CKAR, CDC Inc. receives a donation after one of their sponsored events. Dennis Nola (pictured third to left) has been leading this initiative since 2008.
The good news is out! The Sarvis Empowerment Café, an idea championed by a not-for-profit community development corporation, CKAR, CDC Inc., of which Professor Nola is the President of the Board of Directors, will soon be opening for business. The Sarvis Café was awarded funding from the Capital Budget Bill (SB191), a state bond, earlier this month, which allocated $125,000 towards the development of the café. These funds fulfill the $779,000 target of public and partner funds for the project. The board is now launching a capital fund raising campaign to solicit private donations for the remainder.
The relationship with this underserved community started back in 2008 when Nola taught UMD’s community design studio. Several home owner associations in Riverdale, Maryland initiated a conversation about improving the community, contacted the Neighborhood Design Center who then connected them to the studio course being taught by Dennis Nola and Brian Kane. The studio emphasized design through community engagement and demonstrated how to survey a community to better analyze and design a plan that highlighted potential improvement projects. These projects ranged from planting designs, safety issues, environmental improvements, to thoughtful ways to better receive the proposed Purple Line station. The students completed project idea boards and a report for the community to pursue funding; but that’s “when I noticed something was different about this community,” Nola said.
Having connected with the Riverdale community on a personal level Nola stayed on, after the student’s work was completed, as one of the co-founders of CKAR, CDC Inc. He decided to pursue diverse development projects for the community including a rain garden/forest edge garden. “I understood that the community was in need, and what better way to respond than to add another activity into my life,” Nola said.
The Café is a double-hitter: it provides this underserved community with fresh, healthy food and trains community members in food service so that they can pursue bigger and better jobs. “CKAR, CDC hired a professional chef who will teach a course at Prince George’s Community College so that community members can take the class and receive a college certificate. They can then be hired by big food corporations within [the café’s] partnership, such as MGM Grand and Whole Foods Market,” Nola said.
Students in the first year MLA studio were pulled in to aid in the development of the project. Earlier in the spring 2020 semester, they were tasked with designing the outdoor patio of the café, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. “[The students] all did great work and each had a unique expression that will enable the Board to envision possibilities for this outdoor patio. We might start modestly at first, but as the Café gets established we can look towards enhancing the design.”
When asked about how this project has affected him personally, Nola explained that this relationship is the most gratifying experience in the latter part of his career. “At the end of the day, I feel like I’m the one who benefited the most from this effort. I got to interact and connect with people, and serve a community in need. It has been incredibly rewarding.”
