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Volunteers go the extra mile for Brikyaat Community Garden
Rylee's new location on Michigan Avenue
Brikyaat Community Garden comes together with contributions and volunteer efforts
Following the final thaw, volunteers and Midtown staff partnered to rehabilitate the Brikyaat Community Garden (61 Holland NE). Donations of time and coldhard cash combined to create the most beautiful community-oriented garden in all of Grand Rapids. Thanks to Rich and Jennifer Holshoe for the fabulous raised beds; to Judy L. and Haviland Plastics for the materials out of which the rain collection structure is presently being built; to Kelly and Jayson Otto for the straw bales to help keep the weeds down; to Colleen S. for helping out with weeding and watering occasionally and to our superduper awesome youth interns and their fearless leader Amy VanZoeren, for helping put it all together.
Despite drizzle, volunteers get Market spic-and-span in preparation for spring opening
Farmers Market Cleanup Day was well attended considering the continual drizzle and rain our tried-and-true volunteers had to contend with. Thanks go out to Midtown residents and farmers alike for planting six flats of annuals; spreading five yards of mulch and for cleaning up the restrooms after the long winter!
Midtown residents fill eight dumpsters with neighborhood litter
Dumpster Cleanup came and went without a hitch this May. Thanks go out to Stacy Dubose from the City of Grand Rapids Streets and Sanitation Department for working hard to provide this wonderful opportunity to Midtown neighbors free of charge. Thank you as well to Virginia and Larry, the reclamation wonder-twins, who over four hours time filled two trucks with scrap materials while residents from throughout Midtown filled eight dumpsters with trash collected from alleys, streets, yards, basements and attics. The sun was shining. It didn’t rain on anyone and we only needed one band-aid. It was a great day!
Midtown board members help Rylee's Ace Hardware move to new location
Spring time began with Midtown Board members joining up to help move a longtime neighborhood business, Rylee’s Ace Hardware, to their new location. Volunteers worked in the basement to remove racks and pegs for four hours in exchange for a cash donation used to provide our staff with a new laptop computer. Thanks so much to our volunteers and to Rylee’s for providing us the opportunity to help out. If you haven’t stopped by the new location yet, what are you waiting for? It’s bigger and better than the former location and there are lots of new items to tempt customers.
Compiled by Kelly Otto, community organizer for the Midtown Neighborhood Association
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