Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Fun Times with the Fundraising Committee

Greetings from the Fundraising Committee!

The fundraising committee exists to establish sustained relationships with high-interest groups while raising adequate funds for the project. Originally, the goal of the fundraising team was to raise $5,000. The fundraising team has surpassed this goal by currently raising $10,404! Through this process, the team has established donor relationships with some really rad folks, including Shirley Pryor, a generous friend and founder of the Pryor Leadership Program, and Laura Welch, friend of Pryor Fellows and president of the Welch Family Foundation.

Through the process of fundraising, we have been able to rekindle relationships with Pryor alumni, receive donations and support from family and friends, and spread awareness across the Jewell and Kansas City community.

The fundraising team is currently working on seeking in-kind donations for items. We are on the hunt from a shovel to fruit trees to a shed. Donations don't necessarily have to be physical. We also gladly welcome donations of time and service. In our spare time, we are reaching out to individuals and organizations in the Kansas City Community to spread awareness of our cause and our Spring Launch event taking place on April 27th, 2013 from 12-3:30pm at the garden (E 8th St & Troost).

To get the Jewell community excited about our project, we have been selling "Grow Paseo" buttons on campus. It has been a great way to inform the student body about our hopes and visions for the garden.

Grow Paseo!


-The Fundraising Committee

We Love Donors!

Winter Park, FL

We love it when other creative entrepreneurs believe in our work and respond excitedly and generously to in-kind donation requests! We were so excited to receive 200 simple yet creative thank you cards from Rifle Paper Co this week. Their generous donation will serve towards writing our thank you's to major donors and volunteers of the Grow Paseo project as we continue to network. Rifle Paper Co's talent for intricate stationery design is one to most definitely browse through. Their stationery can be found at stores such as Paper Source and Anthropologie. We couldn't be more thankful for this wonderful and aesthetically pleasing donation! Make sure to check out their work on the link above to purchase your own creative stationery today!!


- Grow Paseo Team

Friday, March 22, 2013

Groundbreaking Event!

We are so excited to inform everyone that the groundbreaking of the Paseo West Community Garden occurred this past Saturday morning, March 16th. With the loving help of volunteers from Rez Downtown and Lees Summit Christian Church we were able to get much work done on leveling the land and prep work for installing raised beds. It was a cloudy, yet exciting day for the Hope Faith and the Grow Paseo team and it would not have been made possible without the help of these wonderful community members. We are in the process of scheduling frequent work days for our volunteers and Grow Paseo members to begin preparing for our big Spring Launch event on April 27th. Things are very busy on our end, but with more hands to help us out we are starting to see much progress in the making of this beautiful new garden! We will continue to keep you all updated on official work days and details on the big upcoming event. Enjoy the before and after pictures below, photos taken by Grow Paseo team member Brittany Nicklas.

BEFORE...






AFTER...





Friday, March 15, 2013

Kid's Program Launching Soon!

Hello, everyone! We hope you're enjoying this wonderful spring weather--the Pryor class is hopeful that soon it will be here to stay so that we can start growing delicious food for the Grow Paseo project!

The Program Development Committee has been busy developing a cooking class program from children as part of our Grow Paseo project. We are designing a curriculum for a seasonal, four-week cooking class that will teach kids how to make a healthy meal including appetizers, a main course, and dessert using produce from a garden plot located at Hope Faith Ministries that the kids will help tend to. Recipes for the classes will be tailored to the season in which the session is held: Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter.

Our committee has just finished putting together the recipes for the classes, and is now in the process of seeking out resources (cooking utensils, food items, etc.) to help make it all a reality! We plan on running a pilot session in April so that we can assess our program and make any necessary adjustments to it before it officially takes off.

Additionally, we have developed a kitchen safety handout for participants so that we can not only teach kids how to make delicious and healthy food, but how to do so safely. We are also writing a risk management plan to ensure that our classes run smoothly and that there is a process in place for any unexpected events that may occur. The safety of our participants and instructors is of the utmost importance!

Things are falling into place nicely with program development, and our committee is hopeful that when April comes along (which is only in a few weeks!) we will be ready to implement a fun, instructional program that will enhance the Grow Paseo project and get the community excited about their new community garden! More details on classes coming shortly. Stay tuned!



-The Program Development Committee

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Social Media Update

The Grow Paseo project is something that is very exciting to everyone at Hope Faith Ministries and for our Pryor Class and we want to share that excitement with everyone. There are several ways that you can follow the action! This blog is a great way to see in depth what is happening with our project but we also have a Twitter (@growpaseokc) and a Facebook that will include several immediate updates. We also have created an Instagram (@growpaseo_kc) so we can share all of our pictures from our project and the progress of the building of the garden.

We have been very busy trying to get the word out about our community garden, so this last Saturday we attended the Kansas City Home and Garden Show. We had a chance to meet with a lot of individuals that have generously donated to our project and make several connections throughout the day. It was great to meet people who were so passionate and encouraging about our project. We had a chance to hear a lot of ideas from people who have been in the gardening business for years and hope to further foster these connections.

In a few days we will be printing out a brochure detailing our project to share with anyone who is interested in know who we are and what we are doing. If you have any questions or would like to connect with us please e-mail us at growpaseo@gmail.com. We look forward to making more connections as the project progresses!



-Marketing Committee of Grow Paseo

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Opening of Paseo West Community Garden


The Spring Launch event for the Paseo West Community Garden will be on Saturday, April 27th from 12-3:30pm at the community garden on the corner of 8th and Troost. It will be a beautiful day for the people of Grow Paseo, Hope Faith Ministries, and the Kansas City community! At this event we will begin our planting adventure and get the garden functioning. To mark this special occasion we are inviting a few local bands and local businesses to donate their time, talents, and treasures. The local restaurants involved will set up booths and be serving free samples throughout the day's events. We will also have raffles and prizes! The kids who will have been taking cooking classes through the garden's programs, will be showcasing their newest skills to the community in hope of encouraging healthy living.

This will be a joyous celebration commencing a fresh and hopeful start in the Paseo West community. Please come and be a part of this wonderful day! Details of the day's events coming to you soon.