Yay!

I wanted to let you all know that we have a new VISTA! Her name is Toni Graddy-Weaver, and she starts here in the middle of August. :)

Also, I want to apologize for taking about a month to post here again. My last month here has been hectic, what with finishing some programs and trying to smoothe transitions with others, as well as cleaning out my desk! It has been a fun year, and I am glad I was here. I hope that things like the Community Harvest of Anderson will continue to grow. :)

On that note, the gardens are doing well. We have a lot of plants growing at Shepard Park (near Rangeline Road), and we have 2 rows at Wilson's (2200 W 22nd St). We also have 4 wheelchair-accessible raised beds at Wilson's, one of which is full of tomato plants. :) Remember: it's never too late to sign up to have a plot in the garden! Even if you miss this year's planting season, you can sign up now to have a plot next year. :)

Also, I worked Cruis'n Anderson this weekend. The rain kept people away for the morning, but business picked up in the afternoon. We ended up not having our Bingo event, but we did raffle off our prizes, which were from The Clip Zone, Ricker's Bakery, Seasons of the Heart Gift Shoppe, T&J Tire, Ziebart's, and Frazier's Dairy Maid. Thanks to everyone who helped!

Well, it is time for me to say good-bye. I will be here until Friday, and then I will be off to packing and leaving for Vanderbilt Divinity School in Nashville, TN.

Peace,
Jenny Gates

We need VISTAs!

Are you interested in serving your community? Would you like to help alleviate poverty in Anderson? Would you like a health plan with a $5 co-pay and paid prescriptions? Would you like to meet and work with city and county officials?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then please call Jenny or Judy at RSVP at 641-2470, or stop by our office at 125 E 13th St, just behing the library.

You can find our listing on the AmeriCorps Web Site.

Peace,
Jenny Gates
jgates AT and DOT lib DOT in DOT us
641-2470
125 E 13th St

International Festival

Do you like hot air balloons? Do you like being up early? If so, we have a job for you! We need people to hold the ropes for the hot air balloons at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, during the International Festival. Just contact us at RSVP (641-2470) for more information!

As always, we are also recruiting for the Citizens Corps--both the CERT team and the Medical Reserve Corps. Call us for more info!

The Shepard Park location for Community Harvest of Anderson has been tilled! We also have some planting done out there. If you would like a plot, please contact Jenny at RSVP at 641-2470 or jgates AT and DOT lib DOT in DOT us for more information. We are also close to tilling the ground at the Wilson Boys and Girls Club!

We have many more volunteer opportunities, too, such at working with the Literacy Coalition, serving with Friends of the Library, making Love Bears, or working with the Anderson Police Department. Contact us for more information on these and many other exciting programs.

Peace,
Jenny Gates
125 E 13th St
Anderson, IN 46016
641-2470
jgates AT and DOT lib DOT in DOT us

Makin' Memories

Would you like to learn more about RSVP? Are you already an RSVP member? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then Makin' Memories with RSVP is the event for you! Join us on Wednesday, May 25th, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. as we scrapbook some of our volunteers' on-site pictures and share some of our favorite volunteering memories. We will have light refreshments, and the event will work on a come-and-go basis, like an open house. We will be on the third floor of Anderson Public Library. We would love to see you there!

Peace,
Jenny Gates
jgates AT and DOT lib DOT in DOT us
641-2470
125 E 13th St
Anderson, IN 46016

Upcoming Events

Join us on Saturday, May 21st, for a Volunteer Recruitment Fair at Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church! We'll be there from 10-2. :)

Later that day, stop in at RSVP (125 E 13th St, on the corner of 13th & Central, right behind the library) for Relay for Life luminarias. Luminarias that go around the track are $10 each, while luminarias that go in the letters spelling out "HOPE" are $20 each. Come decorate yours, or have us do it for you!

Sunday, May 22nd, at 1 p.m. at the Wilson Boys and Girls Club (the old Westvale property, 2200 W 22nd St), we will have our Community Harvest of Anderson garden groundbreaking! Join us as the mayor turns over a shovelful of dirt, a barbershop quartet from First Presbyterian sings, and we do a ceremonial planting! We will have marigolds for younger kids to pot, and we will be giving out flower seed packets and PAR stakes for a $1 donation. We will also have bottled water for $1 each. So come on out and join us for a fun time Sunday afternoon!

Next weekend, join us at the Salvation Army at 8:30 a.m. for Operation Pick-up Sticks. We will work with the City of Anderson, Hope Crisis Response Network, and the Salvation Army to clear the yards of the elderly/disabled/low-income residents of debris from the January ice storm and February flooding. We have about 19 houses to clear, and the debris is mostly light. If you have a chainsaw, please bring it. We will have a free, hot lunch at 12 at the Madison County Community Health Clinic on Ohio Avenue for all volunteers.

If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer In Service To America, please contact Judy here at RSVP.

Peace,
Jenny Gates
AmeriCorps*VISTA, RSVP
jgates AT and DOT lib DOT in DOT us
641-2470
125 E 13th St
Anderson, IN 46016

Information on poverty

Hi everyone!

I received this website in an e-mail from the State Office today, and I wanted to share it with you. http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/ It's a site that houses information on poverty, as well as ways to educate yourself and others and ways to get involved to fight back against poverty. There's a very good video on how a family of four can budget for a year on $18,810--the rate the government has set as the poverty rate for a family of four. The video is only 2 minutes long, and it loads quickly. You can find it by going to the "educate" section, then clicking on the "quiz" link at the top of the page. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Take a tour of this forgotten state." While you're at the site, you might want to quiz yourself on your knowledge of poverty. I missed 2 out of 10 questions. It's very insightful and informative. Also, check out the poverty facts link. And, if you can, get involved. :)

In other news, the land at the Boys and Girls Club has now been sprayed for the garden. It will be tilled on Friday. Our ground-breaking ceremony will be on May 22nd, at the Boys and Girls Club (2200 W 22nd St) at 1 p.m. The mayor will do a ribbon-cutting ceremony, we will do a ceremonial planting, the Parks Department sign should be up, and we're inviting media from Indianapolis as well as Madison County. We're looking into singing/musical groups, too. If you can, come join us as we celebrate! :)

And don't forget--it's never too late to sign up for Citizens Corps. Just give me a call at 641-2470 or jgates AT and.lib.in.us, and I will get you set up!

Also, we are accepting donations for disaster preparation kits still. We accept cash, checks (made out to RSVP), and items such as flashlights, batteries, AM/FM radioes, bottled water, and space blankets. To donate, you can either send the item or money to us at 125 E 13th St, Anderson, IN, 46016, or you can bring the item or money to us at the same address. We're on the corner of 13th and Central Avenue, just behind the Anderson Public Library. We share a building with the Bookmobile. For those of you who are old enough, you might recall this as the old Sears garage. :)

Peace,
Jenny Gates
jgates AT and.lib.in.us
765-641-2470
125 E 13th St
Anderson, IN 46016

Relay for Life

Hello!

This post is in purple, in honor of Relay for Life. RSVP is participating in the relay. You can check out information here: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_1.asp. We are looking for team members and for funds. If you would like to donate to our team to help us fight cancer, please send your donation to 125 E 13th St, Anderson, IN, 46016. If you would like to join the team, please contact Jenny Gates at 641-2470 or by e-mailing her at jgates AT and.lib.in.us. We would love to have you join us!

Peace,
Jenny Gates