Meet the Staff: Mary Ann

This week's opportunity to learn more about the ReNU staff includes questions answered by Mary Ann, the Office Manager at ReNU Niagara. 

Q:  Say something about your favorite pet.

A:  Mellow. Toby was originally my mom’s cat. I took her in when my mom could no longer care for her due to a stroke.  She was a tortoise shell or “tortie”.   Toby was a gentle, loving, old fat cat—probably the best cat I ever owned, or should I say owned me.

Q:  What is your favorite childhood past time?

A:  Playing outside. I guess I liked making mud pies—now I enjoy feeding the birds and pulling weeds.

Q:  What is your favorite vacation/vacation spot?

A:  Jamaica

Q:  What is someplace you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?

A:  Europe—it’s on my bucket list.

Q:  What is your biggest pet peeve?

A:  Cell phones

Q:  What is your favorite month?

A:  It’s a season—spring.  I know winter is finally over when I can hear the frogs chirping.

Q:  What is your earliest family car?

A:  A “Lark”

Q:  What is your favorite TV show of all time?

A:  Hard to say, I have had several, i.e. I Love Lucy, Mash, Cheers, and Seinfeld.

Q:  When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A:  Broadway star

Summer 2012 at the Highland Community Vegetable Garden: Brought to you by John

The Henry J. Kalfas Magnet School, the Highland neighborhood, and ReNU Niagara are proud to announce the opening of the Highland Community Vegetable Garden for Summer 2012. As a new Vista member for the summer I am excited to be a part of the team!

Although the temperatures have been continually warming up these past few weeks, it is safe to say with the help of the excited and wonderful children from Mount Sinai, New Jerusalem, Kalfas Elementary and Center Court our vegetable garden is doing very well. With input from the community members, we feel we have been able to plant and grow a variety of vegetables. They include: tomatoes, collards, eggplant, parsley, beets, white onions, peppers, radishes, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, and cucumbers.

During the summer there are going to be workshops held during the watering times thanks to the help of the staff from the Cornell Cooperative Extension. These workshops will range from cooking tips, healthy food and nutrition, composting and other garden focused areas.

If you are interested in helping with garden maintenance and some fun in the sun, please feel free to contact the office at 205-0287and ask for John. Or email us at johnnewcomb.renu@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you all out there this summer!!!!!

Meet the Staff: Tom

This week's opportunity to learn more about our staff includes questions answered by Tom Lowe, the Program Coordinator at ReNU Niagara.

Q: What is your favorite vegetable?

A: Broccoli.  Yeah, I'm weird like that.

Q: What is your favorite saying/quote/phrase?

A: "Be the change..." Ghandi

Q: Name something healthy you did this week.

A: Walked by dog along the river.

Q: Say something about your favorite pet.

A: She's a white boxer named Moxy.

Q: How many people in your family?

A: I have a HUGE extended family, too many to list.

Q: What is your favorite childhood past time?

A: Baseball.

Q: What is your favorite vacation/vacation spot?

A: Keywest, Fl.

Q: What is someplace you've always wanted to visit but haven’t yet?

A: New Zealand or Scotland.

Q: Do you have a mentor/someone you look up to? What do you admire about them?

A: Jill Shuey has taught me a lot--and I'm not just sucking up to the boss!

Q: What was your first job? Good? Bad? Ugly?

A: Bowling alley kitchen--ugly!

Q: What is your favorite thing about where you grew up?

A: The natural landscapes of the Niagara Region, obviously!

Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?

A: General ignorance.

Q: What is your favorite board game?

A: Guess Who.

Q: What sitcom character reminds you of yourself?

A: JD from Scrubs.

Q: What is your favorite month?

A: December.

Q: Where is your favorite place to eat?

A: NY Fish Market on Fridays.

Q: Do you have any phobias/fears?

A: Don't like snakes much...

Q: What is your earliest family car?

A: Ford Bronco.

Q: Do you side with a political party?

A: I do.

Q: How old do you hope to live to be?

A: Not too old--but old enough.

Q: What is your favorite TV show of all time?

A: Seinfeld.

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: A teacher.

GreenRoots Leadership Development Program and ReNU: Brought to you by Emily

After a long drive from South Carolina, I'm here in Western New York and working in Niagara Falls!  It's been a fun experience so far and I'm learning a lot about the community here.

As the AmeriCorps ABLE at ReNU Niagara, I've been working with the GreenRoots Leadership Development Program--both with youth and adults.  GLDP aims to empower residents to improve their neighborhood, so I've been learning a lot about leadership education and community development.   The youth of GLDP have been planning a family fun day and wellness festival to take place in August, which will encourage the children of Niagara Falls to get out of the house and play outdoors for a change.  They are using the leadership skills they acquired in the training program to plan the event themselves.  So far on the agenda, we've got an obstacle course, a Kan Jam tournament, face painting, and much more!  It's been great so far getting to know some of the students from Niagara Falls High School and seeing all of their leadership abilities.

The adult program will actually be starting soon with a new wave of residents.  We had a "kick-off" event of sorts on Wednesday night, where we showed the award-winning documentary, Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street at the NACC.  The film is about the residents of a Roxbury, MA neighborhood coming together to revitalize their community.  We are hoping to get future leaders of the GLDP and the Niagara Falls community excited about making healthy changes in the area.  A good crowd came out for the film screening (and the delicious refreshments!) and we had a good discussion afterwards.  We even were able to give attendees a free week-long membership to Advanced Care Physical Therapy, Aquatic, and Fitness Center located right here in Niagara Falls, on Main St.  The fitness center donated these passes to be used as an incentive for people to get involved with GLDP and we are very appreciative of their support!  The official start of the leadership program will be on Thursday, July 12 at 6pm.  This event will also be held at the NACC and if you're interested in attending--call the ReNU office at 205-0287 or email me at emily.gru@gmail.com.

So far, working with the GreenRoots Leadership Development Program has taught me a lot about town policies, event organization, and university procedure.  I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer will hold!

Meet the Staff: Jill

As a fun introduction to the members of the ReNU office staff, we've each answered some questions about ourselves.  This week's staff person is Jill, the Executive Director of ReNU.

Jill Shuey

Q: What is your favorite vegetable?

A: It is difficult to pick just one...I love my veggies but this week it is asparagus from my backyard garden.

Q: What is your favorite saying/quote/phrase?

A: "At the end of the day..."

Q: Name something healthy you did this week.

A: Took a stroller walk with my husband and son.

Q: What is your favorite vacation/vacation spot?

A: The Outer Banks NC, this is where I got married.

Q: Where is someplace you've always wanted to visit but haven't yet?

A:  Italy

Q: What is your favorite thing about where you grew up?

A: The blue mountains in Shippensburg, PA.

Q: What is your favorite board game?

A: Sorry

Q: What is your favorite month?

A: Fall.  I know it is a season...Oct/Nov

Q: Where is your favorite place to eat?

A: I love ethnic food... Thai...Indian...Middle Eastern

Q: Do you have any phobias/fears?

A: Roll-a-coasters/mainly open heights

Q: What is your earliest family car?

A: Green pinto--my parents

Q: Do you side with a political party?

A: sometimes...

Q: How old do you hope to be?

A: Old enough to see my son have a family

Q: What is your favorite TV show of all time?

A: Glee

Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: A Broadway singing star

Vacant Lots and ReNU: An Introduction brought to you by Natalie

As one of two ServiceCorps members serving at the ReNU office from April to October this year, I (Natalie) must say, the last two months have flown by! I've moved, graduated, and started at ReNU. Life's been busy...but isn't it always?

As a Vacant Lot Coordinator at ReNU, I've contributed to the navigation and formalization of a process for community members to follow in order to obtain a vacant lot in the City of Niagara Falls to reuse to benefit their community. Funding and resources are also of utmost importance for creative projects, and this too has been part of the process. Coordination, collaboration, and cooperation have proved to be essential--and I couldn't be in a better office to learn all about it.

Since the establishment of ReNU Niagara in 2006, government support, Niagara University Investment, and partnerships with community organizations have all co-mingled in dedication to the revitalization of Niagara Falls and meeting the needs of the community.

As the issue of vacant lots surfaced, great potential for community driven use of space emerged. As one of ReNU Niagara’s endeavors, ReNU Talk is the place to follow for information on vacant lot revitalization as our efforts progress.