2008 Woodie Awards
Community aligns at yearly conference
Issue date: 11/20/08
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The Institute was organized by Greater Homewood Community Corporation (GHCC), and included representatives from communities such as Waverly, Ednor Gardens-Lakeside, Fells Prospect, Hampden and Charles Village. Students were also encouraged to attend, though they didn't comprise a large turnout.
GHCC was founded in 1969, with partners Union Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins University and Loyola College. GHCC now covers 40 neighborhoods and approximately 10 percent of the city's population in working to provide programs in education, economic development and community revitalization for Baltimore residents.
The theme of this year's Neighborhood Institute was "Strong Neighborhoods, Sustainable City," addressing in their opening speech that "from quality public schools to housing code enforcement, strong neighborhoods are the backbone of a city that is strong for the long term."
The Neighborhood Institute began with a panel discussion. Panelists included Police Commissioner Frederick Bealefeld III; Laura Weeldreyer, deputy director of the Baltimore City Public School System; Mark Sissman, president of Healthy Neighborhoods; Valentina Ukwuoma, director of the Bureau of Solid Waste for the Department of Public Works; and Sarah Zaleski, sustainability coordinator for the Office of Sustainability. Joseph McNeely, a veteran community organizer and executive director of the Central Baltimore Partnership moderated the session.
After a question-and-answer session, the meeting broke into smaller groups that focused on specific issues. Topics included "Call It In and Kick 'Em Out: Using Drug Nuisance Abatement Procedures In Your Neighborhood," "Foreclosure 411: What Neighborhood Leaders Need To Know" and "I Dream of Green: Imagining, Organizing and Funding Neighborhood Greening Projects."
Laura Weeldryer, newly appointed Deputy Chief of Staff for Baltimore City Public Schools, spoke about the transformation schools, charter schools and magnet schools in Baltimore that legislators hope will revolutionize the historically low-performing school system. Transformation schools - a new concept to Baltimore - allow administrators to design the school. Typically, transformation schools have included 80 to 100 students in grades 6-12 in a college or career preparatory atmosphere.
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