Click here to register!

When: January 24, 2009 9am-12pm & 1pm-4pm

Where: Public Space 1 115 E Washington St. Iowa City

Purpose: Help the folks at Public Space 1 and the James Gang put together the space for creativity and community.

Registration: Click here to register! We will have two opportunities to volunteer on January 24.  Due to a lack of space at Public Space 1, we have split the registration into two 25 volunteer groups. One group at 9am-12pm and another from 1pm-4pm.  Both groups will be capped at 25 people each, so we urge you to sign up for your desired shift as soon as possible. We would like to stress that if you are unable to work this day but still interested in helping to please consider giving financially to Public Space 1. Do so by clicking here.

Sponsors: If you are interested in making this happen via sponsorship, please email luke@reclaimingroots.org. 

Web Questions: If you have any web questions or problems, please email our web genius chris@reclaimingroots.org

Public Space 1 (PS1) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run art, culture and performance venue in downtown Iowa City. PS1 is sponsored and supported by the James Gang, providing opportunities for local visual and performance artists to “go public” with their talents. They provide a venue for people to practice, perfect, and perform their creative endeavors including theater, photography, art, writing, and performance. The space provides a location for community discussions, gatherings, interactions, and dialogues. {reclaiming roots} is always interested in bringing people together, to help out for the greater good of the community, especially in the context of pursuing creativity. This is certainly a cause that will continue to cultivate the culture of our community, and support local performers and artists.

On January 24, 2009, {reclaiming roots} is going to help facilitate the James Gang in creating a gallery space for the visual arts, and renovate a currently un-usable space into a gallery. The focus will be on painting, drywall, cleaning, and other renovation work. If you have specific carpentry skills, please email us directly at stan@reclaimingroots.org and zach@thejamesgang.ws.

If you’ll be unable to help on this date but want to help cover specific materials/project costs, you can contribute directly to Public Space 1 and James Gang at http://www.firstgiving.com/psone. There is a donor that wants to match 50% of every financial gift toward this project!

Lastly, other PS1 information can be found at their website:www.thejamesgang.ws/psone 

Click here to register.

….. until Oct 25, 2008 and the Wetherby Neighborhood clean-up day! 

Thank you for those who have emailed or called inquiring about further details, and who have committed volunteer and sponsorship support.  Right now, groups of people are canvassing the neighborhood to talk with homeowners who may need help getting their homes ready for winter.  If you know of a person or family that could use help in this neighborhood, please email stan@reclaimingroots.org and we’ll contact them specifically.

As homeowners sign-up, we’ll be creating task lists and work crews accordingly. So, if you’re yet to sign-up to volunteer – please do so. It will help us plan ahead!

And lastly, if you’re going to volunteer and have yard tools (rakes, hedge or tree trimmers, grass clippers, chainsaws, etc… anything for basic outside fall clean-up) please bring them.  If it’s possible to sign-up and let us know you’ll be bringing these tools – that will also help us plan ahead!

Thanks in advance for your support in this community!

Take care,

{roots} crew

Click here to register.

October 25th is the next date to mark on your calendar. It’s a bye-week for Iowa Football, so we’ll expect masses of people to show up, ready to work on this beautiful fall morning! (yes, the forecast has been released and it looks great!) We’ll be facilitating a neighborhood clean-up in a southern Iowa City neighborhood, the Wetherby Neighborhood, with the help of various local business’ and groups. Our Iowa City neighbors will greatly appreciate your help in getting their homes ready for winter, and we look forward to working with them.

Click here to register.  Basic details are as follows:  

Date/Time: Saturday Oct 25, 08… 9am-12pm

Where: Wetherby Neighborhood (meeting place and sign-in is at The Spot, 1030 Crosspark Avenue, Iowa City)

Food?: Of course! We’ll provide coffee before, and lunch afterwards

Purpose: To create community, by helping this community handle fall yard clean-up, trash clean-up, and provide winterization supplies

Why?: Because everyone wins if we come together for the purpose of others

SIGN UP: Please mark your calendar, and sign-up on the site as soon as you can to help us facilitate work crews, task lists, etc. –click here to register.

SPONSORS: If you’re interested in helping make this happen via sponsorship, please email luke@reclaimingroots.org.

HOME SIGN-UP: If you’re interested in signing up to receive help on this day, please email stan@reclaimingroots.org

WEB QUESTIONS: If you have any web questions or problems, please email our web genius chris@reclaimingroots.org

THANK YOU in advance to our greater Iowa City area neighbors, in helping the Wetherby Neighborhood!

Until the next update, take care!

{roots} crew

project.4 registration 

Last fall, {reclaiming roots} helped facilitate a neighborhood clean-up day in the Grantwood Neighborhood. This fall, a similar day is being planned for another Iowa City neighborhood, and the date is October 25, 2008.  Details and sign-up will be posted closer to the date… but mark your calendar now! We hope that again this year, neighbors from all over the greater-Iowa City area will reach out to help this community.  Everybody wins, if we come together for the purpose of others.If you’d like to be put on our email list: please email luke@reclaimingroots.org. In the subject line, please type: “email list” and you’ll receive all future details!Have a wonderful summer,the {roots} crew

The weather man says that tomorrow will be a great day to spend a few hours working (ahem, we’re thinking positive!) With that, here are a few final details for tomorrow’s {reclaiming roots} project on the project.3 Big White House.  Weather: There is a chance for rain, but the project will be going rain or shine! The coffee and pastry break just may go a little longer that scheduled… Clothes: We would recommend wearing pants, it should be cool enough in the a.m. and it will make working in the brush easier. Bring a long sleeved shirt along as well. Tools: Whatever you signed up to bring, mark with your name in permanent marker. As much as we love getting new tools, we’d rather you leave with everything you came with!Parking: We’ll have signs to help direct you from each direction on 12th Avenue in Coralville. Food: Remember that if you’re working the morning shift OR the afternoon shift - lunch is provided for both! Grilled burgers and brats… Sign-Up: If you plan to come, please sign-up at www.reclaimingroots.org as it helps us plan more efficiently. If you’ve signed up and can’t make it - drop me an email.  If you have any other concerns or need to contact the project Saturday morning, call Stan at 530.4076.  Have a great day,{roots} crew

Thanks to all of those who helped out with the flood relief. We apologize for any miscommunication and realize that when nature strikes, things probably won’t work out how you planned. That said, we will be sure that it doesn’t rain for Project.3.

So, as we stated before, Project.3, BigWhiteHouse is ready to go down on July 12 for our rescheduled date. Please be sure to hit up the registration page and be a part of this event. Plenty of work to go around, as well as delicious grillin’ and community buildin’.

Hope to see you July 12 for either the morning or afternoon crew.

Due to the road closures around the area - we’re going to urge you to work wherever is safe, close, and convenient for you. Several options to check: www.press-citizen.com, www.kcrg.com, www.coralville.org, or call Stan at 530.4076 or Luke at 331.7860 to see where we’re at as well.  Be safe!

If you want to know where you can chip in this weekend, there are certainly places that need urgent help right now. Iowa City is already setting up a Volunteer Coordination Center. We as {reclaiming roots} have been asked to form a core volunteer group to be sent out to critical areas to help. Iowa City is providing busses to transfer any and all volunteers – let’s do our part to help pack them full!
 
Plan
1. Meet:
a. The primary plan is to still meet at the Laverman’s house (24 Highland Drive, IC), at 8.30am (NOTE, THIS IS EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY PLANNED). Stan’s cell is 530-4076.
b. The secondary plan: Officials are asking that residents be prudent in their traveling around the city.  IF east side residents cannot cross the river tomorrow, or shouldn’t cross - then east side residents will meet at Regina School (2150 Rochester Avenue, IC) at 8.30am.  I will be on the east side, and my cell is 331-7860. West side residents will still meet at the Lavermans. Both locations will have a bus to transfer volunteers.
2. Childcare:
If you need childcare, it will still be provided at the Laverman house until noon.
 
3. Coffee/Pastries:
We’ll try! If we have the “secondary plan” - no promises! 
 
Please call with questions - and sign-up on the website so we know to wait for you…. www.reclaimingroots.org. We’ll try to check email as well, but internet access has been intermittent.
 
Please help out somewhere that needs urgent assistance, and ask your friends to do the same! Every hour of help counts.
 
Be safe,
Luke

As you know, there is an urgent need in our community for volunteers to help sandbag and support areas that are already flooding and areas in which flooding is imminent. The water level is not expected to peak until early next week, so we have decided to change the focus of our {reclaiming roots} project this weekend to help with those efforts. We are rescheduling project.3 BigWhiteHouse for Saturday, July 12. So, please change this date, and re-check your calendar!

As for this weekend, here’s the new very loose and impromptu plan:

WHEN & WHERE: Saturday, June 14, 8.30 a.m….meet at Stan & Melanie Laverman’s house (24 Highland Drive, Iowa City)
WHAT: Indulge in pastries and coffee
THEN WHAT?!: Carpool and head out to help sandbag/whatever work is necessary. We’ll work until noon (or later if you choose!). Childcare will be provided at the Laverman house until noon.
GOAL: We’ll still come together for the cause of others, and have a good time doing it!
TOOLS: Gloves, shovels, waterproof boots?
SIGN UP: If you want fresh-roasted coffee and freshly baked pastries, we need to know you’re coming, so please sign up by clicking here. (If you have already signed up, we will plan on you–so please let us know if you can’t make it.)

If you decide to go pitch in someplace by yourself, that’s great! If you want to work with your {roots} friends, then c’mon over. We also know that many of you have been sandbagging all week and may need this day to be with your family…that’s great, too. Regardless, thank you for helping your neighbors…this week, and as the flooding continues.

Stay tuned to this site for any future changes - we’ll post anything else by Friday evening.

Just wanted to share our sponsors with you all. As of this weekend these are the businesses/organizations that are in support of Project.3, BigWhiteHouse:

Cafe Del Sol Roasting
Infinity Skin Care & Spa
Genesis Church
Hy-Vee

So feel free to give them a visit if anything to say thanks. Their support is vital to the {reclaiming roots} projects.