With all the historic Lodge had given to the community over the years, the community was determined to give back to their beloved cultural hub. They called on the Loan Fund to help.
In its heyday – its first heyday, that is – Burlington’s Goethe Lodge was a happening place. Established in 1896 as the Vermont Chapter of the German Order of Harugari, a national German-American cultural association, the Goethe Lodge social club hosted music, dances, and celebrations. For this growing community of new American immigrants, it provided fellowship, connection, mutual aid, and, an anomaly in late 19th century society, even admitted women(!).
Across the decades, the Goethe’s popularity ebbed and flowed. In the 1960s, when membership lulled, the club dropped its German-descent requirement and eventually renamed itself the Champlain Club. But by the early 2000s, a fundraising effort to pay back taxes spurred new community excitement, as dance clubs, arts classes, and community groups came to embrace the space. A new heyday had arrived!
Longtime Burlington resident and entrepreneur Charlene Wallace had heard plenty about the swing dances now being held weekly at the Hall. She’d heard about the Hall’s large dance floor, in need of refurbishing, but still beautiful. She knew about the structure’s historic significance, its 3,960 square feet of space for classes, parties and events. Known to cut a rug herself, she decided to go take a look. “The swing dancing was great,” she recalls. Soon she was a regular, and then, a Board member. And then COVID hit.
“COVID put a halt to everything,” Charlene recalls. With all activities suddenly shut down, “the hall president said ‘let’s renovate the dance floor during the pandemic.’”
When the dance floor was once again pristine, the group felt that “the interior needed painting, so our contractor donated time and equipment,” Charlene explains, and volunteers set to work. Loving the Hall’s refurbished interior, “Next, we all said ‘what about the exterior?’” she adds, pointing out rotting clapboards and disintegrating paint. Before long, the Board and volunteers were discussing a full-on restoration, fundraising to cover the costs of a new HVAC system & other efficiency upgrades, new windows, a commercial kitchen, accessibility and more.
Donations, grants and in-kind contributions came in from the Vermont State Department of Historic Preservation, the Vermont Housing Conservation Board, the Vermont Arts Council, local philanthropists and more. The Preservation Trust of Vermont provided a grant “and then they helped us transition from a club to a nonprofit,” Charlene notes, reopening as the North Star Community Hall.
With several grants lined up but yet to be received, North Star now needed a bridge loan to cover upfront construction costs, that would eventually be covered by grant monies. They called on local banks “but, we found out that someone from the Board would need to sign personally on a bank loan,” she says, then pauses. “None of us could do that.”
So instead they called the Vermont Community Loan Fund. “The VCLF team went above and beyond. They actually closed the loan during the (July 2023) flood, at the same time their own offices were underwater!” she adds, emphatically. “The Loan Fund is important for community groups and nonprofits with projects like ours, where grants are coming, but the work needs doing now. Thanks to the Loan Fund, Burlington now has a historic, one-of-a-kind venue to celebrate the arts, dance and community connections. Without VCLF, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Loan Fund Executive Director Will Belongia agrees. “The North Star Community Hall’s renovation story goes to show that even when an organization has tremendous community support, issues of funding and timing can still be barriers that stand in the way,” he says. “That’s one of the key purposes of VCLF’s Community Facilities lending programs, to be flexible and supportive, to keep these beloved and historic community spaces accessible and vibrant in Vermont.”
Today, the North Star Community Hall is open to all Vermonters and home to numerous community groups and organizations, including Vermont Swings swing dancing, Jeh Kulu West African Dance & Drum Theatre, Burlington Country Dancers, SalsaLina Salsa Dancing and many more. Their supporting fundraising campaign is ongoing. If you’d like contribute or volunteer, please go to northstarcommunityhall.org/make-an-online-donation
In the 3rd Quarter of 2023, VCLF Loaned $3,729,400 to Vermont small businesses, Black & Indigenous Vermonter owned (BIPOC) businesses, farms, community facilities & affordable housing developers. Financing was provided to:
Champlain Housing Trust/Waterfront Apartments, Burlington
Longtime VCLF partner Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) develops and manages over 3,000 permanently affordable homes and related community assets in Northwest Vermont. Waterfront Housing, an existing multi-family rental property on Burlington’s waterfront nearby to the downtown, was originally developed as a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project. When the building, constructed in the early 1990s, showed need of renovations, CHT came to VCLF to help finance work including updates to plumbing and HVAC systems, replacement of roof, windows, fire alarm system and more. The loan preserves 32 affordable rental homes. getahome.org
JK Adams Company, Dorset
JK Adams, a family-owned business established in Dorset in 1944, manufactures high-quality cutting, carving and serving boards, rolling pins, and more from sustainably harvested hardwoods. Products are sold through wholesale accounts including Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel and Sur La Table, and via their retail store and website. After weathering COVID and the resulting economic disruption, JK Adams came to VCLF for a loan to finance their recovery and rehiring costs. The loan preserves 35 jobs in total. jkadams.com
New Life Transportation, Burlington
BIPOC business owner Fiston Fimbo borrowed from VCLF’s Justice Forward Fund early in 2023 for New Life Transportation, his non-emergency medical transportation business. Fiston recently pivoted to more diverse (and ultimately more stable) revenue sources, which altered his short-term financing needs. He used this more recent JFF loan to refinance his business’ vehicle. The loan preserves one job, with an additional part-time job anticipated soon. newlifetransportationllc.com
Newport City Downtown Development, Newport
Newport City Downtown Development (NCDD) seeks to advance Newport’s economy, design a welcoming downtown and promote it as a destination. Collaborating with North Country Career Center’s (NCCC) Career Technical Education (CTE) program, NCDD came to the Loan Fund for financing from its new CTE Construction and Rehabilitation Experiential Learning Program & Revolving Loan Fund, which is growing Vermont’s construction trades workforce and our stock of affordable homes. They’ll purchase and renovate an abandoned home in downtown Newport. Renovation work will be done by NCCC’s CTE students, and will result in one newly, permanently affordable home.
Shires Housing/Squire House, Bennington
Shires Housing, developer of affordable housing in Southwestern Vermont and longtime VCLF partner, approached the Loan Fund most recently for a construction loan to serve as bridge financing for the renovation of Bennington’s historic Squire House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In coordination with the Vermont Foundation of Recovery and the Mission City Church, Squire House will provide three apartments for women in recovery from substance abuse disorder; residents’ children also will be accommodated. The loan creates four construction jobs and three affordable homes. shireshousing.org
Standing Stone Wines, Winooski
Lily Sickles, Indigenous entrepreneur and member of the Oneida Native American tribe, and a former bar owner/hospitality industry professional in New York City, approached VCLF for a Justice Forward Fund loan for working capital to launch Standing Stone Wines, a retail wine shop planned in downtown Winooski. Standing Stone will offer wines in the $10-20 range – a strong point of differentiation from nearby high price point wine shops. The shop will include a wine bar, offer wine tastings & monthly wine clubs, and sell local art. Lily plans on donating a portion of her profits to indigenous causes. The loan, made in partnership with Opportunities Credit Union, creates one new job, with an additional part-time job anticipated. facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550014290975
Trillium Hill Farm, Hinesburg
Trillium Hill Farm is a diversified organic farm operation owned and operated by James and Sara Donegan and the Russell family, James' relatives, since 1801. Longtime producers of organic vegetables and grass-fed beef, Trillium Hill Farm is now transitioning to a vegetable-only operation, selling via CSA, wholesale accounts and a farm stand. When James and Sara proposed purchasing 70 of the farm’s acres from the family trust, they came to VCLF to help finance the purchase. The loan preserves two fulltime jobs and up to 12 part-time jobs seasonally. trilliumhillfarm.com
United Church of Underhill, Underhill
The United Church of Underhill , an active and mission-focused congregation, was formed in 1973. With statistics showing a serious drop in Underhill’s stock of affordable housing, the Church collaborated with Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity to purchase and develop an eight-acre lot next door into seven single-family homes and one duplex. VCLF financed the lot purchase and covered predevelopment costs associated with the site’s development. unitedchurchofunderhill.com
With all the historic Lodge had given to the community over the years, the community was determined to give back to their beloved cultural hub. They called on the Loan Fund to help.
In its heyday – its first heyday, that is – Burlington’s Goethe Lodge was a happening place. Established in 1896 as the Vermont Chapter of the German Order of Harugari, a national German-American cultural association, the Goethe Lodge social club hosted music, dances, and celebrations. For this growing community of new American immigrants, it provided fellowship, connection, mutual aid, and, an anomaly in late 19th century society, even admitted women(!).
Across the decades, the Goethe’s popularity ebbed and flowed. In the 1960s, when membership lulled, the club dropped its German-descent requirement and eventually renamed itself the Champlain Club. But by the early 2000s, a fundraising effort to pay back taxes spurred new community excitement, as dance clubs, arts classes, and community groups came to embrace the space. A new heyday had arrived!
Longtime Burlington resident and entrepreneur Charlene Wallace had heard plenty about the swing dances now being held weekly at the Hall. She’d heard about the Hall’s large dance floor, in need of refurbishing, but still beautiful. She knew about the structure’s historic significance, its 3,960 square feet of space for classes, parties and events. Known to cut a rug herself, she decided to go take a look. “The swing dancing was great,” she recalls. Soon she was a regular, and then, a Board member. And then COVID hit.
“COVID put a halt to everything,” Charlene recalls. With all activities suddenly shut down, “the hall president said ‘let’s renovate the dance floor during the pandemic.’”
When the dance floor was once again pristine, the group felt that “the interior needed painting, so our contractor donated time and equipment,” Charlene explains, and volunteers set to work. Loving the Hall’s refurbished interior, “Next, we all said ‘what about the exterior?’” she adds, pointing out rotting clapboards and disintegrating paint. Before long, the Board and volunteers were discussing a full-on restoration, fundraising to cover the costs of a new HVAC system & other efficiency upgrades, new windows, a commercial kitchen, accessibility and more.
Donations, grants and in-kind contributions came in from the Vermont State Department of Historic Preservation, the Vermont Housing Conservation Board, the Vermont Arts Council, local philanthropists and more. The Preservation Trust of Vermont provided a grant “and then they helped us transition from a club to a nonprofit,” Charlene notes, reopening as the North Star Community Hall.
With several grants lined up but yet to be received, North Star now needed a bridge loan to cover upfront construction costs, that would eventually be covered by grant monies. They called on local banks “but, we found out that someone from the Board would need to sign personally on a bank loan,” she says, then pauses. “None of us could do that.”
So instead they called the Vermont Community Loan Fund. “The VCLF team went above and beyond. They actually closed the loan during the (July 2023) flood, at the same time their own offices were underwater!” she adds, emphatically. “The Loan Fund is important for community groups and nonprofits with projects like ours, where grants are coming, but the work needs doing now. Thanks to the Loan Fund, Burlington now has a historic, one-of-a-kind venue to celebrate the arts, dance and community connections. Without VCLF, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Loan Fund Executive Director Will Belongia agrees. “The North Star Community Hall’s renovation story goes to show that even when an organization has tremendous community support, issues of funding and timing can still be barriers that stand in the way,” he says. “That’s one of the key purposes of VCLF’s Community Facilities lending programs, to be flexible and supportive, to keep these beloved and historic community spaces accessible and vibrant in Vermont.”
Today, the North Star Community Hall is open to all Vermonters and home to numerous community groups and organizations, including Vermont Swings swing dancing, Jeh Kulu West African Dance & Drum Theatre, Burlington Country Dancers, SalsaLina Salsa Dancing and many more. Their supporting fundraising campaign is ongoing. If you’d like contribute or volunteer, please go to northstarcommunityhall.org/make-an-online-donation
In the 3rd Quarter of 2023, VCLF Loaned $3,729,400 to Vermont small businesses, Black & Indigenous Vermonter owned (BIPOC) businesses, farms, community facilities & affordable housing developers. Financing was provided to:
Champlain Housing Trust/Waterfront Apartments, Burlington
Longtime VCLF partner Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) develops and manages over 3,000 permanently affordable homes and related community assets in Northwest Vermont. Waterfront Housing, an existing multi-family rental property on Burlington’s waterfront nearby to the downtown, was originally developed as a Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) project. When the building, constructed in the early 1990s, showed need of renovations, CHT came to VCLF to help finance work including updates to plumbing and HVAC systems, replacement of roof, windows, fire alarm system and more. The loan preserves 32 affordable rental homes. getahome.org
JK Adams Company, Dorset
JK Adams, a family-owned business established in Dorset in 1944, manufactures high-quality cutting, carving and serving boards, rolling pins, and more from sustainably harvested hardwoods. Products are sold through wholesale accounts including Williams Sonoma, Crate & Barrel and Sur La Table, and via their retail store and website. After weathering COVID and the resulting economic disruption, JK Adams came to VCLF for a loan to finance their recovery and rehiring costs. The loan preserves 35 jobs in total. jkadams.com
New Life Transportation, Burlington
BIPOC business owner Fiston Fimbo borrowed from VCLF’s Justice Forward Fund early in 2023 for New Life Transportation, his non-emergency medical transportation business. Fiston recently pivoted to more diverse (and ultimately more stable) revenue sources, which altered his short-term financing needs. He used this more recent JFF loan to refinance his business’ vehicle. The loan preserves one job, with an additional part-time job anticipated soon. newlifetransportationllc.com
Newport City Downtown Development, Newport
Newport City Downtown Development (NCDD) seeks to advance Newport’s economy, design a welcoming downtown and promote it as a destination. Collaborating with North Country Career Center’s (NCCC) Career Technical Education (CTE) program, NCDD came to the Loan Fund for financing from its new CTE Construction and Rehabilitation Experiential Learning Program & Revolving Loan Fund, which is growing Vermont’s construction trades workforce and our stock of affordable homes. They’ll purchase and renovate an abandoned home in downtown Newport. Renovation work will be done by NCCC’s CTE students, and will result in one newly, permanently affordable home.
Shires Housing/Squire House, Bennington
Shires Housing, developer of affordable housing in Southwestern Vermont and longtime VCLF partner, approached the Loan Fund most recently for a construction loan to serve as bridge financing for the renovation of Bennington’s historic Squire House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In coordination with the Vermont Foundation of Recovery and the Mission City Church, Squire House will provide three apartments for women in recovery from substance abuse disorder; residents’ children also will be accommodated. The loan creates four construction jobs and three affordable homes. shireshousing.org
Standing Stone Wines, Winooski
Lily Sickles, Indigenous entrepreneur and member of the Oneida Native American tribe, and a former bar owner/hospitality industry professional in New York City, approached VCLF for a Justice Forward Fund loan for working capital to launch Standing Stone Wines, a retail wine shop planned in downtown Winooski. Standing Stone will offer wines in the $10-20 range – a strong point of differentiation from nearby high price point wine shops. The shop will include a wine bar, offer wine tastings & monthly wine clubs, and sell local art. Lily plans on donating a portion of her profits to indigenous causes. The loan, made in partnership with Opportunities Credit Union, creates one new job, with an additional part-time job anticipated. facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550014290975
Trillium Hill Farm, Hinesburg
Trillium Hill Farm is a diversified organic farm operation owned and operated by James and Sara Donegan and the Russell family, James' relatives, since 1801. Longtime producers of organic vegetables and grass-fed beef, Trillium Hill Farm is now transitioning to a vegetable-only operation, selling via CSA, wholesale accounts and a farm stand. When James and Sara proposed purchasing 70 of the farm’s acres from the family trust, they came to VCLF to help finance the purchase. The loan preserves two fulltime jobs and up to 12 part-time jobs seasonally. trilliumhillfarm.com
United Church of Underhill, Underhill
The United Church of Underhill , an active and mission-focused congregation, was formed in 1973. With statistics showing a serious drop in Underhill’s stock of affordable housing, the Church collaborated with Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity to purchase and develop an eight-acre lot next door into seven single-family homes and one duplex. VCLF financed the lot purchase and covered predevelopment costs associated with the site’s development. unitedchurchofunderhill.com