Support the Hope Runners Team!
Our dear friend, musician, and longtime supporter, Harvey Brice, will once again be channeling one of his hobbies into a fundraising effort for the Matt Urban Center! Last year, Harvey ran a half marathon and with the help of friends and family, raised over $1500 for our agency’s homeless outreach efforts.
This year, Harvey is adding some manpower and has launched the Penny Lane Cafe Hope Runners. This team has entered to participate in the Buffalo Marathon on May 26, 2019 with the goal of raising $3,000 to support our programs via CrowdRise.
The team will kick off its fundraising efforts with a launch event on Sunday, April 14 from 12:00-3:00pm at Penny Lane Café in Clarence. The event will feature food and cash bar, speakers, basket raffle, marathon trivia quiz, sign-up table and T-shirt sales. The team is also offering any affiliated businesses and associations the opportunity to set up a table at the event to enlist members, sell product or simply speak and share information. Click here to see the event page on Facebook.
The fundraiser event is being sponsored by Anne Valby and the Penny Lane Café. StrideLive, a BETA running application for IOS, will be supplying team members technology for their training and safety and communication features on the day of the race.
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for more updates on how you can support the Hope Runners!
City of Buffalo Annual Action Plan Meeting
The City of Buffalo will host a community meeting at the Matt Urban Center, 1081 Broadway, on March 14, 2019 from 6:00-7:30pm to gather input from community residents to inform its Annual Action Plan.
Residents are invited to share their thoughts on neighborhood needs and target areas. This will inform how the City allocates funds from the following entitlement programs provided by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD):
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): Benefits low-income households and neighborhoods by providing funds to repair homes, demolish abandoned properties, improve public facilities such as parks and recreation centers, repave streets and fix sidewalks, promote economic development, and provide human services.
HOME Investment Partnership (HOME): Assists with the construction or renovation of housing for low-income homebuyers and renters.
Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG): Addresses the needs of the homeless through street outreach, emergency shelter, prevention, and rapid re-housing activities.
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA): Provides rental assistance and supportive services to persons with HIV/AIDS and their families.
For more information on the meeting or if special accommodations are required, contact the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning at 851-6578 or HUDAdministrator@city-buffalo.com. Burmese, Arabic, Nepali, and Karen speakers MUST RSVP for translation services.
Save the Date: Hearts for Hope
NFTA Presents Sounds of the Season for Noteworthy Cause
On Friday, December 14, the NFTA will kick off its holiday Sounds of the Season program at 8:30 a.m. in the MTC terminal with a unique entertainment extravaganza presented by Akron High School’s marching band.
There will be a brief presentation at 10:00AM in support of this year’s “noteworthy cause” that will include representatives from the NFTA, Buffalo Public Schools, the Food Bank of WNY, and the Matt Urban Hope Center. The event will culminate with a special musical performance by the Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and a complementary hot chocolate reception.
The Sounds of the Season lunchtime musical performances at 181 Ellicott Street will continue throughout the week of December 17-21 at 11:30 a.m. each day. Guests are invited to bring a can of soup or a new pair of socks to donate to the Matt Urban Hope Center or the Food Bank of WNY.
2018 Santas of Swig Homebrewing Fundraiser
First Time Homebuyer Orientation @ MUC
The Buffalo Urban League, in partnership with the City of Buffalo, Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency, and Evans Bank, will host a first time homebuyer orientation at the Matt Urban Center on Thursday, December 13 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
The class will include an overview of the home buying process, how to apply for a mortgage, tax benefits, credit repair and counseling, budgeting and more.
The class is free and open to the public, but you must register by calling (716) 250-2418. Please notify organizers in advance if you require special accommodations.
Trunk or Treat With Us!
Climbing PoeTree Free Concert at Matt Urban Center
We’re hosting a free community concert in partnership with our friends at Open Buffalo!
Climbing PoeTree will perform on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 7-00-9:00 p.m. here at 1081 Broadway in the third floor hall. The show features Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman’s award-winning dual-voice spoken word, backed with infectious beats and multimedia theater.
This event is FREE and open to the public—all are welcome! Light refreshments will be provided.
See the Facebook event page for more info here.
Join us for our Quarterly Community Breakfast!
Want to learn more about our programs at the Matt Urban Center and hear the latest update on our School 57 renovation project?
Join us on Saturday, September 22 at 10:30AM for our quarterly community breakfast! The event will take place in the third floor hall of our main headquarters at 1081 Broadway.
We will have a presentation on the renovations currently underway at the former School 57 building, followed by a roundtable with our Housing & Community Development, Youth, and Hope Services programs. A brief survey will be conducted to inform the discussion at our next meeting.
Light breakfast will be provided. Please contact us with questions at (716) 893-7222 x310 or eblacksheare@urbanctr.org.