April 2020 - Neighbors - lists.buenavistasocialclub.org

$10k - Deadline is noon Friday!
by Ruth Ryals 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

Share with any person who should know about it: https://www.lisc.org/boston/covid-19/small-business-recovery-grant-program/ The LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts will provide grants to hard-hit small businesses in Massachusetts to weather the immediate financial impact of closures and social distancing measures required to slow the spread of the coronavirus. LISC will offer grants of up to $10,000 to address immediate financial peril, limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. Launched with seed funding provided by Citizens, the Small Business Recovery Grant Program is part of the LISC Rapid Relief & Resiliency Fund for Massachusetts. The link to the application will be available online beginning Monday, April 20 at noon, 12 PM EST and will close on Friday, April 24 at noon, 12 PM EST. Application Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LISCBostonapp *************************************************** Now accepting applications online Application guidance and questions are available in multiple languages below. APPLY HERE The LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts will provide grants to hard-hit small businesses in Massachusetts to weather the immediate financial impact of closures and social distancing measures required to slow the spread of the coronavirus. LISC will offer grants of up to $10,000 to address immediate financial peril, limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. Launched with seed funding provided by Citizens, the Small Business Recovery Grant Program is part of the LISC Rapid Relief & Resiliency Fund for Massachusetts. The link to the application will be available online beginning Monday, April 20 at noon, 12 PM EST and will close on Friday, April 24 at noon, 12 PM EST. Sign up to receive updates here. While the application link itself is in English, we have the application questions available as PDF guides in other languages. LISC will accept applications online from Monday, April 20 to Friday, April 24 and guidance will be available in English, Spanish and several other languages through LISC Boston’s website. To focus the grants where they will have the greatest impact, LISC will be inviting business support organizations, small business accelerators, and community networks across the state to encourage the at-risk small businesses in their communities to apply. Who is eligible for this program? This program is for small Massachusetts businesses experiencing emergency cash flow needs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your business must have been in operation for a minimum of 2 years, and applicants must provide documents required (additional information about specific documents required will be shared soon). LISC employees and businesses owned or managed by LISC employees are not eligible to apply. Funding priority will be given to minority and women-owned businesses and small businesses that are the lifeblood of low-income communities throughout the Commonwealth. Currently, grants are only available for for-profit businesses. We understand the critical need for funding for nonprofit organizations as well and we are advocating and actively fundraising for those resources to be made available soon. What is the grant size? Up to a maximum of $10,000. Applicants will be asked to limit their request to the amount needed to manage immediate cash flow needs until longer term assistance can be accessed, to enable us to extend assistance to the maximum number of businesses.

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MA Youth Climate Coalition Rally tonite at 7pm
by Ruth Ryals 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

If you have a young person in your household: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeILhqErTgVYmGBhIA2YoCwD9y8dwo_eYm… This evening at 7pm, tune into the Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition Rally → You can RSVP here!

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Earth Day Special Edition: Today, let the planet inspire you
by Ruth Ryals 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

From: National Geographic <ng(a)email.nationalgeographic.com> Reply-To: "ng(a)email.nationalgeographic.com" <ng-HP2v400000171a3234ee58d7dd76e96c566a0222(a)email.nationalgeographic.com> Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 2:33 PM Subject: Earth Day Special Edition: Today, let the planet inspire you Take a moment to find comfort in the natural world as we face challenges that we couldn't have imagined ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ TODAY IS EARTH DAY VIEW ONLINE Create Your Own Safari Today, NatGeo@Home is hosting neighborhood safaris around the world to help bring people together during this unprecedented time. Families are inviting their kids, friends, and neighbors to let their imagination run wild and create their own safari for Earth Day. JOIN IN ON THE FUN SHARE Take a look at some of the safari shots shared with #NatGeoEarthDayatHome #DisneyMagicMoments Disney animators joined in on the fun and put together a series of drawing tutorials that you can watch. START DRAWING Tune-in to the Premiere Event Witness Dr. Jane Goodall's relentless commitment and determination to spread a message of hope. Tune in tonight at 9/8c on National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD. Streaming available on Disney+ and Hulu. WATCH THE TRAILER Protect the Planet with these Tips >From becoming a waste warrior to limiting your water usage, this Earth Day, learn how you can help protect the environment with these tips. LEARN MORE SHOP DONATE SUBSCRIBE TRAVEL Clicking on the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and National Geographic Channel links will take you away from our National Geographic Partners site where different terms of use and privacy policy apply. If you reside in the EU/European Economic Area and wish to exercise all other data subject rights, click here. © 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC, All rights reserved. {LITMUS TRACKING PIXEL}

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FW: Reminder: Town Hall Today at 4PM
by Ruth Ryals 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

Better late than never From: Marjorie Decker <repdecker(a)gmail.com> Reply-To: <repdecker(a)gmail.com> Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 3:48 PM To: Ruth Ryals <rryals(a)comcast.net> Subject: Reminder: Town Hall Today at 4PM Dear friends, Join me for my weekly COVID-19 town hall at 4PM today. The topic will be how to support immigrant populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. I will be joined by Roxana Rivera, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, Richard Sheward, Director of Innovative Partnerships at Children's HealthWatch, Victoria Ramirez-Morales, Senior Youth Worker for Roca Inc.'s Central American Youth Initiative, Marion Davis from the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition and Dr. Assaad Sayah CEO and Dr. Kristen Meisinger of the Cambridge Health Alliance. You can join by registering to join the Town Hall on Zoom here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jCTfAxxHQX6QpbcLwVS1og, or you can tune in on CCTV Channel 9, Facebook live, or Youtube. Please submit questions you have ahead of time to Marjorie.Decker(a)mahouse.gov or submit them in the Q&A during the town hall. I hope to see you there. Sincerely, Marjorie Friends of Marjorie Decker P.O.Box 390431 Cambridge, MA 02139 See what's happening on our social sites Friends of Marjorie Decker, PO Box 390431, Cambridge, MA 02139 SafeUnsubscribe™ rryals(a)comcast.net Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by repdecker(a)gmail.com in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!

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FW: hi_risebread
by Ruth Ryals 22 Apr '20

22 Apr '20

https://www.toasttab.com/hi-rise-bread-company-concord-avee/v3 Good news for the neighborhood that Hi Rise is offering groceries! Under “Choose a Menu”, Check out the “Larder” tab. Ruth

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Tuesday 4/21 COVID-19 Updates
by Ruth Ryals 21 Apr '20

21 Apr '20

From: Marjorie Decker <repdecker(a)gmail.com> Reply-To: <repdecker(a)gmail.com> Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 8:51 PM Subject: Tuesday 4/21 COVID-19 Updates Dear all, I write to you this evening with relevant COVID-19 updates and resources. As of today, 608 Cambridge residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 28 Cambridge residents have passed away. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/2J2BnQj. You can now view the number of COVID-19 cases by zip-code in Cambridge there as well. There are 41,199 cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, including 9,621 in Middlesex County. 175,372 tests have been performed, and 1,961 patients have passed away. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/2VOaLbB. Save the date Join me tomorrow at 4PM for a town hall on how to support immigrant populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. I will be joined by Roxana Rivera, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, Richard Sheward, Director of Innovative Partnerships at Children's HealthWatch, Victoria Ramirez-Morales, Senior Youth Worker for Roca Inc.'s Central American Youth Initiative, Marion Davis from the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition and Dr. Assaad Sayah CEO and Dr. Kirsten Meisinger of the Cambridge Health Alliance. Please register for the Zoom here: https://bit.ly/2Kelp6l or join in by watching CCTV Channel 9, Facebook Live, or Youtube. You can submit questions ahead of time to Marjorie.Decker(a)mahouse.gov or in the Q&A chat during the town hall. I hope to see you there. Cambridge Updates Today, there was a Special Meeting of the City Council to discuss COVID-19 updates from City Manager DePasquale. Updates from the meeting included the following: Today, the Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund issued another $100,000 to 82 Cambridge residents and families. The City has distributed 2,000 masks to businesses. A sound truck will be deployed that will broadcast important COVID-19 messages around parks and neighborhoods in the City. The advisory will convey that the stay at home order remains in effect and to wear face masks outside and in stores and to practice social distancing. Later this week it will be broadcasted in multiple languages. You can learn more about this here: https://bit.ly/2RUG0R8. Multilingual resources are always available on the City of Cambridge's website. This includes translated information on city resources and about COVID-19. You can find them here: https://bit.ly/2wKXAzA. State Action Updates Today, the House of Representatives passed Legislation to track data at long-term care and elder housing facilities. This would require these facilities to report the number of known COVID-19 positive cases and mortalities among residents and staff to local departments of health and DPH. This data would then be made publicly available on DPH's website. Facilities would also be required to report this case count daily to residents' families, guardians, and legally-authorized representatives. Education Updates Today, Governor Baker ordered that all Massachusetts public and private schools will remain closed for the duration of the school year. This order does not apply to residential special education schools. Non-emergency childcare programs will be closed until June 29th. Emergency Child Care programs will continue to operate. The Department of Early Education and Care is looking at ways to incrementally restore childcare capacity. It is partnering with Care.com to give eligible families and childcare workers free 90-day premium memberships. Learn more here: https://www.care.com/mass. EEC will continue to pay subsidies to child care providers based on their pre-COVID-19 enrollment. The Department of Higher Education is deferring scheduled repayments for its No-Interest Loan Program for four months. All no-interest loan accounts will be automatically placed in deferment from April-July. Accounts that are currently 120 days past due will not be placed into collections until August. You can learn more about these updates here: https://bit.ly/2Vr8Haz. Unemployment Insurance Updates Today, Labor & Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta reported updates on unemployment issues to legislators. These updates included: There have been 50,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims filed since the program opened yesterday. The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Portal is open 24/7, so claims can be filed anytime. The application takes about 25 minutes to complete online. Remote call centers are now staffed by more than 850 people. If you are waiting for a callback from DUA, the phone number may come up as private or will come from 617-626-6800. Return calls are being made 7 days per week until up to 8PM. Virtual town halls are now being held to walk applicants through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance application. You can sign up for a town hall here: https://bit.ly/397zLPT. Where to donate Henry Bear's Park is partnering with nonprofit organizations, including Cambridge Camping, to provide toys and games to local children in need of their assistance. You can donate a care package here: https://bit.ly/2VruT4n. If you are able to give to others during this time, I encourage you to look to the following places that are working to help those most affected by COVID-19: Mayor's Disaster Relief Fund: https://bit.ly/3bgTBJU Cambridge Health Alliance: https://bit.ly/2vWegUB Cambridge Community Foundation: https://bit.ly/33ImGeE Food for Free: https://bit.ly/3afFuEE Greater Boston Food Bank: https://www.gbfb.org/ Cradles to Crayons Emergency Essentials Fund: https://bit.ly/2WHOD4V Enroot Emergency Immigrant Cash Assistance Fund: https://bit.ly/2y7bBIe As always, do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker(a)mahouse.gov. Sincerely, Marjorie Friends of Marjorie Decker P.O.Box 390431 Cambridge, MA 02139 See what's happening on our social sites Friends of Marjorie Decker, PO Box 390431, Cambridge, MA 02139 Sent by repdecker(a)gmail.com in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!

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Donate a care package to a child in need!
by Ruth Ryals 21 Apr '20

21 Apr '20

It does take a village! From: Henry Bear's Park <customer_care(a)henrybear.com> Reply-To: <customer_care(a)henrybear.com> Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 12:30 PM Subject: Donate a care package to a child in need! Help provide educational activities and boredom busters for a child in need! Shop LocationsEvents Sale Gift Cards FREE gift wrapping & FREE shipping over $25! The current global pandemic has created an unfortunate situation for kids in high-risk, vulnerable situations now stuck at home without the resources, support, and routine they usually have. As supporters of healthy play in child development, we see it as our responsibility to help make a difference in these lives. Henry Bear's Park is starting a campaign to bring personalized care packages that can help brighten up a child's day with fun, creative, and imaginative play. We welcome you to join us in this effort to bring joy and smiles to all kids in our community. After all, it takes a village to raise a child! We've partnered with some amazing nonprofit groups in the Boston area to provide fun, fundamental toys and games to local children who most need our assistance. These care packages go directly into the hands of children who are most vulnerable during these difficult times. Each package is personalized based on the child's interests and contains a bundle of fun activities, such as family games, puzzles, building kits, and art supplies. + Donate a care package to a child in need + Help us spread the word! Forward this email or share our social media posts to help spread the word! + Help us raise funds for this program through corporate giving or nonprofit grants + If you have experience in the nonprofit realm and want to help us expand this campaign, please contact us! Please reach out if you'd like to partner with us in this effort. We can all come together to solve this problem and bring joy and smiles to all kids in our community. Have questions? Email us at customer_care(a)henrybear.com STAY CONNECTED Henry Bear's Park, 685 Mass Ave, Arlington, MA 02476 Sent by customer_care(a)henrybear.com in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!

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Applications to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's grant have now closed
by Ruth Ryals 20 Apr '20

20 Apr '20

I am not surprised. From: Cambridge Local First <theodora(a)cambridgelocalfirst.org> Date: Monday, April 20, 2020 at 9:03 PM To: Ruth Ryals <rryals(a)comcast.net> Subject: Applications to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's grant have now closed Dear Cambridge Local First members, Good evening! It is with a heavy heart that I share that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's The Save Small Business Fund appears to have closed. The home page of their website now reads, "APPLICATIONS HAVE CLOSED We appreciate your interest in the Save Small Business Fund. Due to overwhelming interest in this grant program, we have reached our capacity and we are not accepting new applicants at this time. We know these are difficult times, and we wish we could help everyone who needs it. You can find additional resources to help guide your business through this challenging time here." I am sorry for the many of you who spent your entire afternoon and evening reloading the page. This is an incredibly difficult time, and the fact that this application portal was open for no more than nine minutes, if that, speaks to the shared experience of challenge. Yours, Theodora Skeadas Executive Director Cambridge Local First

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Reminder - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation grant opens at 3 PM today!
by Ruth Ryals 20 Apr '20

20 Apr '20

From: Cambridge Local First <theodora(a)cambridgelocalfirst.org> Date: Monday, April 20, 2020 at 2:46 PM Subject: Reminder - U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation grant opens at 3 PM today! Dear Cambridge Local First members, Good afternoon! We hope you are well. A reminder, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's The Save Small Business Fund opens today at 3 PM. This is a grant-making initiative offering short-term relief for small employers. They offer $5,000 grants to businesses with 3-20 employees in economically vulnerable areas. Enter your zip code here to see if you qualify. The application takes 10 minutes, and it requires only your business's W-9 form. This is a nationwide initiative, so please log in at 3 PM today, with your W-9 form on hand, if you plan to apply. Additionally: Business owners can now file for unemployment: MA is now offering Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to business owners. You can file your application at the online portal. The application is mobile-friendly and many in the beta test were able to complete it in 15-20 minutes. Here is a list of the documents and information you should have handy when you apply. The application itself can be found here. Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston and Citizens is launching the LISC Small Business Recovery Grant Program for Massachusetts, which will offer grants of up to $10,000 to small businesses to address immediate financial peril, limit layoffs, avoid gaps in employee benefits or insurance, mitigate economic instability and increase the likelihood of business survival. Apply! Pro bono legal support is being offered to vulnerable businesses and mission-driven organizations by a coalition of law firms, nonprofits, and government agencies, led by Ropes & Gray and its longstanding pro bono partners Lawyers for Civil Rights and Lawyers Clearinghouse. Check out the COVID Relief Coalition. Policy order that regulates food delivery services: We have worked with Councillor Patty Nolan to submit a council order that will cap the fees of food delivery companies and require greater transparency. Consider emailing the council to show your support, and cc'ing us (theodora(a)cambridgelocalfirst.org) Local business visualization: We plan to transform this spreadsheet into a data visualization of Cambridge's open local businesses, like the one here. So, let us know if any information in this spreadsheet needs to be updated. Planning For Recovery and Financial Relief survey: We are working with other business associations in Cambridge to generate data to share with the City on planning for recovery and financial relief. Please fill out the survey here, to make your voices heard! Upcoming events: April 21 - State and Local Recommendations for Opening the Economy. In addition to the ongoing work needed to advocate for policies at the federal level, our organizing partners, under the umbrella of the American Sustainable Business Council, plan to discuss recommendations for the state and local levels. The aim is to define common language and strategy for shared impact. April 23 - Mark your calendars for our 4:30 PM community conversation, which will be an open forum to discuss your ongoing issues. Zoom information forthcoming. April 23 - Jimmy Tingle has organized a 7:30 PM comedy fundraiser for Cambridge Local First! You can sign up to attend here. April 29 - MTMN Executive Buffet. We plan to discuss the future of local businesses at this local panel, organized by Cambridge's own Rogera Toussaint at MTM Executives. Join us! Our fundraiser: Please continue to share our fundraiser across your channels. It will help us raise the funds needed to keep our services active in the months ahead. Thank you! Yours, Theodora Skeadas Executive Director Cambridge Local First

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Ask the Mayor and Manager
by Ruth Ryals 20 Apr '20

20 Apr '20

Add your questions. From: Kelly Dolan <kelly.dolan.kd(a)gmail.com> Date: Monday, April 20, 2020 at 2:01 PM Subject: Fwd: Ask the Mayor and Manager Next week, Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale will be answering your questions about COVID-19, the City’s response to the pandemic, and its impacts on the entire Cambridge community during a 30-minute show being produced by 22-Cityview. The show will be available on 22-Cityview, Youtube Facebook, and via our nightly email updates. Here's the website to submit your questions https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/5b578aa827a24dfbaa103e5168ac5810 Kelly FPRA -- Kelly Dolan

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