Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here are upcoming events and activities for the weekend and beyond:
1) New Urbandale Open Farm on Saturday, June 19
2) New Urban Pioneer Project – Focus session on June 22
3) New JAM-Eastside Summer Jazz Series Kicks off at Gone Wired on June 25
4) New Best and the Brightest of Lansing Schools on June 24
5) New Gardens Galore on June 26 and 27
6) ‘Bank on Michigan’ Workshop for unbanked on June 29
7) Youth Service Corps – Summer Option for Teens
8) Eastside Living – An Aging in Community Initiative
9) Mobile Pantry on June 19
10) Prospect Place – Invitation and Survey
1) Urbandale Open House, er…. Farm
Invitation from Laura DeLind and Linda Anderson
You are invited to the official opening celebration of Urbandale Farm, Lansing’s first urban farm (see link below for background). The “open farm” is this Saturday, June 19th from 1:00 – 3:00. There will be snacks, activities for kids and conversations for how best to use other vacant properties in Urbandale and the Eastside. The farm is located on the 700 block of South Hayford just before the cul de sac (Directions: Take Kalamazoo to Hayford, which is between Magnolia and Foster Streets, then head south on Hayford until you can go no further; we’re there on the left or East side of the street). Please come it you can.
Here’s a link to the Urbandale story: http://news.msu.edu/story/7866/&topic_id=2#.
2) ANC Explores URBAN PIONEERs PROJECT
Allen Neighborhood Center is hosting a focus session to explore the needs and hopes of prospective homeowners on Lansing’s Eastside and to help shape Allen Neighborhood Center’s emerging Urban Pioneers Project. The Urban Pioneers Project, in early stages of development, will link young people and families, empty nesters, creative entrepreneurs, refugees, immigrants, college students, seniors and others interested in quality, affordable urban living to a set of tools that make purchase and improvement of a home much easier (and more fun.)
If you are interested in helping to craft and eventually participate in our Urban Pioneer Project, consider attending the focus session planned for Tuesday, June 22, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, at Foster Community Center, Room 211. Our facilitator will be Jennie Grau, longtime Eastside activist, member of the ANC Housing Caucus, and President of Taliaferro Grau Associates (Communication Consultants). Jennie will be assisted by Lynne Martinez, another member of the ANC Housing Caucus and president/founder of Martinez Consulting (Community Development). We anticipate a lively, informative conversation, and do hope you will want to be part of it.
For further information or to RSVP, reply to this email or call me at 517-999-3912 (direct dial). If you cannot make the meeting but would like to be kept informed about progress, please let me know that, too. Thanks so much for considering our invitation to help shape our Urban Pioneer Project! Joan
3) JAM: An Eastside Summer Jazz Series begins with Mike Sailors Quartet at Gone Wired Café!
On Friday, June 25, the Mike Sailors Quartet will perform at Gone Wired Café, from 7-9 pm, followed by a 1 hour open jam session for musicians from middle school on up. Future performances at Gone Wired are scheduled for July 16 (Peter Nelson Band) and August 20 (Marcus Miller Band). Performances at the Allen Street Farmers Market will take place on July 21 (Jon Beshay and Ralph Tope) and August 4 (Royce Philips and Matt LoRusso).
The purpose of JAM is to support young jazz musicians and to strengthen the jazz music scene on Lansing’s Eastside. Allen Neighborhood Center, grant recipient, is grateful to the New Leaders Council of Michigan, a youth advisory group to the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs for their generous funding and the Lansing City Pulse for equally generous sponsorship of these events. For further information, call Meg Sparling, JAM Coordinator, at 517-999-3921 or email her at megs@allenneighborhoodcenter.org.
4) MI Ave Thinkers and Doers Event
Please join the Michigan State University Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) for our next event, “The Best and Brightest of 2010: Honoring Lansing’s Graduates.” The event will take place at the CCED office at 1615 E. Michigan Ave. on Thursday, June 24. Refreshments will be served at 5:30pm with the discussion following at 6:00pm. The graduates will speak about their experiences growing up in Lansing, their future goals, and what drives them to work toward these goals. For more information call 517.353.9555 or email msu.cced@gmail.com . This event is co-sponsored by the Michigan State University Honors College and the Department of Teacher Education as well as the Allen Neighborhood Center.
5) Gardens Galore Tour 2010
From the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition
We are only a few weeks away from our Gardens Galore Tour 2010. Art in the Gardens will be the feature of this year’s Tour. The Gardens Galore Tour is a self-guided tour in greater Lansing, featuring exceptional gardens of every size, shape, and character. This event invites everyone from the novice gardener to the seasoned professional, and is sure to inspire your green thumb.
Last Minute Information
The 13th annual Greater Lansing Housing Coalition Gardens Galore Tour on Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27, 2010 from 10 am – 4 pm (rain or shine), will feature Art in the Gardens. Seven renowned artists will display their creativity in the gardens on the Tour.
The Mini Plant Sale on the tour will be selling Rose of Sharon trees and Panicum ‘Heavy Metal’ (an ornamental grass). The plants will be available while supplies last at Burcham Hills Retirement Community gardens. All proceeds from the Mini Plant Sale will support the work of Greater Lansing Housing Coalition. Advance information about the Gardens Galore Tour is available by calling (517) 372-5980, by email at info@glhc.org, or online at www.glhc.org. Tickets are available for $20 at Christians’ Greenhouse, Everlastings in the Wildwood, Hickory Corners Greenhouse, Mole Hole, Smith Floral and Greenhouse, and Wild Birds Unlimited. To purchase by credit card, please call GLHC office at (517) 372-5980. Credit cards are not accepted at vendor locations. Tickets are good for both days and for repeat entrance at all of the gardens. Please note that the ticket price has changed.
We look forward to seeing you at this years Gardens Galore Tour with Art in the Gardens! As always, thank you for your generous support of the Greater Lansing Housing Coalition.
6) No Checking or Savings Account? Come to a ‘Bank on Michigan’ Workshop at ANC
‘Bank On Michigan’ is a banking program designed to assist people who are unbanked or under-banked or using check-cashers or payday lenders. Neighborhood financial institutions are working with Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing to provide low or no cost banking services. On June 29, 2010 from 5:30 – 6:30 PM at the Allen Neighborhood Center there will be a short presentation on banking practices and representatives from neighborhood financial institutions (PNC represented by Velma Kyser and Gabriel’s Credit Union represented by Dan Dowsett) with products that can help the unbanked at little or no cost. Food and soft drinks provided. Call Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing at 517-676-7235 if you have questions.
7) Youth Service Corps Plans a Fun and Productive Summer
Members of ANC’s Youth Service Corps are planning an exciting summer! Three teams will meet every Tuesday and Thursday between 11 am and 1 pm at the GardenHouse to:
· Raise produce inside and outside the Hunter Park GardenHouse to either take home to their families or sell at the Allen Street Farmers Market;
· Look in on the 2’X2’ Garden in a Box kits that they have distributed to neighbors throughout the Eastside;
· Build and distribute custom-sized raised gardening beds to neighbors;
· Participate in International Peace Jam Activities;
· Learn more about Eastside Parks as part of a Pride of Place project;
· Hit the Hunter Park pool after their 11 am – 1 pm sessions as often as possible!
Undoubtedly, they will take in a Wharton show (courtesy of Wharton’s Seats for Kids), and perhaps schedule a beach or waterpark adventure to finish off the summer. The YSC are joined during the summer by young teens from the Refugee Development Center, providing an opportunity to build friendships with young people from other cultures and countries. If you would like to find out more about the YSC or to join, call Neil Byrne, YSC Coordinator, at 367-2468, or email him at neilb@allenneighborhoodcenter.org.
8 ) Eastside Living
ANC, with Lynne Martinez of Martinez Consulting is launching a new project called Eastside Living. Eastside Living will involve creating a whole system of social supports to enable older neighbors to age comfortably and happily on the Eastside. Some of these supports might include daily phone calls to folks living alone, several rides each week to appointments or grocery shopping, deep discounts for seniors with carefully selected carpenters/handymen/ electricians, assistance with renting rooms to college students/young professionals, and much more. In order to determine what seniors living on the Eastside might like to see in this program, we are conducting a survey. You can link to the survey at http://www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Eastside-Living-Survey.pdf or call Lynne at 485-2950 to have a copy mailed to you. If you are a neighborhood organization leader, Lynne can also provide you with several copies of the survey to pass along to seniors in your neighborhood that you think might want to weigh in. Thanks so much for helping us gather input from older neighbors. And warm thanks, as well, to the City of Lansing Planning and Neighborhood Development Office for start-up support for this exciting new project.
9) MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
City of Lansing HUMAN RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT & the Mid-Michigan Food Bank ANNOUNCES the distribution of FREE, fresh, non-perishable food items.
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010, (From 9:00 am to 11am)
Where: Letts Community Center, 1220 W. Kalamazoo, Lansing, MI 48915
Who can participate?
• The disadvantaged and vulnerable.
• Senior citizens on fixed incomes.
• Families/individuals with limited or low income jobs.
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING A VALID STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD OR DRIVER’S LICENSE
If you or someone you know must choose between buying food and filling prescriptions, please tell them about this important program. Participants should bring a box or bag to carry food.
For more information, call the City of Lansing Human Relations and Community Services Department at (517) 483-4477
10) Prospect Place, A Gardening & Gathering Space
Message and invitation from organizer Sandra Cade
The gardens at 1426 Prospect Street are in and ready for maintenance! Gathering spaces development is next! Given the communal nature of the space, input is really needed on how to proceed. Decisions are made by consensus among all participants. You do not have to have been involved in the process so far in order to participate.
Unlike a community garden, which generally has separate plots for folks who are then individually responsible for tending and harvesting, Prospect Place, A Gardening & Gathering Space belongs to EVERYone in the three neighborhood communities of ABC, Prospect Protectors, and PLACE. ALL are welcome to participate and benefit in ways that work well for the group as well as the individuals in it.
It’s YOUR space! Join your neighbors in making it a great Eastside place to garden and gather! If you’re curious about what’s going on near the corner of Prospect & Clifford and want to have a voice in future decisions, please complete a participant survey either by
filling it out on-line @ https://spreadsheets0.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dC1Rejc2Z1pQVHZhX3dJb2lNTVNqQmc6MQ#gid=0 OR pick up a hard copy at the ANC. Join your neighbors us as we grow community together!!!
11) Quick Bits
· The Hunter Park Picnic Pavilion is under construction! Keep your fingers crossed for a mid-July completion date.
· Nancy Parsons- Mahlow, ENO President, reports that the early summer issue of the ENO Paper is now out; watch for it at local hangouts or pick up a copy at ANC/the Market.
· Check out the ANC website (www.allenneighborhoodcenter.org) for wonderful pictures from World Day at Hunter Park!
· On the fourth Wednesday of the month, a few farmers at our Allen Street Farmers Market have a dual presence at both our regular market as well as at the Allen Street Farmers Market at Sparrow, located at Jerome St. and Holmes. Sparrow associates, visitors, and neighbors are welcome! Same day and hours as the regular market – 2:30 – 7 pm.
· Gone Wired features an open jam session for jazz musicians every Tuesday from 10 pm – midnight.
