Date: Thursday, May 9
Location: Offices of Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico (MFA)–Tewksbury, MA

Winners:

First Place ($1000) & Fan – Favorite ($500) – Aaron Burke & Russ Queen, mino

Second Place ($750) – Philip Colangelo, Robotic Feeding Arm

Third Place ($500) – Nick Zeckets, QuadWrangle, Inc. 

Final Presenters:

Aaron Burke & Russ Queen - mino by ParaWare LLC
Shoe accessory that tracks the wear of running shoes

Philip Colangelo – Robotic Feeding Arm
Robotic feeding arm device that gives individuals with debilitating physical or mental condition the ability to eat a meal themselves

Robie Currier - New England Analog
Keyboard controllers for musical instruments, that incorporate non-traditional methods of controlling music synthesizers

Joanna de Pena - Top Notch Network
Social network platform that creates scholarships for students – primarily inner city students

Margot Rutledge - Career Rings
Web-based platform that gives college students and recent college graduates dynamic, hands-on skill building process that gives them the knowledge, practice and experience necessary to effectively land a job and navigate their careers

Nick Zeckets - QuadWrangle, Inc.
App that complements existing alumni management tools for America’s colleges & universities with content and engagement tools to drive alumni giving. It curates school content, connect content to giving, facilitate career networking, and drive in-person networking

Special Guest Judges:

Pradeep Aradhya - CEO, Novus Laurus, LLC

Trish Fleming - Executive Director, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge

Matt Pettine - Managing Director of IT Advisory Practice, Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico

Nancy Saucier - Associate Director of New Venture Development, UMass Lowell

Chester Szablak - EVP/Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Enterprise Bank

Special Thanks to our Sponsors: 

Brenna Nan Schneider, the top winner of our Winter Accelerator Program, was featured today on MSNBC’s Up with Steve Kornacki!

Brenna was invited on to be a panelist on the show to talk about the recent garment factory tragedy in Bangladesh and the human cost of cheap labor.

Watch Clip 1!

Watch Clip 2!

Merrimack Valley Magazine recently wrote a great article about the Sandbox, specifically entrepreneurs who participated in our Winter Accelerator Program.

Take a look! 

Over 100 Student & Youth Entrepreneurs

Present Ideas at 2013 Catalyst Showcase

Click here for event photos!

On April 24^th, the Sandbox held its 2013 Catalyst Showcase at the Everett Mills in Lawrence. Over 100 student and youth entrepreneurs showcased their innovative ideas from various sectors such as food, fashion, education, and tech. The Sandbox Catalyst Program works with high schools, colleges, and community youth groups to provide connections, support, and seed grants to students and youth to try out their entrepreneurial ideas. Since the beginning of 2011, the Catalyst Program has funded over 600 student and youth entrepreneurs.

Ideas at the showcase included a hybrid power tricycle for special-needs children with poor leg/core strength, tasty homemade cupcakes, and fashionable handmade jewelry. 

“I had a great time showcasing Grab a Bite, a website to help students get deals on local restaurants, at the 2013 Sandbox Catalyst Showcase,” says Aldo Beqiraj, a senior Electrical Engineering student at UMass Lowell. “I made a lot of great connections and got valuable feedback. This experience will no doubt help me take my business idea to the next level.”

After the showcase, the Catalysts had the opportunity to hear from special guest speakers including (from left to right)

• Lane Glenn – President, Northern Essex Community College
• Desh Deshpande – Co-Founder, Deshpande Foundation
• Jeffrey White – Chief Creativity Officer, Rightside Shirts

To end the evening, we had a pitch contest that featured eight dynamic Catalysts. They bravely got up on stage and gave their pitches.

These Catalysts made their pitches in front of five special guest judges (from left to right)

• Evan Schapiro – Founder & President, Meerkat Technology & MKtix.com
• Deb Gurry – Owner, Union Street Grill & Bell Tower Cafe
• Zoila Gomez – Owner, Law Office of Zoila Gomez
• Louis Soares – Assistant Vice President & Bank Manager, Eastern Bank (Lowell)
• Mary Guerrero – Owner, Cafe Azteca & El Taller

Here is a list of the winners:

1st Place – Hybrid Power Tricycle (UMass Lowell)

2nd Place – College Power (Merrimack College)

3rd Place – Crazy Joes (CTI – YouthBuild Lowell)

Special thanks to our Catalysts and Partners who made this a great year. We will see you in the fall!

On April 18th, we held our Local Pitch Contest at the Church of God of Prophecy in Lawrence. See all the details below!

Click here for Event Photos!

Winners

First Place ($1000) - Markus Haala, MHM Studios Printmaking

Second Place ($750) - Erin V. Freeborn, Juvenile Court Restorative Justice Diversion

Third Place ($750) - John Raser – Bicicocina: Human Powered Bike and Skate Shop

Fan-Favorite ($500) - Rafael Rosa & Kathy Ruiz, ENERGY (Exercise Now Everyday Regularly and Grow Younger) Fitness Training
 
Special Guest Judges

• Nelson Butten – Co-Executive Director, Lawrence CommunityWorks 
• Dalia Diaz – Founder, Rumbo
• Benny Espaillat – Owner, Zapato Aqui Shoe Store
• Fred Faust – President, Edge Group, Inc. 
• Heidi Feinstein – Founder & CEO, Life Alive 
• Steve Ives - President & CEO, Merrimack Valley YMCA

Final Presenters

Cassandria Cambell & Jackson Renshaw – Fresh Food Generation
Food truck organization that aims to provide healthy affordable cooked foods to low-income neighborhoods with limited food access.

Erin V. Freeborn – Juvenile Court Restorative Justice Diversion
Offers an innovative way to deal with youth crime offenders that allows the offender to accept responsibility for his/her actions , reducing repeat offending, which ensures justice for the victim and community while exploring the root causes of the crime.

Markus Haala – MHM Studios Printmaking
Merrimack Valley’s only printmaking studio to serve artists in the area. The purpose of the studio is to promote and teach printmaking, network with artists/printmakers and to provide a versatile workspace with professional equipment.

Sam Hy – The Medallion Movement
Handcrafted leather medallions that represent Khmer art and culture.

John Raser – Bicicocina: Human Powered Bike and Skate Shop
Shop in Lawrence that will be a low cost provider of basic bicycle, skateboard, and other non-motorized transportation service and parts. They will salvage used bicycles, engage youth through workshop space and programming, and provide a platform for active transportation advocacy.

Rafael Rosa & Kathy Ruiz – ENERGY (Exercise Now Everyday Regularly and Grow Younger) Fitness Training
ENERGY is a low cost, customized personal training that changes people’s lives, helping them avoid serious health problems. Workouts are based on the client’s individual fitness level for maximum results.

Special Thanks to our Sponsors

On April 24th, over 100 student and youth entrepreneurs showcased their ideas at the 2013 Catalyst Showcase.

Check out pics from the event!

The first panel discussion of three professionals was fascinating in that is presented options for potential innovators on the kinds of approaches one could take to the huge issue of climate change.  The first speaker from UMASS Lowell spoke about how his department was tasked to make a significant decrease in the university’s carbon footprint and was taking real and tangible steps to make that happen—investing upfront in benefits that would be felt down the road. This was a wonderful example of leadership and of moving in the right direction. The second professional was an owner of Solectria Renewables, a company the makes a component of solar panels, right here in Lawrence. This company also pointed a way forward. Their business model is for the propagation of a renewable energy source that also provides much needed jobs to the Merrimack Valley. The last presenter was the owner of Brewed Awakenings, a coffee shop in Lowell that practices “green” business practices like using recyclable products and other strategies. The owner mentioned that he was moved to do so because he just couldn’t stand thinking about contributing to more waste via the ubiquitous to-go non-recyclable coffee cup. This last example offers a way all businesses (small as well as large) can participate in being more environmentally friendly – because it is the right thing to do.

After considering business strategies that could impact climate change, we heard from Heather McMann and Rose Gonzalez who shared their experience with Groundwork Lawrence as well as Lydia Sisson with Mill City Grows. The panelists explained environmental justice and the fact that much of the negative impact of environmental negligence is felt in communities of poverty. The idea that stuck with me from that dialogue was that while there are many challenges faced by cities like Lowell and Lawrence regarding their access to environmental assets these communities offer part of viable solution to some of our biggest climate challenges. The communities were built to be walkable, livable and not necessarily reliant upon vehicles like much of the surrounding suburbs. In addition, housing in these communities is largely dense – individuals live at a much lower sq.ft./person ratio than suburban communities. This sort of scaled down living at a closer proximity to one another has to be a part of a future that is less reliant on the overuse of fossil fuels.

For me, as a staff member at Groundwork Lawrence I think about the context of the community every day—the parks, the access to open space and clean healthy food growing land. What I don’t usually get to do is to hear the perspective of those who are not focused professionally on environmental justice or the environmental in general share their views on the issue. One classmate pointed out that as a homeowner, she didn’t realize that solar panels are something that could be a viable option for her. The costs are no longer as exorbitant as they once were and that was something she and others took away from the day. Another comment from a classmate that you never actually “throw anything away”, that there really is no “away” spurred in myself in others more of an awareness that reducing our use of disposable items and not only recycling them is where we need to go as a society. Hearing the voices of my classmates share their learning and move my own along instilled in me the belief that with attention and caring we can change our behavior to make our world more sustainable.

Here’s to the glass half full.

Since enrolling in the Sandbox, I have been glad to be part of  it.   I have become acquainted with my classmates and have been opened to vast topics that involve my communities. On the the topic of immigration, it hit me clearly. I am an immigrant from Nigeria but never got the chance to talk about how I was affected by it since coming to America. I came to realize that I started something for my children and the generations to come. SLI has been a great inspiration and impact for me. I have gained so much insight about the communities so I can be of help to other immigrants to share with them resources that are available.

I was honored to be a panelist on the topic of immigration, I didn’t know how this was going to play itself but it was real. Sharing my experience based on everything I went through was a relief and I felt the outpouring support from everyone in the room.  It was a forum where I could open up and tell some of the wounds and healing that have sustained me to be the best that I could be.

It all started in 1987 when I came to the U.S to join my then-husband.  Within two months of my arrival , I was carrying my first child. Already facing physical, mental, and  emotional abuse, I contemplated having an abortion so I could run away from my abuser.  The system America had in place would not allow me.  I bore the pregnancy in isolation far away from home. My husband never cared for me, I stayed within the wall of our apartment most of the times.  I did not know much of the resources that was available. But after the birth of my daughter, I thanked God everyday that I did not make the decision that would have cost me the blessing I enjoy today as a proud mother of four wonderful children in spite of all the abuses.

I opened my own business in 1997 after working in different salons including working at JC Penny styling salon for four years in Nashua, New Hampshire. I knew to look for and placed my children in prep schools knowing what was best for them.  I single-handedly supported my oldest daughter through her four years education at Georgetown University and still made sure that her younger siblings follow through with their college pursuits.  I currently support my son and second daughter in their junior and senior years at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.  I am a Leader and not a Follower.  I never look at any wrong doings of people but set a pace that others can follow.  Being an immigrant did not hinder me but rather helped me focus.  Knowing where I come from, I love Nigeria, but never wanted to live the way my parents lived.  I know that my children will have a better life by God’s grace.

Despite all the negative things that I suffered, I  am stronger and a better person.  I don’t wish my bad experiences on my enemies let alone someone I love. Being able to talk about my experience at the Sandbox panel was my first time of letting people know these deep feelings I had kept inside.  Telling my story was very emotional but everyone listened with compassion and love. To those that let me know   how they felt hearing my story, thank you and to everyone in the room.

Then, the food. I had the opportunity to cater the lunch with aunthetic Nigerian Cuisine. It is my passion and to know how everyone enjoyed my food was just a great feeling. I hope to launch my catering business this Spring and catering for the meeting was great practice.  I feel the genuity of the class of 2013. To Todd and the Sandbox: you put together a good team and I am so so so glad to be part of this. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to be part of this eye-opening leadership program.

On this memorable date (12/12/12) I had another memorable gathering with my classmates and our tutor and mentor Todd Fry, to talk about a very pressing issue: “People with Disabilities.” As I was preparing for the class and looking over some great reading materials provided by Todd, I kept thinking about why I rarely think about this issue?  The quickest answer that crossed my mind was “people with disabilities are often overlooked and not part of our daily lives” (unless you have a family member who’s disabled).  Later on, I came to the realization that the majority of these individuals become hidden in group homes, day-care-centers, mental institutions, and shelters.

My classmates and I spent most of that morning on an “observation” exercise where we got the opportunity to meet several organizations whose mission is to provide support to people with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities. By visiting these places we were able to meet “face- to–face”, not only with the management staff but also with the clients they serve. I would like to highlight a particular organization located in Lawrence:  “Citizen’s League for Adult Special Services” (CLASS Inc.).  A special thank you to Robert Harris (President  & CEO) and Nancy Kieran (Director of Development) for having us! CLASS Inc. has been in existence for over 30 years and started out as a “grassroots” movement by proactive parents and families of children with disabilities located in the Merrimack Valley. Their mission was to provide their loved ones in need with a “homelike” place where they could learn, socialize, and become integrated into the workforce.  Thirty years later, CLASS Inc. continues to expand their educational, cultural, recreational, and workforce development opportunities to approximately 400 clients on a yearly-basis. During my visit, I had the pleasure to meet one of their clients, a wonderful young man who became very talkative during our group chat and told me that he was very determined to learn how to rock climb at the local YMCA. Recently, he had taken horseback riding classes and he was very good at it! He puts me to shame, I thought!  I am afraid of heights, so no rock climbing for me…and even though I love horses, according to my doctor, I have severe allergies to them, horseback riding is out of the picture too – so who’s impaired here?

In the afternoon, the full class met in Lawrence at the Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Union– many thanks to classmate Tony Marino for hosting! Great lunch and meeting room! Todd asked us to regroup and reflect on what we have seen and heard from each of the organizations visited within the past 2 months and identify the “innovation” and the “thinking outside the box” key features.

Throughout our group’s discussion, it was much easier at first to identify “barriers” to innovation within these organizations, i.e.: lack of funding, lack of staffing, inadequate physical space; clients and providers “working the system” by taking advantage of government subsidies and programs…By switching to the large group discussion, I’ve realized that some of these obstacles can become the helms for innovation: how to do more with less? There’s this moment of need that spurs creativity and collaboration resulting in more effective management of resources and the empowerment of clients served.

CLASS Inc. is on the right track for being innovative and empowering both their clients and their families. Here is their motto: “Redefining what’s possible for people with disabilities” isn’t just showing their clients their true potential (by engaging them in the workforce, allowing them to participate in arts, or sports activities) but more importantly, by teaching their families and the community how to embrace them. An example is the implementation of the “President’s Club” within this organization, whereby, members of each class elect a president and every month all presidents meet with senior staff to address problems and discuss possible solutions. CLASS Inc.  thrives to listen to their clients and adjust their curriculum to meet their needs- a key factor that we found on our group discussion to be important in leadership: being a good listener! Another great example in leadership is the collaboration andpartnership with other community based organizations (i.e. YMCA) to involve their clients in the community. They also effectively manage their limited resources by tapping into other available resources outside of the organization.

Living in this Revolutionary Age of progressive technology and remarkable advances in medicine, there’s no excuse for not providing people with physical disabilities with a very “normal life”…Mental disability on the other hand, is a broader definition, becoming a very complex subject that I won’t be discussing here…No matter what type of disability, the most common and biggest obstacle of all is the “stereotyping” of people with disabilities resulting in segregation. My hope is that organizations such as:  Class Inc, Lowell Veterans Center, Lowell Association for the Blind, Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Fidelity House as well as others in our community continue with their challenging work not only to empower our brothers and sisters in need and help them integrate in our modern society, but also to educate our society about these individuals’ social-economic potential!

I’ve stood in lines, but none more memorable than this past weekend’s diversity line at the Sandbox Leadership Institute retreat. Standing in a line is inevitable. I stand in a line at the food market as I comfortably pretend to select a pack of gum that’s conveniently placed above the gossip magazines. We all have fond memories of waiting to be served food in line at school, summer camp, a retreat or fast food restaurant. No doubt it’s tedious having to wait in line, especially when you’re hungry and your stomach sounds like a roaring bear emerging from hibernation. Amusement park lines are worth mentioning too. We can do without the wait, but we enjoy the thrill that rides gives us as they toss and turn us into oblivion. All roller coasters pale in comparison to the line in which I stood during this past weekend’s SLI retreat.

I will never forget the ride I experienced on Monday. It began as soon as I locked hands with my peers, one by each side. Despite the early morning and the long night of Apples to Apples, laughter, storytelling and roasted marshmallows, we were all there. On this sunny Monday morning in my favorite season of the year, the warmth of the sun was just right, my breakfast had been delicious, and the foliage was breathtaking.

The chilly breeze initially reminded me that you take a man out of the Caribbean, but you can’t take the Caribbean out of the man, but I stopped fretting when I felt the warmth of interlocked hands. In hindsight, their clasping of my hands was like the buckling of a seat belt before taking off on a roller coaster or take off in a plane. I must admit, I was not ready for what came next. Todd, our guide through this 9-month journey, launched our Boieng 787 of people clasped by hands.

To be honest in the subtlest of ways each question revealed details about who we are in relation to events that have shaped who we were at that moment. “If you’ve ever felt like you’ve discriminated against, take a step back.” I stepped back. “If you ever been homeless…if English was not your first language…if you’ve ever gone to bed hungry or one of your parents gone to bed hungry so you could eat…If, if, if…”; The if’s kept on coming, and I kept stepping back more I stepped forward. In the end, I was the furthest in the back. There were times when it hurt. Hearing the questions, not knowing what painful experience I would be conjured up, caused an internal struggle that brought back real pain from experiences from which I thought I had healed. Clearly, there was still residue of them clinging to the walls of my heart.

In elementary school I learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I’d like to add that the shortest distance to get to know one self and others is a diversity line. Participating affirmed my identity and my journey as a young Latino immigrant male that has confronted many challenges as I pursue my dreams. The diversity line was a powerful experience that made me understand that we don’t really know where we are headed unless we know where we come from. There is a past version of who we used to be and a future version that is better than who we are now. The Diversity Line taught me to make an honest effort to be less judgmental, remembering that we are all a work in progress. We are transforming into writers of our own stories as we grow to be leaders and change agents in a world that’s constantly changing at break-neck speed. I hope you’ll remember at least one line from this passage, and that’s that we started in a line and we all ended up in the ended up in a circle of people that appreciated us for who are to become despite our diverse backgrounds and past experiences.