December 18, 2020

 

Dear Friends,

 

We did it!  You did it!  Our community did it!

 

On November 24th 2020 the VOLAR Collective, with the support of donors and members like you, purchased the Old Centennial Rectory and Church at 1025 and 1031 E. Monument street, without a penny of debt!  This is a significant step in our efforts to bring about equitable, Black-led community development in Baltimore city.  We are celebrating our vision and grassroots work for racial equity and community control of land and resources by Black and Brown communities. We are walking our talk!

 

What does it look like? On the day of settlement two VOLAR Caretaking Council Members Lenora Knowles (on left in photo) and Marisela Gomez signed the closing documents on behalf of VOLAR and all our co-conspirators who gave of their time, talent, and treasures over the past year or so helped us take back land for the people.

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

                 Lenora (on left) at the Closing                                                       Marisela at the Closing

 

Now we need your help to move us through the next exciting phase! We continue to dream big. We want to design, renovate, and build the Rectory without any debt.

 

Please tour the VOLAR Community Hub - https://youtu.be/aIw2sl-Ei6c

 

It will cost $800,000 to get a full design and complete renovation of the Rectory. Just like the campaign to buy the entire site – the Rectory and the Church without debt—we believe we can do the same thing during this next phase of designing and renovating the Rectory. 

 

The Rectory will be a cooperative living space for community members and leaders who want to co-own their homes, live together intentionally, and organize to build just communities in Oldtown and throughout East Baltimore. Please join us in making this dream come true: November 24th 2020 showed us we can accomplish big things through a common vision and people power.  

 

We’re asking you to send this appeal to 1 or 3 friends and ask them to help us reach another milestone.

 

As this tough and trying year comes to an end, we invite you to take a deep breath in awareness. Reflect on our collective vision for racial equity, healing, liberation, and the reclamation of power and land by Black and Brown people, and donate at: www.volar.site

 

In closing, we thank you and the many people who made this some-times-unbearable-year of 2020 an enjoyable and memorable one by sharing all of yourself and your gifts. You are a part of the VOLAR collective!

 

In love and solidarity,

 

Lenora, Marisela, Katherine, Sabriya, Kenneth, Darnell, and Dominic

VOLAR Caretaking Council Members

 

PS…Check out these photos of the Community Celebration of the Purchase

 

   Blessing of the Land and                                                      VOLAR Collective Future Co-Housing

   Honoring Native American People                                      Collective