

Apply for the Earned Income Tax Credit

Asset-Building Coaches

Available to Answer Questions

(Budgeting, Credit Card Debt, Opening Checking/Savings Account,

Post-secondary Education Costs, Home Ownership, etc.)

Call 513-3160 for An Appointment

(Walk-Ins Welcome as Time Allows)

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

GRAND OPENING: Lewiston Root Cellar

The Lewiston Root Cellar is pleased to announce our Grand Opening on Saturday, February 14th from noon to 3:00PM. Come join in the excitement! The Root Cellar is located at 89 Birch Street; right in the heart of the poorest square mile in the state. It is a Christian organization committed to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors. There are several programs that we are ready to operate immediately upon opening; as well as numerous others that we are in the process of developing. We will immediately offer a safe place for teenagers in the neighborhood to get together on Friday and Saturday nights; as well as an after school program for children to go 5 days a week for help with their homework. The Root Cellar has several goals in downtown Lewiston. One is to give hope to those who have lost theirs. Another is to help all residents from those native to Lewiston to the immigrant and refugee population develop life skills that they may not all ready have. And we also desire to help in the effort to make the neighborhood a safer place for everyone. Again we wish to invite everyone in the L/A community to our Grand Opening Event on Saturday, February 14th from noon to 3:00PM. If you would like to contact The Root Cellar please call 782-3659 or you can visit us at www.therootcellar.org online.