earth day
earth day

Celebrate Earth Day Today and Everyday

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April 22nd is Earth Day! Below is a list of all sorts of things you can do to make a difference on the planet, in your own lives, and for your loved ones.

Eat local
–  Commercially grown produce travels far distances equaling lots of fuel burned and fewer nutrients for you.
–  Grow your own produce when possible.
–  Shop local farmers markets. Lowell’s will open this summer at the Lucy Larcom Park.  See this listing of those in surrounding towns.

Go organic
–  Non organic produce is grown using pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, ect. Organic animals do not take antibiotics or growth hormones.
–  Remember: non organic produce is always better than no produce! Check out this list of organic foods to try.

Be a chef
–  When you cook your own meals and eat at home you are reducing consumption of packaging and plastic cutlery. Try a new recipe.

Try to eat less meat
–  Eating more plant based food is good for the environment, healthy for you and cheaper!
–  Start by going meatless on Mondays.

Re-useable water bottles
–  Oil is required to make bottled water and we barely recycle them leading to clogging of landfills.
–  Carry a reusable bottle and refill it.

Enjoy nature
–  Pass up the drive thru and plan a picnic, turn off the TV and go for a family hike, skip the coffee date and go for walk together.

Rebecca Foulkes, BS, CLC
Program Nutritionist
Lowell WIC Program
Community Teamwork
rfoulkes@comteam.org
978-654-4931

cti logo
cti logo

Join Us to Celebrate Bridges to Independence

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Jcti th logo photo taglineoin us as we pay tribute to our 2014 Bridge Builders at Community Teamwork’s “Celebrating Bridges to Independence” event on May 15th, 6:00pm-8:30pm at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.

Our Bridges to Independence event honors exceptional community leaders for the work they do to build bridges in our community. We applaud their dedication to use their influence and expertise to build bridges that ensure every member of our community can have access to essential educational, nutritional, financial, housing and community supports. Their work spans the gap between individuals struggling with the challenges of daily life and an inspirational community of people working together so that all can prosper.

So please join us for a wonderful event that features a buffet with carving stations, desserts, cash bar and a heartfelt awards ceremony.

For additional information or to sponsor the event please contact Charlene Urbanek, (978) 459-0551 or  curbanek@commteam.org.

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Liliana
Liliana

Kualapai Takes Helm of MV Small Business Center

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LilianaCommunity Teamwork is very pleased to announce the appointment of Liliana Kualapai as Director of the Merrimack Valley Small Business Center. Kuaplapai is a longtime entrepreneur, with a passion for small business.  She has a performing arts background with over 25 years of experience in the arts as a performer, educator and business owner.

Kualapai opened her first business, The Bennet Dance Center (BDC), outside of Lincoln, Nebraska in 1994, providing dance instruction in rural Nebraska towns to children and adults, including children with special needs. She later relocated to Massachusett, where she earned her B.A. from Brandeis University and continued her work in the arts as a theater and dance educator.

In 2006, Kualapai re-established herself as a small business owner and opened Downtown Dancewear in downtown Lowell, filling a need as a retailer within the Merrimack Valley dance community by offering dance apparel, shoes, and supplies at prices the local economy could support.  As a downtown business owner, she worked to strengthen business relations, establishing connections with fellow business owners and reaching out to organizations dedicated to supporting the small business community, one of which was the Merrimack Valley Small Business Center (MVSBC).

From Downtown Dancewear’s inception, Kualapai worked closely with the team at MVSBC to formulate business strategies, increase sales, and improve retail practices.  To further her business education, she also enrolled in the InterWise StreetWise ‘MBA’ program, earning her Certificate in Small Business Entrepreneurship from Boston University’s Entrepreneurial Management Institute.

Downtown Dancewear closed in March of 2014 as Kualapai pursued a professional career in small business assistance and accepted the position of Director of the MVSBC.  Her experience as a business owner is an asset that the center is looking forward to utilizing as the program continues to grow and support entrepreneurs throughout the Merrimack Valley.

For more information about Kualapai and Community Teamwork’s MV Small Business Center click here: Sun Article on Kualapai.

Free Citywide Family Resource Fair
Free Citywide Family Resource Fair

Free Citywide Family Resource Fair

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Free Lowell Citywide Family Resource Fair for families with young children. Come learn about spring and summer learning and recreational opportunities for your children. Experience dance, martial arts, arts and crafts, and brain building activities.

April 9 6:00PM – 8:00PM — at E N Rogers School.

 
 
Summer Zhou
Summer Zhou

UMass Grad Student Helps VITA Clients File Taxes

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Summer Zhou tcmSummer Zhou is one of the rare people who looks forward to tax season. A graduate student in the Manning School of Business, Zhou is participating in the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program for the second year in a row. From January to mid-April, she spends Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings at Community Teamwork in downtown Lowell, greeting clients, answering questions and preparing income taxes. The service is offered free of charge to residents who meet specific income requirements.

 “I love volunteering,” says Zhou, who will receive her master’s degree in accounting in May. “I’m helping people and getting experience in my field.

“Zhou is in her second year as a volunteer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program at Community Teamwork,” explains VITA Program Coordinator Gail Fortes. “She has been an great asset to the program due to her knowledge, flexibility and her warm personality.”

 Zhou signed up for the VITA program last year after hearing about it through the student Accounting Society. A national program, nearly 92,000 volunteers participated in VITA last year, preparing more than 3.3 million returns, according to the IRS.  Zhou estimates she filed about 20 returns during last tax season.

 A native of Beijing, Zhou says the VITA program gives her the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. tax system while applying what she’s mastered in her courses and through an accounting internship last summer with Parexel International Corp., a biopharmaceutical firm in Billerica.

 “It’s great to use what I have learned,” she says.

 Zhou and other volunteers are required to complete training before they start working on taxes. Many of the other volunteers are experienced professionals and Zhou says she has learned a lot from them. In her volunteer role, Zhou also reviews returns prepared by others and troubleshoots issues for clients, many of whom are not native English speakers.

 “There is a lot of problem-solving involved,” she says.

 To learn more about this program, contact Gail Fortes at gfortes@comteam.org.

 Note: This article is excerpted from the online digital newletter courtesy of UMass Lowell University Relations.