NoteWorthy – 3/19/17

NoteWorthy is your weekly news roundup of happenings, movers and shakers, and community events in the Merrimack Valley.

Don’t forget to subscribe to be reminded when the news goes up each week!

AROUND THE VALLEY

Greater Lowell Community Foundation Awards Grantees

Several nonprofit grantees of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s Discretionary Grant Program have received funds critical to their missions this week, including the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, Lowell Housing Authority and the Zack’s Team Foundation.

Funds received will be used by these organizations to support, respectively, the MVFB’s Mobile Pantry Program, which is designed to help maintain the good health of homebound elderly and disabled Greater Lowell residents; Lowell Housing Authority’s Science on Wheels: Traveling STEM Workshops, which provide youth with structured, hands-on activities exploring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields; and by the Zack’s Team Foundation to build a sober house specifically designed for young men in early recovery.

Through its most recent Discretionary Grant Program, the Greater Lowell Community Foundation supported 17 nonprofit organizations with $131,500. Last year, the Community Foundation awarded $1.2 million to nonprofits and students in total grant distributions.

***

Element Care Holds “Khmer Women Leading the Way” Event

As part of Lowell Women’s Week celebrations, Element Care, in collaboration with the Lowell Community Health Center, sponsored “Khmer Women Leading the Way.” The event, the first of its kind, attracted an audience of 50 community leaders who gathered to hear about the journeys of successful Khmer women.

The event’s keynote speaker was Bora Chiemruom, executive director of the Commonwealth’s Asian American Commission, who was born in Cambodia and grew up in Lowell. Other speakers included Lada Lau, a career and co-op advisor at UMass Lowell, and Nicole Klays, a Mill City entrepreneur.

***

Tupelo Hosts Party At New Derry Venue

Tupelo Music Hall owner Scott Hayward held an invitation-only “sneak peek” party at his new Derry, New Hampshire location on Friday, with several hundred friends, family, long-time Tupelo supporters and media attending. The new venue has a capacity of nearly 700, almost triple the size of the original venue in Londonderry.

Upcoming performers include Blue Oyster Cult, Peter Frampton, Melissa Etheridge, Robben Ford and many others. Parking capacity at the new venue exceeds 200 spaces, and new bar and food services are expected to greatly enhance the experience for concert goers. The new venue will also be available for private events according to Hayward.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Donates Care Packages to Lowell’s Homeless

Just in time for Winter Storm Stella, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union’s Member Service Center and other employees donated 48 care packages to Living Waters, a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless in the Greater Lowell area. Each bag was filled with hand warmers, gloves, hats, water, snacks and other necessities, including toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant.

“It’s so nice to see individual departments come together to help those in need in our community,” said Mark S. Cochran, president and CEO of Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union. “As an organization, social responsibility is integral to our overall mission, and it really shows just how caring our employees are when they take initiative in this way.”

Living Waters provides meals, therapeutic recreation and other services to provide support to those struggling with homelessness or loneliness. The donated items allow the Jeanne D’Arc employees to extend their support to the mission, as well as the individual clients, of Living Waters.