At 6.45am, the rain forecast is about as good as we could have hoped! It does looks like it could be chilly, so dress warm. See you at 9!

We’re looking forward to this weekend’s event! If you haven’t signed up but you’re planning to make it Saturday, pleaseregister here so we can plan accordingly! AND, if you’ve signed up, we’re planning on you so please email us at info@reclaimingroots.org if you can’t make it – we’ll be able to plan likewise!

To recap, and add LOTS of new details:

Where: Grant Wood Elementary School, Iowa City (1930 Lakeside Dr, Iowa City)

When: Saturday, October 24 from 9am-12pm

What:

1.  helping with a variety of winterization & clean-up tasks around the neighborhood.

2. canvassing for a coalition seeking answers on changes in the neighborhood (if you’re looking for a day of hearing stories and listening to life through somebody else – this will be for you! the canvassing will be the heart of helping the big picture in this neighborhood)

3.  oh, and meeting lots of new people!

Eats: coffee and pastries served before, lunch served at noon!

Tools: we’ve been asked what is helpful? rakes, rakes, rakes! if you’ve offered (via the registration) to bring other tools, we’re planning on them. ***Please put your name on whatever tools you bring!*** and we’ll bring more specific tools as well.

What to Wear: whatever you need to stay warm and dry, it could be muddy/wet in places. bring gloves! If you’d like to help canvassing on this day, wear comfortable walking shoes.

Weather: our weather channel friends say cool, and a chance of rain. If it’s seriously raining………. check the website www.reclaimingroots.org , Facebook, or Twitter, before coming. We’ll put a status up so you can plan accordingly. However, not much outside work can happen in a downpour, so you may end up enjoying coffee as the most strenous activity to your Sat.

FACEBOOK and TWITTER: many of you may not know that we can be found on both. Please join us, and you’ll get more regular updates on what’s going on before projects!

Sponsors: Thank you to the generous help of local businesses, churches, and individuals! If you’re interested in helping financially as well, please email luke@reclaimingroots.org. And please thank those who are helping make this event happen!

Other questions? Please email info@reclaimingroots.org. If you’d like to have volunteers help you this weekend, please call Stan at 530.4076.

Thanks again for your interest and support! Hope to see you Saturday, have a great weekend!

We’re looking forward to the upcoming Grant Wood Neighborhood clean-up day on Oct 24, 2009!
Here are basic details…. volunteers and the community will be working together from 9am-12pm on:

• fall garden tilling, garden and lawn clean-up
• leaf raking
• winterization
• toxic waste removal
• large-item garbage pick-up
• other basic repairs and needed work!

Other details:

• Coffee and Pastries served before 9am
• Work from 9am-12pm
• Lunch provided for all volunteers and neighbors!

If you’d like to help out, you can sign-up on the website. No skill is required, just a desire to help your greater Iowa City area neighbors! If you have questions in the meantime, please call Stan @ 319.530.4076. Thanks in advance!

Registration for Project.6 – Grant Wood Neighborhood Clean-up is now open!  Click here to go to registration.

Last fall, we coordinated a neighborhood clean-up day in the Wetherby Neighborhoods.  This fall a similar day is being planned for another Iowa City neighborhood, and the date is October 24, 2009.  We will be bringing together communites with fall yard clean-up, trash pick-up, and hazardous waste removal.

We hope that again this year, neighborhoods from all over the greater-Iowa City area will reach out to help this community.

Come and witness what we can accomplish when we come together for others.

Stay tuned here at reclaimingroots.org for updates as the date gets closer.  Click here to register.

Don’t miss your chance to visit the {reclaiming roots} table at the University of Iowa’s Volunteer Fair on September 2!  We will be in the Iowa Memorial Union from 11:00am to 3:00pm.  Not only will we have all sorts of information on upcoming projects and what we’re all about, but we’ll be raffling off some pretty sweet re-purposed swag.

Our good friend Nicki from foundbynicki.etsy.com has made a wallet and a pouch from repurposed leather coats to be taken home to two lucky volunteers!  Thanks so much, Nicki!

Stay tuned for more news.  We’ve got an event in the works.

. . . and this time we’re not kidding around.

We can now be found on the Facebooks and followed on Twitter too.

Click here for morning registration.

Click here for afternoon registration.

We’ve had many verbal commitments to help Public Space 1 this upcoming Saturday, but we wanted to send a final email to remind you to sign-up through the website so we can best plan accordingly: www.reclaimingroots.org.  Because PS1 has limited space, we’re splitting up the day:

Current Sponsors:

Vrban Fire Protection

Solutions Insurance

Café del Sol

Public Space 1

The James Gang

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 improve 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 facilitate a work day to help create 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