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Celebrating Homeownership Month
Did you know that June is National Homeownership Month? We celebrate homeownership and the stability it brings to families every month at Rondo CLT but we are incredibly proud to share that in June alone, we will have helped 9 families close on homes through our Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP) - our busiest month so far this year. We would like to acknowledge the hard work of our residential team - Damon Mason, Angela Lindquist, and Karen Addoun.
If you are interested in learning more about HIP or the residential land trust model, our next orientation will take place on July 17th. For more details or to register, email Angela.
Rondo CLT in the News
A Reparative Economic Path to Effective and Just Community Development
Coco, Rondo CLT's Deputy Director, recently published an article featured in the Non Profit Quarterly about Rondo CLT's role in a growing movement that is redefining how economic development is done. In the article, she lays out the organization's emerging reparative economic development framework - a framework that is place-based and emphasizes shared ownership and sees culture as a source of healing. To read Coco's article and to learn more about how Rondo CLT is actively working to shift the paradigm of community development, click here.
Introducing a New Partnership with Chef Justin Sutherland
Photo Credit: Shari L. Gross, Startribune
We are excited to announce a new partnership with chef Justin Sutherland and his father Kerry Sutherland. The partnership builds on Rondo CLT's efforts to preserve and build on the legacy of Golden Thyme Coffee and Cafe - a beloved neighborhood asset we purchased in September from Mychael and Stephanie Wright. Chef Sutherland will design and execute a new concept while paying homage to aspects of the original Golden Thyme Coffee and Café menu and brand. That’s right, the shrimp and grits are making a long-overdue comeback! Read more here.
Minnesota Humanities Center & Rondo CLT's Emerging Arts Work
Recently, the Minnesota Humanities Center announced the 86 recipients of its Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment (Legacy) Cultural Heritage awards, who collectively received grants amounting to $7,886,168. The Cultural Heritage awards will support organizations throughout Minnesota who are working to preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota, provide education and student outreach on cultural diversity, support the development of culturally diverse humanities programming, and empower communities in building identity and culture.
We are honored and grateful to be one of these grant recipients, having received the second largest amount of funding of the 86 awardees. From reclaiming residential and commercial spaces to preserving culture-bearing businesses, our commitment to place-keeping has expanded to center arts and culture as critical to reparative economic development. With the help of the Humanities Center, we will be working with local artists to drive activity to the Selby Corridor. We will share more news later this Summer.
This work is funded in part by MHC with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. To read more about this funding opportunity, click here.
Juneteenth
June 19th marks the day that the end of slavery and word of freedom finally reached what was, at the time, the extent of the American Landscape - Galveston, Texas. Today, we celebrate June 19th as a symbol of emancipation and liberation for Black Americans. However, like the history it symbolizes, the holiday is complex.
Juneteenth invites conversation and provides us an opportunity to reflect on what the ending of slavery actually meant for Black Americans. After all, as is evident through the fact that it took two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for the word of freedom to reach Texas, slavery didn't end overnight. In the days, years, and decades following, the impact of slavery remained, embedded in our systems and policies.
Here at Rondo CLT, we know that land holds economic and political power - power that historically and presently hasn't been afforded to all equally. As a community land trust, we leverage the CLT model to expand ownership opportunities and are unapologetic in our efforts to secure and steward land as a critical stabilizer for communities. This year, on Juneteenth, we acknowledge that freedom and equality were hard-won and continue to be fought for. We also celebrate being a CLT and thus part of a movement that was born out of the vision and resistance of Black people in the segregated South. In recognition of the holiday, our offices will be closed on Wednesday, June 19th.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Apply Now for the Fall 2024 Plan It! Entrepreneur Training Classes
The Plan It! training program is designed to equip aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary skills to run a successful business and craft a marketable business plan. Meeting virtually every Tuesday from 6-8 pm, this course runs from August 20th to December 3rd. The deadline for all applications is July 25th. To apply, click here.
Call for Volunteers: Urban Heat Island Mapping Project
Ramsey County (with Hennepin County and support from NOAA) is conducting a citizen science urban heat island data collection campaign later this summer. The goal of the project is to understand urban heat islands, which are urban areas where the temperature can be significantly higher due to larger areas of concrete and other surfaces that radiate heat along with less tree canopy and green space to mitigate the heat.
On the day of the campaign, trained volunteers will attach a heat monitoring sensor to their vehicles, and drive a assigned routes within Ramsey or Hennepin county, three times. The project is planned for Saturday, July 27, though the date is subject to change based on weather.
The data collected will help identify urban heat islands in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. That information can help the counties take action to reduce negative impacts of extreme heat. Volunteers will receive a $25 gift card as compensation. If you're interested in volunteering with Ramey County, sign up here. This project aligns with Rondo CLT's climate change goals and values and we encourage the community to be interested in supporting this work.
Sign up for a FREE tree to be planted in Rondo
For the fourth year, Unity Church-Unitarian’s Canopy Connectors are offering trees, for free, to residents of the Summit-University-Rondo area. This year, priority will be given to those living in neighborhoods with lower tree canopy. Selected trees will be planted on private property. For more information, click here.
Rondo CLT's First Annual Gala
We are excited to invite you to our first annual Gala on November 13th at the St. Paul Event Center. To sponsor the event, purchase a ticket, and learn more about the exciting evening we have planned, click here.
A BIG thank you to our sponsors so far:
Rondo CLT in Community
Plan It! Graduation
Congratulations to the most recent round of graduates from the Plan It! Program. Rondo CLT is a proud Neighborhood Partner of the program, working in conjunction with NDC.
Givers Gathering
On June 4th, members of Rondo CLT's staff (Damon Mason, Coco, Felicia Perry, and Angela Lindquist) attended New American Funding's first annual Givers Gathering - an event celebrating impactful realtors in the Twin Cities.
Reminder: Apply NOW for Rondo CLT's Small Business Incubator!
Follow Us on Social Media
Rondo CLT is growing and so is our presence online! Make sure you click on our Facebook and LinkedIn below to follow us so that you stay up to date on everything we have going on.
Please Consider Supporting our Work
Rondo CLT builds community wealth and neighborhood stability through the development and stewardship of perpetually affordable homeownership opportunities, rental housing, commercial space, and other community assets.
Each new property that enters the community land trust starts a cycle of affordability for generations of low to moderate income earning families and local small business owners. Your donation makes all of this possible. Thank you.
Attending a Rondo CLT Orientation is the first step in the application process. Orientations happen every other week on Wednesdays at noon. Click the link below for additional information and to register for an orientation today!