ulb-cccdcorp

Central County CDC receives $175,000 Housing for Everyone Grant from TD Charitable Foundation

Tue, 16 May 2023 17:43:10 GMT

Central County CDC receives $175,000 Housing for Everyone Grant from TD Charitable Foundation

Support from the TD Charitable Foundation will help preserve affordable rental housing in Broward County

Fort Lauderdale, FL, May 16, 2023 – The Central County Community Development Corporation (CDC), a subsidiary of the Urban League of Broward County, was recently awarded a $ 175,000 Housing for Everyone grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank , America's Most Convenient Bank®. The Central County CDC is one of 37 organizations selected from more than 450 applicants to receive a Housing for Everyone grant as part of the TD Charitable Foundation's signature grant initiative that has helped support organizations that are focused on providing affordable housing and affordable housing services since 2005.

In recent years the housing affordability crisis has continued to be a financial burden on families. As individuals and families across the country struggle with inflation and an exponential rise in rental costs, affordable housing providers face increased hardship given the growing demand for affordable rental units and emergency rental assistance.

The grant will be used over the next eighteen months to complete repairs, replacement and maintenance on affordable housing properties managed by the Central County CDC. These homes provide affordable, decent and safe housing options for families who may not have access to quality housing otherwise. The CDC will provide updates on the progress of the work and the impact it is having on families in the community.

"At the Urban League, we believe that everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," said Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO for the Urban League of Broward and chair of the Central County CDC. “This significant grant from TD Charitable Foundation will allow us to make much-needed repairs and improvements to our properties, making them more livable and comfortable for the families we serve.”

“We are thrilled to support the Central County CDC and their efforts to continue providing safe, affordable housing to families across Broward County who need it most," said Nick Miceli, Regional President of Florida Metro, TD Bank. "TD Bank and the Urban League of Broward County have a long-standing relationship and we've seen first-hand the impact the Urban League and Central County CDC have had on the community. We look forward to supporting their ongoing efforts to help some of our most vulnerable residents find a place they can call home."

Through the 17th annual Housing for Everyone grant competition, the TD Charitable Foundation awarded $7 million across the Bank's Maine-to-Florida footprint and Michigan to help support affordable housing organizations who focus on preserving affordable rental housing in their work to deliver rental assistance, rehabilitate affordable rental housing properties, and build organizational capacity to address resident sustainability for the long-term. Since 2005, the TD Charitable Foundation has given more than $49 million dollars to non-profit and charitable organizations through the Housing for Everyone grant competition and helped support more than 550 affordable housing projects and initiatives.

The Housing for Everyone grant competition supports TD's longstanding commitment to community enrichment through TD's corporate citizenship platform, The TD Ready Commitment , which actively promotes inclusivity, economic vitality and environmental wellbeing, enabling people of all backgrounds to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

To learn more about Housing for Everyone and for a full list of this year's grant recipients, please visit https://stories.td.com/us/en/article/td-charitable-foundation-awards-7-million-to-37-non-profits-helping-preserve-affordable-rental-housing .

###

About the Urban League of Broward County

The Urban League of Broward County is a not-for-profit organization founded to empower communities and change lives. Its mission is to enable African Americans and others in historically underserved communities secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. The Urban League’s ADVANCE programs uplift nearly 14,000 people every year through affordable housing initiatives, youth development and diversion, employment and training, entrepreneurship, health, and civic engagement. Learn more about the Urban League of Broward County by visiting www.ulbroward.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $300 million through donations to local nonprofits from Maine to Florida footprint and Michigan. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation is available at https://www.tdbank.com/corporate-responsibility/the-ready-commitment/funding-opportunities/ .

Eight Broward County Businesses Graduated from Urban League’s Govcon-Track Training Series with Over $4 Million of Contracting Opportunities

Thu, 06 May 2021 18:56:05 GMT

Entrepreneurship Center GovCon Featured in The Boca Raton Tribune

Boca Raton, FL – On April 14, 2021, The Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center wrapped up its very first Gov-ConTRACK training series. Eight Broward County minority businesses graduated from the 4 weeklong, 12 hour, hands on training program which taught them how to respond to a government bid. Each business successfully created a response and submitted a proposal to eight different government agencies from Broward County to Salt Lake City, Utah. The bids participants responded ranged from $150,000 to $4 Million dollars, possibly growing these participants into MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BUSINESSES.

To facilitate the training of the participants in the Gov-ConTRACK class, The Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center engaged a certified Broward County and Woman Owned Enterprise, Complete Contract Consulting. Additional GovCon-TRACK partners included Rafael Cruz, executive consultant at Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Florida Atlantic University, George Gadson, a business growth consultant, and Anthea Pennant, District Director, Supplier Diversity at Broward College, who provided one-on-one back-office support to the business owners through the College’s internship program.

“My wife and I own and operate our small business and although we have had minority and other certifications for a few years, we never had the time to learn how to bid on government contracts. The course we just took has absolutely taken us to the next level. Sharna (CEO of Complete Contract Consulting), Kemesa (Office Manager of Complete Contract Consulting), Rafael, and George were absolutely wonderful in the knowledge and advice they imparted to my wife and me. We have our first proposal ready to submit and are excited about the future. Thank you so much for this instrumental help in our growth, “said Jarrod Urrely, president of Fresh Prints Miami, LLC, and one of the participants of the GovCon-TRACK class.

The Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center means business and ensures their transformative solutions have life changing effects and facilitates economic opportunities for minorities in Broward County. “We are firmly committed to advancing equity for small business owners across Florida. One of the Center’s goals is to promote equitable procurement initiatives while helping small minority firms compete for opportunities that meet market demand,” said Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh, president and CEO, Urban League of Broward County.

To learn more about the GovCon-TRACK training series and The Urban League of Broward County’s Entrepreneurship Center, please visit www.ulbroward.org or contact Courtnee M. Biscardi, MPA, executive vice president at 954.625.2577 or cbiscardi@ulbcfl.org.

About the Urban League of Broward County

The Urban League of Broward County is a not-for-profit organization founded to empower communities and change lives. Our mission is to enable African Americans and others in historically underserved communities to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. Our ADVANCE programs uplift nearly 14,000 people every year through affordable housing initiatives, youth development and diversion, employment and training, entrepreneurship, health, and civic engagement. Learn more about the Urban League of Broward County by visiting www.ulbroward.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

View Original Post in The Boca Raton Tribune

CCCDC Receives $250K EQ2 Investment from Synovus Bank In Support of Minority-Owned Businesses

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 01:41:38 GMT

The partnership expands the CCCDC's ability to deploy responsive, affordable, and flexible capital to underinvested communities throughout Florida.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fl.--(FEBRUARY 18, 2021) -- Central County Community Development Corporation (CCCDC), a subsidiary of the Urban League of Broward County, announced a $250,000 Equity-Equivalent (EQ2) investment from Synovus Bank to fund its Small Business Loan Fund. The fund was established in 2015 to improve access to capital for low-income entrepreneurs and small business owners in low-wealth communities across Florida.

This funding marks the second investment made by Synovus in the CCCDC and the first since it became designated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in July 2020. As a U.S. Department of Treasury certified CDFI, the CCCDC now seeks low-interest rate loans from financial institutions, foundations, businesses, and high-wealth individuals, and then provides both a social and financial return on that investment. Through this partnership, Synovus and the CCCDC will also highlight the success of minority business owners who benefited from the initial round of small business development funding.

“The development of an entrepreneurship center aligns with our mission to build wealth and create jobs for families in our community,” said Urban League president and CEO, Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh. “We are grateful to Synovus for leading the way in its support of this initiative that will help meet the credit and capital needs of underserved entrepreneurs throughout Florida.”

Synovus is providing a new $250,000 Equity Equivalent Investment (EQ2) toward the aggregate total of $500,000 to support minority-owned small businesses in Florida. Loans made by the fund will range from $25,000 to $250,000 for entrepreneurs or small businesses headquartered in Florida with 25 or fewer employees and average annual gross revenue of $5 million or less.

“Synovus is proud to support the vital work of CCCDC and to make this additional investment of capital funds for the Small Business Loan Fund, which continues to provide loans to entrepreneurs, under-resourced and minority small business owners. This investment is one of many ways Synovus is directly supporting local communities and strengthening the economy” states Nancy Merolla, SVP, Community Development Officer.

In addition to funding, the Urban League and CCCDC will continue to provide support to loan recipients in the form of business coaching and technical assistance. For more information, please call the Urban League of Broward County at (954) 584-0777 or visit www.ulbroward.org .

About the Central County Community Development Corporation

The Central County Community Development Corporation’s Small Business Loan Fund is the only Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) located in Broward County, FL. Working with regional Entrepreneurship Centers of Urban League Affiliates, our loan fund brings together an alliance of business owners, corporations, community partners and financial institutions to accelerate our efforts of giving minority and women entrepreneurs access to money, markets, and management.

About Synovus Bank

Synovus Bank, a Georgia-chartered, FDIC-insured bank, provides commercial and retail banking, investment, and mortgage services together with its affiliates through 289 branches in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee. Synovus Bank has been recognized as one of the country’s “Most Reputable Banks” by American Banker and the Reputation Institute. Synovus Bank is on the web at synovus.com , and on Twitter , Facebook , LinkedIn , and Instagram . Equal Housing Lender.

Child Learning Center Focused on Positive Environment Expands Under CAF Program

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 20:56:14 GMT

When visitors walk through the front door of A Better Foundation, they are greeted with a smiling receptionist in a room filled with bright colors used to stimulate learning. For the owner/director of the child learning center in Homestead, it’s all for good reason. “We are all about creating a positive, welcoming place,” Rocio Leiva says.

For 12 years, Rocio has focused her center, just down the street from Homestead Air Reserve Base, on educating children in an environment that is physically, mentally, emotionally, and aesthetically nurturing.

Rocio, age 53, knows well that the first few years of a child’s life are the most important when it comes to setting the foundations for growth, development and later life. So she and her 20-member staff put their attention on the children’s needs while building skills they will use in the years to come.

It’s no longer acceptable to just teach children letters, numbers, and other basic foundations, Rocio says. Children also need to learn to be compassionate, and so the staff encourages even the youngest children to say “thank you,” “good morning,” “goodbye,” and “please” every chance they get during their time at A Better Foundation.

“In today’s world, it’s so important to be respectful, kind, and loving,” Rocio says.

These qualities can be missing in the home life of many of the center’s children since many of them live in a nearby homeless transition center or have parents working long shifts at the military base.

Knowing the needs of the children’s families, A Better Foundation offers them donated food, clothing, diapers, toys, and many other materials. It’s all available to them when they walk into the center.

Rocio’s approach to children’s learning and supporting their families is catching on across Homestead. The number of children signed up in her pre-school and after-school programs is fast growing. To keep up with the demand, the center has been expanded from 7,500-square-feet to 15,000-square-feet. The expansion includes room for a private school from kindergarten to first grade and eventually to second grade and beyond.

The Capital Access Fund (CAF) from the Urban League of Broward County helped pay for the expansion, which included renovating additional bays in the shopping center where the center is based. Rocio got connected to the Urban League through a colleague at a business and leadership institute she attended in Miami.

“I was trying to get financing for a long time and I exhausted all options. The Urban League opened up the door for me. I am so grateful,” she says. Running her own child learning center has been Rocio’s dream since she developed a passion for working with children at a young age.

Growing up in south Miami-Dade County, she worked at a Catholic Charities child care center after finishing school. She worked her way up as an educator before realizing that there weren’t many educators running child learning centers. Many owners, she says, are business people who don’t truly understand what children need.

Rocio set out to change. She took business classes and saved money until she was able to open A Better Foundation on her own. After spending much of her life preparing children for the world to come, Rocio can’t imagine doing anything else. Her payoff for all the hard work: seeing her former students get into college and aspire to do great things.

“I love running the center. It feels like home to me. It’s what I’ve wanted to do my entire life and I’m doing it to the best of my ability,” she says. “It’s all about making a difference for these kids.”

To learn more about A Better Foundation, call 305-257-5565.

CAF Helps Jacksonville Company Grow and Create Opportunity For Many Others

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 13:28:24 GMT

For E. Shawn Ashley, success in business isn’t just about making money or providing for his family. It’s also about creating an opportunity for people who are often overlooked for jobs, especially those from his old neighborhood.

With help from the Capital Access Fund , his Jacksonville-based company EDC3 is growing fast and will be in a position to hire more employees for its logistics, production, and supplies operations in the coming years.

“We want to be the largest minority-owned business in Duval County and give many more people a shot at success that we’re blessed to have every day,” he says.

His determination comes from decades of working for companies big and small and seeing first-hand the challenges facing minorities in getting access to good jobs and resources to create thriving businesses.

At age 59, the easy-going father of three is quickly building a business set on social entrepreneurial values: dignity, accountability, equity, and empowerment. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Shawn grew up in Jacksonville’s northwest side, a predominately African-American part of the city where the economy wasn’t strong and many struggled to find work, much less create businesses. So, a lot of families, including Shawn’s, had their own businesses to pave their way to prosperity. His family had a small construction company and he worked there during his early years, painting, and even laying, whatever it took.

As he labored in the Florida heat, with his other family members, he attended a junior college in pursuit of new skills and a career. He also worked occasional temporary jobs to make extra cash. One day, Shawn got a call to work at AT&T as a temporary stock transfer clerk answering calls from all over the country. He did good work and got invited to come back. Before long, his temporary work assignment turned into a full-time job with benefits.

“We got a meal allowance and we had a cafeteria,” he recalls, laughing. “I wasn’t used to any of that level corporate professionalism and staff development.”

Over time, he rose up the ranks and assumed management of the divisions in the company’s training department, call center, and eventually new business development operations. Those jobs had him supervising hundreds of employees and with a budget of tens of millions of dollars.

Shawn was making good money and he enjoyed the work. But it wasn’t enough, he said. He remembered where he came from. Those memories stuck with him. He wanted to help the community.

So, he turned his attention to the business of charter schools in the hope of giving students better educational options to reach their full potential. He learned real estate and the operations of the educational system. He helped open a dozen charter schools across Duval County.

“We wanted our schools to be much better than the ones our students came from,” Shawn says.

After years of hard work and changing lives, the economics of charter schools proved to be difficult, and Shawn decided it was time to go all in for his own business. He would build a company around his unique talents, experiences, and connections in national and international suppliers, manufacturers, and wholesalers.

His company EDC3 (which stands for the first names of his family members) found a niche in providing construction building materials, appliances, furniture and fixtures, as well as offering logistics for timely delivery to meet construction, maintenance, and replacement schedules for companies of various size. Presently, his company is launching several related initiatives including private label products, in the commercial food and janitorial industries and value-added services based on customers’ requests. His clients include school districts, federal prison system, and the military.

As the business took off, Shawn drilled down on his core social entrepreneurial principles. That included hiring more workers who are minorities or have special needs and joining other minority-owned businesses in the Jacksonville area in establishing a pool of financial resources to help other minority-owned businesses who are just starting out or having trouble growing.

“I love creating opportunity because sharing always comes back,” he says.

To him, that’s the formula for ultimate success in the business world.

The Secret To A Local Cosmetic Brand’s Success: “It’s All In The Oil”

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 13:38:15 GMT

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

Thanks to New Lending, Message Spa Owner Finds Her Zen

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 14:09:02 GMT

There’s a new way for minority-owned businesses in Broward County to get access to capital. The new Capital Access Fund (CAF) is a lending initiative which provides capital and business education for minority entrepreneurs. It’s available through a partnership between Morgan Stanley, National Urban League Urban Empowerment Fund, National Development Council, and the Urban League of Broward County.

Message therapist Irica Dore used the fund to grow her spa business in Pembroke Pines. Here is her story:

We are all looking for our Zen moment.

For Irica Dore, it occurs each time she does what she truly loves: messaging her clients.

With low lights and soft music playing, she stretches tired muscles and overworked joints, as her mind focuses on her mission of helping people feel better, physically and mentally.

“This is my zone. I love messaging people,” she says.

Irica is providing her brand of therapy from a new office in a strip mall in Pembroke Pines. She’s been a massage therapist for more than a decade, but has only recently opened her own spa, complete with therapy and skincare rooms as well as a lounge to sip tea, read, nap or contemplate.

For the 36-year-old who was born in New York City and raised in South Florida, her business – Blu Bliss – is a dream come true. She knows it won’t be easy growing her clientele, paying the rent, and keeping the place beautiful so it can compete with the myriad of other spas and salons. Yet, she is optimist that her business acumen and her passion for massage therapy will bring her many successes.

“Running your own business is risky. I know that. But I’m in the business of making a difference in people’s lives,” she says. “I’ve always been a people pleaser. Through massage therapy, I can help people feel better and give people a sense of wholeness and balance in their lives. If I can do that well, people will come and bring their friends. That’s how my business will grow.”

And it’s grown a lot. Since going out on her own in 2010 after working at Memorial Healthcare System as a massage therapist, she built up a clientele from 20 to 100 regulars. She wants to get to 500 steady customers.

Thanks to the loan from CAF, Irica is confident that she’ll reach her goal. The funding has allowed her to buy new equipment and signage, pay for building maintenance, and focus on marketing and advertising, Irica says.

Over the years, she’s invested close to $35,000 of her own money into the business, mostly in renovating her current space into a multi-room spa. But the loan has given her room to concentrate on expanding her services and worrying a little less about financing.

“This assistance from the Urban League has been so great,” she says. “Without it, there would be no way I could have qualified for traditional financing. I wouldn’t have met many of the qualifications.”

Several other massage therapists work at Blu Bliss. But Irica’s favorite worker is her 9-year-old daughter who visits after school and enjoys helping out.

“She loves answering the phones and running the front desk,” Irica says. “I love her enthusiasm. She’s seeing how I run my business and she’s picking up great values of what it’s like to work hard and be successful.”

Irica spends a lot of her time planning for the future. She’s constantly looking for clients but she’s also thinking of other business ventures with her family members – perhaps buying apartments and renting them or catering special events. No matter what she does, though, massage therapy will always be a part of her life.

“I love it too much,” she says. “We live in a crazy world. We all need a mental break once in a while. For me, that break comes when I do messages. I find it really soothing. It’s something I’ll always be doing.”

Blu Bliss is located at 9930 NW 6th Ct in Pembroke Pines. To make an appointment, call 954-361-9015. Learn more here: www.feelblubliss.com

Fort Lauderdale Photographer Expands Business With New Capital Access Fund

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:52:59 GMT

Across Broward County, Florida, minority-owned businesses are getting access to much-needed capital through the new Capital Access Fund (CAF) – a new lending initiative which provides capital and business education for minority entrepreneurs. It became available in November, 2017 through a partnership between Morgan Stanley, National Urban League Urban Empowerment Fund, National Development Council, and the Urban League of Broward County.

David I. Muir, a local photographer and co-owner of a creative marketing agency, is one of the first CAF recipients. He’s relying on the fund to grow his business and seek economic empowerment.

The hallway leading into David I. Muir’s apartment in an artists’ development in Fort Lauderdale is lined with stunning images of his life’s work.

Radiant photos of African-American women posing naturally along city beaches, parks and streets are on one side. Striking photos of jazz musicians giving it all, their hairlines shining with beads of sweat and arms swinging to the beat, are on the other side.

The photos are among the thousands he has taken over the years as he built a successful photography business, specializing in capturing the performances of entertainers, corporate events of downtown executives, and everyday lives of people from around the world.

David, 49, a hardworking and gregarious father of three known to many as “Sexy Man,” has come a long way.

“Taking photos is what I was destined to do,” he says. “As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be relevant and have people be interested in what I was interested in.”

The nephew of an organ tuner, he grew up in Jamaica with a passion for music, art and performing. He moved to New York City, got married, and became a sought-after disc jockey with the skill to make thousands dance at festivals and other big events. He also pursued other interests, especially in education, earning degrees in philosophy and social work.

After the Sept. 11th attacks, David moved to South Florida and went to work as a social worker for Family Central and then Memorial Healthcare System, focusing his time on helping troubled teens find a better path in life.

Through it all, he kept taking photos of events, landscapes and people he knew. He never had any formal training but loved to chronicle images of people and things around him.

While working full-time, David started taking on small photography jobs, shooting cocktail events and headshots. Soon, he realized the day-to-day work of a social worker wasn’t for him.

“I liked the work but I didn’t like the notes,” he says.

So he went out on his own as a full-time photographer, slowly building up his reputation by working hard at social events and corporate gatherings. His first big client: Urban League of Broward County and the annual Red Gala.

“This was a huge platform and a great way to reach the community,” he says. “I was really grateful.”

His business soared from there. In 2012, he published the book “Pieces of Jamaica,” a collection of snapshots of his native country. He got assignments for Jamaica’s tourism board and many other established organizations and traveled the globe taking photos of subjects at exotic and fascinating locations.

As David’s reputation grew, he met Calibe Thompson, a media producer and creative consultant, and they formed a new creative agency called Island Syndicate. Their company focuses on video production, corporate branding and publishing services. They started a new Caribbean-American lifestyle quarterly magazine Island Origins, drawing attention with a rare interview with Wyclef Jean, the Haitian rapper, musician and actor. In 2017, they organized the Taste the Islands Experience food festival in Miramar and plan to do more festivals.

“We work really well together,” Calibe says. “David is an ace at marketing and branding, and I’m really strong in operations.”

And this is where the Capital Access Fund comes into play. Their company is relying on the loan to purchase equipment, pay for staff, and concentrate on marketing.

“This money is critically important for us,” David says. “We are all about doing things at the highest level, and without a loan, there’s just so much you can’t do.”

For David and Calibe, their new venture is just getting started. They plan to expand publications, video productions, and events – all of them wrapped around high-end design and, of course, eye-catching photography.

“All my photos tell stories of people,” David says. “I’m really excited and blessed. I feel like everything that has happened, has happened for a purpose. I’ve already exceeded what I dreamed of and I can’t wait for what happens next.”

Learn more about David’s business by visiting his website: www.davidimuir.com. To contact David, his email is: dmuir@davidiphoto.com.

Child Development Center Owner Uses CAF Loan to Grow the Business

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:41:55 GMT

Minority-owned businesses in Broward County now have access to a new pool of capital. The Capital Access Fund (CAF) is a lending initiative which provides capital and business education for minority entrepreneurs. It’s available through a partnership between Morgan Stanley, National Urban League Urban Empowerment Fund, National Development Council, and the Urban League of Broward County.

Lawanda Henderson used the funding to pursue a life-long dream of owning a child learning center. It’s helped her grow her business and plan for a new location.

Here is her story.

When she was a young girl, Lawanda Henderson had a favorite activity: babysitting other children.

At her church, she watched children as their parents participated in the services. At her home, she played with her younger relatives on weekends while their parents ran errands and worked extra shifts at work.

“If there was an opportunity to watch kids, I would do it,” she said. “I love kids. I’ve always enjoyed the role of a caregiver.”

Now, at age 45, Lawanda has made caregiving for children her career – and a fast-growing business.

A former school administrative assistant and track-and-field coach, she owns Taylor’s Tots Preschool, a child development center in a working-class neighborhood just outside of Fort Lauderdale.

She took over the center in 2017 from a previous owner and spent thousands of her own dollars to upgrade it: refurbishing the flooring, adding cabinets, updating playground equipment, installing a security system, and beautifying the rooms with fresh paint. She made the place truly her own, adding the right touches to improve the learning experience and encourage more families to bring their children there.

“Owning this center has been my life-long dream so I had to make it look just right,” she said.

Lawanda had wanted to run her own child learning center since the early 1990s, but couldn’t focus on it because she started having children and needed to provide for them through a steady job as a school office manager for Broward County Public Schools. As the years passed, she built up her administrative and business skills, learning to budget, run accounting systems, dealing with staff, and taking charge of big decisions. She liked the work, but still clung to her dream of operating her own child center.

Finally, last year, her opportunity arrived, when she found out the owner of Taylor’s Tots Preschool wanted to retire and sell the business. Lawanda began volunteering there and eventually, she purchased the center.

Everything was set, except for the extra financing needed to run the center, which has a staff of four and two substitutes. One morning, while visiting the Urban League of Broward County to learn about the entrepreneurship center’s workshops, she ran into an employee there who was a former student from her days at the school and found out about Capital Access Fund. She had several meetings with the Urban League staff, took classes, and before long was approved for a $54,000 loan.

“I was new at business and it would have been impossible to get that kind of money from a regular bank,” Lawanda said.

The loan enabled her to pay down her debts, make the renovations to the center, and begin thinking about bigger plans: opening another child development center in the area. She figured, her community has many working families in need of quality child care, so why not respond to the demand?

She is now looking for a location to house her new center with room for 80 children -- a place large enough to also operate a K-12 grade private school. In addition, she is determined to get a higher certification for her current center which would require raising educational standards.

“I’ll get there soon,” she said, standing in a colorful room next to the kitchen where more than 20 children were quietly eating a lunch of chicken nuggets and vegetables on a recent afternoon. The children had just finished coloring booklets and reviewing other books, and Lawanda was showing a visitor how thoughtful and well-behaved the children were.

“I love children and watching as they grow and develop and ask great questions,” she added. “It’s been my mission in life to give children in my community a great place to learn, be safe and get prepared for the world to come.”

Her favorite part of running Taylor’s Tots Preschool is when parents tell her that their young children come home from school and proudly use new words or phrases that they learned in school.

“It’s so rewarding to me when I know our work here is making a difference,” she said.

To learn more about the Urban League of Broward County’s CAF and other entrepreneur programs, click here.

Urban League of Broward County Selected to Build Afford Housing Through New County Project

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 14:14:31 GMT

Media Contact:

Nina McDowell

Urban League of Broward County

Direct: 954.625.2545

Email: nmcdowell@ulbcfl.org

For immediate release

Urban League of Broward County Selected to Build Afford Housing Through New County Project

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. (March 24, 2017) – The Urban League of Broward County has been selected to build affordable single-family homes as part of a new Board of County Commissioners project to construct more homes for qualifying very-low to moderate-income households across Broward County.

The county’s Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division of Broward County has entered into an agreement with the Urban League and nine other Broward County nonprofit housing agencies to construct forty new affordable single-family homes.

Each nonprofit agency, including the Urban League, is being awarded four lots to build homes with a minimum of 1,500-square-feet, three bedrooms, two-baths and a two-car garage. The agencies will need to get permits within six months and complete construction 12 months after permitting.

The homes will be available for purchase through a lottery system to very-low to moderate-income households who qualify for first mortgage financing with an approved lender and who will use the homes as their primary residence.

The County may also provide purchase assistance for qualified buyers. All new buyers are required to attend homeowner education class and meet current Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division underwriting criteria for the home purchase and loans.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to provide homeownership opportunities for families wanting a place of their own,” said Germaine Smith-Baugh, Ed.D., president and CEO of Urban League of Broward County. “We are excited to have been selected for this much-needed project to provide homeownership for families who too often have a difficult time finding decent and safe places to live.”

Applications will be available starting April 3 at Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division or online at Broward.org/Housing/Pages/Default.aspx . The application period will be open until 12 PM, May 26 and completed applications need to be delivered in person to the following address:

Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division

110 NE Third Street, Suite 300

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM, excluding holidays

For further information call: 954-357-4900.

The other participating nonprofit agencies are:

1. Broward Alliance for Neighborhood Development (BAND)

2. Dania Economic Development Corporation

3. Habitat for Humanity of Broward

4. Housing, Opportunities, Mortgage Assistance and Effective Neighborhood Solutions, Inc. (HOMES)

5. Housing Foundation of America

6. Liberia Economic and Social Development

7. Minority Builders Coalition, Inc.

8. Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, Inc.

9. Sunrise City Community Housing Development Organization, Inc.

About Urban League of Broward County

The Urban League of Broward County is a not for profit organization founded to empower communities and change lives. Our mission is to assist African Americans and other disenfranchised groups in the achievement of social and economic equality. Our “Breaking the Cycle” programs uplift more than 11,000 people every year through affordable housing initiatives, youth development and diversion, employment and training, community empowerment, and civic engagement. Learn more about the Urban League of Broward County by visiting: www.ulbroward.org .