HADLEY — Renowned New York Times columnist Charles Blow will speak at the Hadley Farms Meeting House on Thursday, April 12, at the Valley Community Development’s 30th anniversary celebration.
Blow is well known for his opinion writing on politics and current affairs, particularly on issues of social justice. In addition to his regular column in the New York Times, he also frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC.
“The work that we do is in line with the issues that he writes about,” Joanne Campbell, Executive Director of Valley Community Development said. “Whether it’s a discussion of poverty, inequality, racism … I think his message will resonate with our audience.”
Valley Community Development is a nonprofit organization that works to assist low and moderate income Hampshire County residents with issues pertaining to home ownership, affordable housing and small business development.
Campbell said she hopes that bringing in a high-profile speaker will help raise and awareness and expand support for the organization.
“We hope that having a national speaker will help spark interest in what we’re doing on a community level,” Campbell said. “There’s a lot of people who are passionate about issues but are frustrated by what they see on the national level. We want them to know that they can make an impact right here in their community and feel empowered by that.”
The lack of affordable housing is a major issue in Hampshire County, according to Campbell.
“The market is very tight here. It can be really tough on lower and moderate income individuals and families,” she said.
In an effort assist residents in need, Valley Community Development invests in affordable housing projects and provides free home ownership counseling by appointment. The group provides assistance and counselling to local small business owners as well.
This year, the nonprofit raised over $400,000 from businesses and individuals around the county. According to Campbell, that’s about $175,000 more than in an average year.
“We have an ambitious five-year community development plan,” Campbell said. “With that in mind, and with our 30th anniversary coming, we figured we should go for a higher fundraising goal this year.”
The majority of Valley Community Development’s funds are donated by local business such as banks and real estate agencies, Campbell said.
According to Campbell, The Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit program has been instrumental the group’s fundraising success. The program was implemented in 2014 and provides state and federal tax incentives for donating to organizations such as Valley Community Development.
With the addition local, state and federal funding grants, Campbell said the organization’s budget is currently between $600,000 and $700,000.
The group’s development of The Lumber Yard in Northampton, which it says will create 55 affordable family apartments, is ongoing and is expected to be completed in May 2019. Campbell said the organization is also in the early stages of another affordable housing development project in Northampton that will add 16 affordable family units to the Sergeant House on Bridge Street.
Other long term goals of the organization include expanding its geographic reach and small business assistance programs, Campbell said.
Tickets to the anniversary celebration are $125 and are available at valleycdc.com. All proceeds will go to Valley Community Development and its projects. The event will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., and dinner featuring Blow will be offered from 7-9 p.m.