Check out this month's email newsletter!
CANDO July Email Newsletter
Packed with all of the info you need for Summer in Central!
New staff, new opportunities! Meet Victoria and Sam!
CANDO Staff photo by Fernando Nuñez
We asked our two new staff people a few questions to help introduce them to the neighborhood...
Sam
What is your role at CANDO?
I’m the new Community Organizer. I’m working a lot right now with our Board Chair, Alex Griffin, on the Housing Task Force. We’re holding a Rent Affordability Forum on July 18th to hear from the community what direction we should take to help keep rent affordable in Central. And we’ll working on reviving previous programs and creating new programs for homeowners as well.
Why did you want to work at CANDO?
Most recently, I had an office job while also doing community organizing work in my spare time. I’ve done community organizing work for a long time, in the fight against police brutality, as a union organizer and a student organizer and I was drawn to CANDO’s work because it seemed innovative and really focused on community involvement.
What are you looking forward to?
I see us re-emerging as a more visible presence in the neighborhood. I think that part of hiring for these two new positions was the CANDO Board guiding us to hold more events and to connect more strongly with individuals in the neighborhood. With our new capacity we’ll be able to tackle real issues that people are facing that aren’t being addressed in other ways.
Victoria
What is your role at CANDO?
I’m CANDO’s Administrator. I take care of all of the “business” details from accounting, payroll and human resources to monitoring our contracts with the City of Minneapolis. The idea is that if that work is with one person, it will allow our organizing team to focus on outreach and engagement. So far I’ve been setting up a new payroll service and bank account, assisting with an audit, and taking over accounting from the contracted accountant.
Why did you want to work at CANDO?
First and foremost, I’ve been a Central resident for 17 years. I love and am deeply invested in my neighborhood. I’m also the Executive Director of the Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center (CAFAC) which is a community-based arts organization just a few doors down from CANDO’s office. I’m one of the founding members of CAFAC and up until a couple of years ago, I volunteered my time with that organization while working full-time as the Continuing Education Program Director at MCTC. I'm excited to follow up that career by now wearing these two hats right in the neighborhood.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to this new organizational structure that we’re setting up. Specifically, working on ways to be more responsive and build more connections and trust with our community members.
And for more information on what we've been working on, check out our June Staff Report!
Want to know what we've been working on? Check out our new monthly reports!
We're excited to start a new monthly blog feature: Staff reports! We have typically just shared these at our CANDO Board meetings, but now that we have increased staff capacity, we want to share these reports and bring more neighbors into the conversation.
See something you're interested in learning more about? Sending a message to info@thecentralneighborhood.com or call us at 612-824-1333 and we'll put you in touch with folks working on that issue or project.
We always need volunteers for things like neighbor outreach, language translation and interpretation, photography, video and storywriting!
CANDO June Email Newsletter
In this Issue:
- 35W On- and Off-ramp closures begin this weekend for 31st Street and 35th Street
- Get Outdoors Day at Powderhorn Park, June 8th
- Central Gym Park construction begins next week
- Junta Comunitaria, 12 de Junio
- Free Yoga, Hip Hop Dance and Bollywood Classes at CANDO
- Carnival Fundraiser for Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia
- Racism, Rent and Real Estate Events start June 21 at Sabathani
- Dat Black Mermaid Man Lady/The Show at Pillsbury House through June 24
- Plant Grow Share Volunteer Mondays and Bonfire on June 17
- Community Seed Library at Hosmer Library
- KeyPlayer Youth Music Production Summer Program begins June 28
- Hosmer Library June Events
CANDO May Email Newsletter
Check out our May 2018 Email Newsletter!
In this Issue:
- Plant Grow Share Events: Plant Sale, Volunteer Opportunities, Community Bonfire
- Community Seed Library at Hosmer
- Free Yoga, Hip Hop and Bollywood Dance Classes through Out in the Backyard
- Green Central Carnival, 5/18 and Community Ed Family Night, 5/24
- Urban Ventures Summer Youth and Family Programs
- Hosmer Library Events
- Gubernatorial Candidate Forum at Sabathani with Our Minnesota Future, 5/10
- Sabathani Vintage Voices Free Concert, 5/24
- Key Players Youth Music Production Program
- Central Street Sweeping begins the week of May 21st
- City Food Studio needs Food Truck Parking
CANDO April Email Newsletter
Read our latest news here:
In this Issue:
- CANDO is Hiring!
- Plant Grow Share Call for Gardneners and Volunteers, Info event on April 13th
- Community Seed Library, next event April 8th
- Free Weekly Classes at CANDO through Out in the Backyard
- Two Public Safety Events: Forum April 10th and Info Session for Collaborative Safety Session April 11th
- Join a City of Minneapolis Board or Commission, deadline April 20th
- Paid Opportunities for Teens with Hosmer Library and Agents of Change
- Hosmer Library April Events
Plant Grow Share needs new gardeners and volunteers for 2018!
This FREE, season-long project provides everything you need to grow your own vegetables: wooden raised bed, soil, seeds, plants, and training, plus a fun community of gardeners. We are looking for 20 new gardeners in the Central neighborhood to apply by April 27, 2018!
Check out the Plant Grow Share pages for information on how to apply to be a gardener or a volunteer this year!
Work for CANDO! We are Hiring!
Note: Both positions have been filled! Thank you to everyone who applied!
CANDO is hiring for 2 positions: A part-time Administrator and a full-time Community Organizer.
Administrator:
Support CANDO in our operating and office tasks. The administrator will be responsible for record and bookkeeping, billing, payroll and fulfillment of our contracts with the City of Minneapolis and others.
Community Organizer:
Working with CANDO's Lead Organizer, the Community Organizer will connect with Central residents and community organizations to build power for underrepresented groups, increase equity and understanding, and organize individuals around issues they are passionate about.
Welcome to CANDO's new website!
Welcome! We're excited to launch our new website. Please check out the new pages for Plant Grow Share, our Housing programs and new Economic Development projects!
CANDO February 2018 E-Newsletter
In this Issue:
- Free Weekly Yoga and Hip Hop Dance Classes at CANDO
- CANDO Housing Initiatives Meeting rescheduled for 2/19
- Hosmer Events: Global Folk, Lost Negroes of North America and Sealing your Criminal Record
- Green Central: Black History Movie Nights, Adult Community Ed Language, Cooking and Health Classes
- 38th Street Bridge to close late Februrary/Early March
- Powderhorn Shark Tank Competition
http://mailchi.mp/14964177fd85/cando-e-newsletter-february-2018
Letter from CANDO's Executive Director Antoine Martinneau
Happy New Year Central neighborhood and friends! I am very excited for 2018, and while the past year was a struggle for many of us, I am proud of what CANDO has accomplished with a small but incredibly dedicated and determined staff and base of volunteers. Some highlights include:
In coordination with Green Central School and the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, we made a big effort to ensure that the voices of students, parents and neighbors who use Green Central Park everyday would be reflected in the final redesign. We organized, we spoke up, and we were heard! Thanks to everyone who participated, the new park design really reflects what people in the neighborhood wanted to see.
Over the course of the year we worked to support several block meetings, ice cream socials and public safety discussions throughout the year and across the neighborhood. Working with local block leaders, CANDO supported over half of the neighborhood’s National Night Out events and pushed Hennepin County to improve traffic signal and crosswalk amenities in the neighborhood.
CANDO began a project to show appreciation for history makers that have been a major presence in the Central neighborhood. Local artists contributed their work to design utility box wraps depicting the late Prince Rogers Nelson, a man who has had a unique and profound impact on not only the people of the Central neighborhood, but also on music and art across the globe. Look for more art on boxes speaking to the history of Central in 2018.
I’m especially proud of our gardening program Plant-Grow-Share. My father was a brilliant gardener; with his passing this April the importance of growing and sharing food with friends, family and neighbors has taken on an incredibly profound aspect for me. Learning how to garden as part of the program and being a part of creating a stronger and healthier community feels like literally returning to my roots, and fills me with love and devotion to the work that we do to support each other here in Central.
The CANDO board and staff are so thankful for the support of the people in Central and our friends and family from across the Twin Cities. In 2018 keep an eye out for more exercise classes, better parks, great food, tons of fun and amazing neighbors. See you soon!
-Antoine
