Latest News

Barbara Bustard's creations are a reflection of her passion for bright colors, spreading joy, and embracing diversity. Her upcoming exhibition this June at the Gallery @ the Forge is titled "Over the Rainbow" and will run from June 8-July 13.   Barbara Bustard's journey as an artist is intertwined with a beautiful love story. She met her partner, Judith, at church, and over time, their friendship blossomed into something more. On [...]

This year, Dundalk Renaissance is offering $10,000 Home Buyer Grants; free financial fitness, tenant and landlord rights and foreclosure workshops; business development counseling and free state and federal tax intake to qualifying households. Home Buyer Grants and Classes Ten $10,000 home buyer grants will be available to future Dundalk home owners starting January 1, 2023.  The five year-forgivable loan is a continuation of our existing Dundalk-wide home buyer grant program [...]

Meet Valerie Rivera-Maldonado, Dundalk Renaissance’s new program manager.  Valerie joined our team at the end of 2022. As a native Puerto Rican professional, she has dedicated over six years of her career to facilitate access to services among Hispanic communities in the non-profit and government sectors. In Maryland, she worked at Esperanza Center and most recently at Leadership Howard County, working collaboratively in the development of initiatives that serve diverse [...]

Jennifer Smutek is a Dundalk local whose passion for art started as a child.    “My favorite toy as a child was a pretend polaroid camera; and, by the time I was 8, I knew I wanted to be a professional photographer,” Jennifer said. Her father, Mike, purchased her toy camera and then a real camera for her to learn on.  Her childhood passion led her to seriously pursue the craft [...]

We’re excited to welcome Stevie Mosley to our team.  Stevie will be out in the community as our community engagement coordinator. You’re likely to see him at tabling events or around the neighborhoods helping Dundalk’s neighborhood associations reach their residents.  Stevie is a people person and can’t wait to help the Dundalk community. “I look forward to meeting new people with the potential of learning from them in return,” Stevie [...]

We’re excited to welcome Lisa Wright to our team as our new housing counselor. Lisa will assist Sonya Dease, our housing and financial counselor, in our housing initiatives work.  She will be available for one-on-one counseling; help manage our Dundalk-wide grant program and assist in our home buyer education classes. When asked why she wanted to join our team, Lisa said “I loved the Dundalk Renaissance mission: Mobilizing people to [...]

Barbara Bustard is a local artist who attended Dundalk Elementary School, Dundalk Middle School, Dundalk High School. She received an AA degree from CCBC Dundalk and is a graduate of Notre Dame University of Maryland with a BA Degree in Religious Studies and Art. “I may not have identified myself as an artist, but I have been an artist as long as I can remember.  As a child, I wrote [...]

Tasha Gresham-James started at Dundalk Renaissance as an administrative assistant nearly eight years ago. She moved on to become our housing initiatives manager and, eventually, our executive director.  "One of my favorite parts of working at Dundalk Renaissance is our connection to the community and to people. Some days you don't see how much we positively impact lives and other days you see how our help has changed someone's life." She said.  She [...]

Executive Director Amy Menzer Departing After 15 Years of Leadership;  Deputy Director Tasha Gresham-James will Serve as Interim Executive Director  After more than 15 years, Executive Director Amy Menzer is moving on. Dundalk, MD--Under Amy’s leadership, Dundalk Renaissance has established programs supporting housing renovations, neighborhood marketing, main street business development, community engagement, and the most recent addition, financial counseling. She guided the board of directors through 4 Strategic Planning processes [...]

We’re so excited to announce that we are the recipient of a $10,000 grant from United Way through their Change Maker Challenge. “We are so grateful to have been selected as one of the top 10 finalists in Baltimore County by United Way,” Executive Director, Amy Menzer said. Our housing and financial counselor, Sonya Dease, pitched a new program that would help Dundalk families facing eviction stay in their [...]

Potluck Collaborative was founded in 2020 by sisters Jessica and Valerie Kessler.  Potluck Collaborative sells a variety of handmade items including earrings, scarves, keychains, and DIY craft kits in a range of prices for a variety of ages. When they’re not at Potluck Collaborative the sisters are heavily engaged with their Girl Scout Troops—which is where they got the idea for Potluck Collaborative.  COVID 19 changed the way the Kesslers engaged with [...]

Hey Dundalk! Little Free Libraries are popping in your neighborhood and favorite Dundalk establishments.  Keep your eyes peeled for 11 Little Free Libraries that have been installed around town, including places like Joanna’s Café, Little Crystal Bijoux and Sollers Point Multi Purpose Center.  Thanks to our wonderful neighbors, we have libraries in DunLogan, Bear Creek, Inverness, St. Helena, Old Dundalk, Norwood and Turner Station.   “I was excited to connect with my neighbors in a new way! Books [...]

We’re excited to honor Jimmy’s Famous Seafood as a Cornerstone winner for Dundalk Renaissance’s 2021 Milestone Awards Ceremony.  In a year that drastically changed the way restaurants could do business and required an unprecedented amount of flexibility, Jimmy’s Famous Seafood continued to thrive as a Dundalk staple. Their dexterity during this difficult time and delicious crab cakes aren’t the only reason why we’ve chosen to honor them this year.  Jimmy’s [...]

Community Assistance Network (CAN) has been helping families and individuals in Baltimore County for over 55 years.  During the pandemic CAN has been working tirelessly to continue people with the resources they need most like food, shelter, and a safe place for students to access remote schooling, which is why they are our 2021 Cornerstone winner this year.    The pandemic increased a need for food and other services. CAN was [...]

Lindsay Banfill opened Joanna’s Café in July of 2019, just eight months before the pandemic hit.  Joanna’s Café had a promising start, but the shut downs gave Lindsay pause.  Suddenly Lindsay was struggling to find essential items for her business like to go cups.  It was a frustrating experience for Lindsay, who prior to the shutdown had a steady stream of take-out customers.  Ordering to go cups and other items [...]

Najma Jamaludeen dreamed of opening her own shop with made to order natural body care products and space that would reflect her brand—affordable, but elegant and ideally a space with an ornate ceiling.  Najma opened Pink Walnut Body Care Bistro as the world was shutting down for COVID 19, but the pandemic didn’t deter her.  Najma used the slower paced start of her business to get a website up and running and [...]

What started as a weekly, family-style meal at St. Rita’s Church grew into a multifaceted nonprofit organization helping those in need get back on their feet. Founded in 1982 by the Haines family as St. Rita’s Supper Table, Soup for the Soul provides mental health resources, work clothes, ministry outreach, and weekly meals. The Haines family legacy of openness and community survived several moves and organizational changes.   Soup for the Soul is [...]

Dundalk Renaissance awarded $775,000 to Invest in Dundalk This month, Dundalk Renaissance was awarded $775,000 to invest in Dundalk by the State of Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development through their Baltimore Regional Neighborhood Initiative. This program seeks to improve quality of life and encourage community stability by investing strategically in housing, neighborhoods, and small business development.  “We are deeply grateful for the State’s ongoing investment in [...]

$244,000 in COVID 19 Recovery Funds for the Historic Dundalk Town Center Dundalk Renaissance will be distributing $244,000 in COVID 19 recovery funds to businesses in the Historic Dundalk Town Center (HDTC) by June 30, 2021 thanks to the State of Maryland’s $7 million Maryland Strong Economic Recovery Initiative (MD SERI) aimed at helping Maryland Main Streets survive the economic effects of COVID 19. More than 5,000 businesses state-wide will be eligible for support from their local Main Street program.  Businesses in the HDTC can apply for grant funding to pay for outstanding business expenses incurred [...]

Dundalk Renaissance Adds 5 New Volunteers to its Board of Directors! New Officers Elected. Four Longtime Board members Step Down.  Dundalk Renaissance is pleased to announce our 2020-21 Board of Directors, who met for the first time via Zoom on September 10, 2020. Joining us as new Board members this month are:   Laticia Braxton Owner of the new Plush Hair Studio in the Historic Dundalk Town Center and Director of [...]

Housing Week Day 1 Recap: Credit and Credit Restoration We're recapping all our tips from yesterday's first day of Housing Week--a weeklong tip series aimed to help prospective buyers rest easy knowing they have all the info they need to understand the home buying process. What is credit: Credit Scores are numbers between 300 and 850 that let lenders know your credit worthiness. The [...]

Welcome Sonya Dease! Dundalk Renaissance’s Housing and Financial Counselor  Dundalk Renaissance is excited to announce the expansion of our work in Housing and Financial Counseling.  Our team now includes a full-time, dedicated counselor and financial coach, Sonya Dease. Since 2014 we have assisted hundreds of home buyers throughout their home ownership journey and provided more than 125 households with deferred, forgivable loans to help them buy into Dundalk.  Now with Sonya on our team, we [...]

For those of us who are home from school and work filling our days might seem challenging, but we have options: Check out the Library.    Both Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) and Baltimore City’s Enoch Pratt  physical locations are closed to the public, but their digital libraries remain open.  You can download the Libby App and access books, audiobooks, television shows, magazines, and comics digitally.   Customers who use BCPL can [...]