The following Press Release was issued by UTEC.
Lowell, MA – Today, UTEC, a nonprofit dedicated to igniting and nurturing the ambition of our most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success, announced that it has received a transformational gift of $500,000 from the Yawkey Foundation to expand its Woodworking Social Enterprise serving Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, MA justice-involved young adults.
“We are so appreciative of the long time support we have received from the Yawkey Foundation over the past 13 years,” said Gregg Croteau, Chief Executive Officer of UTEC. “This particular gift will have a huge impact on our work with young adults for years to come, helping us create jobs, provide training opportunities, and open new pathways for our young adults.”
UTEC acquired a larger facility to serve as their new Woodworking Center, located at 70-80 Church Street in downtown Lowell, a short walk from UTEC’s headquarters. This new building will accommodate training and instruction, manufacturing, distribution, product finishing, and storage needs. It will also increase the number of job slots available for young adults in this social enterprise. These additional opportunities come at a critical time as UTEC works to engage even more young adults returning from incarceration.
“This grant reflects the appreciation and trust Yawkey Foundation Trustees have for UTEC, and the positive impact the organization is having on the justice-involved young adults in Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill,” said Maureen H. Bleday, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of Yawkey Foundation. “Expanding the new woodshop’s capacity to provide suitable spaces for teaching both the hard- and soft-skills job skills associated with these high-value career paths, and importantly, simultaneously providing critical wraparound support for program participants, is a logical evolution in Yawkey Foundation’s longstanding support of UTEC’s Streetworker Program providing critical gang intervention services for young adults in the Merrimack Valley.”
UTEC’s Workforce program offers young adults with paid on-the-job experience in social enterprises, including Woodworking. Young adults enrolled in Woodworking learn skills to make products for retail and wholesale customers, while also receiving wraparound support, and assistance in finding external employment. UTEC’s products (including cutting boards, salad tongs, and ornaments) are sold in over 25 Whole Foods Market stores throughout New England.
The overall capital campaign cost for this project is approximately $4.5M. The project includes acquisition, all architectural and other services, and two phases of renovation work that includes a full rehabilitation of the entire building and all exterior improvements. The support from Yawkey Foundation will help bring a close to the Phase 1 renovations. UTEC has now begun operations in the new woodshop, teaching job skills to young adults in UTEC’s program and creating wooden cutting board products for the holiday rush.
“The expansion of our Woodworking Social Enterprise, thanks to the generous support of the Yawkey Foundation, increases our production capacity, and more importantly allows us to create brand new avenues for young adult learning and engagement,” said Ricardo Febles, Senior Director of Social Enterprise at UTEC. “We now have an opportunity to teach not only the manual skills of woodworking, but entrepreneurialism, high-level machining, and other skills associated with high-value career paths.”
For more information about UTEC, their Woodworking social enterprise, and how to contribute to their fundraising efforts, please visit utecinc.org/get-involved/ways-to-support. For more information on the Yawkey Foundation, please visit https://yawkeyfoundation.org.
About UTEC
UTEC’s mission and promise is to ignite and nurture the ambition of our most disconnected young people to trade violence and poverty for social and economic success. UTEC was founded in 1999 as the result of an organizing movement driven by young people to develop their own teen center in response to gang violence in Lowell, MA. Today we serve Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, MA, and we are nationally recognized as a model agency serving justice-involved young adults. To learn more about UTEC and their programs, please visit http://www.utecinc.org/ or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest updates.
About Yawkey Foundation
The Yawkey Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the philanthropic legacy of Tom Yawkey and Jean Yawkey, whose eight decades of quiet generosity supported individuals and families in the communities that were closest to their hearts – Massachusetts and Georgetown County, South Carolina. Having awarded more than $500 million to-date in charitable grants to organizations focused on Health Care, Education, Human Services, Youth and Amateur Athletics, Arts and Culture, and Conservation and Wildlife, Yawkey Foundation is committed to preserving and sustaining the charitable values of the Yawkeys by investing in impactful nonprofits providing resources, opportunity, and dignity to the vulnerable and underserved. For more information, please visit www.yawkeyfoundation.org or follow on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest announcements.