Mount Washington Alliance’s “Quality of Life” pitch contest wraps up on Monday, June 25. (File photograph)
Neighbors in Haverhill’s Mount Washington area are getting creative—for a good cause. For the Mount Washington Alliance’s “Quality of Life” pitch contest, more than a dozen people who live in the area submitted their plans to better their community in hopes of nabbing $1,500 to make their dream a reality.
On Monday, June 25, a panel of five judges—including Rep. Andy Vargas and neighborhood resident Michelee Geronimo—will hear pitches from finalists and name three winners to implement their projects over the summer. Each finalist was matched with a mentor to help refine their 10-12 minute pitch and presentation strategy.
Vargas tells WHAV he is thrilled with the ingenuity of the finalists and their commitment to bettering Mount Washington.
“Few pitch contests are geared towards empowering residents to improve the quality of life in their own neighborhood and that’s why Monday night is so unique. Residents often have great ideas, but often lack the resources, capital or network to make it happen,” he said. “The Mount Washington Alliance pitch directly addresses this. As a judge, I’ll be looking for the right balance between impact and feasibility. The best pitches have grand ideas to maximize impact, but also granular details on how they plan to execute.”
The five finalists and their pitch ideas are:
Diane Adebayo: Narcan Availability and Education in Mount Washington (Mentor: Christine Soundara, Mount Washington Alliance)
Lynne Azevedo: Transform Grove Street Vacant Lot Into Small Park (Mentor: Kat Everett, POSE)
Adrian Delgado & Tito Rivera: Summer Youth Basketball Tournament at Swasey Park (Mentor: Alice Mann, Team Haverhill & Mount Washington Alliance)
Taisha Madero: Bilingual Summer Reading Program in Mount Washington (Mentor: Melissa Seavey, Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce)
Shana Ward: Emergency Alert System in Mount Washington (Mentor: Abigail Perez, Mount Washington Alliance)
The 6 p.m. event, held at 409 Washington St., is open to the public and the winner is chosen just before 8 p.m., organizer Christine Soundara tells WHAV.