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	<title>Stories | Community Law Center</title>
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	<description>Lawyers for Neighborhoods &#38; Nonprofits</description>
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	<title>Stories | Community Law Center</title>
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		<title>Testimonials from How to Start a Nonprofit Workshop</title>
		<link>https://communitylaw.org/stories/assisting-unhoused-youth-in-baltimore-city/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Community Law Center]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://communitylaw.org/?p=13465</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Community Law Center regularly hosts a two-hour training for community members and individuals interested in starting or maintaining their nonprofit. Hear more from our participants. </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/assisting-unhoused-youth-in-baltimore-city/">Testimonials from How to Start a Nonprofit Workshop</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><br>&#8220;Instructor greatly explained the course; meeting was very informational &amp; well written.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Should I take this class? Absolutely! They make everything clear &amp; easy to focus on your goals. it&#8217;s worth it just to network.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Very informative.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;I really learned everyone who is trying to get things off the ground and to stay in good standing with your cause you really need this class.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Great information! Just enough, not too much. Answered questions that were explained well. Thank you.&#8221;</p>





<p class="wp-block-paragraph">To register for an upcoming workshop, visit <a href="https://communitylaw.org/workshops-trainings/" data-type="link" data-id="https://communitylaw.org/workshops-trainings/">our Trainings page</a>.  </p>



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<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/assisting-unhoused-youth-in-baltimore-city/">Testimonials from How to Start a Nonprofit Workshop</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
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		<title>From Vacant Houses to a Vibrant Community Center</title>
		<link>https://communitylaw.org/stories/new-story/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Community Law Center]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2022 19:07:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://communitylaw.org/?p=7647</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Edna Manns-Lake of Fayette Street Outreach was, for decades, a tireless advocate for her West Baltimore community.&#160; She reached out to Community Law Center to help her group became a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and to explore how the law could help them to reach their goals. At the time, drug dealers controlled “The Corner” (made &#8230;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/new-story/">From Vacant Houses to a Vibrant Community Center</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Edna Manns-Lake of Fayette Street Outreach was, for decades, a tireless advocate for her West Baltimore community.&nbsp; She reached out to Community Law Center to help her group became a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and to explore how the law could help them to reach their goals. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">At the time, drug dealers controlled “The Corner” (made infamous by a book of the same title and the series &#8220;The Wire&#8221;) using its 7 pay phones to conduct business.&nbsp; Fayette Street Outreach and their CLC attorney, Kristine Dunkerton, staged a campaign (that quickly became citywide) to remove those, and many other, pay phones that supported so much illegal activity. The organization got its IRS nonprofit designation and neighbors organized block parties and rallies holding signs that read “stop the crime,” and “hugs not drugs.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Fayette Street Outreach Center was 20 years in the making. CLC assisted the volunteer-run organization with obtaining zoning approval, state funding, contracts with developers, and much more over the years.  They acquired and renovated the two houses on North Smallwood Street, completely transforming the once vacant nuisance properties into a safe and welcoming community center.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;The community needed a place to call their own, so they could come in and have community meetings, a place where we can have activities for our youth,&#8221; Manns-Lake said. “The center is a testimony of what can happen if you don’t give up and have strong supporters in your corner that believe in your goals.”</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/new-story/">From Vacant Houses to a Vibrant Community Center</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
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		<title>Fostering Justice and Equity Through Design</title>
		<link>https://communitylaw.org/stories/west-baltimore-residents-transform-two-vacant-lots-into-a-vibrant-community-center/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Community Law Center]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Nov 2022 16:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Stories]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://communitylaw.org/?p=7303</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Bmore NOMA, a local chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, wanted to bring their mission of fostering justice and equity through design to the Baltimore area. They strive to engage architects of color and support under-represented groups in the industry.&#160; Bmore NOMA came to Community Law Center for legal assistance to get 501(c)(6) &#8230;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/west-baltimore-residents-transform-two-vacant-lots-into-a-vibrant-community-center/">Fostering Justice and Equity Through Design</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bmore NOMA, a local chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, wanted to bring their mission of fostering justice and equity through design to the Baltimore area. They strive to engage architects of color and support under-represented groups in the industry.&nbsp;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Bmore NOMA came to Community Law Center for legal assistance to get 501(c)(6) tax exempt status as a business league, and to get help with annual tax filings. We matched Bmore NOMA with a pro bono attorney, Cyreka Jacobs, to get started and build a strong foundation as a tax exempt nonprofit. We helped them gain their tax exemption as a business league and complete their initial tax filings.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Today, Bmore Noma, Inc. is a chartered member of The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and is thriving as an organization that cultivates the growth of architects of color through community advocacy, professional development, and design excellence throughout Baltimore and beyond.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://www.bmorenoma.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="488" src="https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-1024x488.jpg" alt="A group shot from BMore NOMA visit to Harriet Tubman Visitors Center" class="wp-image-7744" srcset="https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-300x143.jpg 300w, https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-768x366.jpg 768w, https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-1024x488.jpg 1024w, https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-1536x732.jpg 1536w, https://communitylaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/HT-Visitors-Center-BMore-NOMA-2048x976.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>
<p>The post <a href="https://communitylaw.org/stories/west-baltimore-residents-transform-two-vacant-lots-into-a-vibrant-community-center/">Fostering Justice and Equity Through Design</a> appeared first on <a href="https://communitylaw.org">Community Law Center</a>.</p>
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