As I settle back into Lowell, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the warm welcome I’ve received. It has been heartening to reconnect with familiar faces and meet so many new ones who have taken a moment out of their days to introduce themselves, share their stories, and make me feel right at home. I am truly honored to be back in a community that values connection, collaboration, and kindness.

During this week, I’ve been reminded of the incredible strength that comes from working together. Whether through small conversations or shared visions for the future, I believe that by joining forces, we can continue to create meaningful change. There is so much potential here, and I am eager to contribute my efforts to building an even more vibrant and thriving Lowell.

As I embark on this new chapter, I look forward to developing strong partnerships, working alongside each of you, and discovering the many ways we can uplift our community. Together, we are stronger. Together, we can achieve great things.

Thank you again for welcoming me with open arms. I am excited for what lies ahead and am committed to serving the Lowell community with all of my heart.

With kindness,

Gabby Davis, Executive Director 

Dear Community Members of Lowell,

As I step into my new role as Executive Director of DIY Lowell, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement to join this extraordinary community. There’s something truly magical about this city and its people. Lowell is not just a place; it’s a tapestry woven from innovation, resilience, and a vibrant spirit that shines through every corner.

I have spent over a decade in community development, and I am inspired by how Lowell embodies the belief that when we come together, we can create something truly special. I am here not just to lead, but to empower each of you—to listen to your dreams and to help turn those dreams into reality.

My mission resonates with the core values of DIY Lowell, aiming to spark ambitions and nurture success. Together, we can continue nurturing a vibrant Lowell where every voice matters, and every idea has the chance to grow. I believe in the strength of grassroots efforts and the power of local voices to ignite meaningful change.

Thank you for the warm welcome and for the incredible work you’ve already accomplished in our community. Your creativity and passion are what make Lowell unique. I am honored to be part of this journey with you, and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and work alongside you all.

Let’s keep supporting our Lowell community and work together to make a difference. I’m excited to see what we can do!

With kindness,
Gabby Davis

DIY Lowell is seeking art for pylon signs at the trailheads of the Centralville River Path! Artists of all types are encouraged to apply. The selected work will be printed on three panels that will be installed on a temporary sign and, eventually, a permanent sign. The panels will wrap around the sign as in the illustrations (the area colored orange is the area for the artwork).

Please reference the graphic below for the full call for art or download a PDF of the call for art here.

The 2023 Community Chill Night is DIY Lowell’s fifth annual chili and stew cook-off event! Experience music, games, community awards, and a DIY “Chilly” Dessert fun for everyone! Our goal is to build community in Lowell by bringing together young people and elders, downtown and neighborhoods, townies and newcomers. This annual fundraiser celebrates the projects and events that have activated our underused spaces, brought diverse populations together, and made Lowell better. Check out the Community Chill Night page to donate/RSVP, nominate an individual or group as Volunteer of the Year and for the Community Transformation Award, register a chili/stew contest entry, volunteer, and more!

The 2022 Community Chill Night is DIY Lowell’s fourth annual chili and stew cook-off event! After two COVID years off, we’re back with music, games, community awards, and a DIY “Chilly” Dessert! Our goal is to build community in Lowell by bringing together young people and elders, downtown and neighborhoods, townies and newcomers. This annual fundraiser celebrates the projects and events that have activated our underused spaces, brought diverse populations together, and made Lowell better. Check out the Community Chill Night page to donate/RSVP, nominate an individual or group as Volunteer of the Year and for the Community Transformation Award, register a chili/stew contest entry, volunteer, and more!

Get ready for the 2021 Community Idea Summit! RSVP via Facebook here, and if you aren’t ready for in-person, Register via Zoom here for the hybrid option.

We’ll kick off the top projects chosen with over 70 votes:

• Public Bathroom Feasibility
• Centralville Food Truck Fest

Along with a Wildcard Idea chosen at the summit and the Multilingual Poetry Trail, the result of DIY Kerouac!

We help people of all backgrounds and ages build community, learn civic skills, and create fun projects. This summer, we’re asking you to give us five! How do you do that? First, donate $5 (or any amount you’d like) by clicking on the button below. Then, give us a virtual high-five on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram by telling us why you donated with a short selfie video or a couple lines of text and the above graphic. Why is building community important during this time?

Finally, pass the high-five to a few friends by tagging them. Don’t forget to use #GiveUsFiveDIY and tag @diylowell and include the link to https://diylowell.org – Help us reach our $2,000 goal!

Or use the following form to set up a monthly, recurring donation via Paypal:

[dntplgn recurring_amt1=”5.00″ recurring_amt2=”10.00″ recurring_amt3=”25.00″ item_name=”Donation for DIY Lowell” paypal_email=”info@diylowell.org”]

DIY Lowell wants to wish everyone an amazing 2021! There are so many things we missed last year–being able to gather and plan in person, all our community festivals and events like Points of Light and Folk Festival, and being able to meet with friends at restaurants and pubs. However, one thing we didn’t miss was Lowell’s amazing support!

Thanks to the community, we:

• Transitioned to a new Program Director, Alexis Ploss
• Worked with the Ghost Signs Alive project team to finish their J.C. Ayer projection, now exhibiting until 9:00 pm every night
• Kickstarted the Helping Centralville Connect project in cooperation with many stakeholders and the Solomon Foundation (Survey still open for those who missed it in 2020!)
• Joined with Free Soil Arts Collective and Commonwealth Places to start the Visualize Lowell’s Black History project
• Had an amazing, fun Café Crawl, giving punchcards to dozens of people who each visited up to ten cafés and won gift cards and other prizes
• A lot of other behind-the-scenes work, including beginning coordination of re-starting the Young Ideas Project “the Space” and growing it to additional youth groups, “Quarantine Café” virtual community meetings, and more!

Want to help us out?

Check out the Ghost Signs Alive fundraiser on the Lowell Virtual Market – the team is selling limited edition soap inspired by Ayer’s Cherry Pectoral and hand-crafted by Red Antler Apothecary and five distinctive postcards designed by the team–from a single postcard for $1.50 for a $15 for an entire gift basket.

Consider joining the Advisory Committee (link pdf) by emailing info@diylowell.org with interest.

Sign up for our mailing list to stay informed of all our activities and opportunities.

Thank you!

Note: You may still donate, but the Great Lowell Re-Opening Café Crawl is over–stay tuned for the winners!

Want to support local business and DIY Lowell at once? Join us on the Great Lowell Re-Opening Café Crawl!

For a $20 donation, you’ll receive a Café Crawl Card and two special thank-you stickers in the mail. When you present your card to a participating café, they will check off their name on the card and give you a special (cafés and specials listed below), limit one special per card per café.

• Customers are limited to one special per café per card.
• Share a photo on Twitter or Instagram at each café you visit tagging @diylowell and #diylowellcafecrawl to be entered into a weekly raffle for gift cards from participating cafés and more pulled each Saturday in November.
• Email a photo of your card with as many punches you can get before Nov. 30, because each punch will count as a raffle entry for you in our FINAL RAFFLE on Dec. 1.
• If your card is filled up with punches from every café, you’re entered into the grand prize: naming a drink for a week at Brew’d Awakening!

What are you waiting for? Donate with major credit cards or with a Paypal account by clicking the button below (donation is made secure via Paypal’s system but you can use any payment method)–make sure to share your current mailing address in so we can mail you the stickers and card! You may also pay by check with the instructions here. Don’t forget to email your mailing address to us at info@diylowell.org if you send a check.

Participating Restaurants

	Brew’d Awakening	61 Market St., Lowell, MA 01852	$2 off a purchase of $5 or more
	Coffee and Cotton	250 Jackson St., 4th floor, Lowell, MA 01852	One free medium drip coffee (hot or iced) with any food purchase
	Gallery Z	167 Market St., Lowell, MA 01853	Coming soon!
	Little Delights Bakery	132 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA 01852	Free Cupcake with purchase
	Panela Restaurant	7 Hanover St., Lowell, MA 01850	Free hot Colombian chocolate, in-store or to-go, when you order any breakfast item
	Purple Carrot Bread Co.	107 Merrimack St., Lowell, MA 01852	Free medium coffee hot or iced with purchase of $3 or more
	Rosie’s Café	155 Middlesex St., #1B, Lowell, MA 01852	Medium coffee + muffin for $5.00 (save 50 cents)
	The Worthen House Café	141 Worthen St., Lowell, MA 01852	50% off one appetizer
	Wham’s Café	737 Lakeview Ave, Lowell, MA 01850	Free Kahawa Coffee or Soda Can with each order or $1.00 off a 16oz or 24oz Smoothie or Frappe

Special thanks to all participating restaurants and to the DIY Lowell Advisory Committee for organization and support.