The Grow Delaware Fund Provides $5 Million in Support Loans to Small Businesses in Delaware!

There is a new initiative to support small businesses in Wilmington and throughout the State of Delaware! The Grow Delaware Fund – will provide $5 million to support loans to small businesses in Delaware that are seeking to strengthen their operations and grow jobs.

The new program, the Grow Delaware Fund, will offer loans from $150,000 to $4 million, subject to guidelines and loan fund availability. Loans can be used for things like: 

• *Working Capital - to be repaid over 10 years
• *Machinery and Equipment - to be repaid over 10 years
• *Real estate acquisitions/renovation of owner-occupied businesses - to be repaid over 25 years
• *Tenant improvements - to be repaid over the life of the lease
• *Refinancing existing debts

Press on the project can be found below. Join us in congratulating The West End Neighborhood House, The Longwood Foundation, Discover Bank, Department of State Division of Small Business Development and Tourism and the National Development Council and all those who worked so hard for this project that will play a major key in economic development.

http://www.wdel.com/news/video-state-looking-to-recreate-wilmington-s-success-launches-grow/article_a499cbb2-c337-11e7-b7fe-4f3e86329dab.html

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2017/11/07/grow-delaware-fund-aims-help-small-businesses-grow-and-create-jobs/837156001/

Just Three Meetings Left! Join Us & Make an Impact on Your City!

Mayor Mike Purzycki and City Planning Director Herb Inden announced that Wilmington is moving into the second phase of its year-long, community-driven process to develop a new citywide comprehensive plan. The new comp plan, which is entitled “Wilmington 2028,” will guide growth and development across the City for the next decade. The next phase involves a series of five public meetings throughout the City at which citizens are invited to drop by and offer additional comments and ideas about the comp plan. There are only three meetings left, so be sure to join in to make an impact on your city!

• Where: Woodlawn Library, 2020 West 9th Street

When: Tuesday, November 14, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

• Where: Southbridge Neighborhood House, 1218 B Street

When: Tuesday, November 21, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

• Where: Mt. Carmel United Church, 800 North Walnut Street

When: Thursday, November 30, between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

10 Places to Give this Holiday Season and Make a Difference in Wilmington!

One of the greatest things you can do to get into the holiday spirit is volunteer and make a difference in the community around you. Here are just a few incredible organizations within Downtown Wilmington, that could use your help this holiday season. Whether it is a donation of your time, or financial resources, you can be sure that your generosity will go to a good cause. 

1.  Our Youth Inc. 35th Annual Turkey Giveaway: For 35 years Nor Enterprises and Our Youth Inc. has provided food to thousands of seniors and families in our community who might otherwise have gone hungry on Thanksgiving Day. In the past 10 years alone they have fed in excess of 75,000 people. 

2. Reed's Refuge: Reeds’ Refuge Center is a community-focused non-profit organization committed to the holistic development and well-being of the children and financially afflicted families of the inner city of Delaware. 

3. Sunday Breakfast Mission: The Sunday Breakfast Mission serves the homeless, addicted and impoverished.

4. Neighborhood House: Neighborhood House provides informational programs that impact low to moderate income individuals, families and communities.

5. Ronald McDonald House: Keeping families with sick children together and near the care and resources they need.

6. Delaware Humane Association: Delaware’s premiere nonprofit no-kill animal care and adoption center, serving a four-state area. They are committed to providing for the needs of homeless and owned dogs and cats in our community.

7. The Ministry of Caring: The Ministry of Caring is a vibrant community of staff, volunteers, donors and diverse supporters united by a passion to serve the poor. 

8. St Patrick's Center: St. Patrick's Center provides emergency food, meals, respite for the homeless, clothing, transportation, and recreational activities for people in need on Wilmington's east side.

9. The Food Bank of Delaware: The Food Bank of Delaware, a member of Feeding America, formerly America’s Second Harvest, is a statewide nonprofit agency whose vision is a community free of hunger.

10. Friendship House: Based in New Castle County, Delaware, Friendship House is a non-profit, faith-based corporation serving individuals and families that are or are at risk of becoming homeless. Welcoming to all, Friendship House strives to serve as a sanctuary and stepping stone to those in need through the traditional spiritual ministries of hospitality, education, empowerment, and community.

To support Downtown Visions fiscally or through volunteering, click here. 

Post by Julia Mason of Enthusiasm Lab

Martin Hageman, Executive Director of Downtown Visions Sees Progress and Hope in The City of Wilmington

Curious what "The Vision" is in Downtown Visions? Downtown Visions is proud to devote an overwhelming share of its resources to highly visible and effective on-street programs such as the following:

• Business Marketing and Education
• Historic Building Preservation
• The Wilmington Farmer's Market
• Signage and Facade Improvement Programs 
• Security Gate Removal
• Cleaning Ambassadors
• Safety Ambassadors
• Small Business Saturday
• & Much More! 

Downtown Visions is a private, non-profit organization that manages the Business Improvement District in Wilmington. Our Main Street® program not only saves historic buildings, but also focuses on small business recruitment, business marketing and promotion, all of which work towards the greater effort of creating new jobs.

To support Downtown Visions fiscally or through volunteering, click here. 

 Video Directed and Produced by www.mosaiceaststudios.com

Post by Julia Mason of Enthusiasm Lab

Mayor Purzycki Announces Open Streets Wilmington

Post provided by The City of Wilmington

The series transforms city streets to walk ways to promote
recreation and building community spirits

Get your sneakers ready for Saturday! Mayor Mike Purzycki and Cultural Affairs Director Tina Betz today announced a new pilot program entitled Open Streets Wilmington. The first of these events, which encourage citizens to walk, socialize and enjoy the beautiful Brandywine Park, will happen this Saturday morning.

The free and open to the public event will temporarily restrict vehicle access each Saturday morning through the end of November along North Park Drive and South Park Drive between Market Street Bridge and Van Buren Street Bridge. Open Streets Wilmington will, in effect, transform 1.5 miles of streets into an extension of the park.

Betz said the simplicity of the Open Streets Wilmington pilot series is central to the experience – it is not a race, there is no start or finish line, and there is no wrong place to enter. She said people of all ages and abilities are welcome to walk, bike, skate, run, play, or just people-watch in a safe and beautiful setting, free from concern about vehicular traffic.

The Open Streets Wilmington pilot series will take place on Saturday mornings from 7 a.m. to noon beginning this Saturday, October 28 through Saturday, November 25, for a total of five consecutive Saturdays.

"We hope that Open Streets Wilmington will connect multiple neighborhoods and provide a wonderful opportunity for communities to get outside and be active in one of our city's most scenic places as the leaves are producing bright fall colors," said Mayor Purzycki. “This is a way for the public to creatively self-invest in our public places. Open Streets enables citizens to fully appreciate how special and majestic this part of the city is – and with that appreciation comes the hope that people will fall in love with Wilmington all over again.”
 
Open Streets Wilmington is inspired by the global open streets movement which uses city streets to promote healthy outdoor activity and community engagement. Wilmington now joins more than 100 cities in North America and over 400 cities globally that are staging open streets events.

Brandywine Zoo and other sections of Brandywine Park will remain accessible by car. The parking lot near the Brandywine Zoo and Jasper Crane Rose Garden can be accessed by 18th Street and Van Buren Street (Monkey Hill), and visitors on the south side of the park can access the municipal parking lot at Lovering Avenue and Van Buren Street, underneath the I-95 overpass.

For more information, including a map and FAQs, visit www.openstreetswilmington.com.