Discover the latest updates and achievements from Spark in Quarter 1! Learn how we're igniting change and fostering community growth in our newsletter.
Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly newsletter for 2024! As we reflect on the accomplishments and milestones of the past few months, we're excited to share with you the latest updates and highlights from our journey of community transformation.
From a record-breaking loan closing quarter to launching innovative educational initiatives, our team has been hard at work advancing our mission of fostering thriving and prosperous communities.
In this edition, you'll discover new Spark family members, upcoming events, North Omaha Trail's exciting news, our 2023 anual report, and opportunities to get involved.
Exciting news from Spark Capital! In the first quarter of 2024, we've closed three impactful loans to fuel community development in North Omaha.
Spark Capital team (Nicky Sullivan, Finance Manager and Guillermo Díaz, Spark Capital Lending Coach) with developers during loans closing.
Lawrence Butler received a predevelopment loan to help build out the plan to create 36 affordable housing units off North 16th Street.
Donell Brown, a 2020 Spark Developer Academy graduate, received a Middle-Income Workforce Housing construction loan to help build 4 new single-family for-sale homes in the 24th and Lake area.
Partners Phillip McClain, a 2022 Spark Developer Academy graduate, and Melvin Sudbeck, general contractor and builder, secured a Middle-Income Workforce Housing construction to help build 5 new single-family for-sale homes off Sorenson Parkway.
These projects reflect our commitment to driving real change and fostering growth and accessibility in North Omaha. Here's to an exciting year ahead with Spark Capital!
Help us welcome new members to both the Spark Board of Directors and the Spark Capital Loan Committee!
For a full listing of our amazing boards and advisory group members,
Deauna is an accomplished teacher who believes in education to help our communities thrive. She is a Nebraska native and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the College of St. Mary. For the past 11 years, Deauna worked as a Middle School Teacher in North Omaha. She has a passion for mentoring, advocating, and coaching.
Deauna is excited to continue serving the community as the new Educational Specialist, where she will support all ongoing educational programming such as the Developer Academy, ChangeMaker Academy, and our various monthly events. Her enthusiasm for contributing to community education is sure to bring added value to these programs!
Tiffany, our accomplished Operations Manager, brings over 12 years of project management experience. Born and raised in the heart of North Omaha, Tiffany is a proud graduate of Omaha North High School (Class of 2006) and holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in Sociology.
A dedicated professional, Tiffany has devoted much of her career to giving back to the community.
Her expertise in developing and managing programs aimed at positively impacting underserved populations across the city is truly inspiring. With a proven track record of achieving operational goals within budget, Tiffany joins us with a lot of operations management expertise.
We're excited to have Tiffany on board, applying her passion and skills to contribute to holistic community development at Spark
Exciting news! Spark received 8 million to construct phase 2 of the North Omaha Trail - linking to the riverfront!
We are delighted to partner with the Nebraska Department of Economic Development on The North Omaha Trail Phase 2 project. The trail is a valuable investment in North Omaha's public health infrastructure through expanding a cultural bike and walking trail that will connect several of North Omaha's community anchors, including the North Omaha transit station at 30th & Ames and the 24th & Lake Historic District, to North Downtown and the Riverfront. Beyond its role in enhancing public health infrastructure, the trail expansion aims to broaden the reach of North Omaha's economic, cultural, historical, creative, and entrepreneurial aspects. The intention is to create a functional network of trails linking important community landmarks, fostering connectivity and accessibility.
Hey neighbors! Dive into the heart of our journey in 2023! Our annual report is out, and it's packed with stories of impact, progress, and holistic community development.
Click the button below to read the report and join us in celebrating progress!
The inaugural co-hosted event, Reignite2Unite Omaha | Developers' Symposium, a collaboration between the Omaha Municipal Land Bank and Spark, is an all-day conference on Thursday, June 6th from 9am- 4pm. It will be held at the Institute for the Culinary Arts on the Metropolitan Community College North campus. Register early for a discounted price of $25 per ticket, with an option to add a bus tour for an additional $25.
On the evening of June 5th, there will be an optional bus tour with industry leaders to showcase available vacant lots, which will be used as case studies during the Symposium. The Symposium will feature both a practitioner and developer track, focusing on building competitive developer proposals and engaging with local landbank and industry leaders.
