A BIG THANKS TO: WJC Serve & Celebrate volunteers, Rock & Wall Landscape, Kappa Alpha, Meghan Steen from FineLine Design, John Beaver from Beaver Creative Environments, and Kansas City friends & community members.
Showing posts with label grow paseo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grow paseo. Show all posts
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Little Seed
"To see things in the seed, that is genius." -Lao Tzu
I have always been fascinated by the parables concerning the life of workers in the fields and the faith that is required to flourish. To put such hard work into a task only to realize that your work alone is not what ultimately yields a bountiful harvest is a humbling process. Instead, you wait and allow circumstances outside of your own control to bear the fruit of your labor. If during that waiting process the worker chooses to be shaped through the challenges presented, they come to know what it means to persevere. And in the midst of encountering perseverance, something extraordinary happens. The worker begins to see the potential, a glimpse of what could be. He begins to see things in the seed, things that will leave him forever hopeful and faithful.
When we began this project back in late January, we wasted no time in getting into a task oriented mindset. We hit the ground running real fast, making several phone calls, addressing donation letters, recruiting volunteers and stakeholders, creating programs, establishing connections, and designing visual handouts. Deadlines were quick and promoting our initiative was essential in gaining support. Then came the waiting, the tedious task of practicing patience. We waited for donors to call back, for in-kind donations to be ready for pick up, for handouts to be printed, and for the dreadful winter to finally make its way out. With so much going on, our to do lists soon became overwhelming and some delays caused discouragement some days.
But it only takes one extraordinary thing for aspiration to surface once again, and this weekend was a beautiful example of what perseverance leads to. My heart felt full as I witnessed the amount of volunteers who worked alongside us this Saturday. Running between the kid's cooking classes and the labor site, I felt a sense of hope as I realized how small the seeds we have been planting are in relation how big and beautiful an outcome can be. It is then that it occurred to me that Saturday was not just a work day, Saturday was the beginning of helping a neighborhood learn to dream and reconnect once again. This was evident in the eager faces of children learning about healthy foods, in the words of encouragement received by homeless people in passing, and the generosity of construction crews dedicating their time in guiding our team.
Hope filled our hearts this Saturday, and it continues to as we strive towards seeing the restoration of the Paseo West Neighborhood. May we continue to see life in the seed.
Victoria Litardo
Pryor Fellow '13
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
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
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Welcome!
Welcome to the Pryor Leadership Class of 2013 project blog! We are excited to keep the blogging world updated on the progress of the legacy project we have chosen for the Spring semester.
We have come up with a dream to put in place a community garden in the West Paseo neighborhood of Kansas City, a place overrun with high crime rates and a big homeless population. The surrounding neighborhoods remain lifeless, and community members have lost sight of what it's like to dream again. We partnered up with a homeless shelter on Virginia Avenue called Hope Faith Ministries that has been given land on the corner of 8th and Troost to expand their outreach efforts. They believe in our Pryor Leadership team and have graciously handed over their land to us to help make this dream come true. We as a class believe that bringing this area to life through beautification and planting seeds of reconciliation and hope will drive out the darkness that has been lingering for far too long.
We hit the ground running in early February with assigning committees, forming partnerships, casting a deeper vision, and getting community members on board with our movement. The work load has increased quickly, but we are excited to see this vision come to life. Join us as we update the public on our project endeavors this semester. We look forward to connecting with all those interested in our movement. Thanks for stopping by!
Grace and Peace,
Victoria Litardo
Pryor Fellow '13
We have come up with a dream to put in place a community garden in the West Paseo neighborhood of Kansas City, a place overrun with high crime rates and a big homeless population. The surrounding neighborhoods remain lifeless, and community members have lost sight of what it's like to dream again. We partnered up with a homeless shelter on Virginia Avenue called Hope Faith Ministries that has been given land on the corner of 8th and Troost to expand their outreach efforts. They believe in our Pryor Leadership team and have graciously handed over their land to us to help make this dream come true. We as a class believe that bringing this area to life through beautification and planting seeds of reconciliation and hope will drive out the darkness that has been lingering for far too long.
We hit the ground running in early February with assigning committees, forming partnerships, casting a deeper vision, and getting community members on board with our movement. The work load has increased quickly, but we are excited to see this vision come to life. Join us as we update the public on our project endeavors this semester. We look forward to connecting with all those interested in our movement. Thanks for stopping by!
Grace and Peace,
Victoria Litardo
Pryor Fellow '13
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