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 sup
porting 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
We know you want to know who won if you haven’t heard already!
- Warp and Weft’s 3rd Place Caveman Chili
- D’Youville Life & Wellness Community’s 2nd Place Veggie Chili, and
- Cafe UTEC’s champion Madd Love Chili!
But every chili received plaudits, including the runners up…
- City of Lowell Economic Development Office – Chicken and chorizo chili
- Suzzanne Cromwell – Veggie Happiness
- Purple Carrot Bread Co. – Black bean and quinoa vegan chili
- Tavern In The Square Lowell – Firehouse Chili
- Joy Robinson – Joy’s Spicy Chili
- Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association (LDNA) – Bourbon County Stout Chili
- Spicy Delight chili sponsored by Little Delights
…and last, but not least, Britt Boughner’s Christian Hill Chili Pods took home the amateur chili award Congratulations to all!
Community Awards
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
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.
2019 Community Chill Night
The 2019 Community Chill Night is DIY Lowell’s third annual chili cook-off event! This annual fundraiser brings together the community to celebrate the projects and events that have activated our underused spaces, brought diverse populations together, and made Lowell better.
The event is Friday, March 1, 6:30 – 9:00 pm at St. Anne’s Church Edson Hall (8 Kirk Street).
Chili Contest
11 chilis and spicy stews are competing, and YOU get to decide who wins!
- Maria Dickinson’s Chicken and chorizo chili
- Suzz Cromwell’s Veggie Happiness
- Lowell Alliance‘s Vegan Chili (GF)
- Purple Carrot‘s Black bean and quinoa vegan chili
- Tavern in the Square‘s Firehouse Chili
- Warp and Weft‘s Caveman Chili
- Cafe UTEC‘s The Madd Love Chili
- Britt Boughner’s Christian Hill Chili Pods
- Joy Robinson’s Joy’s Spicy Chili
- Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Associations‘s Bourbon County Stout Chili
- D’Youville Life & Wellness‘s D’Youville Veggie Chili
Building Lowell
Participate in a collaborative art activity for both young and old, and decorate and color paper cut-outs of Lowell landmarks. These will be glued to a board overlapping one another, creating a fantastic Lowell skyline to be displayed at community events.
Community Transformation Award
The Lowell Coalition for Refugee and Immigrant Support and Engagement (RISE) will receive the annual Community Transformation Award to honor the creation of Welcoming Week Lowell. The Community Transformation Award is given to a group or individual that re-imagined or improved public space. Welcoming Week included artwork hung on the Merrimack Street Enterprise Bank fence, a Flag Parade, a South Common potluck picnic, an Immigrant History Walk, and several other events. RISE was nominated because the Welcoming Week event series is all about promoting inclusivity and integration among long standing community members and newer immigrant groups for a strong, vibrant, equitable and sustainable community.
We will present the award at 7:30 pm, along with a presentation about the runners-up, who have all made our public spaces more vibrant and inclusive:
- The Kindred Project
- Lowell CanalWater Cleaners
- Humanity Boutique
- Mary Hart
- MJ Bujold
- Made in Lowell
- BRM Productions
Musical Performance
We’re proud to announce the Squires of Soul will be sharing their home-grown soul and funk music with us, starting around 8:00 pm!
Other Stuff
Finally, we’ll have a lot of other fun things throughout the evening:
- Activities for all ages
- Silent Auction for arts, crafts, and services with Community Themes!
- DIY Lowell Idea Submission
- Volunteer of the Year Award
- Our famous Do-it-Yourself Sundae bar
Thank You!
Thanks so much to our sponsors:
2019 Star ($500+)
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
Super Sponsor ($200+)
- Enterprise Bank
VIP ($100+)
- D’Youville Life and Wellness Foundation
- Gallagher & Cavanaugh
- Lowell Plan
We Need Your Help!
We need your help in the following ways. Nominations and chili entries due February 15!
Award Nominations * Chili Entries * Sponsors * Volunteers
Nominate a Community Member or Group
We need nominations for people and groups you think have made a difference in making Lowell’s public spaces more vibrant, exciting, kid-friendly, colorful, walkable, or better! All nominees will get a mention in our award ceremony, and winners will get a $20 giftcard for individual and 10 volunteer hours for a group!
Submit a Chili or Stew Entry
This year, we’re hoping for a mix of cultural and ethnic stews with American chilis – anything tasty can compete! We are looking for all kinds: traditional and totally off the wall, meat or vegetable based—you name it. No cost to enter; categories for restaurants and individuals.
Get a VIP Table or Become a Sponsor
We have special sponsorship packages for $100, $200, and $500. Special perks for being a sponsor include VIP treatment for your organization, a banner at the event, and promotion on social media and on our mailing list.
Even if you aren’t from an organization, a donation would be a big help! After a year of Strategic Planning with our Advisory Committee, we’re kicking off a new era of DIY Lowell and raising funds to hire our first-ever part time Program Director. Donations big and small will help us reach our goal.
Click here to view our Sponsor Deck and email info@diylowell.org with expressions of interest.
Volunteer to Help Out
We need help setting up activities, counting chili ballots, scooping ice cream, and more! Please consider helping us out on March 1. Click on the button for a form with all volunteer opportunities.