Upcoming Events

NDC Community Energy Savers Program

While home energy efficiency upgrades can be made year round, fall is an especially important time to improve your home’s energy efficiency through weatherization. This fall, through a series of Energy Saturdays and Wednesdays, the Neighborhood Design Center helped people conserve energy and save money on their utility bills through both seasonal and year round home energy efficiency upgrades. Four events were held in the Better Waverly 1, Better Waverly 2 (Abbottston), Harwood, and Abell neighborhoods (Click on each neighborhood name to see pictures from the Energy workshops).

Each event featured demonstrations of simple DIY home energy upgrades, including weatherstripping doors, sealing gaps and cracks with caulk and spray foam sealant, and insulating window, as well as educational presentations by partner organizations Civic Works Project Lightbulb, Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge, Rebuilding Together Baltimore, and Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE).  At the end of the demonstrations, each attendee received a free DIY Home Energy Kit to encourage them to make energy efficiency upgrades to their own homes.

The workshop series was a great success, and we greatly appreciate continued support from the Waverly Ace Hardware, our DIY volunteers, and our workshop hosts. Finally, thank you to our partner the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, as well as to The Loading Dock and Sandtown Habitat for Humanity ReStore for their donations of a door and window for our weatherization demonstrations.

Energy Saturdays are part of NDC's Energy Savers Program to help Abell, Better Waverly, and Harwood residents conserve energy and save money on their BGE bills. We will be planning additional workshops and block projects in the Spring of 2011. If you live in Abell, Better Waverly, or Harwood, and would like to save money and energy, please contact Ben Jakubowski, Community Energy Savers VISTA, at (410) 233-9686 ext. 105 .


Past Events

Bowl-a-Rama 2 a Success!

12 Lanes, 64 bowlers, 140 donors, $11,311 raised to help local neighborhoods

Thank you to everyone who bowled, sponsored a team, or made a donation to NDC's Bowl-a-Rama 2 - you helped us raise $11,311 dollars that will support the planning and design services that we provide to communities throughout the area. In particular, thank you to Harriett Roberts Harvey for chairing the event.

It was a great evening - plenty of food and drink (amazing pizza from Johnny Rad's) and fun all around - several of teams looked great in their coordinated bowling attire and we loved the team cheers (even the ones made up on the spot). Click HERE to see pictures. Award winners for the evening were:

Elizabeth "Toots" Award (High Bowlers): Emily Reid and Deborah Dietrich, BCT Ducks
Bowling is Fun Award (Most Spirited): Architecture for Humanity
Jesus Quintana Award (Best Form): Sean Kefferstan, HCM
Bawlmer Award (Best Dressed): Gutter Girls

Did you want to support a bowler but ran out of time? You can still make a donation by visiting our Bowl-a-Rama 2 page and finding your favorite NDC bowler.

************************************************
Alternative Roots Festival

On June 25, NDC participated in the Alternative Roots Festival, a celebration of community, creativity, and culture (www.rootsfest2011.org). Culminating a week of seminars and performances was an outdoor festival along the "Highway to Nowhere" - a mile long stretch of road that destroyed a thriving community in West Baltimore.

During the festival NDC partnered with CultureWorks on an interactive art activity that asked people, "What do we do with empty urban spaces?". Click HERE to see images from the festival and the creativity exhibited by young and old alike.

************************************************

Hundreds of people came out on a grey April 9th to participate in the Better Block Project, a commercial revitalization event led by the Neighborhood Design Center.  Click HERE to see how a two-block area of 34th Street was transformed with pop-up stores, street cafes, and art installations.

************************************************



This past year we broke from tradition and held a "Virtual Gala" to raise funds and awareness to support our pro-bono design and planning services.  Thank you to all of our Sponsors and participants in our "Brains on Fire" charrettes - which helped us raise nearly $12,000.  Click HERE to see pictures from the Brains on Fire, a list of NDC Award winners, and list of Sponsors.

************************************************

Bowl-a-Rama a Success!

On September 23 over 40 bowlers and well-wishers enjoyed an evening of duckpin bowling to raise money for NDC's pro-bono planning and design services.  Through the hard work of our bowlers, and the generosity of 137 sponsors, we were able to raise over $7,000! Thank you to Nicole Lacoste Folks and Harriett Roberts Harvey for co-chairing the event.  For more information about the event, as well as to see the top fundraisers, click HERE.

THANK YOU to the following teams and prize winners!
- NDC Board Members and Staff
- SBER Alumni
- Cho Benn Holback + Associates
- AIABaltimore
- Baltimore City Planning Department
- Mixed Baggers

Top Bowlers
Jamie Williams (Planning Department Team) and Brian Oster (CBH Team)
Obama Award (not so top bowlers)
Kate McShane and Andy Powell (both on the SBER Alumni Team)
Best Form
Steve Green (AIABaltimore Team)
High Score: Team
Baltimore City Planning Department
Top Fundraisers
Harriett Roberts Harvey, George Holback, and Amy Bonitz.

Thanks also to Cyclops Books for donating the Top Bowler prizes and to Johnny Rad's for some great pizza. .

************************************************


Power of Place 2009
An evening to support the Neighborhood Design Center

Click HERE to see the great time that we had at our fundraiser on November 11, 2009 at the Creative Alliance - which helped to raise $17,000 for our pro-bono planning and design programs.

************************************************
Fun @ Pho a success!
Thank you to everyone who came out to Baltimore Pho on September 30 to support the Neighborhood Design Center - we raised almost $400 between the food and drink receipts (10% of the total for the evening was donated to NDC) and the raffle.  In particular we want to recognize the team of Magda Westerhaut and Brad Holder from Marks, Thomas Architects who won the Bartender Challenge - they raised the most money during their shift!  Congratulations also to Kathleen Pryor who won the $50 gift card to Baltimore Pho and David Hunter who won the watercolor by Rima Namek of Cho Benn Holback + Associates.

We are planning another event like this for the early Spring - more info will follow.

************************************************

2009 Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration
Around 30 people joined us for our 2009 Annual Meeting on June 25 in Union Square. Thank you to Tom Stosur, Director of the Baltimore City Planning Department, for serving as guest speaker for the evening. In addition to recognizing our Baltimore 2009 Volunteers of the Year Will Story and Keith Sullivan and the Butchers Hill Master Plan as Project of the Year, we also welcomed four new Board members: Amy Bonitz (Bonitz Palmer LLC), Alex Chen (University of Maryland College Park), Harriet Roberts Harvey (Construction Consultant), and Rufus Lusk (Lusk Family LP).

Thank you to everyone who attended and who has supported the Neighborhood Design Center over the years!

40th Anniversary

Click HERE to read more about NDC's 40th Anniversary in 2008!

Thank you for making our 40th Anniversary Gala a success!

Thank you to everyone who made NDC's 40th Anniversary Gala a success - especially our event sponsors Cho Benn Holback + Associates, Design Collective, and the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development! - with your help we were able to raise $25,000 to continue providing pro-bono planning and design services to residents and non-profits in Baltimore and Prince George's County.  Click HERE to view a full list of our sponsors, silent auction and raffle items, and pictures from the evening. 



NDC Annual Meeting and Baltimore Awards Celebration
On Tuesday, June 24, over 50 people gathered in Druid Hill Park for NDC's Annual Meeting and to honor this year's Volunteer and Project Award winners for Baltimore.  Special honors went to  volunteers of the Year, Jennifer Leonard, Mary Stevenson, Michael Schwebel, Tom Woolfolk, and Judy Floam , Projects of the Year The Show Way Project at Lockerman Bundy and Creating a New Main Street: Northwood Plaza Shopping Center, and NDC Hall of Fame Inductees Frank Gant, Barbara McClinton and Tom Woolfolk.  In addition, NDC welcomed two new Board members: Dr. Mary Anne Akers, Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at Morgan State University and Marian Gillis, MG & Associates. 

We had great weather for the event and attenddees were able to enjoy wonderful views of Druid Lake and the city beyond.  Thank you to Andy Frank, 1st Deputy Mayor for Neighborhood and Economic Development, for giving the welcoming remarks at the event.  We would also like to thank Agnes Welch, Council Woman for the 9th District, for arranging the Council Resolutions to honor our awardees.  

We would also like to give a big THANK YOU to the following companies who sponsored the Annual Meeting: Design Collective, KANN Partners, and Colbert Matz Rosenfelt, Inc.

Finally, thank you to the Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks for their partnership of our Annual Meeting.

Prince George's County Awards Ceremony

On May 14th over 50 people joined NDC to celebrate projects and volunteers from our Prince George's County office.  Special honors went to  volunteers of the Year, Corey Beasley and Michael Jordan, Project of the Year The People's Harbor at Colmar Manor, and NDC Hall of Fame Inductee Seth Harry.  Guests were treated to great food and a beautiful atmosphere in the Town of Brentwood's, Bartlett Park.  Thank you to the Town of Brentwood for partnering with us for this special celebration.

Larry Reich Award
On March 20 over 75 people attended the Larry Reich Awards ceremony at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.  The award, given annually to individuals whose volunteer and professional work exemplifies a special commitment to community-based planning and design, was this year awardded to Betty Bland-Thomas and Ed Rutlowski (to see a list of past award winners click here and scroll to the bottom of the page).  To read more about why Betty and Ed were recognized, and to view a video of the event, click here. Thank you to the Baltimore City Department of Planning for co-sponsoring the award, and to the Maps on Purpose exhibit by Art on Purpose for their collaboration on the event.

NDC Kicks-off 40th Anniversary Year with a Happy Hour
On Wednesday, February 20, a small but energetic group joined NDC staff and Board members to help us kick-off our 40th Anniversary with a Happy Hour at Zella's (next to Hollins Market).  Thank you to Kevin Cleary, who represented City Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and especially to Julie and Cem who own Zella's.

Past Events

NDC's 2007 Gala GREENDC a success!

On Thursday, November 8, over 200 people joined the Neighborhood Design Center at the American Visionary Art Museum to celebrate our 2007 Gala “GREENDC”.  Guests were treated to great food by Sascha’s, incredible music by 13 year old saxaphonist David "Hawk" Diongue and Trio Novo, and a silent auction featuring artwork and items donated by many of NDC’s volunteers, members, and friends.

The Gala raised close to $40,000 - which will be used to continue providing pro-bono planning and design services to residents and non-profits in Baltimore and Prince George's County - in particular our new initiative GREENDC.  Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, or purchased a silent auction piece.

Thanks especially to DESIGN COLLECTIVE for being the Event Sponsor for this year's Gala!

The Neighborhood Design Center would also like to thank the following companies for their sponsorship of our Gala!

Gold Level Sponsors
Black & Decker
Cho Benn Holback + Associates
KANN Partners
Notari Associates
Water Street Corporation

Silver Level Sponsors
The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Baltimore City Planning Department
Gower Thompson, Inc.
Harkins Builders
J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc.
KCI Technologies, Inc.
Marks, Thomas Architects
Terra Nova Ventures

Bronze Level Sponsors
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
Baltimore Development Corporation
Baltimore Housing
Building Consultants, Inc.
The Edgecombe Group
Gaudreau, Inc.
Gensler
Graham Landscape Architecture
Hord Coplan Macht
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson
Landex Companies
Louviere, Stratton & Yokel, LLC
Oasis Design Group
Southway Builders, Inc.
Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse
Whitney, Bailey, Cox & Magnani, LLC

Silent Auction
Thank you to everyone who donated to our silent auction - this year we had over sixty items for bid, including:

• Artwork - paintings, watercolors, photographs, and prints - from area artists, architects and designers
• "Green" tools and products from Black & Decker
• Gift certificates from Alter Ego (specializing in green home products), Zeke's Coffee, the Red Canoe Bookstore, and Chameleon Cafe
• Salvaged architectural pieces from Housewerks
• Tickets to Everyman Theater
• Jewelry from Earth Alley, featuring eco-friendly and fair-trade personal and home accessories (and owned by a former NDC staff member)

Raffle
Thank you to TerraLogos Green Home Services for donating a Home Energy Inspection© as a raffle prize for our Gala ($345 value). The raffle raised $375!

You can learn more about TerraLogos on their web site, www.TerraLogos.com. To keep updated on green news in the Baltimore area, sign up for their bi-monthly Green eNewsletter here.