Over 7,000 attend the annual community celebration and holiday tradition in North Omaha

The Empowerment Network’s 13th Annual Christmas in the Village at 24th and Lake was one of the largest and best ever according to both the visitors and hosts.

Watch the Highlight Video from the 13th Annual Christmas in the Village at 24th and Lake Here

“Christmas in the Village just keeps getting bigger and better every year,” said an attendee that has made the event a holiday tradition for their family.

The event is hosted annually by the Empowerment Network and Omaha Economic Development Corporation and dozens of organizations and businesses to officially kick off the Christmas season.  Major sponsors include:  American National Bank, Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund, Nebraska Arts Council, KETV, Revive Omaha and Veridian Credit Union.

It has become the largest holiday event in North Omaha but attracts visitors from throughout the region.  Guests have come from as far away as Minneapolis, Des Moines, Kansas City and St. Louis to participate in the event.

“It was such a blessing to see so many come down to 24th and Lake…the vision has become reality,” said Vicki-Quaites-Ferris, VP of Community Development for the Empowerment Network and event director.  “All of the partners had great activities and the families enjoyed all of them.”

The atmosphere is full of joy, excitement, smiles, hugs and laughter.  Children visited Santa, Mrs. Claus, live animals including a camel and donkey and even take pictures with the Grinch.

“The children and families loved the Grinch,” said Imani Murray, owner of Ital Vital Living.  “And, we sold out of special holiday smoothies and other items right at the end of the day.  It was amazing.”

There were also opportunities to make Raku pottery, create crafts and play games with prizes.

Families enjoyed free carriage rides down 24th Street, visited with Cartoon characters and received free family photos, hot cocoa, apple cider, cookies and popcorn.

For those looking to purchase holiday gifts and support local businesses, a stop at the Empowerment Network’s Holiday BoutiQue, Omaha Star’s store, Unionmade Artist Market, NOMA’s holiday market or any of the local businesses including the Styles of Evolution, Revive Center, Doll House Fashions, Carver Legacy Center and Fair Deal Village were all available.

Small Black businesses and vendors were excited about the event.  “Many of them reported generating thousands of dollars in sales in just five hours and some sold completely out of merchandise,” said Aisha Conner, Village Community Manager for the Empowerment Network and host for the Holiday BoutiQue.  “The entrepreneurs said the crowds were large and attendees were very supportive of them.”

Attendees could visit the Community Partners Fair tent in the parking lot of OEDC.

Northend Teleservices presented Santas Sweet Shop and gave out Stocking Stuffers.  The entry of the tent was elegantly decorated in a festive way.

Face painting and health assessments were available at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church and the Washington Branch Library presented their Mobile Free Book Giveaway.

One of the main attractions is the holiday concert in Dreamland Park where some of Omaha’s top gospel and jazz artists present Christmas music and local children’s groups and choirs provide entertainment.

A consistent and popular participant is the Pear Tree Performing Arts group that always has a special performance just for Christmas in the Village and the park was packed.

New this year was the Guiding Light Foundation, I Heart Dance teams and Central Step Team.  Zions Children Choir also returned singing Christmas songs.

The Great Plains Black History Museum was able to serve 850 visitors featuring a balloon artists and a national exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute.

It was a festive celebration in the historic heart of North Omaha.  A great way to kick off the holiday season, celebrate community, support small businesses, and continue the reemergence of the arts, culture, entertainment and business district at 24th and Lake.

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Published:  March 31, 2023

April Hibbler is a business development specialist in the SBA’s 8 (a) Business Development Program in Nebraska.  April’s prior experience as an entrepreneur and business development consultant has strategically positioned her to truly understand and meet the needs of small business owners.

April moved to Omaha in 2022 and has hit the ground running.  Her passion is helping small businesses get connected to contracting opportunities with the federal government.

“The federal government is the largest purchaser of products and services,” said Hibbler at a recent forum.  “The Biden Administration wants to see more of these contracts go to small and emerging businesses, women-owned businesses, veterans and Hub Zones.”

April has dedicated her career to serving people from marginalized groups through economic integration and by combating economic injustice.  April has successfully implemented and managed small-and large-scale economic and business development projects and consulting engagements in the US and Nigeria, for USAID and other public and private organizations interested in using their products and services to solve economic development problems.

In a very short amount of time, April has dedicated her time to community engagement, business development and creating awareness of the services available through the Small Business Administration.  She has helped businesses work through the process of becoming certified and introduced them to other opportunities within the SBA and Nebraska Business Development Center.

“April has been a consistent presence at community events, business summits, workshops and other important activities in the community,” said Willie Barney, CEO of the Empowerment Network and owner of Revive Omaha, Revive Center and co-owner of the Carver Legacy Center.  “April is really working hard to develop strong relationships in the community and takes her role very seriously in helping small businesses to maximize the training available.”

April holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in global antitrust law and economics from George Mason University, a juris doctor (JD) from Southern University Law Center, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in international strategic management from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in international business and finance from the University of Memphis.

April values small businesses and is honored for the opportunity to use her educational and professional experience to serve small businesses interested in doing business with the federal government by helping them to navigate the process and succeed.

Published:  March 31, 2023

Omaha, Neb.

The Omaha Municipal Land Bank recently announced the hiring of Leslie Smith as its new Executive Director.  Smith joins the Land Bank after years working in Memphis, Tennessee, on the issues of community development and inclusive lending. Notably she launched many of the foundational programs of the Blight Authority Memphis, Inc. (BAM), a quasi-governmental nonprofit which became a full-scale operational landbank serving the city of Memphis under her leadership.

Through BAM, Smith developed and operationalized the first Land Deposit program within Tennessee, incentivizing affordable housing developments to support blight reduction efforts and promoting innovative green space reuse interventions that supported the stabilization of neighborhoods and spurred economic growth.

“It’s important for me that the community knows I’m willing to meet and talk about where the Land Bank is in the community and what our mission is so that there is a partnership for community good and investment,” said Leslie Smith, new Executive Director of the Omaha Land Bank.

The Land Bank is a catalyst for transforming distressed properties into community assets by acquiring vacant, abandoned or dilapidated properties to transform them into positive neighborhood assets. As the only organization of its kind in Nebraska, the Land Bank is a leading partner in neighborhood revitalization efforts in the Omaha community.

“As I have been transitioning out of the Executive Director Role, I have been looking back on the work we’ve done with nothing but gratitude for the opportunity to serve our community in a position that I believe sets the foundation for success for years to come,” added Shannon Snow, past Land Bank Executive Director.

“Together we created policies and systems that will forever transform the Land Bank into a tool for the strategic re-use of vacant properties and building generational wealth.  These are not small tasks, and I am excited to see how this work is leveraged for greater impact in the future under Leslie’s leadership.”

The Land Bank board conducted a national search to fill the Executive Director role vacated by Snow in February of this year. “The Board is extremely excited to have Leslie given her experience with BAM, an organization that is similar to Omaha’s Land Bank,” John Heine, Omaha Municipal Land Bank’s Chair remarked.

“She has been actively involved in the National Land Bank Network & the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and her expertise will be valuable to Omaha as we continue to strategize around how the Land Bank can best serve our community. In addition to this expertise, Leslie’s professionalism give us a high level of confidence in her ability to navigate community, donor and political relationships. I don’t think we could have found a better candidate.”

As a community-centered development practitioner, Smith has previously served as a member of the Urban Land Institute – Memphis chapter, Memphis’ Orange Mound Task Force, the Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition and Transit Coalition, Memphis’ Blight Elimination Steering Team, the Mayor’s Young Professional Council (as Vice-Chair), the Memphis Lights, Gas and Water Supplier Diversity External Advisory Board and the Memphis Urban League Young Professionals.

Now in her fourth week with the organization, Smith is looking forward to engaging with the community and learning more about their needs when it comes to purchasing lots from the Land Bank. “With a passion for improving all residents’ quality of life regardless of the zip code, serving as the Land Bank’s Executive Director will position me to engage, support, and collaborate with community practitioners to uplift every neighborhood in Omaha through growth and investment,” stated Smith.

“During my first week in Omaha a colleague was able to drive me around to some of our lots and I recognize a lot of them are located in North Omaha. “It’s important for me that the community knows I’m willing to meet and talk about where the Land Bank is in the community and what our mission is so that there is a partnership for community good and investment.”

In her new role Smith will report to the Land Bank Board of Directors and have overall strategic responsibility for the Land Bank’s staff, programs, and activities.

Background on Leslie Smith:

Leslie Smith serves as the Executive Director for the Omaha Municipal Land Bank, where she aims to lead the organization’s efforts to transform problem properties into vibrant opportunities in partnership with the community. Prior to joining the OMLB team, she worked for Truist’s Strategic Growth department, where she worked to develop strategies that drove their mortgage lending activities to support generational wealth-building and work towards closing the racial wealth gap throughout the bank’s digital footprint.

During her tenure at the Blight Authority of Memphis (BAM), she addressed multidimensional and systemic challenges, which inhibited urban renewal within the Memphis community throughout the global pandemic. Through leveraging cross-sector leadership and collaborative partnerships within neighborhoods, she was able to champion and finance BAM’s efforts to drive change at the local level.

With a passion for improving all residents’ quality of life regardless of their zip code, Smith looks to bring her national network, cross-sector expertise, and collective experience to drive momentum while addressing vacant and abandoned properties at the root.

Omaha Land Bank:

The Omaha Land Bank serves as a catalyst for transforming distressed properties into community assets. It partners with community entities focused on revitalization and affordable housing with the goal of reducing the number of vacant lots and finding suitable solutions. By driving community revitalization of underutilized areas, the Land Bank unlocks development potential, encourages economic development and enhances neighborhood growth. The Land Bank welcomes the community to engage in this work. To learn more, visit omahalandbank.org or call 402-800-1240.