Freed Maxick, a local top 100 CPA firm, has graciously featured us on their blog. Check it out!
http://www.freedmaxickcareers.com/blog/local-spotlight-renu-niagara/
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
ReNu Niagara now has a twitter, so please follow us for additional updates and info!
https://twitter.com/ReNuNiagara
https://twitter.com/ReNuNiagara
Happy Veterans Day
ReNu Niagara would like to wish those who have served, their families, and the Western New Yorkers who appreciate them so deeply, a happy Veterans Day.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Possible Upcoming Project
Niagara Hub has written an article about one of our programs: the Greenprint Niagara project, and their grant application. Read on for more info!
Source
Project will convert downtown vacant lot into living classroom
The City of Niagara Falls and Greenprint Niagara, Inc. have partnered to submit a $25,000 grant application to the United States Conference of Mayors 2013 Gardens and Green Spaces Program. No matching City funds will be required if the grant is awarded. The application was submitted on October 26, 2012.
The project will convert a city owned vacant lot at 561 Third Street into a community greenspace with native plantings, a wireless internet hot-spot, and educational features to connect visitors to the region’s history and impressive natural resources. The site was selected because of its close proximity to the Niagara Gorge, the Third Street District, and the Niagara Aquarium. Pioneer Park will help draw visitors further into the City, give local educators another option for field trips, and provide a unique urban greenspace for all residents. It will also help stabilize the surrounding residential area. As a youth-focused space, Pioneer Park will help prevent sex offenders from being warehoused in the Park Place neighborhood. It will carry the same designation as a playground.
“My administration is committed to neighborhood stabilization, showcasing our natural resources, and community partnerships. The Pioneer Park Project brings all of those elements together, at zero taxpayer expense,” said Mayor Paul Dyster. “Tactical urban investments make a difference. We will continue to build momentum, and secure grant funding, to improve the downtown residential and commercial district. People around the country are talking about our approach. Pioneer Park, and continuing to work with Greenprint Niagara, Inc., and our partners, are more steps in the right direction.”
The United States Conference of Mayors grant application was supported by a wide-range of stakeholders including: Mayor Paul Dyster, Greenprint Niagara, Inc., Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, the New York State Office of Parks and Historic Preservation, Niagara County Legislator Jason Zona, Niagara Falls City Councilwoman Kristen Grandinetti, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, the Niagara Falls City School District, the Niagara Beautification Commission, the Niagara Falls Block Club Council, Niagara University: ReNU Niagara, the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, Niagara Falls Community Development, the Downtown Niagara Falls Business Association, the Isaiah 61 Project, and the Niagara Aquarium.
Source
Tree Planting Project Saturday November 10th
Niagara Beautification Commission to Team Up with Greenprint Niagara for City-Wide Tree Planting Project
The Niagara Beautification Commission (NBC), an organization that promotes the beautification of the Niagara Falls area by mobilizing volunteer resources, is teaming up with a newly created organization, Greenprint Niagara, to plant trees from NBC's Tree Nursery in different spaces throughout the city.
The project will focus on planting trees in several areas of the city. Anyone interested in volunteering on November 10th should contact 205-0287 for details.
Both the Niagara beautification Commission and Greenprint Niagara have missions geared towards eliminating blight and beautifying the City of Niagara Falls.
What: Veterans Day Tree Planting project
Who: Niagara beautification Commission in partnership with Greenprint Niagara
When: Veterans Day Weekend; Saturday November 10th starting at 8:30am
Where: City-wide; starting at the NBC Tree Nursery, located just off Robbins Dr. next to the City of Niagara Falls garage at 8:30am
Contact: Tom Lowe (716) 205-0287 / GreenprintNF@gmail.com
Monday, October 29, 2012
Meet the Partners: Angela Santiago
Today we feature Angela Santiago, theme specialist, at Kalfas Magnet School, as part of our "Meet the Partners" series.
As
summer comes to an end and fall begins, what would you say was the highlight of
the summer for you?
The highlight of the
summer is watching local youth groups come to the garden to tend to it. When I see youth becoming actively involved
in the community, I become hopeful for your community’s future.
What
is your favorite thing about the City of Niagara Falls, NY?
My favorite thing
about Niagara Falls is its commitment to revitalization. It is projects like the garden that will work
towards building and sustaining our city.
Tell
us a little about where you work. What
does your organization do?
I am a Teacher on Special Assignment for the Niagara
Falls City School District. I am
currently assigned to Henry J Kalfas Magnet School as its Theme
Specialist. As a Theme Specialist I am
responsible for implementing our school-wide theme through student programming and school events. I also oversee
community projects such as the Highland Avenue Community Garden and assist
teachers with curriculum.
Do you have any current or upcoming projects you’d like to share?
Currently, we are implementing our live, daily news broadcast: WKMN-Kalfas Magnet News. Each morning, students participate by writing
scripts and working the camera while creating standards-based segments. We also have a student-led newspaper that
publishes 3 times a year. It is written,
edited and published solely by students.
On Wednesday, October 31, we will
have our annual Harvest Festival.
Instead of traditional Halloween festivities, our school participates in
fall/harvest, standards-based activities.
This year, we are pleased to be working with Re-Nu Niagara, Allied Waste
and Cornell Cooperative Extension to design and facilitate this activity.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Another Successful Year of AmeriCorps Service at ReNU
It’s been another great AmeriCorps season at the ReNU
office!
This summer, ReNU was fortunate enough to be awarded four
service members from three different programs through The Service Collaborative
of Western New York (formerly WNY AmeriCorps).
If you are not familiar with The Service Collaborative, we encourage you
to check out their website to see some of the great work they do. ReNU has been a host site for
AmeriCorps/Service Collaborative members since 2006, hosting VISTA service
members for four years, and then branching out to explore the other programs
that the organization had to offer.
Each of our 2012 members brought their own skill sets, their own personalities, and their own passions to the table to create a great team of program staff.
Emily started with ReNU Niagara on May 21, 2012 as an ABLE
(AmeriCorps Builds Lives through Education) member serving 10 weeks in our
office. She came to us from Seneca,
South Carolina where she recently graduated from Clemson University. Her charge at ReNU was to assist in the
planning and facilitation of the GreenRoots Leadership Development Program for
both youth and adult tracks of the program.
She brought a great energy and passion for education to the office, as
well as a little bit of southern charm.
During her time here she worked with the youth to design a festival that
would encourage other youth to get off the couch and go outside, getting them
to be more active. She also worked to
plan and pull off a film viewing event as a way to recruit residents for the
adult track of the program. Always
willing to do more than was required, Emily was a huge asset to the office this
summer and we wish her the best of luck with her graduate studies at the
University of Kentucky!
John Newcomb – Summer VISTA Member
John was a little more local than Emily, as he was attending
Buffalo State College and was looking for a productive way to spend his summer
off. John’s tasks at the ReNU office included
the management of two garden spaces: the Highland Community Vegetable Garden
and the Niagara University Campus Garden.
He was responsible for daily management of the garden spaces, which
included: identifying and coordinating youth groups to assist with garden
maintenance (watering, weeding, harvesting, etc.), working with community
partners to plan garden/nutrition workshops for the Highland community, and
many other tasks related to community gardening. In addition, John was always willing to provide
an extra set of hands to his fellow AmeriCorps colleagues. John brought a great amount of
professionalism and personality to the office this summer, and we wish him
nothing but the best.
Dennis was one of two ServiceCorps members who filled the
role one of our Vacant Lot Coordinator positions. His main focus for his six-months with ReNU
was on outreach and how to engage residents and organizations in participating
in the newly formed Greenprint Niagara vacant lot coalition/initiative. In addition, Dennis provided support to his
fellow ServiceCorps and AmeriCorps members, assisting with the Highland
Community Vegetable Garden as well as the Walnut Avenue Kitchen Gardens that
were developed by a ReNU partner. An
avid volunteer with the Boy Scouts, the Magdalene Project and several other
worthy causes, Dennis brought great value to the ReNU staff this summer as a
long-time resident of the area. Dennis
has already been told that we look forward to his future involvement in ReNU
and Greenprint projects, and we hope he does as well.
Natalie also spent her service as one of ReNU’s Vacant Lot
Coordinators. Her specific area of focus
was more on policy and planning, where she utilized her background as a
Graduate of the Masters in Urban Planning program at the University of
Buffalo. Natalie has been instrumental
in the beginning stages of the strategic planning process for Greenprint
Niagara, has provided great support to the Highland Community Vegetable Garden,
and assisted with the maintenance of the community garden located at the Presti
Apartments/Neighborhood Housing Services.
Most visibly, though, Natalie has helped to develop and expand ReNU’s
social media presence; setting up our the blog you are reading this post on, as
well as the ReNU Facebook page that just recently broke 100 ‘likes’. She has never shied away from taking on
additional tasks, has always managed to keep herself busy and productive, and
has truly been influential in setting the stage for Greenprint Niagara to
succeed.
In all, ReNU benefited immensely from the work this
extremely effective program team was able to accomplish this summer. We see nothing but great things coming from
whatever future endeavors they pursue.
We wish all of them nothing but the best. But, most importantly, we would like to
extend our deepest gratitude for the commitment to service and to the Niagara
Falls community that they have shown during their time with ReNU.Thursday, October 4, 2012
Volunteer Spotlight: Mt. Sinai Baptist Church Youth Group
The Highland Community Vegetable
Garden is cultivated, planted, and maintained during the summer months by the dedicated
individuals of community youth groups.
Mt. Sinai Baptist Church Youth Group has spent a few hours every week,
all summer to take care of the vegetable garden. They have watered in the summer heat, weeded, and picked and distributed produce to market visitors. Along with their master garden adviser, resident Bernice Drake (top left), and their devoted Youth Group Leader Sister Michelle
Shine (not pictured), these young gardeners nurtured a thriving source of fresh
vegetables. With this year’s drought
like conditions, this was no small feat! If you see any of these impressive
individuals, be sure to commend them for all of their time and
effort!
 |
| Mt Sinai Baptist Church Youth Group |
As the season comes to a close,
we’re all so thankful for this summer’s volunteers and support from Mt. Sinai,
Ms. Drake, Center Court, Highland Community Revitalization Committee, Ms. Gore,
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, Niagara University, and Henry J. Kalfas Magnet
School!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Meet the Partners: Seth Piccirillo
"Meet the Partners" is a new ReNU Talk series. We will introduce readers to individuals, projects, and events in the Niagara Falls community. To start things off, ReNU Talk features Seth Piccirillo, the Director of Niagara Falls Community Development. Learn a little about his work here, and be sure to check out the Niagara Falls Community Development and Live NF and Facebook pages for more information!
As summer comes to an end and fall begins, what would you
say was the highlight of the summer for you?
Work: The City was recommended for a $450,000 Empire State
Development grant to help demolish blight and improve the downtown commercial
district. That was a big step for us.
Non-Work: I saw Mumford & Sons in concert. Great Show.
What is your favorite thing about the City of Niagara Falls,
NY?
Niagara Falls will be a great American City, and that is not
a slogan or naiveté. We have people here
that are committed to new ideas and working hard. We are close to putting that
puzzle together. That is my favorite thing about Niagara Falls right now.
Tell us a little about where you work. What does your organization do?
I am Director of Niagara Falls Community Development. Our
motto is Housing is Economic Development.
We administer several housing, commercial, and public programs designed
to make neighborhood investments.
Do you have any current or upcoming projects you’d like to
share?
We just launched the LiveNF campaign and www.live-nf.com this week.
The goal is to connect new and existing residents to incentives
and opportunities to help them build a livelihood in Niagara Falls.
Are there any upcoming events or activities you are involved
in? Or any that you look forward to attending?
Downtown housing applications are due on November 16. It can
be downloaded under the live tab of www.live-NF.com.
This Saturday, September
29 1 pm, at the Niagara Hub, is Barrel Jam. It is a Kan Jam tournament to raise
money for the 2013 Niagara Falls Arts and Music Festival. Only $20 a team. Stop
by.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Meet the Staff: Kelly
1. What
is your favorite vegetable?
Carrots
2. What
is your favorite saying/quote/phrase?
When I get sad, I stop being sad
and be awesome instead
3. Name
something healthy you did this week.
Dancing games on my Wii fit, yoga,
weight training
4. Say
something about your favorite pet.
I don’t currently have a pet, but
my favorite pet was my dog Cassie. She was a border collie/black lab mix that
we adopted from the SPCA.
5. How
many people in your family?
Four: Me, my mother, and my
grandparents. And then a bunch of extended family.
6. What
is your favorite childhood past time?
Pretending to be a Spice Girl, had
to be Baby or Ginger.
7. What
is your favorite vacation/vacation spot?
Newport, Rhode Island
8. What
is someplace you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?
San Francisco, Italy, Scotland,
Australia, New Zealand
9. What
was your first job? Good? Bad? Ugly?
Nursing home dietary aid, pretty
bleak
10. What is your favorite thing about where you grew up?
Being by the ocean, going to the
beach
11. What is your favorite board game?
Apples to Apples
12. What sitcom character reminds you of yourself?
April Ludgate, Lily Aldrin
13. What is your favorite month?
October
14. Where is your favorite place to eat?
Romeo & Juliet’s and Pizza
Plant in Williamsville...best pizza!
15. Do you have any phobias/fears?
Spiders, drowning, being buried
alive
16. What is your earliest family car?
Red Toyota truck
17. Do you side with a political party?
Democrat
18. How old do you hope to live to be?
Old enough to have lived life
fully, but not old enough to be in chronic pain or have everyone I know die
long before I do
19. What is your favorite TV show of all time?
Veronica Mars
20. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Veterinarian even though I am
allergic to most animals
21. What is your favorite thing about the City of Niagara Falls, NY?
The multiculturalism of the area
Monday, September 24, 2012
Meet the Staff: Linda
This week, learn a little bit about Linda. Linda is a horticulture student at NCCC and interns here at ReNU as well as helping with the beautiful Niagara Falls library garden.
What is your favorite
vegetable?
Peas and squash
Name something
healthy you did this week.
I walked my dog.
Say something about
your favorite pet.
I have a 5 year old
French Bulldog and a 5 year old. Pomeranian. I rescued them from
puppy mills. The 3rd dog is a 9 year old
French Bulldog that I adopted from the Erie SPCA. I can’t imagine
life without them!
How many people in
your family?
I have a husband, a
28 year old son, a 25 year old son and a 23 year old daughter.
What is your favorite
vacation/vacation spot?
Paradise Island,
Bahamas
What is someplace
you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?
Ireland or Australia
What was your first
job? Good? Bad? Ugly?
I was a hospitality
hostess at Burger King. Not a bad job for a 17 year old!
What is your favorite
thing about where you grew up?
I grew up in a small
city. It was a safe and friendly neighborhood with a lot of other
kids to hang out with.
What is your biggest
pet peeve?
People acting inconsiderate
to others.
What is your favorite
month?
July.
What is your favorite
TV show of all time?
Seinfeld.
When you were a kid,
what did you want to be when you grew up?
A fashion designer, a
hair stylist or to work in an office.
What is your favorite
thing about the City of Niagara Falls, NY?
The Falls, and the
casino. There is so much potential in the City of Niagara Falls.
Do you have any
current or upcoming projects you’d like to share?
Design work for the
Niagara Falls Main Library, Fall Fest at Kalfas School.
Are there any
upcoming events or activities you are involved in? Or any that you look forward
to attending?
The kick off for the
vacant lot for some time in October. It will be great to see all of
the hard work that went into this project become a reality!
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