Active Neighboring News

Here are announcements about:

1. GardenHouse Hours this holiday weekend

2. GardenHouse Opportunities (CSA, Garden-in-a-Box, Student Farmer, Kid’s Time)

3. Breakfast with Joan Bauer this coming Saturday

4. Two ANC Volunteer Opportunities

5. Waterfront Revitalization Groundbreaking Ceremony on May 26

6. Job Opportunity for Tech Savvy, Civic-Minded Type

7. Detailed Schedule of Events at the Hunter Park Music Fest and More on May 30th

8. Volunteer Opportunities at the Listening Ear

9. Our Quote of the Week

Joan

1) GardenHouse hours over Memorial Day Weekend

(Note: This Saturday’s Drumming Workshop has been postponed until May 30 when it will be part of the many offerings in the GardenHouse between 11 am – 5 pm.

We will have regular hours this holiday weekend:

• Friday, May 22 – 3:30 – 6:30 pm
• Saturday, May 23 – 1:30 – 7:30 pm
• Sunday, May 24 – 1:30 – 7:30 pm
• Monday, May 25 – 3:30 – 6:30 pm

2) Summer opportunities in the GardenHouse! Call K’Anna at 999-3910 or email her at kannab@allenneighborhoodcenter.org for information or to sign up!

Community Supported Agriculture Project or CSA

We are still accepting applications for the few CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares. For a little money up front OR a combination of a little money and your time OR for 5-6 hrs of your work time, you could enjoy a grocery bag of fresh, organic foods from the GardenHouse all summer long!

Garden in a Box

We still have a few of our beautiful 2’ X’ 2’ X 1’ cedar boxes to provide a household where there is limited income or gardening skill or mobility. Call to apply for this free manageable introduction to gardening. Our Youth Service Corps will deliver it, filled it with rich soil, organic fertilizer, and veggies that you select (tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc.). They even check back every couple of weeks through the season to see how you and your box are getting along!

Student Farmer Program An employment opportunity for young Eastsiders!

Our summer Student Farmer program is taking applications from local youth 12 to 17 yrs old. A paid position to be involved in up to 9 work visits to area farms to learn more about growing foods and farming locally.

KIDS TIME We are excited to pilot a drop-in youth program in the GardenHouse called KIDS TIME! When the sign is out, about 3-4 days a week, between 4-5 pm, your 6-10 year old child can join in the fun and learning and gardening. Permission slips are available at the GardenHouse and at ANC.

3. Invitation From Joan Bauer, our State Rep, to Breakfast at Gone Wired

As you may know, the May Breakfast with Bauer was scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2009. However, we had to cancel May 30th’s breakfast meeting and have rescheduled Breakfast with Bauer for Saturday, May 23, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Gone Wired Café, 2021 East Michigan Ave. I apologize for any inconvenience and I look forward to seeing you on May 23!

As always, please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

Joan Bauer, State Representative, District 68-Lansing, 517-373-0826

4) Two Great ANC Volunteer Opportunities

If you have some time available to volunteer, please consider the following:

What: Hunter Park Music Fest/GardenHouse Tours/Workshops/Pool Opening, Family Fun Walk

When: May 30^th any time between 9 am and 9 pm

This event will be an all day event and volunteers will be working in shifts to help set up tents and the GardenHouse workshops, assist with kids’ activities and cooking demonstrations, staff the ANC table, provide stage support, and also assist in clean up. This is a great opportunity for individuals or for any size group to come help out with this fun event!

What: Volunteer Receptionist – A friendly face to greet visitors to ANC. We will train!

When: Thursday or Friday, 1-5pm

For more details on the opportunities listed above or many others, check out the volunteer page on the Center’s website at: http://www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org/?page_id=50

5) Waterfront Revitalization Groundbreaking Ceremony

The City of Lansing & Mayor Virg Bernero invite you to the Lansing Waterfront Revitalization Groundbreaking Ceremony on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Sun Bowl, located behind the Lansing City Market and the award-winning Lansing Center. This event kicks off the waterfront redevelopment project along Lansing’s Grand River between Shiawassee and Michigan Avenue, made possible by The Clean Michigan Initiative Grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please call (517) 483-4141

6) Job Opportunity for Tech-Savvy Types

Are you a Photoshop jockey? Know how to make HTML and CSS sit up and dance? Wise to the ways of WordPress? Want to earn some money this summer, working for local good causes? Read this message from Matt Penniman of Capital Area Community Media Center.

As part of the Capital Area Community Media Center, I’m working with a group of 18 nonprofit organizations in the Lansing area, who have all received grants from the federal government through the Compassion Capital Fund. Many of them are small organizations that are just starting to develop websites. They will be looking for people who can help them:

Design or modify logos, headers, backgrounds, and other images; Customize site templates, including text size and placement using CSS; Organize site content using WordPress or other appropriate content management systems. I’m trying to develop a list of local people who have the appropriate skills for this type of work, and would be willing to work on a freelance, hourly basis for some of these organizations over the summer.

If you’re interested, please send me your name, contact information, desired hourly rate, relevant skills, and a sample or two of your previous work (images should be JPG, GIF or PNG, no larger than 500K). Please email me at penniman@gmail.com by June 1, 2009 to be part of this list. It will be provided to the nonprofits, who will contact you directly to discuss their needs. Please feel free send this notice to anyone you know who might be interested. Thanks,

Matt Penniman
Capital Area Community Media Center
email: penniman@gmail.com
cell: 517-410-54993)

7) Hunter Park Activities-All Day Saturday, May 30!

• Hunter Park Music Fest from 3:30 – 8:30 pm, featuring Root Doctor, Tom Jayne and the Nomads, Nervous But Excited, and P.h.i.l.t.h.y. Free, of course, and loads of fun!

• Family Fun Walk, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (which is also sponsoring all musicians for the Fest!). Between 1:30-3:30 pm, the first 200 people to complete four laps of the Hunter Park Path (approximately 2 miles) will receive a $5 token for use at our Allen Street Farmers Market.

• Market Croquet – Complete a game of croquet using our market signs as opposed to wickets and throw your name in a hat to win a $15 gift certificate to the Allen Street Farmers Market!

• Grand Opening of the beautiful new Hunter Park Pool and Splash Pad at 12:30 pm, with open swim until 7 pm

• Our lovely Hunter Park GardenHouse is a stamped site that day for Be A Tourist in Your Own Town. Come enjoy tours, tastings, and fun workshops from 11 am-7 pm

8. Listening Ear Sets Dates for New Volunteer Training

The Listening Ear Crisis Intervention Center of East Lansing is pleased to announce
that dates have been set for its Summer 2009 New Volunteer Training program. The Listening Ear is the oldest all-volunteer crisis center operating in the United States, open 24×7 since July 15, 1969. The Ear provides free and confidential service for phone and walk-in clients on the topics of suicide, depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, stress, and many others. In addition, the Ear’s Sexual Assault Counseling staff is recognized as leaders in the Capitol Area in providing short-term counseling, advocacy and community education to survivors and significant others. The Ear serves more than 17,000 clients a year and is locally and nationally esteemed, having received the 113th “Point of Light Award” from President George H. W. Bush in 1990, and East Lansing’s “Crystal Award” in 2003.

In order to be considered for the Training program, you will need to attend one of the orientation sessions below, even if you have previously attended one in the past. There, you will have an opportunity to fill out an application, learn about The Listening Ear, receive information about Training, and participate in a small group session. Each orientation takes approximately 2 hours.

ORIENTATIONS:

Tuesday, May 19 from 7-9 p.m., Berkey Hall, MSU (room will be posted)

Thursday, May 21 from 7-9 p.m., SPS Building, LCC Downtown Campus (room will be posted)
Wednesday, May 27 from 7-9 p.m., Berkey Hall, MSU (room will be posted)

Saturday, May 30 from 10am-12 noon, River Terrace Church, Corner of Hagadorn & River Terrace, East Lansing

After all the Orientations are completed, you will be notified whether or not you have been selected for the Training program. Training will take place from June 11-21, evenings and weekends. The Ear’s Training program is renowned as one of the most effective for teaching empathy, crisis intervention, and active listening skills; many other agencies in the Lansing area and across the country have used it as a template for their own training. The 60+-hour program consists of lectures, exercises, small group interactions, and role plays, designed to ensure you acquire the skills to handle a vast array of crisis situations. There will be personal rewards as well; volunteers frequently describe the Training program as a powerful life-changing event!
For more information about The Listening Ear, please call 517-337-1717 or visit The Ear’s website at www.theear.org.

9. Quote of the Week

“Of course I’m an optimist. What’s the point of being anything else?” Winton Churchill

Reminder: Join the ANC staff every Friday at noon on the Hunter Park Path and walk rapidly (or leisurely though still happily) with us!