PROVIDENCE – Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services and The Elmwood Foundation have decided to merge into a single group, effective July 1, the nonprofits said yesterday in a joint announcement.
The new organization, to be called CommunityWorks Rhode Island, will be an affiliate of the nationwide NeighborWorks America network. (READ MORE)
Both groups focus on the city’s South Side, where both have been active for more than three decades. Each provides a range of community services, including lead abatement and first-time home-buyer classes. Each creates affordable housing, through both new construction and the rehabilitation of historic buildings.
The two community development corporations previously have teamed up to found the Elmwood Collaborative – sponsor of the Elmwood Revitalization Plan – a public-private effort in which they have been joined by the Providence Preservation Society’s Revolving Fund, the City of Providence’s Department of Planning and Development and Rhode Island Housing.
Their decision to merge follows more than a year of meetings between officials of Greater Elmwood and The Elmwood Foundation.
At a recent joint meeting, the boards of both organizations gathered to sign the merger agreement and to honor the staff members, consultants, board members and community volunteers who contributed to the merger process.
Kyle Macdonald will serve as the interim executive director of CommunityWorks Rhode Island as the new community development agency seeks a permanent leader. Founding executive board members for the group will be: President Maryclaire Knight, now president of Greater Elmwood; Vice President Anne Grant, currently president and treasurer of The Elmwood Foundation; Treasurer Stephanie Preston; and Secretary Michelle Wilcox, currently a member of The Elmwood Foundation board.
Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services, incorporated in 1978 as Elmwood Neighborhood Housing Services, is a nonprofit community development corporation and a NeighborWorks charter member. It focuses on “transform[ing] underserved urban places by rebuilding livable neighborhoods and creating community assets and resident opportunity,” through efforts including its Parkis Avenue project. To learn more, visit www.greaterelmwood.org.
The Elmwood Foundation is a nonprofit neighborhood community development corporation that “preserves, restores and creates affordable housing opportunities and promotes community economic development to foster a healthy, economically vibrant and diverse community.” To learn more, visit www.elmwoodfoundation.org.
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NeighborWorks America is a national nonprofit nonprofit created by Congress in 1978. Its NeighborWorks Network of local advocacy and community development groups, in 50 states and Puerto Rico, aims to leverage the influence and knowledge of its 230-some member organizations to help build healthy communities nationwide. To learn more, visit www.nw.org.
