1. West End News
Dates to Remember:
7/14 —6:30PM:
Resident Engagement Committee
(Second Tuesday of Every Month)
Call Antoine 401‐453‐3220x30
7/1—9/30, 3—7PM Wednesdays:
Sankofa World Market
@Knight Memorial Library
7/11 & 7/18, 9AM—1PM:
Fast Track Homebuyer Workshop
Call Rosa 401‐453‐3220x17
7/15 & 8/12, 5PM—7PM:
Photo Walks
Call Rolando 401‐453‐3220x28
7/25 & 8/15, 9AM & 10AM & 11AM:
Hour‐long POWER Workshops
Call Rosa 401‐453‐3220x17
Celebrate Food, Culture and Community Every Wednesday This Summer!
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
Inside This Issue:
P2 Caught In The Act
P2 Community Building
P2 From The Home Ownership Center
P3 Neighborhood Green News
P3 The Inside Story
P3 Neighborhood Resources
P4 Thought You’d Like To Know
Sankofa World Market opens Wednesday, July
1st
on Knight Memorial Library lawn! Celebrate
with live music and diverse goods from Dorcas
International Institute’s clientele from around
the world, and learn about the amazing
services DIIRI provides to the local refugee
community.
Join us every Wednesday through September
30th for affordable, locally‐produced food and
crafts that celebrate the West End’s cultural
richness and learn about important
neighborhood resources. Enjoy fresh tacos,
hot Jamaican food and other authentic flavors!
In collaboration with Farm Fresh Rhode
Island, this year’s market offers Bonus Bucks
to SNAP users! Every $5 in SNAP benefits
spent gets an additional $2 to spend on fresh
produce.
Local produce vendors include Blia Moua
(West End/Elmwood), Finch Farm (West End,
Rehoboth MA), Coutinho Farms (Berkley MA),
and many start‐up urban growers from the
West End and South Side through Southside
Community Land Trust.
Also on offer will be local peanut butter and
the unique Sankofa blend trail mix from
Virginia Spanish Peanut Company, fresh
tortillas, eggs, tropical fruit and beautiful
crafts. Additionally, the market will be a drop‐
off and education site for our West End
Residential Composting Program.
We are excited to host the WE LOVE
community photography project, supported
by a Pop Up Providence grant. Stop by the
community photo booth or join a
neighborhood photo walk to show what you
love about the West End.
Every week offers something new! Cook‐offs,
cooking demonstrations, youth art projects,
hair braiding and more are to come. For more
information, contact Addie Newbold, Market
Manager at 401‐453‐3220x11.
Homes For Sale
This lovely 3 bedroom house at 173 BELLEVUE
AVE is under contract for $119,900.
This renovated 3 bedroom house at 112
ALLSTON ST is under contract for $135,900.
UNDER CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT

2. P A G E 2
—Angie Ankoma
Volunteer and 2015
Board President
We celebrate Angie
Bannerman Ankoma,
recipient of
NeighborWorks
America’s Dorothy
Richardson Award
for Resident
Leadership!
Caught in the Act: Board President Receives National Award
We are delighted to announce that Angela
Bannerman Ankoma, West Elmwood resident and
WEHDC Board President, has been awarded the
2015 Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident
Leadership by NeighborWorks America. Angie is
one of eight extraordinary community leaders
throughout the country to have been granted this
award in 2015. She will receive the award at the
national NeighborWorks Community Leadership
Institute in Louisville, KY in October.
Angie first came to WEHDC as a resident
concerned about poor health outcomes among
West End children. She brought her passion for
family wellbeing, professional knowledge of the
health challenges of the West End community,
and personal experience with the needs of
immigrants and other West End families. Angie
joined WEHDC’s board in 2010 and led in
convening the Sankofa Committee, with the
vision of “transforming blighted
properties, increasing access to healthy,
affordable and culturally‐appropriate foods,
increasing economic opportunities and
cultivating land, lives and community in the
West End.”
Angie has lived in the West End for her entire
life, and represents exemplary leadership and
accomplishment on behalf of our neighborhood.
She is driven by her vision of a neighborhood
where the “health and well‐being of our children
is not determined by their zip code.”
Angie leads the Friends of Bucklin Park, raises
funds for local girls to attend national
cheerleading championships (and accompanies
them thousands of miles to the competitions),
works tirelessly on behalf of minority health
concerns as Chief of Minority Health Initiatives
at the Rhode Island Department of Health, and
commits countless hours as President of
WEHDC’s board and as Chair of the Sankofa
Committee. Angie makes these tremendous
professional and community accomplishments
while raising four wonderful young children and
supporting her husband, Frank, in the
development of Copa Menswear, a fine
menswear boutique.
Community Building News From the HomeOwnership Center
W E S T E N D N E W S V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
The Spring Fulfill the Dream
youth development program,
serving 21 fourth graders at
Asa Messer School, finished at
the end of May with fantastic
student showcases and a
riveting dance performance by
Project 401. We are so excited
by this new partnership with
Asa Messer and can’t wait to
start up again in the fall!
Learn how to use vintage cameras and show off who and what you love about
the West End @ WEHDC’s W.E. Love photo booth and walks! Find out more
every week at Sankofa World Market or contact Rolando 401‐453‐3220x28 to
participate!
The West End needs you! WEHDC’s Resident Engagement Committee works
to make the West End a “great place to live and raise a family.” Work with
your neighbors to build a stronger, cleaner, safer community. To get involved,
Call Antoine 401‐453‐3220x30.
Support WEHDC’s Housing Education and
Counseling Services by contributing to our
Savers Clothing Drive Fundraiser! You may
drop off your donations at WEHDC. Call
Debra to schedule a drop‐off 401‐453‐3220
x19.
WEHDC is also happy to begin offering our
POWER workshops. POWER is a free 60
minute introductory workshop offered to
provide insight into specific focus areas. Our
next class dates are on July 25 and August 15.
In addition to POWER workshops, WEHDC is
also offering our FastTrack Homebuyer
education class on July 11th and July 18th.
Call Rosa 401‐453‐3220x17 to register!
—Antoine with Students of Fulfill The Dream

3. The Inside Story: Spirit Staff Award Winner
Neighborhood Resources
W E S T E N D N E W S V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2
P A G E 3
Neighborhood Green News
On April 25th, WEHDC organized an Earth Day Cleanup
in the West End. Altogether, 35 volunteers cleaned 6
streets, 2 community gardens, and 1 vacant lot. A big
thank you to all the volunteers! WEHDC received
donations from The Sandwhich Hut, and Flatbread
Pizza Company and thanks them for their support.
—Rolando and
Antoine presenting a
Certificate of
Appreciation to Peter
Kammerer of The
Sandwich Hut for
Earth Day donations
Additionally, on May 15th WEHDC organized a group of
51 volunteers from West End neighbors, Wheeler
School, UNFI and Groundwork Providence. Together,
we cleaned Bucklin Park, planted 8 new trees, and
spread mulch onto Bucklin Park's "Butterfly Garden."
Their work was simply incredible!
Get to know who serves you and what resources are available:
Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services: 401‐421‐2489
City Council Office: 401‐521‐7477
Commanding Officer of District 2, Lt. Oscar Perez: 401‐243‐6920
Councilman Wilbur W. Jennings, Jr.: Ward8@providenceri.com
Councilwoman Carmen Castillo: Ward9@providenceri.com
Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris: Ward11@providenceri.com
State Representative Grace Diaz: rep‐diaz@rilin.state.ri.us
State Representative Scott A. Slater: rep‐slater@rilin.state.ri.us
State Senator Juan M. Pichardo: sen‐pichardo@rilin.state.ri.us
WEHDC is proud to honor Debra
Abboud, winner of our Spirit
Staff Award! Hired as a temp in
July 2014, Debra was
permanently hired in Jan 2015.
Debra remains instrumental in
moving the HomeOwnership
Center forward. She has taken
the initiative with WEHDC’s
Saver’s Clothing Drive to help
fund free workshops (901 lbs.
collected to date). As a loan
specialist, Debra is managing
WEHDC’s loans portfolio. To her
it was challenging managing the
portfolio at first, but has since
“gotten a handle on it, striving to
not let things fall through.” She
also actively looks for ways
clients can save money, saving
families over $5,000 by reducing
their insurance premiums.
Debra describes attending the
Neighborworks National Training
Institute as “invaluable,
wonderful and inspirational,”
she continues, “it made me want
to come back and implement
changes.”
Debra believes in being a team
player, asking anyone else if they
need help, while offering ideas
to coworkers. This award to her
means acceptance as a new
employee with the company.
“I love the experience of helping
someone and making a
difference in my client's lives.”
—Debra Abboud
To Debra Abboud, “a home
makes a family whole.” Family
and home are her first and
second priorities. Her children
are fourth generation on their
property, purchased in the late
1800s by Debra’s grandmother!
Thank You,
Earth Day Volunteers!

4. Thought You’d Like to Know
P A G E 4
About Us
West Elmwood Housing was founded in 1970 as a full service community
development agency devoted to revitalizing and engaging the West End of
Providence. We redevelop neglected historic sites, build new homes into affordable
healthy housing opportunities and rehabilitate foreclosed property and blighted
land as opportunities for first time homebuyers.
WEHDC’s HomeOwnership Center provides education and counseling services to
owners from across Rhode Island through Financial Empowerment Workshops, and
Homebuyer Education including Landlord classes and Foreclosure Intervention
Counseling. Our Lending Department programs consist of down payment
assistance, home repair loans and green loans.
Our Community Building and Engagement Department focuses on community
engagement, youth programs, healthy neighborhoods, creating economic
opportunities and an array of collaborative initiatives.
Between 2004—2011, WEHDC’s ClearCorps Program remediated over 1,300 lead
contaminated homes. WEHDC is a certified NeighborWorks Chartered Organization
and certified Green Organization.
The West End offers great opportunities for family
engagement and outdoor recreation at local parks and
community gardens. This summer, Friends of Bucklin
Park will be organizing two Family Fun days, featuring
music, games and a great time
celebrating the neighborhood
together. To find out more, follow
Bucklin Park on FaceBook!
The neighborhood is also excited to
welcome the Mayor's Midnight
Basketball league to Bucklin Park!
Games are every Tuesday and
Thursday from 9pm to midnight
throughout the summer. There will
be vendors and DJs at every game!
To find out more and sign up for a
league, contact the Parks and
Recreation Department at 421‐
7740 x321.
Did you know that nearly 100 trees have been planted
in the West End’s public spaces
this year? Check out the
amazing improvements to Elmwood Avenue, including
new trees and planters all the way along this important
neighborhood street. We are excited to see the
Elmwood Avenue continue its transformation into the
West End and South Side’s
neighborhood boulevard, as those
trees grow over the coming years.
In March, committed West End
neighbors came together to develop
a vision for the West End
community. Here’s what they came
up with: "The West End is a great
place to live and raise a family:
safe, clean and vibrant. This year’s
goal is to get to know our
neighbors better!" Join the cause by
reaching out to your neighbors! Find
out how to get involved in planning block parties,
potlucks and other neighborly events by contacting
Antoine Boyer of WEHDC at 401‐453‐
3220 x30.
PROUDLY SERVING AND CELEBRATING
THE WEST END FOR 45 YEARS
224 Dexter Street
Providence, RI 02907
401.453.3220
Website: www.westelmwood.org
FaceBook: WestElmwoodHousing
Twitter: @WestElmwoodHDC
Email: info@westelmwood.org