Blogs

With funding from the EPA and the help of numerous volunteers, this past summer Groundwork Lawrence built twenty-one raised beds. Growing your own food in Lawrence can be a challenging activity for many residents because soil lead levels tend to be high and soil quality is low. Groundwork's Backyard Garden program alleviates this problem by building raised beds and providing a compost / loam growing medium. This enables residents to enjoy the benefits of growing their own fresh food.

For the past seven weeks a select group of young adults from Lawrence have organized a work crew to remove solid waste from the Spicket River. The Spicket River Crew has worked tirelessly to make the river a better place for people and wildlife. The project is generously funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Natural Resources Damages Trust Fund. The Smith Family Foundation also provided funding for Groundwork to buy a truck to implement this project. Below is the first blog entry provided by crew member Santiago Reyes.

Lawrence, Its People & the Spicket River

Recently, Comcast Newsmakers interviewed GWL's Development Director, Amanda Cochrane. The video interview is available online, so take a few minutes to check it out. To watch it on Youtube, click here!

Every year since 2004, Bank of America recognizes community minded high school juniors and seniors from across the country and gives them the opportunity to develop and apply leadership skills through hands-on community work experience. As a selected participant of the 2013 Bank of America Student Leaders program, I was awarded an 8-week paid summer internship with a local nonprofit organization. Furthermore, I represented Massachusetts in a Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C. along with 4 other student leaders from the Boston area.

Check out this walking map made by WalkBoston, which makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and vibrant communities.

Making Lawrence More Walkable

Groundwork Lawrence will be hosting two MassLIFT AmeriCorps members - a Service Learning Coordinator and a Community Engagement Coordinator.

The Community Engagement Coordinator at Groundwork Lawrence will assist GWL’s Project Director, who is responsible for managing the design and construction of open space and infrastructure improvements throughout Lawrence, including the Spicket River Greenway, Riverwalk Trail, the Shawsheen River Trail, the Manchester Lawrence Branch Rail Trail and community gardens.