"Black History Month 2010: Movers and Shakers"

The "Black History Month 2010: Movers and Shakers" slideshow is up on the Beehive. Go check it out, I bet you will see 2 very familiar faces. Wink. Wink.

http://www.thebeehive.org/special-features/slideshow-black-history-month-2010

-Meg

MLK Day in Austin, TX

Meg here...

I did my Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service in Austin, Texas through Hands On Central Texas, a program of United Way Capital Area. I live and serve in North Carolina but was traveling during this time. I still wanted to volunteer so I looked up opportunities in the Austin area. In Austin the day of service was held on Saturday, January 16.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday, drove to Huston-Tillotson University, and checked in for our service project. The room was packed with an assortment of national service volunteers, students, and community members. I knew I was in Texas when I saw burritos for breakfast. They were delicious with coffee and orange juice. The kickoff program included the MLK Oratory Competition recipient, Dr. Richard Reddick (the keynote speaker), and a performance by The Cipher – Austin’s Hip-Hop Project. We also remembered the people of Haiti whose tragedy reminds us to put things in perspective.

After the conclusion of the kickoff we headed over to the Austin Nature and Science Center in Zilker Park, the location of our service project. There we met Ruth, the horticulturist at the Center and about 6 students from St. Edward’s University, a school in Austin. For the next four hours we enjoyed getting to know each other while we cleared beds, swept paths, and raked leaves.

Late Saturday afternoon I had a good nap, my body satisfied from working outside and my mind in a positive place from being part of an important movement. MLK Day of Service is about people coming together, working to make communities better places to live, for everyone. On that Saturday in Austin, I felt like I had been a part of a successful MLK Day of Service!

Needs Assessment BBQ Event

Hey VISTAs,
Last Saturday we had a Needs Assessment BBQ event at our Access site 7 Courts. It was a great turnout even though it was freezing cold, proving the old adage: if you feed them, they will come.
Andy did a great job planning the event, and he got a whole team of GSU sociology students to come conduct the survey, with other volunteers to cook and coach and the like. See below for a video and the official write up from the event.


How do you use the internet? This is one of the questions asked of Seven Courts residents for the needs assessment survey administered by One Economy and a team of volunteers from Georgia State University. The survey was administered at a fall barbecue event hosted by the 7 Courts Resident Association and Mothers in Action. Residents learned about the free wirelessavailable and ate free food in exchange for filling out a survey. They also had a chance to share what they want out of on-site internet training. Resident children played soccer under the guidance of a coach from Energy Fitness of America. “The event’s success was due to the community’s involvement,” remarked One Economy Project Manager and event organizer, Andy Santamaria.

Volunteer Thanks: Many thanks to our volunteer survey takers from GSU: Kimberly McWhorter, Qiana Martin,Faye McMullen, Brittney Terry, Kesandra DeLaney, Andrea Durr, Alice Barrett, Francis Halan, Christopher Pell, and Deirdre Oakly. Thanks also to the volunteers from the Resident Association, Mothers in Action , Project Community Connections, Inc, and Energy Fitness of America, who helped cook and coach, and otherwise make the Access launch a success.

Ruqiyyah Nu'Man and Andy Santamaria for Atlanta.