The 2018 North Central Massachusetts Health and Human Services Legislative Breakfast Presents…
RESILIENT VILLAGES AT SCALE: A NEW PATH FORWARD
Hosted by
The Joint Coalition On Health
In Partnership with North Central Massachusetts Minority Coalition,
Indigenous Peoples Network, Tenderness Gathering Place, 4-9-North,
Boston Medical Center and Vital Villages
Friday, April 13, 2018
Chocksett Inn, 59 Laurelwood Road, Sterling, MA
7:30 AM to 10:30 AM (Breakfast and check-in starts at 7:30)
Keynote Speakers: BRIGADIER GENERAL (RET) RHONDA CORNUM, PHD, MDRENÉE BOYNTON-JARRETT, MD, SCD
Rhonda Cornum is a former United States Army General Officer, a former Desert Storm Prisoner of War and the former Assistant Surgeon General for the U.S. Army. Additionally, as the first Director of the U.S. Army’s novel Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) initiative, she offers a unique perspective into Psychological and Physical Fitness at scale.
Renée Boynton-Jarrett is a practicing primary care pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, a social epidemiologist and the founding director of the Vital Village Community Engagement Network. Through the Vital Village Network, she is supporting the development of community-based strategies to promote child well-being in three Boston neighborhoods. The CSF strategy represented the model for universal implementation of physical and psychological health promotion within the Department of Defense and having affected 1.1 Million Soldiers, remains the single largest implementation of wellbeing and positive psychological skills in scope and scale globally.
Dr. Boynton-Jarrett’s work focuses on the role of early-life adversities as life course social determinants of health. She has a specific interest in the intersection of community violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect and neighborhood characteristics that influence these patterns. This event is free and open to the public, however, space is limited and advance registration is required.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT AT EVENTBRITE
or
Go To WWW.EVENTBRITE.COM and search for 2018 North Central Massachusetts Health and Human Services Legislative Breakfast
For questions or if you experience any difficulty registering, please contact Susan Buchholz at
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently granted a $20,000 micro-loan to Lauren and Zack Rohacik, owners of Steel Strength and Nutrition. Steel Strength and Nutrition is a retail supplement store located at 458 Park Avenue in Worcester. This business provides its customers affordable, high quality vitamins and minerals, herbal supplements, clean sports nutrition, meal replacements, and a limited selection of sports apparel and weight lifting equipment. Zachary and Lauren have spent their entire adult lives as fitness enthusiasts, and competitive power lifters as well as coaches and sponsors of youth organizations, church groups and gyms.
This loan will assist with the purchase of inventory, as well as marketing and other costs associated with starting the new business. The loan was a referral from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Clark University. SBDC also assisted Lauren and Zack with a business plan and financial package.
As a microloan lender, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation can provide loans to small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and can work with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project.
There is still time to register for The North Central Career Center’s job fair at the Arc of Opportunity – April 17, 2018, 4:30pm-6pm. Space is very limited in the facility, so please respond as soon as possible if interested in participating. This event is open to the public and we expect a good sized crowd of job seekers with a wide range of experience.
We hope you can join us for the April 17th job fair at the Arc of Opportunity in Fitchburg.
April 2, 2018 – Leominster Credit Union will hold a Shred-A-Thon at its headquarters located at 20 Adams Street, Leominster, MA on Saturday, May 5, 208 from 9:00AM – Noon.
Members and non-members can get rid of old, sensitive documents by shredding and recycling them at the Shred-A-Thon. All items will be shred on site by a secure shredding service, New England Security Shredders.
Members of the community can bring up to three legal size file boxes or three 13-gallon kitchen trash bags to be shred for free. However, we will be accepting donations to Habitat for Humanity during the event. The Shred-A-Thon helps raise awareness about recycling and of course the importance of shredding personal documents to protect against identity theft.
Important documents to bring to the Shred-A-Thon include bank statements, tax returns, medical bills, credit card statements and other personal documents.
For more information contact Joanne Lattanzi, AVP/Marketing 978-466-7240 or
Founded in 1954, Leominster Credit Union (LCU) is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial cooperative with a full range of deposit, lending and other financial services. Headquartered in Leominster, Massachusetts, LCU is proud to claim over 50,000 members and more than $675 million in assets. LCU has seven branch locations in Leominster, Worcester, Clinton, Holden, Sterling and North Leominster with ATM services at all branch locations. 24-hour online banking services are available at www.leominstercu.com and by telephone at 800-649-4646.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) recently granted a $5,000 Express Loan to Jennifer Morales, owner of Genesis Coaching and Consulting located in Acton.Genesis is a coaching and consulting private practice for educational, career, and wellness goals with a special focus on those living with a mental illness, their family member, and first generation college students. Dr. Jennifer Morazes has been coaching and mentoring students for 20 years and recently opened her own business which is located at 282 Central Street, Acton, MA. This loan will assist with the purchase with start-up costs associated with starting this new business. The loan was a referral from Commerce Bank. For more information visit www.genesistimetobegin.com.
As a microloan lender, the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) can provide loans to start up and emerging small businesses up to $150,000 for working capital, equipment, inventory, expansion and can work with our banking partners to provide gap financing for the final piece of a project. NCMDCs Express Loan program is a $5,000 microloan that offers a quick and easy turnaround for access to capital. Express Loan clients must have been in business for a minimum of one year.
The North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation (NCMDC) has been designated as a “SBA Community Advantage Lender,” according to an announcement made today by Robert H. Nelson, Massachusetts District Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration. New England SBA Regional Administrator Wendell Davis and SBA MA District Director Nelson co-presented the designation to NCMDC President Roy Nascimento at a special event in Fitchburg.
US Representatives Nikki Tsongas and James McGovern; Massachusetts Asst. Secretary of Business Development and Trade Nam Pham; Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale; and numerous other business and community leaders also participated in the special event.
Established in the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis, the Community Advantage Lender Program seeks to extend credit to small businesses in underserved communities. It accomplishes this by seeking out lenders with experience working with clients who fit this description and ensuring their loans. The SBA provides guarantees of 85% for loans up to $150,000 and 75% for loans above that and up to $250,000.
To qualify as participants, applicants to the program are required to fit at least one of four criteria. Among these are recognition by the US Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and certification as an SBA approved microlender. Beyond that, participants are required to direct 60% of their Community Advantage backed loans to “underserved markets”. These include neighborhoods identified by the census as boasting a median income at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), businesses who primarily employ individuals from low to moderate income (LMI) households or census tracts, new businesses established within the last two years, and businesses qualified to participate in the SBA’s Veterans Advantage Program.
Already a SBA certified microlender and federally recognized Community Development Financial Institution, the NCMDC provides gap financing and serves as a lender of last resort for small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Central Massachusetts. In doing so, it has lent out roughly $6 million since its inception in 1996, leveraged an additional $21 million in private funds, and created nearly a thousand jobs. During a recent review of its portfolio, roughly half of its existing loans were found to be located in low to moderate income census tracts. “We are very excited and honored to have been selected as an SBA approved Community Advantage Lender,” said Roy M. Nascimento, President & CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce and the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation. “This new partnership with the SBA will go a long way in helping to support local small businesses and the economic growth of the region.”
“The power of the Community Advantage Program is that it allows mission-based lenders like North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation — the ability to better meet the financing needs of the region’s small business that grow and thrive beyond traditional microfinance levels,” said Bob Nelson, SBA Massachusetts District Director. “This new status will allow NCMDC to leverage the guarantee of the Small Business Administration, which is typically 75% – 85% of the loan, up to $250,000 — to help more promising small businesses obtain the right amount of capital they need to start, grow and build vibrant business districts.”
Among those speaking at Thursdays event were the region’s two US representatives. Congratulating the NCMDC for their designation, Rep. Tsongas stated that “So much American innovation occurs within small businesses and the federal government must play a deliberate role in supporting small business growth.” She went on to point out that “Partnerships between federal agencies and local organizations like the North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation are how the federal government can be a strategic partner.”
Rep. McGovern likewise stated that “Keeping our economy strong starts with smart investments in local small businesses. North Central Massachusetts Development Corporation is playing a vital role in helping small businesses in our region get the support they need to succeed. Their work with small businesses in underserved communities is helping to break down barriers and open more doors for entrepreneurs from all backgrounds. I am proud to support NCMDC and look forward to seeing all the ways they help to expand opportunity and grow our economy for years to come.”
Under this program, loans made by the NCMDC can be used for working capital, leasehold improvements, machinery and equipment, furniture and fixtures and refinancing of business credit card debt. Eligible businesses include manufacturing, retail, wholesale and service businesses usually having five employees or less at the time of application and meeting the definition of small business. The interest rates are flexible, but generally close to the current fixed market rate.
Community Health Connections (CHC) welcomes Julia Shirk Williams, LMHC, as the organization’s newest Director of Behavioral Health Services. Ms. Williams was chosen for the position for her significant leadership, management, mentoring skills and extensive clinical background.
Before joining CHC’s staff, Ms. Williams was the Director of Outpatient Services – Community Services and Partial Hospitalization Programs at Lowell Treatment Center. There she was responsible for the clinical, managerial and financial oversight of its behavioral health practitioners, Case Management, Therapeutic Monitoring, In-Home Therapy, the Family Stabilization Team, and Community Support Services. Previously Ms. Williams worked for Eliot Community Human Services, The Children’s Room, The Gifford School, Acton Cooperative School, and the Parental Stress Line developing strategies, providing support and directly engaging clients of all ages in behavioral health treatment.
Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts and a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also is a Certified Paralegal/Legal Assistant and describes herself as a “curious, life-long learner”.
Community Health Connections is the federally-qualified health center serving the communities of North Central Massachusetts. It provides primary medical, dental, behavioral health, optometry and substance abuse treatment services, for all ages, and accessible to anyone regardless of income or insurance status. Sites include Fitchburg Community Health Center, Greater Gardner Community Health Center, and Leominster Community Health Center and ACTION Community Health Center. CHC also provides preventive dental services at more than 55 schools in the region through its Caring For Kids program. More information may be found on the website www.chcfhc.org or by calling 978-878-8100.
