DIY Lowell Blog

Program Director Emily Ferrara with Co-Founder Aurora Erickson at the 2019 Lowell Pride Festival

DIY Lowell Takes a Big Step Hiring its First Program Director

Do-it-Yourself Lowell (DIY Lowell) is pleased to announce that we have hired our first permanent staff member. We have previously helped community members create popular projects such as Points of Light Lantern Celebration, Midsummer Dream on Merrimack Street, and the Downtown Pop-Up History Trail. This June, we appointed Emily Ferrara as DIY Lowell program director.  Emily’s 20-year career in higher education and health care—as a grant-writer, project manager, patient advocate and teacher—will serve DIY Lowell well as we move into our next phase of growth and development.

Program Director Emily Ferrara with Co-Founder Aurora Erickson at the 2019 Lowell Pride Festival

New Program Director Emily Ferrara with Co-Founder Aurora Erickson doing community outreach activities at the 2019 Lowell Pride Festival

A poet and visual artist, Emily will bring the mind of a poet and heart of an artist to the job, facilitating creative leaps of thought in DIY Lowell’s process of generating and implementing community project ideas. She also brings her experience from being on the faculty at UMass Medical School in Worcester, where she has taught creative writing to medical students.

As program director of DIY Lowell, Emily will be immersed in the City of Lowell’s thriving arts and multicultural community and will lead initiatives such as the new Young Ideas Project funded by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. She will work closely with our co-founders and Advisory Committee to chart DIY Lowell’s course into the future.  Areas of focus will include program development and facilitation, fundraising, outreach, and strategic planning.

“DIY Lowell’s goal isn’t just to have great projects; it’s also to get Lowell’s diverse communities to mix and learn from one another. That’s why it’s our priority to enhance the diversity of DIY Lowell participants and leadership in age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, religion and socioeconomic background,” said Aurora Erickson, co-founder.

In her career at UMass Medical School, Emily served in volunteer leadership roles in Diversity and Inclusion efforts. She also served as co-chair for an LGBT inclusion community initiative in Worcester, MA, in collaboration with the Greater Worcester Community Foundation.

Emily Ferrara, Program Director

Emily Ferrara, Program Director

Emily is a recent graduate of the Empower leadership training program of the Coalition for a Better Acre and Lowell Alliance.  She is passionate about improving access to services and protecting civil rights for Lowell’s large refugee and immigrant populations, and she volunteers with several organizations devoted to that cause.

She holds a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Lesley University, and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Boston University.

Emily lives in the Appleton/Jackson/Middlesex neighborhood with her wife Lara Hoke and their pup Digory.

DIY Lowell Program Director & Street Job Opportunities

DIY Lowell has a few exciting job opportunities!

DIY Lowell is proud to announce we’re taking the next step into a new phase of our grassroots organization, and we’re looking for someone special to take that step with us! We’re seeking a Program Director, a 20 hour/week position ideal for anyone wishing to become immersed in the City of Lowell’s thriving arts and multicultural community. We need someone ready to work with diverse folks, including young people (ages 12-21).  We encourage people interested in community development, nonprofit administration, and/or all-ages civic engagement education to apply.

The DIY Lowell Program Director will assume leadership of DIY Lowell as its first paid staff member and will focus on program facilitation, fundraising, outreach, and strategic planning.

Please click here for the full job description and information on how to apply. Application period closes on May 15, 2019.

DIY Lowell Street Team

DIY Lowell is also looking for a few great folks for its Street Team. This is a 6 hour/week, $13 hour temporary/seasonal position from May 20 until July 28. As a Street Team member, you will work as a team. You will learn and create different marketing methods to ask the community to participate.

It’s a perfect position for a summer job for a high school junior or senior or older young adult who wants to get out in the community, develop marketing and community development skills, and grow a network. Bilingual candidates and candidates especially skilled in social media platforms are especially encouraged to apply.

Please click here for the full job description and information on how to apply. This application also closes on May 15.

To ask about either of these job opportunities, please email info@diylowell.org

Special thanks to…

Lowell Cultural Council for supporting this program in part by a grant. Lowell Cultural Council is a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Greater Lowell Community Foundation, providing a generous grant for our new Young Ideas Project, that will engage young people in planning a special project or event they vote on.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, DIY Lowell 2019 Star Sponsor

Waste Management and the City of Lowell Solid Waste and Recycling Office, DIY Lowell Recycling/Composting Partner

Chill Night is Just the Beginning!

Three weeks ago, we had the most amazing night that it’s taken us this long to recover! The 2019 Community Chill Night was a blast. We had over 80 people taste eleven chilis, learn about eight amazing community groups and individuals, participate in “Building Lowell” collaborative art, and finish the evening with ice cream and the Squires of Soul. Thank you so much to everyone who made this event possible, including chili cooks, volunteers, sponsors, and participants! Check out our photos here.

 

Chili Winners

Chili winners UTEC, Photo by Britt Boughner

Chili winners UTEC, Photo by Britt Boughner

We know you want to know who won if you haven’t heard already!

But every chili received plaudits, including the runners up…

…and last, but not least, Britt Boughner’s Christian Hill Chili Pods took home the amateur chili award Congratulations to all!

Photo by Jack Mitchell
Photo by Jack Mitchell

Community Awards

RISE Coalition receives their award, photo by Britt Boughner

RISE Coalition receives their award, photo by Britt Boughner

If you missed it, RISE Coalition was selected to receive the 2019 COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION AWARD for Welcoming Week Lowell! Among many events, including an outdoor film screening, the Welcoming Week planning committee and Enterprise Bank collaborated with youth engaged in organizations around the City to create panels of art to be displayed outside of the Merrimack St. Enterprise branch.

Artist Mary Hart won the 2019 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD for her dedication to DIY Lowell projects such as Downtown Winter Decoration and Midsummer Dream 2 Magical Festival. Mary embodies the DIY spirit even when not working on specific DIY events or projects – as she regularly and creatively promotes art and artists in the Lowell Area.

Thanks to our Sponsors

Community Chill Night, Photo by Britt Boughner

Community Chill Night, Photo by Britt Boughner

Star Sponsor Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
Super Sponsor Enterprise Bank

VIP Sponsors

  • D’Youville Health and Wellness Center
  • Felicia Sullivan
  • Gallagher & Cavanaugh
  • Greater Lowell Community Foundation
  • Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust
  • Lowell Plan

Thanks also to…

Lowell Cultural Council for supporting this program in part by a grant. Lowell Cultural Counil is a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Greater Lowell Community Foundation, providing a generous grant for our new Young Ideas Project, that will engage young people in planning a special project or event they vote on.

DIY Community Chill 2018 was a Great Success!

We want to thank everyone who made last month’s Community Chill Night a great event! If you couldn’t make the event, check out these great photos:


Each year, we give out three awards. The first, Volunteer of the Year, goes out to a DIY Lowell volunteer or volunteers who exhibited special excellence in leading or working in a DIY Lowell group. This year, we had two winners:

The second, Community Transformation Award, goes to a community group or nonprofit that went above and beyond transforming or activating an underutilized or overlooked public space, as chosen by the DIY Lowell Advisory Committee. Congratulations to the No Bully Zone for winning! See all the nominees here:


Finally, we selected two Best Chilis by popular vote, one from a professional and one from an ameteur! Our winners:

Thanks to all our sponsors and volunteers, who made the event shine! It’s still not too late to donate, just click here to donate by Paypal or check! Thanks to:

  • Paul Marion and Rosemary Noon
  • Greater Lowell Community Foundation
  • Studio 26 Architecture
  • Enterprise Bank
  • Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
  • Mr. & Ms. Joe Smith
  • Yun-Ju Choi
  • Made in Lowell
  • Coalition for a Better Acre
  • Lowell Film Collaborative
  • Lowell Bike Coalition
  • Points of Light Committee
  • Humanity Boutique
  • Brew’d Awakening
  • Sweet Lydia’s
  • St. Anne’s Episcopal Church
  • Christine Bruins, Tom Hood, Chuck Arnold, Mary Tauras, and many more!

What’s new with DIY Lowell?

There’s never been a better time to start connecting with DIY Lowell!

Community Chill Night

We’re having a Community Chill Night fundraiser this March 9! A special chili contest party with chili sampling, music, games, nonalchoholic drinks, community awards, and our famous “Chilly” DIY Sundae bar! We’ll have special activities such as lantern decorating for the Points of Light Lantern Celebration, photobooth, and learning about our 2018 projects. It’s the perfect way to break winter malaise for families, teens, seniors, and adults! Join the Facebook Event, register here, and join us for a special night.

Lowell Trash Machine

Canal in Lowell, MAThe Lowell Trash Machine is a community volunteer based project to design, construct, and operate an autonomous robot to remove floating trash from the historic canals. UMass Lowell students are designing and building the prototype, and the DIY Lowell team is running a naming contest, connecting with high schoolers to add creative elements to the utilitarian robot, and more. Learn more at their website!

Summer Dreaming Downtown Pixie Marketplace and Festival

Fairy in LowellThe Midsummer Dream event will be a summer day and night festival for kids and adults with a magical fairy theme, with a marketplace, costume contest, kids craft and storytime, and a special “traveling” production of Shakespeare’s classic “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” that will lead the audience through downtown, traveling from scene to scene. This event will be in honor of Lee Pho, owner of Little Delights and a force for magic and joy in Downtown Lowell, who we lost to cancer last year. DIY Lowell, Humanity Boutique, Pollard Memorial Library, and Studio 506 Theatre are partnering for the event, but we need community help! Our next planning session is Thursday, February 8. Join the Facebook event via the link!

Five Projects for 2017!

We want to send our sincere thanks to UTEC, Lowell Cultural Council, all our performers and speakers, the community experts, and especially the participants who made another great summit happen. If you missed it, don’t worry! Each of the project groups has chosen a meeting date, and it’s not too late to start helping them! Reply to this email if you’re interested–or just show up to their upcoming meetings–one of which is next Wednesday!

 

Trash MonsterCanal Trash-Eating Monster
A smaller-scale artistic barge that skims trash off the canals to be launched next year.
Meeting August 8, 6:30 pm, at Mill No. 5

 

Trash AwarenessTrash Awareness Project
An interactive, temporary art installation made out of trash pulled from canals.
Meeting next Wednesday, July 26, 7 pm, at Coffee & Cotton (Mill No. 5)

 

VoicesLowell Voices
A podcast filled with perspectives and stories from the Acre.
Meeting August 15, 12:30 pm, at Sizzling Kitchen

 

DiningRooftop Dining Activation
A special evening event on top of a garage or private roof next summer.
Meeting Thursday, August 24, at Coffee & Cotton (Time TBD)

 

Green RooftposWildcard: Rooftop Garden Installation
A pop-up demonstration of a green roof open to the public.
Meeting September 11, Location & Time TBD

 

Email info@diylowell.org if you’re able to pitch in on any of the above projects! We’re very excited to see them move forward!

Get ready for the 2017 Community Idea Summit

The votes are tallied and we’re excited to announce the winning four ideas to be discussed at our summit next Thursday, 7/20, 6:30 pm, at UTEC.

Canalways Trash-Eating Wheel – Research and Demo
Trash Awareness Project – Artistic Refuse Installation
Lowell Voices – Podcast Series
Rooftop Dining and Drinking – Special Evening Event

We’ll kick off the summit with opening musical and dance performances. Once everyone is energized, NPS Staff Christine Bruins and Resi Polixa will give insider information on their recent projects. Lowell historian and Lowell Walks coordinator Dick Howe Jr. will give an inspirational keynote. Then we’ll break into groups to discuss the winning projects and the wildcard.

Get inspired: Full program graphic

Want to get inspired? Join us next Thursday, 7/20, 6:30 pm, at UTEC (15 Warren St). Add it to your calendar:

iCalendar  •  Google Calendar  •  Outlook  •  Outlook Online  •  Yahoo! Calendar

…and please RSVP on Facebook and share with your friends!

Thanks for a great event!

Community Chill Night was an amazing success with an estimated 100 participants, ten chilis, six projects featured in a community video, Do-it-Yourself nametags, and a “Chilly” DIY Dessert: an Ice Cream Sundae Bar! The remarkable evening was capped by a special performance by Lowell’s one and only Party Band.


For our image gallery, click here!

 

Chhavy Sinuon won Volunteer of the Year for her dedicated work on the lovely Domestic Violence Survivor Gallery of Hope. The interactive galler showcased survivors’ stories and art interpretations of their journey. More than 150 visitors found art that they could read, touch, see, feel, and hear in the three days it was active. It started conversations and connected people to resources. Check out a Lowell Sun report here and a photo gallery here.
 
Decatur WayAcre Coming Together Improving our Neighborhood (ACTION) won the Community Transformation Award for Decatur Way, a five-year project of building partnerships and bringing together hundreds of people to transform a forgotten alley that hid crime into a vibrant pedestrian way filled with art and vibrancy. Artists, Poets, and Citizens are continuing to come together to create art that will spill from the walkway into the neighborhood. Check out a Sun story here.
 
Maxine FarkasThe shocking winner of the chili contest was a 3-way tie between 110 Grill Chelmsford, Maxine Farkas, and Dave Ouellette! An instant run-off was held by audience applause with Maxine just barely edging the others out for our coveted certificate.

 
 
 
 

We would like to thank the following groups and people:

Co-Sponsors

Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, for supporting in part our 2017 activities and providing a grant to the Onyx Room to give scholarships to nonprofits like DIY
 
Coalition for a Better AcreCoalition for a Better Acre, providing fiscal agent services and in-kind donations
 
Cultural Organization of Lowell, providing in-kind donations for Volunteer of the Year and Chili Contest winner prizes
 
Made in Lowell, providing in-kind donations
 
Onyx Room for hosting us and being great partners

Chili Participants

Cafe UTEC‘s Vegetarian Black Bean
Maxine Farkas’s Chili Verde with Pork
Lowell Film Collaborative‘s Vegan Film Lover’s Special
The Party Band‘s Temptation
110 Grill Chelmsford‘s Chili
Jennifer Myers’s Gobble Gobble Great Turkey Chili
Purple Carrot Bread Co. Spicy Black Bean and Jalapeño Chili
Dave Oullette’s Daveyo Chili
Chas’s “What’s in the Fridge”

Volunteers

Amrith Fernandes Prabhu
Christine Bruins
Russell Pandres
Henry Marte
Rithy
Carolyn delehanty
Chhavy and Vytha
Claudia DeFuria
Allyson
…and the DIY Lowell Steering Committee!

DIY Lowell Community Chill Night

Join us  Friday, March 3, 6:30 – 9:00 pm at the Onyx Room in Western Avenue Studios for “Community Chill Night,” a chili contest fundraiser and the kick-off for the 2017 DIY Lowell Season. Celebrate with community connections, music, and other fun surprises including a “Chilly” Do-it-Yourself dessert. Feel free to RSVP and spread the word on Facebook!

We will honor a DIY Lowell volunteer and an outside community group at the event:

Gallery of Hope PosterChhavy Sinuon won Volunteer of the Year for her dedicated work on the lovely Domestic Violence Survivor Gallery of Hope. The interactive galler showcased survivors’ stories and art interpretations of their journey. More than 150 visitors found art that they could read, touch, see, feel, and hear in the three days it was active. It started conversations and connected people to resources. Check out a Lowell Sun report here and a photo gallery here.

Decatur WayAcre Coming Together Improving our Neighborhood (ACTION) won the Community Transformation Award for Decatur Way, a five-year project of building partnerships and bringing together hundreds of people to transform a forgotten alley that hid crime into a vibrant pedestrian way filled with art and vibrancy. Artists, Poets, and Citizens are continuing to come together to create art that will spill from the walkway into the neighborhood. Check out a Sun story here.

Please join us in honoring Chhavy, ACTION, and our other DIY Lowell volunteers and community groups. $5 suggested donation, but we won’t turn anyone away who wants to meet cool people and learn about community. RSVP on Facebook or by emailing info@diylowell.org. Fun for the whole family!

Add the Community Chill Night to your calendar:
iCalendar  •  Google Calendar  •  Outlook  •  Outlook Online  •  Yahoo! Calendar

Community Chill Night Flyer