This week has been more productive, thank gosh! Missy and I met a couple times and she is really helping me out with the vegetarian class now too. She made a flier for the event that we are going to post at the Cove and around Brooklyn. We decided that we will have a raffle and make a basket with a vegetarian cookbook in it as well as some cooking utensils. Nothing over the top, but a nice idea and will probably help bring people to the event. We are going to have recipe print outs for everyone to take as well. I am pretty excited about it all, nervous mostly about promotion. As much as I want all of my friends to attend and support me, it is the members of the community I want to be there the most.

As for the Healthy Holiday event, I am lucking out in the volunteer department. My co-worker Liz, a cook, agreed to discuss a healthy version of meatloaf. I am so happy about because this seems like an affordable dish that can feed a large family. She mentioned using oatmeal instead of bread to enhance its nutritional value. Oatmeal is a super food!

The weather was just right for the ‘clean up the block’ week. It took me a long time to get in touch with Chip, but she finally picked up the phone and said we could come by at three this past Thursday. Staci joined Missy and I this time as well. The bad news is that less adults helped, the same woman who would not help last night, refused once again. She just stood on her porch watching. Chips daughter said she couldn’t help because she had “too much work to do in the house,” although I never saw go inside and walked around yelling for her Mom most of the time. She did run off to the library to return books, the was scolded by Chip because she got two movies and wasn’t supposed to. There is so much yelling going on all the time. Everyone seems so annoyed with one another and Chip tells me who is good and who is not.

The good news is that all the same kids helped and remembered working with us a few weeks ago. The youngest girl, Jade, put her gloves right on and started sweeping piles into the dustpan I was holding. Two of the same boys joined and I made sure to tell them what a great job they were doing. I even asked the one boy, I think Brandon, if he remembered what nature was. He responded that it was glass. I told him again what it was and then asked him to repeat it back to me. Over the next hour he told me a few times that it was “trees, water, rocks, vegetables that you grow, flowers….” I told him I was going to ask him the next time we were there.

Chip loves to tell me stories while we are cleaning up. Not only did I find out she has only been living in her house for 8 months, she casually told me that she is Wiccan. She said….. “essentially I am a witch.” She then told me that people misjudge witches and that they actually do not believe in any devil. Her shirt said “my other house fell on your sister.” A reference to witchery and the Wizard of Oz. She is a character and I really like her. She is pretty ill too, has had biopsies for cancerous growths and has lung issues. Her voice sounds like a man from all the smoking. She is also involved in custody hearing over one of her granddaughters.

The block wasn’t as trash laden as I had thought, the alley was a disaster though. We definitely spent the most time in the alley. One yard was filled with trash, I mean covered to the point where you could barely see the grass!! Chip said that she and a couple others had picked up some of the trash in front of their homes since we had been there. Good news indeed. Some people just don’t care though, teenagers were yet again milling about while we worked.

The oral history project has hit a few barriers, which I am not pleased about. After giving my schedule to Sarah a few times, she is still scheduling them during my school and work hours. There are two interviews taking place next week that I would love to be involved with and just can’t due to scheduling. I know that I have all of November to turn this situation around. Also, I have been emailing Glenn (the head of this project) about photo locations without hearing back from him. I did give Carol my schedule, though, and she said she would help me out with the scheduling. Sarah felt bad too and we are going to try and make things work better in the future. I just want to be as involved as possible.

The running group is set to meet this Sunday, hope it isn’t raining.

words: 859

hours: 10

Better late than never!

I am blogging a little late for last week, but here it goes…. This past week was kind of a bust in some ways for many reasons, but I suppose that that happens from time to time. I blame the rain and the fact that I got pretty sick and chose not leave my bed for a couple of days.

Missy and I met last Monday after class to discuss some of the specifics for the “clean up the block days” and the ‘Healthy Holiday’ event. There are so many little things to try and portion out to various volunteers. I have done a lot of e-mailing/networking for the holiday event too. I confirmed with one co-worker who will choose a topic and present for it. Also, a girl I ran into who just moved back into town wants to volunteer and I have been updating her about what the topics are. Missy has chosen to demonstrate about a healthy dessert and I am sort of waiting to see what other decide on so I can pick up whatever is left.

Carol and Sarah wanted me to meet with them and Glenn on Wednesday to go over the oral history time-line, but I was just too sick and had to cancel. The meeting was last minute anyway, so everyone understood. Glenn is preparing a list of areas for me to photograph, which I am excited about.

Finally, on Thursday, Missy and I went to the Bay Brook offices to help out with newsletter distribution. It was pouring rain, but we managed to drop off newsletters to about ten sites. Places such as the library, a recreational facility, a popular convenience store, the soccer pavilion, and churches. We got pretty turned at times yet I think getting lost just helps us remember the area better for the next time.

We couldn’t do our clean up AGAIN because of the rain! Missy and I took a peek down the block helped clean a few weeks ago and it was awful. Trash was everywhere and I am pretty certain a trash bag from our first clean up day was still perched in front of someone’s house. We have been calling Chip a lot to check in though, we don’t want her to think we have abandoned out initial efforts. Her daughter answers the phone a lot and is somewhat “interesting” to deal with. She tells us where Chip is, but it is pretty brash about it all.

Sarah sent me a card in the mail to thank me for my work within the Brooklyn community. She sent Missy one too, positive reinforcement goes a long way and this was such a nice gesture.
Running group was called off because I didn’t want to push myself after being sick all week. However, I am glad I chose to take care of myself, I feel better prepared for this week and said no when I needed to. I got few hours, but I can catch up this week.

I am about to e-mail Glenn about the necessary images and plan on resuming the clean up day this Thursday with Missy.

words: 525

hours: 7

Oral Histories and the Running Group...

I started off the week by meeting with Missy to discuss where we are going with our individual projects as well as the areas we are working on together. Specifically, we are trying to plan for the ‘Healthy Holiday’ event that is set to take place in early December. After meeting with Sarah last week it was made clear to me that this event will take a lot of outside effort from volunteers. We are hoping to have lessons and activities that move beyond holiday recipes and touch on finances and safe fun. There is no way I can do this all on my own. I am hoping that Staci may have an interest in this event as well as some of my friends who are looking to get involved with volunteer work. I also know that once November approaches, time is going to move very fast and the event will be here before I know it.

I have also been trying to get the word out about the running club that is set to begin this Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Meyerhoff Soccer Pavilion in Brooklyn. I have a feeling that it will be scarcely attended and I will have to better promote it for the following Sunday. I have not started a club before and want to make certain I get the information out to as many residents as possible. We shall see!

The biggest news of the week centers on my experience with Masonville Cove residents who are contributing to an oral history project led by Glenn G. Page from SustainaMetrix. Carol and Sarah asked me to participate in their oral history interviews so I recently attended an interview at the Cove Recreational center this past Wednesday. There were two men to be interviewed who grew up in the Masonville/Brooklyn area. They were so excited to be a part of something that would document their history and Glenn has an exuberant personality while doing the interviewing. The interviews are based on a book of generalized historical questions, created by the SustainaMetrix. I noticed that if Carol or Sarah started to ask questions that directed the interview into a serious tangent, Greg was very successful at steering everyone back on track. This was a great skill to watch because I know that it is so easy to get off track. Glenn suggested that we can do follow up interviews that are just based on stories, however, it is important to get all the groundwork covered.

I had brought my fancy camera to the interviews and Glenn asked me to take as many pictures as possible. When we were finishing up he asked me if I would be the main photographer for as many as interviews as I can attend, as well as photograph the landscape and construction taking place throughout the Masonville Cove. Pretty exciting! He even said that he would purchase an extra hard drive for me to back up all the images on. I will be labeling the events and the specifics of each photo. I feel so professional.

Glenn and Carol plan on hosting an event at the Polish Home Hall that celebrates the history of the watershed area and Masonville Cove. The pictures I take will be shown at the event and some may even be streamed through a television at the Cove Recreational Center. We are trying to schedule a follow up with the two guys, whose names I will specify in my next entry, for next Friday.

A quick update about the running club: I raced from work to Brooklyn after picking up two friends on the way. Unfortunately, no one showed up! It is my fault though because I did not promote it enough. Even after trying to post about it on Craigslist, I realized I had not hit the right button because I tried to check it days later and couldn’t find it. My friends and I still ran around the area though and came up with a generalized route. I was in touch with a guy named Chris who is interested in helping me get the group started and he said he is definitely coming next week. I am going to make some fliers this week and at least post them at the Cove center. We shall see!

word count: 720

Hours: 12

So much done in one week!

So much happened this past week that I needed all of Saturday to gather my thoughts and rest. I spent three days in Brooklyn so I will discuss each visit!

On Monday, Missy and I attended our second CCBB meeting. I was nervous because I hadn’t contacted Gail in a while and I thought she might be upset with me for that. Working with Bay Brook organization has really taken off and therefore taken up a lot of my time. They have a lot of needs and I have a lot of flexibility, which is great. I even got nervous because I tried to smile at Gail and I thought she was giving me a dirty look back! I nudged Missy and asked her what she thought, but she said not to worry and that she would do the talking after the meeting if I wanted. In the end, things were fine, but I don’t want to let anyone down. A woman giving a presentation about identity theft led the first half of the meeting. She talked about shredding mail and how to protect your credit cards. There are a lot of older people that come to these meetings and they had many questions and comments. Gail also mentioned a passing of an older lady who was well liked in the community. She started to tear up while talking about her and so did others in the room. I even remembered the woman, she was at the last CCBB meeting had a hunched over walk. It made me think about community and how each person who becomes a regular in community activities marks there place, has a purpose, and is worth remembering. This is what helps make “place” what it is.

There was one disturbing incident that took place during the meeting, I’m sure Missy touched on this as well, involving a Latino man. During one of the lulls where people ask questions, a Latino man stood up and discussed starting a non-profit organization for Latinos in the community. He said that he wanted to help bring business to the area and was looking for help or a space to begin the process. One member of the board immediately scolded him for speaking too soon and not waiting till the very end of the night. Everyone else just looked perplexed, almost annoyed. Someone sitting down mentioned that Latino business was not exactly what they meant in regard to bettering the community. It was upsetting to watch because the man was made to look foolish and left without much direction for his idea. Luckily, Carol from Bay Brook, said that he could come to her office and she would talk to him about finding a location for meetings, etc. I guess this incident was a reminder that all communities have their biases, concerns, and pre-judgments about people.

After the meeting, Missy and I talked to Gail about raising money for the Firehouse and other projects we were working on. Gail was happy to talk about all that and my worries were gone. However, I left the meeting with a stale taste in my mouth based on the incident with the Latino man.

On Thursday, Missy and I went to Bay Brook for our first ‘Clean up the Block ‘ event. Carol had purchased large black trash bags, gloves, and a push broom. We knocked on Chips door and told her we were ready to go. What an experience we had, at first it seemed that not too many people were going to get involved. Chip, however, was rearing to go and started rounding up neighbors and children. There were a handful of teenagers who showed no interest in participating and stood around eating from the very same UTZ chip bags we were picking up from the ground. I will say one thing about this block, they love to yell. Chip and her daughter were yelling at everyone, telling them to pick this up or that. The lady that lived next door to Chip announced that she was not going to help at all because we picked a time that she wasn’t happy with. She wanted us to choose a time before three, but we were aiming for a time where the kids could get involved after school. She made a big stink about and stood on her porch watching everyone else sweep and clean. Another lady yelled at the concept of picking up trash off peoples lawns that were not participating, or not home. She said if they didn’t want to help they shouldn’t get anything done for them.

Watching the kids get involved was the best part, but for some it was not without a fight. The boys were very helpful in both sweeping and carrying the dustpans to our overflowing trash bags. I talked to one boy about what to pick up and what to leave behind. I said that rocks were a part of nature and they should be left behind, he asked me what nature was and I told him “everything that was here before we were.” He was probably six years old and had failed kindergarten once. It was sad to have to talk to explain to these children the basics about our earth. I am guessing that many of them have never left the Brooklyn area. I gave encouraging feedback to all the kids involved and thanked them for being such great helpers.

Apparently, Chip says we will run into syringes and dope bags if we clean up certain areas. I am glad we have gloves. She was wearing a shirt that read “We all have problems, mine are just bigger than yours.” Amazing!

The street looked so much better after the clean up. We got about eight bags of trash. Chip was happy with the results, but wanted us to come back the next day and help more. We told her we would leave her with the materials for further clean up, but wouldn’t be back until the following Thursday. Looks like we are going to try and help out with block clean up every Thursday, if possible.

Carol, Missy, and I loaded up Carol’s car with trash and took it to the dump. We discussed adding an extra trashcan to each block because you can only have three trash bags per can. Not sure the formalities of such a plan though.

After the clean up, Missy and I went to the firehouse with Bill (Gail’s husband). He showed us the kitchen and then suggested items that the kitchen was in need of. Large tables being the most urgent and plastic silverware and plates. It wasn’t as bad as I had thought and we may just try and add some fundraising on to one of our other events.

Lastly, on Friday I met with Sarah at her home to discuss several different events and start planning for them. She still wants me to teach the vegetarian class at The Cove and we picked a date, November 14. I gave her my outline for the class and she liked it. I am going to make a work sheet to go along with it so that people can fill out the information I give them during my presentation. I am excited about it, but also nervous.

The Healthy Holiday event is a go also! This event is even bigger and will require more volunteers, which I am trying to round up. The slogan for the event will be “Healthy Food, Healthy Holidays, and Healthy Fun.” We know we want people to leave with a menu idea, have cooking on site, games, and budgeting ideas. I am hoping to round up enough people so that each volunteer focuses on one area. Otherwise, I will really be in over my head.

The running club is a go too, it starts next Sunday. I need to get the work out though, which may be hard before the first meeting. As of now, the running group will meet at 3 p.m at the soccer pavilion in Brooklyn. I have a route that Sarah printed out, but so far it looks confusing. I am hoping that running it makes more sense of it. Sarah wanted me to do the running group two days a week, but that is just too much. I am getting nervous that I am saying yes to everything and will tire myself out if I don’t pace myself.

Sarah also mentioned that The Cove is doing interviews with people who used to live near the watershed and asked if I would like to come to a meeting about them. She is hoping I can do some oral histories. I am going to a talk on Wednesday that will shed more light on this project.

I am excited that so many of my ideas are really happening. I had no idea I would get this far so fast. I am a bit overwhelmed though and don’t want to take on too much. I think this week I will focus mostly on planning the specifics for the veg class, the clean up day Thursday, and rounding up people for the Holiday class.

Hours: 14

Words: 1533