Community Partner : Waverly Main Street Intern : Caleb Warren Site Supervisor : Emilie C . Drasher
What is the Waverly Main Street ? Waverly Main Street is the local , historic shopping district located in the center of Waverly Village . Visit the Waverly Historic Marker located on the green median along 33rd St . west of Greenmount .
This summer proved to be a fascinating mix of establishing business relationships , planning and staffing events and attending key community meetings throughout the city . With a mission of revitalizing the neighborhood surrounding a part of the Greenmount corridor , Waverly Main Street immersed me into a world of small businesses run by local people . In the first few weeks , I went from business to business asking to speak with managers and informing them about community resources and the possibility of hiring a youth worker . I spoke with barbers , cobblers , technology specialists , hardware experts , auto mechanics , learning first‐hand what business needed in the wake of the uprising and brainstorming ways to entice more customers . I learned that behind every small business is a face that worries about whether they are doing enough advertising or how their facade looks . WMS was very busy one week and painstakingly slow the next . A major frustration of mine was that small , one full‐time employee non‐profits like WMS have to spend a huge amount of time waiting to hear back about a meeting or funding or a form to be filled out . While I learned more than I could have imagined , especially going into this urban business work as a biology and philosophy major , I feel that the program and this placement would benefit from a 20hr / wk student work schedule at WMS . A highlight of the summer was planning and then staffing the organization ' s first Baseball and Brews benefit event at the local Peabody Heights Brewery . Over 100 people showed up for a Saturday afternoon of baseball , bottomless beer , a silent auction and a raffle . While staffing the event was a lot of fun , it also put into perspective how much organizational work and planning is needed for just a four hour event . From working with caterers , the brewery , sponsors and silent auction donors , we found that while it was highly stressful , it was highly rewarding . After receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback , we planned another event‐‐this time Ravens themed‐‐for the fall . I gained a lot of interpersonal and organizational skills this summer as well as really realizing the truth of the adage " If not you , then who ? If not now , then when ?” ‐Caleb
Tasks :
● Sought out , secured work opportunities Baltimore high scho
● Assisted in grant‐wr for over $ 300,000 in acquisitions , demol improvements , stre projects .
● Helped organize an promotional comm community movie n