Posts Tagged ‘award’

Member News Roundup ~ July

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

[This post is part of the monthly CEDAM Member News Roundup series.  If you have news to share, send it our way or leave a message in the comments section at the bottom of this post.]

Bay County received the 2010 Digital Counties Survey national award from the Center for Digital Government.  The county was presented with the honor of a top 10 rating in the under-150,000 population category.  They were judged based on their cutting-edge technologies, collaborative projects with multiple jurisdictions, transparency and technologies deployed that improved life for government employees and citizens.

Michigan Neighborhood Partnership opened a new Neighborhood Service Center at Eastland Mall in Harper Woods on July 8th.  The new center is a one-stop location for housing assistance, including foreclosure prevention and intervention, and housing counselors to assist area residents.  In the future, the center plans to have academic tutoring and microenterprise development.

Durant Hotel

The Genesee County Land Bank, Flint city officials, and private investors are redeveloping Flint’s historic Durant Hotel into market-rate urban apartments and commercial spaces for rent.  The 1920s hotel has been empty for thirty-five years and is located on the north end of Flint’s central city.  The redevelopment will be completed on August 15th, though many of the stylish new lofts are already being rented out.

Detroit’s Southwest Solutions will be holding their 5th Annual “Solutions at Sunrise” fundraising breakfast on Wednesday, October 6 from 8am to 9am at the Detroit Masonic Temple.  The event raises funds to support Southwest Solutions’ work with formerly homeless veterans living in their Paquette Square project, young children learning in their family literacy program, and adults striving for better employment through their workforce development program.  The breakfast will feature testimonies and an address by the organization’s president, John Van Camp.

Housing Conference Wrapup & Resources 2010

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

MCOAH Poverty Simulation

CEDAM was excited again this year to be a substantial part of the planning team behind the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing. Now in its 12th year, the MCOAH routinely draws over 1500 people from across the state to Lansing to discuss issues and learn about best practices in affordable housing and community development. CEDAM staff was involved in creating some 25 sessions for the conference, with topics including asset building, homeownership, downtown development, dealing with challenging populations, and improving connections through advocacy, public relations, and technology. CEDAM also co-hosted its annual event again this year with CDAD, bringing 200 people together on the Tuesday night of the conference to celebrate the achievements of CEDAM’s members. Northern Initiatives of Marquette and the Allen Neighborhood Center of Lansing were honored for using innovative programming in their communities. These recognitions complemented the awarding earlier in the day of the CED Advocate of the Year Award to Gary Heidel. Congratulations also to Denny Sturtevant, CEDAM Board President, for his receipt of the prestigious Terry Duvernay Award.

Resources from the Conference

  • Handouts for most of the sessions can be found here on the MCOAH website.
  • One-Hour Websites tutorial site can be found here.
  • Some of the Asset Building presentations can be found here on the CEDAM site.

Awards from MCOAH 2010

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

Gary Heidel, 2010 CED Advocate of the Year

Each year outstanding individuals and organizations in Michigan’s affordable housing industry are recognized at the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing. This year, CEDAM would like to recognize the 2010 winners of CEDAM awards presented at the CEDAM membership celebration, and two winners of awards presented at the MCOAH awards luncheon.

The CEDAM Community Economic Development (CED) Advocate of the Year Award was presented to Gary Heidel, MSHDA’s Director of Program Policy and Market Research. The award is given annually to the organization or person who has done the most to advance the impact of community economic development in Michigan. During his tenure at MSHDA, Gary Heidel successfully advocated in the state legislature for Michigan’s Housing and Community Development Fund and a critical tax abatement for supportive housing properties. Through his work, Mr. Heidel has helped countless Michigan residents obtain high-quality, affordable homes.

Dennis West of Northern Initiatives, accepts CEDAM's 2010 Innovator of the Year Award from CEDAM Board Chair, Dennis Sturtevant.

The CEDAM Innovator of the Year Award went to two CEDAM member organizations this year, Northern Initiatives in Marquette and Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing. The award is presented to the organization(s) that has engaged in innovative new programming or has generally proven to be a leader in advancing new policies, strategies, or best practices in the industry.

Northern Initiatives was recognized for their award winning work with the Great Waters project, as well as their small business Enterprise Center. Through the Great Waters project, Northern Initiatives has spear-headed a very successful regional strategy to re-invigorate tourism along the Eastern Upper Peninsula coastlines.

Joan Nelson from the Allen Neighborhood Center accepts CEDAM's 2010 Innovator of the Year award.

Allen Neighborhood Center was recognized for the extensive work they have done to improve their community’s health, vitality, and connectedness.  ANC strives to connect its residents to healthy foods by increasing access and introducing people to organic food production.  A “Cool Cities” grant enabled ANC to build a Greenhouse in a local park, allowing residents to cultivate fresh produce year-round. ANC’s Allen Street Farmer’s Market takes place weekly and was the first in Michigan to accept the EBT card.

Senator Mark Jansen, LIM's 2010 Champion for Vibrant Communities

The Living in Michigan Coalition’s Champion for Vibrant Communities Award was given to Senator Mark C. Jansen at the MCOAH awards ceremony. Senator Jansen provided crucial legislative support for Michigan’s Housing and Community Development Fund. His support ranges from sponsoring the legislation to create the Fund to helping make the Fund’s donation check-off on the Michigan income tax return.

Dennis Sturtevant, 2010 Duvernay Award Winner

Finally, the prestigious MCOAH Duvernay Award was awarded to Dennis Sturtevant, the Executive Director of Dwelling Place in Grand Rapids and the current chair of CEDAM’s Board of Directors. The Duvernay Award is an annual leadership award commemorating former MSHDA Executive Director Terrence Duvernay’s lifelong commitment to affordable housing. Mr. Sturtevant’s remarkable career as an advocate for social change is marked by leadership in affordable housing organizations, oversight of twenty new Dwelling Place affordable housing projects, and the transformation of downtrodden areas into vibrant and diverse neighborhoods.

The Last Managing Neighborhood Change Competition

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

NACEDA’s Managing Neighborhood Change Initiative is now accepting submissions for the fourth and final Collaborative Competition: Ensuring Equitable Neighborhood Revitalization. The goal of this competition is to ensure equity through preserving affordability, preventing displacement, and building tenant resources.

To enter the competition, submit one of your organization’s projects that meets the goal of the competition, is at least in the demonstration stage, and shows some level of success. See a more detailed description of the rules or submit an entry (you will be prompted to register to submit an entry).

The deadline for this last part of the competition is April 9, 2010. The winning entry will receive $500.

Nominations Needed for Upcoming Awards

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

trophyCEDAM Members, consider nominating yourself or an organization you know for one of the following awards. Deadlines are soon – don’t delay. Good luck!

  • NACEDA Managing Neighborhood Change Collaborative Competition: “Building Markets” Award (due Sunday, Feb. 28)
  • CEDAM Innovator of the Year Award (due Friday, March 12)
  • NLIHC State and Local Organizing Award (due Friday, March 12)

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