About a month after receiving approval from the Dedham Board of Selectmen, the Mother Brook Arts and Community Center received its first boost from neighbors.

The Mother Brook Community Group donated $500 for the arts center, proposed to open in the current Avery Elementary School, a cornerstone of East Dedham.

"[MBCG] is the perfect outfit to kick off this effort," said Bob Miller, chairman of the arts and community center. "They represent the neighborhood, and the support and the input from East Dedham is primarily why it has been decided to convert this school into an arts and community center."

Other fundraisers are underway to help the arts center, including the Dedham Public Art Project, which is the reason residents soon will start to see painted bunnies around town.

The Mother Brook Arts and Community Center board incorporated this week, and expects to lease the current Avery School following a Town Meeting vote in May.

"For us, it's great to be in on the ground floor," said Dan Hart, the MBCG chairman. "There's a lot of talk about revitalization in East Dedham Square and in the entire neighborhood, and that will just lend itself to what is happening here at the arts and community center. We wanted to be a part of it without hesitation."