HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host its second annual “Building & Sustaining Livable Communities” event, featuring a keynote address by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, on Monday, June 29 at 9 a.m. at Wyckoff Country Club, 233 Easthampton Road, Holyoke.

This year’s event will center around innovations in public safety, bringing together community leaders, public safety officials, and community members to explore collaborative approaches to safer, stronger neighborhoods. Registration is open for the event, which will include breakfast, with a suggested donation of $50, at oneholyoke.org/sustaining-communities. For community members, there is a limited number of complimentary registrations.

In addition to Driscoll, the event will also feature a presentation by First Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald on the Hampden County District Attorney’s Emerging Adult Court of Hope (EACH) program, a specialized, collaborative program launched in partnership with Roca Inc. and designed to give young adults (ages 18-24) facing serious criminal charges a second chance through intensive support and judicial oversight. Fitzgerald serves as one of Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni’s top administrative prosecutors, overseeing all of Hampden County’s criminal prosecutions. She was appointed by Gulluni when he was first sworn into office in 2015.

The event will also recognize Ed Caisse and his impact through the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative (HSNI). Caisse retired earlier this year after more than three decades with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department. The HSNI is a partnership between local, state and federal law enforcement; city and state government; civic and human service organizations; faith-based organizations; the business community; education providers; property managers; and residents coming together with a goal to create safe, healthy, and economically viable Holyoke neighborhoods.

Also part of the program will be a presentation from the Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), bringing its expertise on community engagements and improvement planning. LISC is the home of recognized experts on crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), and will share about upcoming work with OneHolyoke CDC to develop a neighborhood blueprint based on CPTED principles.

Michael Moriarty, Executive Director of OneHolyoke CDC, will serve as moderator for the event. According to Moriarty, “one of our priority organizational strategies at OneHolyoke is to assure that families and individuals living in our housing communities feel safe. This requires us to collaborate with others, and we have targeted the Churchill neighborhood for special attention in employing leading-edge approaches to achieve that goal. This symposium will provide us and other like-minded individuals and organizations innovative ways to build safer communities.”

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC hosted hundreds of Holyoke residents at its 10th annual Holyoke Community Dinner Celebration on Dec. 13 at Kelly School. This year’s event was the most well-attended to date, with more than 115 volunteers also participating.

OneHolyoke has been hosting its free Community Dinner for the past decade, bringing together hundreds of Holyoke residents. The theme for this year’s Community Dinner was “Polar Express, Journey Through Time,” and more than 450 meals were served to the community. The event also featured a DJ, bingo, fun activities for children including a bounce house, and, fitting with the theme of this year’s event, a train to give children rides. There were also visits from Santa and the Grinch. After the event, four trays of food were brought to the warming shelter and men’s shelter at Providence Ministries.

A committee of Holyoke residents and community organizations worked with OneHolyoke to organize this event, including Holyoke Media, MassHire, Holyoke Public Schools, Enlace de Familias, and the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative.

The annual Community Dinner was also supported by nearly 30 sponsoring community organizations and businesses, including bankESB, Blossom Flower, Holyoke Gas & Electric, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke Housing Authority, Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke Public Library, Holyoke Tax Service, Homework House, Hope Worldwide, Lawler Insurance, MassHire, Mass in Motion, Master Heo’s Tae Kwon Do Child Care, Pat Duffy for State Representative, PeoplesBank, River Valley Counseling Center, Rolling J’s, Scouting America, Sublime Systems, and the Verb is Herb.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host a lunchtime event, “Building & Sustaining Livable Communities,” featuring U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, on Monday, June 16 at noon at Wyckoff Country Club, 233 Easthampton Road, Holyoke.

The event will feature speakers Neal, ranking member of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, who will offer a perspective from the federal level; Richard Sullivan, president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council, who will offer a perspective from the business community; and Elise Rapoza, senior research associate at MassINC Policy Center, who will provide a viewpoint as a public policy expert, presenting her report on “Fostering Mixed-income Neighborhoods to Close the Economic Divide.”

There is a suggested donation of $50 for the event, which includes lunch. To register, visit oneholyoke.org/sustaining-communities.

Michael Moriarty, executive director of OneHolyoke CDC, will serve as moderator for the event, which aims to begin a conversation around how resources, innovation, advocacy, and collaboration all play a role in weathering the current instability of federal cutbacks, the specter of a recession, and related uncertainties affecting gateway cities and other communities large and small.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC is seeking qualified applicants for three Holyoke homes that the organization has for sale, with purchasers being selected through a lottery process with the goal of increasing housing affordability in Holyoke. The homes are each priced at $225,000, below market rate, and located at 278 Pine St., 291 Walnut St., and 299 Walnut St.

Qualified applicants who meet certain guidelines — including having a household income not exceeding 80% of the median income level, committing to living in the home for a minimum of 10 years, and completing a first-time homebuyer education course — will receive a lottery number from OneHolyoke, with three applicants being selected at random who will be offered the opportunity to purchase one of the three homes. A completed application and all necessary paperwork is required to receive a lottery number.

Information about the homes for sale, the lottery process, and the application can be found at www.oneholyoke.org/homes-for-sale. Through this lottery process, OneHolyoke works to increase housing availability and affordability in the footprint it serves in the city.

OneHolyoke will host a Facebook Live Q&A session on the OneHolyoke CDC Facebook page on Friday, July 26 for those interested to find out more information about the lottery process. The English session will be held at 4 p.m., and a session in Spanish will be held at 5 p.m.

All three homes for sale are duplex, two-family homes, and two of the homes are newly built (291 Walnut St. and 299 Walnut St.). The 278 Pine St. home is the former Yankee Pedlar restaurant and inn that was moved by OneHolyoke to its current location in an effort to save and restore the historic home.

“Our mission in serving the Flats, South Holyoke, and Churchill neighborhoods is to provide more affordable housing to more people in these core neighborhoods,” said Michael Moriarty, executive director of One Holyoke. “The lottery we are holding to identify possible buyers of these homes is a step in that direction. We believe investments in creating affordable housing in these neighborhoods will encourage other needed housing-stock investments.”

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host its third annual “I Can Be Anyone I Want to Be” Career Fair for students and community residents on Wednesday, April 24 at Marcella R. Kelly Elementary School, 216 West St., Holyoke. The career-exploration fair for students will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by the job fair for residents and community members from 4 to 6 p.m.

The event is designed for students to envision future careers for themselves, and also for residents who are looking for potential employment. Organizations that have already signed up to participate in the fairs include OneHolyoke CDC, Massachusetts State Police, Boy Scouts of Western Massachusetts, Holyoke Health Center, Holyoke Fire Department, Sullivan Metals, Nuestras Raíces, Positive Regard Network, River Valley Counseling, and the UMass Amherst Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences.

Businesses and organizations that are hiring and would like to be part of either or both fairs on April 24 should click here to complete the career fair sign-up form.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host its eighth annual Holyoke Community Dinner Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 9 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Kelly School, 216 West St. All Holyoke residents are invited to celebrate the season. The organization plans to serve 500 meals to community residents.

OneHolyoke has been hosting its free Community Dinner for the past seven years, bringing together hundreds of Holyoke residents. Residents also have the option to take meals to go. The evening will feature live performances and fun activities, including arts and crafts and a holiday tree contest with trees sponsored by local businesses and organizations. Sponsored trees are decorated by grades or teams at Kelly School, including staff and students in grades pre-K through 5, custodial staff, office staff, and more, totaling 15 trees. Those in attendance will be given a ticket to vote for their favorite tree, and the winning grade or team will get a pizza party.

A committee of Holyoke residents and staff from Holyoke Public Schools, Enlace de Familias, staff from the city of Holyoke, MassHire Holyoke, the Holyoke Safe Neighborhood Initiative, Nueva Esperanza, Blossom Flowers, Holyoke Medical Center, and City Sports Bar have worked with OneHolyoke to organize this event. The annual event is also supported by 42 community organizations and businesses.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host an event for the Holyoke community on Saturday, Oct. 14 in partnership with the Greening the Gateway Cities program to provide free trees for Holyoke residents. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at 2 Middle St., Holyoke, the site of OneHolyoke CDC’s eco-friendly ‘tiny home.’

Holyoke residents who own or rent a home, business, or other organization located in the Flats, downtown, or Churchill neighborhoods of Holyoke are encouraged to attend the event and sign up for free trees to be planted on their property by Greening the Gateway Cities, a program that has brought new trees to urban areas across Massachusetts.

The tree planting is the result of a grant from the Healey-Driscoll administration to OneHolyoke CDC, part of an overall $1.3 million state investment to support tree plantings in gateway cities across Massachusetts. Tree planting helps decrease energy use, clean the air, reduce flooding, and improve the overall quality of life in gateway cities. OneHolyoke will be responsible for sharing information about the program via door-to-door canvassing, educational events, and assisting with Spanish translation for outreach materials.

“OneHolyoke CDC has once again tapped into its neighborhood’s fundamental needs by investing in trees,” state Rep. Patricia Duffy said. “Trees add to our densely populated cities’ quality of life with shade, cooling, and beauty. I am so grateful for this work in my city.”

Those who are unable to make Saturday’s event and would like free trees planted on their property can visit maurbancanopy.org to determine eligibility (navigate to the ‘Am I in the Zone’ tab and enter your Holyoke address) or call (617) 626-1473.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will lead its final Citywide Trash Cleanup Day of 2023 on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers and Holyoke residents are encouraged to participate in the cleanup, and supplies will be provided by OneHolyoke CDC.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the OneHolyoke CDC Flats Community Building at 43 North Canal St. at 10 a.m. Supplies, tools, and guidelines for picking up trash will be available. Volunteers will follow a route down Northbridge Street to McNally Field for the cleanup.

Individuals who would like to participate in the cleanup can reach out to Nayroby Rosa-Soriano at (413) 409-2004. The trash cleanup day is for the entire city of Holyoke. Residents and homeowners throughout the city are encouraged to clean up their yards, alleys, and lots on Saturday.

OneHolyoke CDC has taken a leadership position in cleaning Holyoke streets for the past five years by organizing weekly cleanups from spring to the end of summer. The organization encourages volunteers who participate in cleaning the streets of Holyoke to use the hashtag #KeepItClean2K23 on social media as a way of keeping the community connected throughout the initiative.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host the “I Can Be Anyone I Want to Be” career fair for students and parents on Tuesday, April 25 at Marcella R. Kelly Elementary School, 216 West St., Holyoke. The student fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the parent fair will be held from 4 to 6 p.m.

The event is designed for students to envision future careers for themselves, and also for parents who are looking for potential employment. Several Holyoke community organizations and businesses will be participating.

Industries and jobs that will be available to explore during the fair include outreach and admissions counselor, family and community engagement staff, community development specialist, outreach worker, speech-language pathologist, recruiter, home improvement and construction, Eureka! program director at Girls Inc. of the Valley, HCC adult education intake specialist, HR generalist; scout outreach; associate probation officer, talent-acquisition coordinator, police sergeant/school resource worker, police officer, and state trooper.

A free grab-and-go dinner will be provided for families at the end of the career fair. Email [email protected] with any questions.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will host its annual Holyoke Community Dinner celebration on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kelly School, 216 West St. All Holyoke residents are invited to celebrate the season with a free, Winter Wonderland-themed dinner that will also feature live performances and fun activities.

OneHolyoke has been hosting its free Community Dinner for the past six years. The event will return to its traditional in-person celebration this year, though residents also have the option to take their meals to go. During the pandemic, the organization continued to hold the Community Dinner as a contact-free event, providing more than 500 meal kits for the community.

The evening will feature live performances and fun activities, including arts and crafts and a holiday-tree contest. A committee of Holyoke residents and staff from Holyoke Public Schools, Enlace de Familias, and Vcare Medical have been working with OneHolyoke to organize this event.

The annual Community Dinner is also supported by many sponsoring community organizations, including Holyoke Health Center, PeoplesBank, Westside Finishing, Green Thumb Industries, Andy Ramos Electric, Polish National Credit Union, bankESB, Holyoke Mall, Holyoke Medical Center, Hope Worldwide, Homework House, MassHire, city of Holyoke, Mass in Motion, Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, Holyoke Housing Authority, WestMass ElderCare, Pat Duffy for State Representative, Let’s Move 5210, Carlos Vega Fund, Witman Properties, Fallon Health, Westfield Bank, Holyoke Gas and Electric, Clayton Insurance, Holyoke Public Library, Nuestra Raices, Truelieve, Bresnahan Insurance, YMCA, Holyoke Tax Service, Blossom Flowers, Committee to Elect Tessa, and R&S Cleaning Service.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will lead the city’s final citywide trash cleanup day of the year on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to noon. Volunteers and Holyoke residents are encouraged to participate in the Citywide Clean Up and Cookout event, which, as the name suggests, will be followed by a cookout for participants.

Volunteers are asked to meet at 43 North Canal St., the Flats Community Building, at 10 a.m. Cleanup supplies will be provided by OneHolyoke CDC. Following the cleanup, volunteers will return to the Community Building for a cookout, hosted by OneHolyoke, with hot dogs, burgers, and refreshments.

The trash cleanup day is for the entire city of Holyoke. Residents and homeowners throughout the city are encouraged to clean up their yards, alleys, and lots on Sept. 24.

OneHolyoke CDC has taken a leadership position in cleaning Holyoke streets for the past four years by organizing weekly cleanups from spring to the end of summer. The organization encourages volunteers who participate in cleaning the streets of Holyoke to use the hashtag #KeepItClean2K22 on social media as a way of keeping the community connected throughout the initiative.

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC will hold its sixth annual Holyoke Community Dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Kelly School, 216 West St., Holyoke. The meal pickup event is free and open to all, and will feature a contact-free food giveaway in a transformed Winter Wonderland outdoor space with ice sculptures, light displays, and character inflatables.

The box of food, featuring all the fixings for a holiday dinner, will be gifted to the first 500 families that walk or drive through. This is the second year the community dinner is being held in the Flats as an outdoor event due to COVID-19.

For the past five years, the annual Holyoke Community Dinner has provided more than 350 Holyoke families with a night filled with food, fun, entertainment and the opportunity to build community among the residents of Holyoke. Past dinners have featured a hot meal catered by a local restaurant; entertainment provided by Dj Eco, Choco Band, and Bomba de Aqui; and participation by Luna Designs, Learn in Motion, Parks and Recreation, and other community members.

“Our goal with this event has been to bring people together with art, food, and entertainment. None of this would be possible without the help of our wonderful sponsors,” said Nayroby Rosa-Soriano, director of Community Engagement and Resident Services for OneHolyoke CDC. “OneHolyoke CDC wants to hold the yearly event despite the pandemic and bring back our creative outdoor Winter Wonderland event from last year. With the help of sponsors, there will be ice sculptures, light displays, character inflatables, and a box of food for the first 500 families. We are proud to partner with the Flats community and our many wonderful sponsors.”