Awesome Foundation - Projecten

Chicago, IL – Asphalt to Awesome: A Monarch Butterfly Garden

2021-03-18T00:00:00Z

Blue Island Public Library, in partnership with the Illinois Monarch Project and Chicago Zoological Society's Communities and Nature program seeks to turn our decrepit asphalt parkway on the library frontage along York Street into a beautiful way station for Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. In addition to creating beauty where it is currently in short supply, the Asphalt to Awesome project will create habitat for endangered Monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Seeds, dirt and other materials for the project are available through community organization donations, and the CZS Communities in Nature program will provide educational opportunities and assist with collecting data regarding species and plants in the habitat for the next three years. This project will help with the nationwide movement to save Monarch butterflies from extinction, create a relaxing community space in a disinvested south suburban concrete jungle, and help get children and families involved with conservation efforts in their own backyards. We hope that the library butterfly garden will encourage patrons to build their own pollinator habitats, and spread the message of how much impact individuals can have in saving our planet.

Kingston – Active Seating for Active Minds

2021-03-18T00:00:00Z

My awesome project wants to improve the school experience for the neurodivergent (and neurotypical) student! While school is one of MY favourite places to be, as a teacher, I know that isn't the case for everyone. It can be really hard to sit in the same spot for basically six hours straight. No one would disagree. And now that we are in a global pandemic there's even more sitting! This has a tremendous impact on some neurodivergent students. Simple tools such as the body break, which help many ADHD students, are not an option anymore, and they can't walk around the room either. No one wants anyone to start clicking a pen! (Besides the pen clicker that is.) So, the ultimate objective of this is to improve students’ attention in the classroom by providing them with the necessary outlets to their restlessness with classroom appropriate tools. There are a variety of tools out there on the market but unfortunately, they are often quite costly. To maximize the potential impact of the funds, the purchases will be made on products that should last for years. I want to use the $1000 to buy a variety of "active seating" options for students to test and try. My primary research indicates that a wobble stool and weighted exercise chairs are my most cost-effective chair replacements. Working with the LPS (resource) teacher and conversations with colleagues, we will identify some students who could benefit from these active seats. I will check in with these students over weeks and months to see what impact they feel these chairs make. In addition to the selected students, I want to see how these tools can benefit all students. So funds will be allocated to a very cost-friendly option with mass appeal. I would also track their progress and thoughts about use. Ultimately the data collected from the students will be used to take this project to the next step. I want to make this an option for more students with a Limestone Learning Foundation or Community Grant.

Ottawa – Drag Queen Colouring Book

2021-03-18T00:00:00Z

March’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Don Kwan and John Cameron to support the distribution of a free drag queen colouring book featuring Ottawa’s very own [China Doll] (https://ottawacitizen.com/news/the-drag-performer). “This eight-page colouring book will be like colouring a day in the life of the legendary drag icon and local entertainer,” explains Don, who is China Doll’s little brother. “It will feature China Doll in dreamlike landscapes, wearing flashy jewellery, unique costumes, and over-the-top wigs.” “We will create a website,” Don continues, “where anyone can contact us to receive their very own colouring book. People will be able to print themselves a copy from the comfort and safety of their own home, and we will also send copies in the mail to those who don’t have a printer.” “We want to spark creativity and laughter for those isolated at home during the pandemic,” says Don. “What’s better than a fun, family-friendly drag queen colouring book? It’s an activity everyone can enjoy – young and old. And particularly those families with kids who are struggling with isolation during the pandemic. Plus it will be full of camp and super fun to colour!” “We want to encourage everyone to colour with all the colours in the crayon box – and have fun thinking outside the box too.” Don is a visual artist and community builder. John is his husband and creative collaborator.

STEAM (Inactief) – Community Recycling Lab

2021-03-17T00:00:00Z

* Tell us about your awesome project! Plastic has violently invaded our small rural town of San José de Minas located 80km north of Quito, Ecuador. Unfortunately, we have a very precarious waste management system. According to the last census, only 43% of our waste reaches the municipal pickup truck. The rest is burnt or thrown away in rivers and creeks, negatively impacting our health and environment. In order to tackle these problems, we built a Community Recycling Lab to take recycling and waste management into our own hands. Using technology and creativity, we transformed the concept of waste into valuable opportunities. Through a series of Design Thinking workshops, young passionate leaders designed and created a productive and self-sustaining lab. With the help of volunteers we built a shredder, compression and extrusion machine to transform plastic into new products using thermofusion. The machines are built with recycled parts we found in dumpsters and secondhand stores. After months of experimentation with different types of plastic, molds, and processes, we launched our main product: a plastic bar used by the flower producers in the area to assure flowers grow straight. Until now, they have been using wooden stakes for this purpose. However, wood is not sustainable as it rots and results in more trees being cut down. Through our lab we are helping floriculturists transition into using better environmental practices as we also reduce pollution and create opportunities for local youth. To collect plastic we have created several alliances with local restaurants, schools, and cooperatives, among other actors that are gaining more awareness about plastic pollution. Education is at the core of our project. In our lab, young people can explore the world of investigation, learn and design projects and products, and participate in innovative practices. We use STEAM to offer real and immediate alternatives for our waste as we all benefit from a cleaner and healthier environment. * How will you use the money? In the application I mentioned this grant prize will be used to improve efficiency of the extrusion machine. We have identified two main restrictions in our machine. The first one is the capacity and efficiency of our heating system. The electric resistances we use are very basic. They take more than 15 minutes to heat up and they limit the speed at which the plastic can melt and thus extrude. With the grant money we would invest in a different design and better quality resistances. This way they can heat up the pipe faster and maintain a more equal temperature throughout the process. We need 4 resistances which were valued at $125. Thus we estimate this will cost around $500. The other restriction we have identified is the velocity at which the plastic is pushed through the pipe. We use an engine and a geared motor (I apologize if the terminology is not correct, my first language is not english and I am not sure I am translating appropriately). We need to reprogram the relationship between the engine and the geared motor so that the plastic can be pushed faster. We estimate this will cost $300. Additionally, we want to spend approximately $100 in some electrical corrections we need to make. In our laboratory there is only one 220v connection. We want to add more connections so that multiple machines can be used simultaneously and thus be more productive. These estimations and proposals were calculated by a group of electrical and mechanical engineers that have been accompanying us in our process. They have demonstrated to be great professionals and have helped us immensely throughout our process. They have experience working in General Motors among other companies that have worked with making and repairing an array of machines. The remaining $100 we would spend in the educational process of a new group of students. Last year we were able to take a field trip to a recycling plant and another one to participate in a conference about innovative recycling practices. I would love if the students this year can have similar enriching experiences.

Lake Mac – Lake Mac Seed Library

2021-03-17T00:00:00Z

Over the last 12 months COVID related periods of lockdown and isolation have seen more and more people interested and spending time gardening. Gardening has long been attributed to helping people get through challenging times and has multiple physical and mental health benefits. My awesome idea is to establish a Lake Macquarie seed library. Seed libraries are becoming increasing popular and are noted for having many benefits such as - being a fun way to link likeminded gardeners, helping new green thumbs to develop their gardening skills and encouraging the preserving of quality seeds that are adapted to our local growing area. Growing your own produce and flowers from seed is: • Ecofriendly • Something that can be enjoyed by citizens of all ages. • An opportunity to exercise and gain Vitamin D. • Money saving • More Nutritious How would the proposed Lake Mac Seed library work? Through a partnership developed with Lake Macquarie Council (to be developed) the seed library would be established and delivered by volunteers based at either the Landcare Resource Centre Teralba or Speers Point Library. A repurposed wooden cabinet with dividable draws or old display fridge is proposed to be used to house the seeds. Local gardeners would then be asked for seed donations of edible and non-edible plants. Seeds would be divided into categories of “super easy,” “easy,” and “difficult” to describe the difficulty level involved in planting, growing, and saving the seeds. New gardeners then simple “borrow” seeds from the library at planting time. At the end of the growing season, they are encouraged to save seeds from the best plants and return a portion of of the seeds to the library. It is suggested that this initiative would be promoted through existing local online and print mediums e.g. Lake Mac Grows Facebook Group, Lake Mac Backyard Habitat for Wildlife Facebook group, Councils Eco Advocate, Councils Library and General Newsletters, Landcare Newsletters etc.

Chicago, IL – Field Trips to the Circus

2021-03-17T00:00:00Z

CircEsteem is seeking to partner with My Block, My Hood, My City in order to bring groups from all across Chicago to our headquarters in Uptown, for a Social Circus Experience. The Explorers program, created by MBMYMC endeavors to provide young people with experiences they might otherwise never have; tied to individuals, professions and organizations that make Chicago great. In Partnership with CircEsteem, we'll be able to expose groups of students to our unique brand of social circus who live in West and South Side neighborhoods. Students will be transported to our headquarters, Dip their toe into the foundations of Circus Skills, be provided a meal and transported safely back home. Our Teaching Artists are professional circus performers and talented instructors of a variety of skills, including but not limited to: Juggling, Trapeze, Acrobatics, Aerial Silks, German Wheel, Mini Trampoline, Clowning and more! We hope for this partnership to become a very textbook example of serving CircEsteem's mission: bringing youth together through the practice and performance of Circus Arts.

Gainesville, FL – Made New Arts: Program for Youth in Foster Care

2021-03-16T00:00:00Z

For this program, Partnership for Strong Families (PSF) partners with Made New Arts (MNA), a program that provides creative opportunities for youth who are at-risk of becoming marginalized due to current circumstances they may be experiencing. Many of the youth who would benefit from the program are in or may have just entered the foster care system. MNA teaches program participants positive reinforcement through creativity. This enables students to create visualizations of their world through art. Through the MNA program, we have even given our children the chance to present their art in an art show, giving them a chance to see that their work is appreciated. A video for this project can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tW0uErA1LQ

Chicago, IL – Feed The Community

2021-03-16T00:00:00Z

We would like to stock our neighborhood Love Fridge locations with 100 free meals to fight food scarcity in the food desert that we live in. Access to high quality and tasty meals is a huge issue on the south and west sides of our great city. By partnering with West Town Feeds and The Love Fridge Chicago, we can distribute our delicious Afro-Caribbean-Soul fare with a sweet and spicy flair to feed community members great lunch and dinner option they may not have access to normally.

Pittsburgh, PA – Joy Riders Pittsburgh

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

Joy Riders is coming to Pittsburgh! The group formed about a year ago in Smithton, Pa, giving free bike rides along the Great Allegheny Passage to those with limited physical mobility. Bike rides are given on a Duet Bike where the front part is a wheelchair and the back part is an electric bike. After training as volunteers, Dianne Stuckman and Margarita Halasowski knew they had to establish a location in Pittsburgh. They will offer scenic rides free of charge to individuals of all ages who have physical limitations. The rides will run from Millvale to the North Shore, providing views of the city’s rivers, stadiums and skyline. The Awesome Pittsburgh grant will help with the purchase of the bike.

Cass Clay – Art with Miss Myra

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

I am an art teacher who lives in rural ND who has been teaching art classes to people of all ages since 2006. When the COVID pandemic made teaching in person classes more challenging last March, I decided to offer daily art classes Mon through Friday on FB live so children could still have access to arts education whether they are still in at traditional classroom setting or distance learning or homeschooling. I offer my classes free of charge so all children can enjoy them. The classes that I teach as Art with Miss Myra are geared for elementary school age children but some older students and even some adults enjoy doing the projects as well. I teach classes on watercolor painting, painting with acrylics , oil pastel drawings, beading, pottery, fiber arts related classes such as spinning, weaving and knitting. The response to my classes has been great! I have kids from North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and as far as Oklahoma and Kansas that tune in daily to watch and complete my project based art lessons. I had a virtual art show last May where I asked children to send in pictures of their projects that they created along with me and then I awarded and gave prizes which I mailed to three of the many participants. I have a passion and commitment to continue providing these free art lessons on a daily basis until our world gets back to normal, whatever that looks like.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – WomanFest Ghana

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

WomanFest Ghana is a one-day festival that explores and challenges narratives around women and girls in Ghana today. Inspired by Equatorial Guinean writer, Trifonia Melibea Obono’s controversial novel, La Bastarda, Woman Fest recognises that stories - whether newspaper headlines or Nollywood movies, popular song lyrics or popular fiction - are the bedrock of our beliefs, and can either reinforce gender-biased cultural systems or help change them. Featuring culturally-relevant film screenings, discussions and panels, workshops, games and creative play, music and other fun, engaging activities, WomanFest Ghana is a provocative, interactive, and practical festival. It is particularly aimed at women and girls from marginalised communities who are usually excluded from such events and conversations. It will show attendees of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds how to use their agency and creativity to transform the stories we tell of African women and girls in the next decade and beyond. Objectives - To promote an awareness and understanding of issues affecting women in Ghana today and how they’re represented, and misrepresented, in the media - To encourage improved media literacy among women and girls in Ghana - To stimulate a conversation around gender and representation that can continue in homes and communities across the country - To empower women and girls with the knowledge and tools to assert their agency and lead a happier, more assertive life - To foster community among women and girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The festival will be held at the Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora (LOATAD) in Accra, Ghana, in March 2021, to coincide with International Women's Month. It will be the first time the festival will take place.

Gainesville, FL – THE BRIDGE LITERACY PROGRAM

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

There is an urgent need for after school literacy services to serve the children of Williams Elementary. Williams is a "D" rated school with test score averages far below the district and statewide averages. According to the 2019 School Improvement Plan, there are 573 enrolled studetns and 109 scored a level 1 on statewide assessments (about 2-3 grade levels behind). Furthermore, according to Floridacims.org, 100% of these students are economically disadvantaged and 92% are not white. Academic underperformance is a large part of the racial and economic achievement gap in Gainesville. We began a year ago and all of our students are 1-2 years ahead of where they began, even with the pandemic! We started in person but transitioned to a digital format over Zoom when schools closed in March. We provided students with internet and devices as needed. We have high schoolers, UF students, professionals, and teachers who serve as tutors. We train them and assign them to work with students one-on-one over Zoom three times a week for 20 minutes. The digital program we employ is Great Leaps. It is a data-driven approach that has been tested and proven over the past two decades and is now used in all 50 states and 40 countries world-wide. In addition, it analyzes progress and presents statistical modeling so instructors have the data they need to track student progress.

Chicago, IL – Real Freedom Projects

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

"Real Freedom Project" is a black-led virtual performance platform that celebrates the collective capacities and power of BIPOC creators and culture. RFP started out as a response to the lack of visibility of BIPOC artists and content represented in the virtual programmatic response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The curatorial collective behind the RFP consists of BIPOC artists, musicians, performers, and producers working to elevate a broad spectrum of live performance within a virtual space. RFP streams Full Moon Streams every month, featuring live and pre-recorded content that showcases top-tier talented performers and dedicated members of the community, creating a lively event with something for everyone. Full Moon Streams start at sundown and run until the late evening. Curating for each Full Moon Stream theme begins with the type of full moon, whether it's a Wolf or Beaver moon. From there, RFP Curators work to generate ideas about programs and then reach out to their networks to create dynamic and engaging content to be streamed during the evening. RFP Curators also reach out to local BIPOC businesses to provide free advertising time for them during the stream. The Real Freedom Project is centered around providing platforms for "BIPOC Brilliance" while narrowing the digital divide for BIPOC creators and members from the community. ** This project has been funded through funds honoring the memory of Mark Rogovin, a celebrated and beloved muralist in Chicago. These funds are specifically marked to support projects that benefit public art in the Chicago area.

Newmarket – Fueling Young Minds and Bodies

2021-03-15T00:00:00Z

This pandemic has created food scarcity issues and affected our most vulnerable members in our community. Our Breakfast program at Sir William Mulock Secondary School is a far reaching program providing a healthy meal to students in need. With our breakfast program, we provided three basic food groups to over 100 students every day. We have created an environment where any student receives grab-n-go healthy snacks, from our Snack Cart, to fuel their brains and bodies. We feel this is very important as to not stigmatize those disadvantaged students who do not have food at home and to provide opportunity to all our students. We, also, want to encourage healthy eating options for our students. Our funding options have decreased this year.

STEAM (Inactief) – Crochet Portraits of Indian Women in STEM

2021-03-12T00:00:00Z

I am creating crochet portraits of Indian Women in STEM, the recognition of whom in the society is not commensurate with the contributions they have made in the field. I recently created my first portrait using crochet of Janaki Ammal, the first Indian woman to obtain Ph.D. from abroad. Her contributions to the field of botany are immense. She made the sugar we eat today sweeter! I hope to create more crochet portraits in the future and organize an exhibition for fundraising to support women's Ph.D. education in India. Here is the link to it: https://kanika-khanna.com/crochet-janaki-ammal/

San Francisco, CA – Voices of the Golden Ghosts

2021-03-12T00:00:00Z

In the mountains of Northern California, in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties, one of the largest gold mining events of the 19th century occurred. Within a few years of the first discovery of gold, miners had arrived from all corners of the globe. While contemporary historical accounts depict this rush as a largely indistinguishable mass of opportunists, careful study reveals motivations were far from singular. Among those arriving in the west were a significant number of African Americans. In fact, by 1852 over 2,000 men of African American descent were in the California goldfields. However, today little is ever mentioned about the free and enslaved black men who lived in the northern California wilderness by pick and shovel. Through the lens of contemporary storytelling, theater, photography, music, and video we will reconstruct the lives of these African Americans. Through collaboration with history professionals and local artists, we will work with African American communities in Redding and Siskiyou County to tell the story of migration and of the experience working in often remote mines. This project will finally provide opportunities for members of the African American community to assert “their” story. We were on a roll pre covid and headed to the bay Area to tell our story of this forgotten part of California's history. All our presentations were shut down. We created an online video of our work and now we are creating a book of our research and about how we used art and theater to spread the word about a forgotten chapter of California's beginning. We have had some important authors volunteer essays for the book as they believe as we do, the story must get out there to the public adding an important chapter to African American history. Now we will have a document that can be read by other scholars and students and for the general public. Our research has not seen the light of day since 1880 and for sure forgotten in all the contemporary reports today. See video at https://vimeo.com/384938395

Pakistan (Inactief) – DIA Welfare Association(A Platform for Disabled Pe

2021-03-12T00:00:00Z

I started humanitarian and social welfare activities. I established DIA (Disable's Inclusive Association), Pakistan's first platform for differently-abled persons on Social Media. I gathered a huge number of volunteers through social media and achieved various landmarks and rendered my services and efforts for the needy and disabled persons. I arranged wedding ceremonies of needy and deserving girls. I distributed wheel-chairs in different corners of Pakistan including Punjab, Gilgit & Baltistan and Azad Kashmir State. Most recently, I have arranged a grand program in Islamabad and facilitated almost 50 families with different gifts, including sewing machines, wheelchairs etc. I am quite hopeful to work more, more and more for deserving and disabled persons and have a number of ongoing welfare projects.

Gloucester, MA – Project Elm

2021-03-12T00:00:00Z

Awesome Gloucester elected to support Nathan Ives and Project Elm with $1000 grant. Project Elm is a grassroots community project intending to help restore elm trees to their once prominent place on Gloucester (and Rockport) streetscapes while taking a proactive step to help reverse global climate change. Scientists tell us that one of the best ways to fight climate change is to plant more trees--1 trillion trees, in fact. Sadly, the onset of Dutch Elm Disease in the 1950s brought an abrupt end to elms in the United States until only recently. Scientists have now developed disease resistant cultivars of the elm tree that are thriving in the US and, in particular, in New England. In addition to the $1000 Awesome Gloucester micro-grant, the following groups and individuals contributed grant money so that Project Elm could purchase 100 trees for a free giveaway to local property owners: Awesome Rockport Allison Mueller Sal Zerilli Rick Doucette Neptune's Harvest We're All in This Together In total, $5000 was raised to support Project Elm's vision and mission.

Cleveland, OH – Tablets, Hotspots, Training for Low Income Seniors

2021-03-10T00:00:00Z

We're currently rolling out tablets, hot spots and training to low income seniors in Cleveland. This particular outreach effort is made possible with the partnership of Simply Virtual, the Healthy Lakewood Foundation, PCs for People and Barton Senior Center. We're all excited to introduce the virtual world to our new clients. Your grant will allow us to expand into phase two and add another ten seniors to the pilot network described above.

San Francisco, CA – Tenderloin Resident Art Exhibition and Quilt

2021-03-10T00:00:00Z

Opening March 12 2021 “Yours Truly” the first group art exhibition by residents of the DISH Hotels and Tenderloin Community. Blossoming from the historic year of 2020 the exhibition will focus on themes of hope, strength, and resilience by resident/artists of The LeNain, Empress and Windsor Hotels. The group exhibition will include 30 resident artists as well as a community ‘Hope Quilt’ that staff and residents will work together to create. Organised and curated by Engage Program Director Mattie Loyce, the exhibition will give an opportunity for the residents to send a message to the world about who they are – the art they make - and share a reflection of what is going on within their world, community, and experience. The Hope Quilt is a social artwork made with contributions from DISH hotel residents and staff and constructed with support of community arts organisation Mission Praxis. The quilt is comprised of squares that residents designed envisioning what hope means to them. This Hope Quilt is building from other radical quilting traditions like the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which started in San Francisco, and Gee’s Bend Quilts from a southern African-American community. In this historic time, through the experience of pandemic and social uprisings, we thought it was important to explore this theme of hope with the frontline Tenderloin community. The exhibition will run for 3 weeks at SWIM Gallery in the Tenderloin on Ellis and Leavenworth. The mission of SWIM Gallery is to provide a space for emerging and established artists to showcase their work in a way that will foster the growth of their artistic careers. This awesome project will be the first of its kind for the DISH, running for the past 17 years supporting people of the Tenderloin, and it will be a spark of wonderful light within the community! We have 3 different Tenderloin based organisations collaborating, along with a community arts project from the mission district Mission Praxis.

Ann Arbor, MI – Youth Art in Windows grows in Hamtramck & Detroit

2021-03-10T00:00:00Z

We want to expand our Youth Art in Windows project to two more Detroit neighborhoods, to highlight more Black - and immigrant- and women-owned businesses and share more youth art. We also want to encourage more people to visit neighborhoods and stroll around and get to know these small independent businesses. We will work with the Women of Banglatown on the one in Hamtramck and with another youth-serving nonprofit on the next one. And we want to pay our emerging musicians and chalk artists to enliven our opening day celebrations. This idea builds on the Mint Showcase on Livernois which placed art in a half dozen Black businesses in October. We received such favorable feedback from locals and out-of-area guests that we want to grow this project this year. And because much of it happens along sidewalks or a parking space, it is relatively safe during covid-19. We are in discussions with two neighborhood groups - on the East Side and in Southwest Detroit - to host our Youth Art in Windows. Having some funding lined up will make it easier to schedule as many as four of these this year.

Cleveland, OH – Art Block

2021-03-10T00:00:00Z

Art Block is a bicycle driven arts and crafts program that is dedicated to the St.Clair Superior and Hough Neighborhoods to deliver free Spring until Fall programming to all ages from recycled materials colloquially called the art cart.It has had a successful launch in 2020 with our fiscal agent Upcycle Parts Shop. It's created and liasoned by me David who is a lifelong resident and local artist . I started a pilot of the program when I worked for Upcycle Parts Shop and now I independently run the small but mighty program and give use my hours to work alongside our friends at our local Food Not Bombs chapter every other week. I also have used my hours to go to local farmers markets, work alongside Ingenuity fest and go to local events with the art cart. The materials come from donations to Upcycle Parts shop or from my recyclables and I turn it into a craft that can be done in about 15 minutes for any age group. I've also been making toys for people to take away with them that are cheerful and an entry point into engagement and social connection.

Philadelphia, PA – Cobbs Creek Ambassadors

2021-03-09T00:00:00Z

Since 2018, Richard Guffanti and Andrew Wheeler have organized weekly clean ups and maintenance of Cobbs Creek Park. Since then, they have engaged more than 200 volunteers and have facilitated an average of 36 clean-ups each year. They have collected more than 500 pounds of recycling and 200 bags of trash this year alone. Despite their best intentions, Richard and Andrew realized their clean up strategy is not sustainable. They identified 3 critical sustainability issues: 1) Cobbs Creek Park is large and stretches over 5 miles in Philadelphia. Their current strategy of tackling different locations each week would mean they would revisit the same section once every 10 months – not frequent enough to have a sustainable impact. 2) The two of them were not from Cobbs Creek and engaging regular volunteers from within the same neighborhood was critical and would make the cleanups more representative of the surrounding community, thereby increasing local engagement. 3) Ownership of the cleanups needed to be shared with other people so that the responsibility did not only fall on them. THE SOLUTION: The Cobbs Creek Ambassador Program. The goal of the program is to engage volunteers, preferably Cobbs Creek neighbors, in adopting sections of the park to clean up according to their own regular schedule and with their own team, which they would recruit. The ambassador program was launched Summer 2020 with our very first Cobbs Creek Ambassador, Temwa Wright. She has been facilitating Power Hour Clean Ups every Wednesday morning from 8 – 9 am. She has an average of 7 people attend each week and her team has collected over 500 pounds of recycling and 40 bags of litter. We want to grow the ambassador program. We feel that engaging multiple ambassadors to adopt sections of Cobbs Creek is the most sustainable approach to creating a safe, clean, and welcoming environment at Cobbs Creek Park.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Women's Weekend Film Challenge Virtual Series

2021-03-08T00:00:00Z

Women's Weekend Film Challenge (WWFC) works for gender equity by creating opportunities for women to bring their leadership, talents, and stories to the forefront of the film industry. In three short years, we have worked with over 700 women to produce 30 short films, which have been accepted to more than 80 festivals. This grassroots, bi-coastal movement combats the gender imbalance of the film industry by providing an intensive networking experience and telling women's stories on screen. As a response to COVID-19, WWFC launched a truly awesome project: a donation-based virtual workshop series to bring career development and networking opportunities to filmmakers around the world. Workshop guests have included Alma Har'el (director, "Honey Boy"), Kasi Lemmons (writer/director, "Harriet"), Karyn Kusama (director, "Jennifer's Body), Catherine Hardwicke (director, "Twilight"), Stella Meghie (writer/director, "The Photograph"), Elle Johnson (co-showrunner, "Self Made"), Mimi Leder (director and ep, "The Morning Show"), Leslye Headland (creator, "Russian Doll"), and many more. Our workshop topics cover every role of production, and topics have included composing, editing, intimacy coordination, writing, budgeting, cinematography and more. Attendees have the opportunity to submit their work samples (such as a directing reel or a TV series pitch) to receive direct feedback from the top women in Hollywood. Here are some stats about our virtual event series in 2020: - 12,930 donation-based tickets sold - 42 guest speakers - 52% of our guest speakers are BIPOC Our workshops are open to all and have created opportunities for filmmakers all over the world. We have heard from so many attendees that these workshops give them a creative outlet and a sense of community during a time of isolation. Most importantly, our attendees tell us that they feel inspired and more prepared to follow their dreams after each one of our workshops. Learn more: https://youtu.be/z0DcJJzoiEA

Vegan (Inactief) – Expand the Number of Black Vegans Today

2021-03-07T00:00:00Z

My project, Expand the Number of Black Vegans Today, is designed to expand the scope of veganism for my audience by supplementing my vegan content with environmental awareness content. I currently curate and repost fun and informative vegan content on my website and Instagram for a predominantly Black audience, who are vegan mostly for health reasons. My project will use my platform to provide plant-based content that will show the symbiotic relationship between vegan and plant-based eating, animal rights, and a healthy planet. My intention is to produce original educational content for my Instagram and Facebook audience.

Newburgh, NY – Newburgh Food Not Bombs

2021-03-07T00:00:00Z

Since May 2018, Newburgh Food Not Bombs has served free, nutritious, vegan meals every Monday on Broadway. We also distribute groceries, masks, clothes, shoes, coats, books, toys, and any other useful donations we receive to the people of Newburgh. We believe that food is a human right and that mutual aid (solidarity, not charity) is Newburgh's best option when it comes to solving food insecurity and food deserts in our area and our community. We accept food donations from local businesses and farms for distribution to keep perfectly good food out of the waste stream. Part of our mission is encouraging health through food and other natural means. A grant from the Awesome Foundation would allow us to fund a collaboration with Honey Locust Pharm House, a local organic farm and herbal medicine producer. We would like to invest in sprouting vegetable and herb seeds with the help of the Pharm, grow them in the greenhouse there, and give them away alongside our food for free. Alongside each plant, we will distribute a short flyer with care instructions and medicinal uses (the owner of the farm is a lifelong herbalist and has offered to help us with research), to make growing one's own food and medicine more accessible to those who may need it most. We would also like to use some money to build free-to-use container gardens around Newburgh in various unused spaces and fill them with fruits and vegetables accessible to the public.

Sarnia (Inactief) – Pandemic 3d Printing

2021-03-04T00:00:00Z

I am working on a project for the Petrolia Legion Br. 216 to help them replace their aging grave markers that commemorate Canadian Forces members serving at home and overseas. Previously they were made out of a cast mold and solid metal but after years of exposure to the elements they have rusted and the maintenance time and cost for the legion has become too much. I have stepped in to and offered the use of the 3d printers and they are supplying the materials to begin replacing the markers already in Hillside Cemetery with 3d printed version that will require almost no maintenance and are much faster to produce. The previous versions cost the Legion around $45 per marker plus the cost of paint and ongoing maintenance. Unfortunately, as they have aged they now require maintenance every 3 months due to rusting but with limited manpower and funds more often than not they only receive maintenance every few years. Currently, there is an est. 300 markers already in the cemetery that need to be replaced and another 200 that need to be produced. That is where my project comes in. We can produce a leaf with a 3d printer every 8 to 9 hours. By transferring the production process from cast metal to a 3d printed item we are slashing the lead time for them to get new markers as well as helping them cut costs at a time where funding for the Legion is extremely hard to come by due to the restriction currently in place from COVID-19. We have ran a cost estimate on this project and to complete the project in the current fashion including replacing existing markers and completing the rollout of the 200 still needed would cost them in the area of $23,000 plus maint. costs moving forward. I can complete the same project for around $1,500 in material, allowing the Legion to save money they are in desperate need of right now and possibly producing smaller versions at cost for them that they could sell to generate an extra revenue stream for them assisting in recovery.

Oakland, CA (Inactief) – Ecology Center's Farm Box

2021-03-03T00:00:00Z

The Farm Box is a service providing a curated assembly of locally grown produce, available for contactless curbside pick up at the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets. It is led and operated by youth staff (Youth Environmental Academy). Each box is filled with produce grown on small, sustainable farms within a 100 mile radius of Berkeley. The Farm Box addresses safety and food accessibility challenges in our communities caused by the pandemic, including safe access for those in higher risk categories for COVID and families who may be experiencing financial hardship. It also alleviates some of the pandemic-related challenges experienced by farmers’ market vendors. The produce in every Farm Box can cover many meals in a variety of ways and comes from some of the best farms in Northern California. Additionally, we accept CalFresh (EBT), making Berkeley Farmers’ Market produce more accessible and affordable than ever. Our current goal is to reach 50 Farm Box customers a week. We’ve also incorporated a fundraising option into our service, allowing members of the public to make donations, which we use to purchase and distribute produce to local organizations working towards mutual goals of healthy food accessibility, nutrition, equity, and youth development. Additionally, we aim to build upon the success of our recently launched virtual cooking sessions for youth, using Farm Box ingredients. Youth of color and youth from lower income households in Berkeley are disproportionately impacted by diet related illnesses like type 2 diabetes and obesity (Berkeley Health Status Report 2018). Nationwide, the crisis is urgent – 50% of Black and Latinx children born since 2000 will get type 2 diabetes, unless we do something about it (Praxis Project 2020). By providing hands-on experiences with cooking, nutrition, and access to local produce Farm Box provides ingredients and resources to support a healthy diet among all youth in our community.

Newcastle – The Ride Along Series

2021-03-03T00:00:00Z

Newy Rides is a small local bike tour business that's main goal is to champion Newcastle as a destination worth visiting and one worth returning to. I do these by interweaving the essential fabric of 'Newy' - the locals and their stories. Our rides highlight the best of the coast and the 'burbs, stopping along the way to admire street art, learn about days-gone-by and have a drink of something local. My awesome project is the Ride Along Series which is being developed to really put locals (and visitors) into the stories and give them a front row seat to the minds of local creatives, chefs, producers, artists, musicians and entrepreneurs e.g. a progressive lunch hosted by a local chef, stopping along the way to eat each course and learn more about the providence of the dishes, their impact on the local economy etc. I plan on running a series of one-off events with all different creatives/producers to help lift the profile of Newcastle as a tourism destination.

South Bend, IN – Y art?

2021-03-02T00:00:00Z

Y art? Is a community based festival centered around up and coming musicians and visual artists. It gives an opportunity to show case every level of artistry from children’s drawings to professional full time entrepreneurs. The festival takes place in residential areas around south bend to give a grass roots and intimate setting, with the idea of getting to know our neighbors in someone’s backyard. Upon the agreement of the host, local artists are invited to experiment with how art goes beyond a canvas by utilizing the space in immersive artistic ways. Even beyond the artwork there is an opportunity for smaller business within the food industry to sell their product. This is an opportunity of growth for the overall community. I think now more than ever we need to have a safe space to be together with the universal language of music and art.

Sydney – Elevating Refugee Entrepreneurs in Australia

2021-03-02T00:00:00Z

Welcome Merchant is our project! https://welcomemerchant.com/ Welcome Merchant is a social enterprise that elevates refugee-powered businesses and social enterprises in Australia. It was launched in March 2020 on Instagram by Marjorie Tenchavez, a proud woman of colour. Now, Welcome Merchant has an online directory, a Facebook Page and a LinkedIn page. The main purpose is to support the refugee entrepreneurs in successfully promoting their businesses on social media while giving them an opportunity to tell their inspiring stories, for free. These businesses are also listed on Welcome Merchant’s online directory, at no cost to the refugee entrepreneurs. In order to generate more income for the refugee entrepreneurs and run skill-building workshops for them, Welcome Merchant has partnered with a number of refugee chefs and will soon be launching its Curated Dining Experiences. Welcome Merchant will be hosting Quarterly Social Impact Dining Clubs, delivering cooking classes and promoting chef-hosted functions.

South Bend, IN – The Sunset

2021-03-02T00:00:00Z

The Sunset is an event that is focused is on engaging young professionals of South Bend. This event brings together some of South Bend’s best and brightest young adults and highlights the city’s development and uniqueness. With support from the Awesome Grant this event can take place again this summer and continue to inspire the City’s young professionals. My inspiration for the Sunset comes from visiting other cities that have a growing young professional population such as Dallas, Chicago, and D.C and experiencing the exciting spaces and social scene that are attracting these young professionals. The exclusivity of being in a unique space, listening to great music, having a cocktail, and meeting a peer that works in an industry you are currently pursuing is a great experience. In 2016 I organized the first Sunset event at the Foundry Rooftop in Eddy Street Commons. This year the Sunset will take place Memorial Day weekend at The Podium in Embassy Suites. The goal is to have 100 people on the rooftop, less than capacity, and covid-19 safety precautions required. Like the previous Sunset event, there will be hors d'oeuvres available as well as access to a full cash bar. A music playlist will be put together to create an upbeat atmosphere, while still encouraging socializing and networking. This event will target a diverse group of young professionals. Photographs and video will be captured to showcase the event on social media and to be used to market future events. I believe events like the Sunset are critical for community development in South Bend. There is a lack of social events with a target audience of young adults in this area. In order for a community to grow, it is essential to have young families work, live, and play within that community. With larger cities like Chicago and Indianapolis nearby, South Bend must stay competitive in attracting and retaining these young professionals.

South Bend, IN – Square One- a celebration of YOU

2021-03-02T00:00:00Z

Hello! Our names are Liz Johnson and Whitney D’haenens and we are the owners of Confetti Betti, a small business specializing in curated party kits and gift boxes. We believe in the power of people….of community….of relationships….and we want to help cultivate a world in which we connect and CELEBRATE more! Our local South Bend and Michiana community is so important to us and as such, giving back right here at home is a vital part of our business. We have been thinking a lot about the science of celebration and who in our community might need some celebrating most. This led us to the Juvenile Justice Center. We are in the process of partnering with the JJC’s new transformation committee to help bring programming to kids in detention. Our awesome passion project will be the creation of a journal we are calling, “Square One- a celebration of YOU.” This journal will use research based evidence to serve as a reflective gratitude journal. The journals will be a play on the periodic table, with the elements all relating back to expressing gratitude, promoting self esteem, building inspiration, and more! The journal will be gifted to youth as they are admitted to the JJC. We will then be volunteering monthly to provide programming through the journals and the power of the party!

Westminster, MD – Remembrance Garden

2021-03-01T00:00:00Z

Our project is to construct a remembrance and meditation garden that can be used by our teachers, counselors, and staff to meet the mental health needs of our students. Often, our counselors use walking, as well as the outdoors, to deescalate students and to address their varying mental health needs. This garden would be a valuable resource as a place for our students to reflect on the issues that are making their day difficult, as well as home for the many support groups run by our counselors. Moreover, teachers can take small classes to our garden to conduct a variety of activities in a welcoming environment. In addition, we will will be using the construction of the garden as a service and vocational project for our students. We are collaborating with our county STEM Coordinator (Bryan Shumaker) to help us with native plants, as well as the Carroll County Career and Tech Center to construct a stone seating area. Students will take pride in planting the flowers, mulching, spreading stone, and completing a wonderful space to use during their time at Gateway. The garden will honor a Gateway student who was lost to violence, just weeks before her graduation in 2020, as well as other Gateway students that we have lost. Moreover, we are attempting to engage a variety of community partners to help us fund and execute the project.

State College, PA – Feeding Happy Valley

2021-03-01T00:00:00Z

I was inspired after seeing this Facebook post (https://bit.ly/2MV69jH) that featured a restaurant in Louisiana that allowed community members to prepay for meals for people and families who are hungry but can't afford to eat. I imagine there's a similar need in State College, especially during this economic downtown. In short, we can ask local townspeople (and Penn Staters who no longer live in the area) to contribute money that'll pay for meals for community members and families who are in need and can't afford to pay for meals. This program has two clear benefits: one for our community members who are in need but can't financially afford to regularly pay for meals, and one for our local restaurants that are being significantly hit with the loss of a home football season (at least with fans being able to attend and tailgate while visiting town) and the loss of tourism and visitors for more than a year now. Even for Penn Staters who want to give back but don't live in State College, they can go online and buy meals for community members while also supporting locally owned establishments. I could also easily envision local partners who would be interested in helping us promote this program and also possibly help us with fundraising. Really, this is a win-win for everyone involved. People in need will be fed and nourished, local restaurants will receive an economic benefit, and along the way, we'll also have an opportunity to work with local shelters and food banks, as possible partners. I have an extensive communications and marketing background, and I'd welcome the opportunity to develop ways that we can create a tremendous amount of interest and attention, so that folks who want to give back can see a clear connection to how their gift (as little as $10) will have an impact in their own community.

North Minneapolis, MN – Northside Youth Crew

2021-03-01T00:00:00Z

The Youth & Family Committee of the Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization is creating ways to engage the youth and family in our community. One way, is through monthly game nights, a Youth Snow Crew, a Youth Advisory Board and meetings. We held our 1st game night on January 23rd, 2021. We played Bingo and had 32 neighbors, along with their families join us on Zoom. We had prizes for winners that were donated from local businesses. It was a very fun event and received a lot of positive feedback. The Youth & Family Committee is also working to assemble a Youth Advisory Board of 8 youth to help guide our work as a committee and board. Third, we have identified a group of Henry students to join our Youth Snow Crew. This project targets neighbors who need help with snow removal because they physically cannot do it themselves. This group of students will be able to offer community service year-round so can also help with yard work and maintaining community gardens. To be able to sustain these efforts as the community has requested, our committee will need funds to continue securing prizes, doing out reach, providing youth incentives, and marketing the events. In an effort to support the local businesses, these funds would be used to purchase gift cards and services from local, North Side businesses. These funds will be able to stretch our efforts if businesses are willing to match donation amount. Our committee is dedicated to bringing community together.

San Antonio, TX – Children's Book: Raigón Puertorriqueño

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

Mila and Andres are typical gen Z kids, they love their tablets and can’t imagine a second of playing that is not done through a screen. One day, as they arrive at their grandparents house they realize there is no internet and they have to face the reality of playing outside. Mila, being a smart and curious 10 year old finds her grandfather outside and out of curiosity asks how he learned English. This sparks the conversation of their roots and the Puerto Rican ‘diaspora’. Her grandfather shares his story on how he moved at a young age in search for more opportunities. Along the way the kids find themselves running behind their grandfather learning about cultural differences, how he met their grandmother and most importantly how like every Puerto Rican, the love their grandfather had for his Island called him back to see the land that saw him grow up. The Diaspora with Mila and Andres, is a heartwarming Spanish rhyme children's book targeted to the 4.6 million Puerto Ricans in the US and 3 million in the main Island having to constantly explain to their children why their aunt, uncle, friend or themselves had to move. There has never been a book for parents to read to their children to help explain this story that repeats itself ( due to an economic crisis or a hurricane). But most importantly, this book explains through witty rhymes how someday they might return and how their culture and their Island will always be with them no matter where they go. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and have seen how this story repeats itself always. This story is inspired in my grandparents' life and my siblings and I growing up and visiting their house in the west of P.R. I want this book to help parents explain this situation to their kids and serve as a conversation starter.

Alaska (Inactief) – The Nest Pantry at Effie Kokrine Charter School

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

NEST Pantry at Effie Kokrine Charter School, Fairbanks, Alaska The NEST will be run by Mrs. Jackson's 7th Grade Class. Every Friday students will create boxes, do pantry inventory, and help raise money to stock the pantry. Mission: The NEST will provide food, hygiene or school supplies boxes to students who are chronically hungry, who do not have food consistently available at home, who need hygiene products or who need school supplies. Teachers will refer students who are in need. The contents of a NEST box will depend on the student’s needs, but may include: non-perishable items, fresh produce, dairy products, frozen meat, shampoo, soap, notebooks, pencils, etc. Students being referred are those who: Exhibit extreme hunger Quickly eats all of his/her food and asks for more Regularly asks teachers for food Comments about not having enough food Asks his/her classmates for food Needs hygiene products Needs school supplies Our student population is over 70% Alaskan Native, so we will aim to have Indigenous Foods, like moose, dried fish, and Pilot Bread, whenever we can. School website: https://www.k12northstar.org/effiekokrine School Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW4nBZvfFeM Teacher Referral Form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QcZno03kvzGjBrTp7aUKhBdvDNRmTA4d92SwMOoyiq0/edit#

Homelessness (Inactief) – Women Warriors Program

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

Female Veterans are an underserved community that is growing every day. These women have selflessly volunteered their lives for ours, so that we can enjoy our freedoms. But in doing so, many have come back to us troubled. Many have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and suffer from feelings of institutional betrayal. Facing some, if not all, of these challenges, some female Veterans cope by isolating themselves and/or by using alcohol and/or drugs to deal with the trauma and/or pain. Women Warriors Program will provide a safe, supportive environment for our female Veterans who are experiencing homelessness to due suffering from mental illnesses such as PTSD, MST, and unemployment. Women Warriors Program hypothesis is that if we provide effective individual and group therapy, progressive nutritional and holistic therapies, proactive social and occupational training, and effective case management, our female Veterans receiving this support will be able to live independently in the community. Women Warriors Program goal is to address, educate, coordinate, and provide aid and relief to eradicate homelessness and provide support services to female Veterans in need at a local level. Women Warriors has been supplying our female Veterans with emergency assistance, food, clothing, and basic hygiene essentials since 2016. Our new facility will enable us to better meet the needs of our women veterans by providing the right resources needed at the right time. Objective 1: Determine the underlying issue of our female Veteran and assign her to a case manager/therapist who will work with her on developing the skills she needs to live independently. Objective 2: Provide a safe, supportive environment for group/individual therapy. Objective 3: Assist with employment services that include resume building, job interviewing skills, clothing and a haircut. Objective 4: Provide financial budgeting if needed.

Liverpool (Inactief) – Beyond Boogie

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

Boyond Boogie is a online festival, that will be tackling the on going issue of illegal raves. It will be streamed over all social media platforms for free, the event will also be aired on KCC Live on the 1st May 2021. This event will be raising awareness for BLM, Domestic Violence, Knife crime and suicide prevention. These are on going issues in our society as a young boy was recently stabbed in my local community due to the colour of his skin and we want to try and raise awareness to young people that this isn’t acceptable on any forms, we also have seen a massive increase in suicides in young people during the global pandemic, that has a huge impact on me and my colleagues. Beyond Boogie is being put on to bring excitement, happiness and spread positivity through the sounds of music. There will be a variety of music such as Indie, house, dIsco, dance, R&B and punk rock, which will tackle all peoples genres of music.

Disability – Cuéntame

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

In 2016, I and two other members, Conor Roach and Martín Lazarte, founded Cuéntame Zine, a storytelling platform and grassroots organization that explores the impacts of ableism. For the past several years, Cuéntame has collaborated with four disabled Peruvian women and one mother of disabled youth to create a documentary film that uplifts their stories of activism. The film, which we filmed from 2017 through 2019 in Lima, Peru, centers the stories of five activists: Bárbara Ventura, Carla Mertz, Elizabeth Sanchez Campos, Orfelia Zanabria, and Luz Vilchez. The film follows these five women in their day-to-day lives as they organize and work to dismantle systems of oppression. The film, titled Cuéntame, celebrates their lives and their community work while examining why these women's work is necessary. The film has been a deeply collaborative process. Each of the film's protagonists dictated how, where, and for how long they wanted us to film them. As part of the interview process, we also invited every woman to make edits to our questions and make suggestions for the other protagonists' questions. The choice to collaborate was intentional and of the utmost importance to ensure that the way we documented these stories truly represented each protagonists' experiences. We also plan to craft an educational tool out of the film. Our goal is to share the documentary and a curriculum on ableism with schools and universities in the United States and worldwide. The curriculum will provoke students to have discussions on ableism and systems of oppression, the importance of activism and how students can incorporate activism into their own lives, and the exploration of how lasting change can happen at the microlevel. This film is currently near completion, but it lacks audio descriptions, which are necessary for the accessibility of the film. **What our grantee is saying:** "We are beyond honored to receive the Awesome Foundation Disability Chapter’s grant for February 2021! This grant will ensure that the stories of Bárbara Ventura, Carla Mertz, Elizabeth Sánchez Campos, Luz Maria Vilchez Ricse, and Orfelia Zanabria Cáceres are presented in an accessible format. Thank you so much for helping this documentary reach as many people as possible!"

Fleurieu – The Purple Bin Project

2021-02-28T00:00:00Z

We are seeking to provide disadvantaged South Australians with daily essentials through The Purple Bin Project. We want to end hygiene poverty. The purple bins accept a range of products for Adults and children. These include new underwear, new socks and new personal hygiene products, known as toiletries. These donations will be collected from the bins and bagged up and distributed to local shelters and charity organisations like Baptistcare SA. We are keen to grow the project together with the community and support many people doing life tough. We are wanting to bring people together and make up fabric toiletries bags. Community groups are keen to come and join the project and do roles such as emptying the bins, sorting out bin donations, bagging up all donations in fabric toiletries bags, sewing/making the fabric toiletries bags and distributing the fabric bags to local shelters and charity organisations. We really want to engage community groups to support this project. Collaboration is key to any community project!

Kitchener-Waterloo – Belong Together

2021-02-25T00:00:00Z

We are laser cutting small tessellated tiles and distributing them to people across the Waterloo Region. Tiles are then uniquely designed and shared on social media. Artists and Creators will share videos of their process to inspire (and provide some art instruction) to anyone visiting the site and / or holding a tile. We are planning on pulling tiles together when we're able to do so. "Your tile, just like you, matters… and every one of us fits. We belong together."

Gloucester, MA – Cape ann restaurant workers fund

2021-02-25T00:00:00Z

During this past holiday season I started an initiative to adopt a family of a worker from Cape Ann that works in the hospitality industry We had 22 families that were sponsored and adopted . Generous people bought these families gifts so that they would have a brighter holiday We also had cash donations which we have used to buy gift cards to supermarkets to assist them during this challenging time . We would like to continue to be able to buy gift cards to help those in need out .

Yerevan – No internet

2021-02-25T00:00:00Z

Նախագիծը Google Rex «No internet» մետաղական կոնստրուկցիայով դինոզավրն է։ Նպատակը՝ քաղաքային միջավայրում ստեղծել ծավալատարածական արձան, որն ունի ստեղծագործական բնույթ, ինչպես նաև՝ ինտերնետից չօգտվելու ուղերձ։ Ընդհանուր առմամբ, այն բաղկացած կլինի մետաղական կոնստրուկցիայից և մետաղական ծածկույթից։ Պահպանելով իր մետաղական գույնը՝ այն գիշերը լուսավորվելու է RGB, ինչը գիշերն այն էլ ավելի արտահայտիչ կդարձնի։ Rex- ի հատակը կլինի բետոնե, օվալաձև տեսքով, ինչը նաև կծառայի որպես հիմք։ Rex-ը նախատեսված է տեղադրել Գյումրիում՝ որպես Հայաստանի 2-րդ ամենամեծ քաղաք։ 1 տարին լրանալուն պես՝ արձանը կտեղափոխվի մեկ այլ քաղաք։ Նպատակն այլ քաղաքներում ևս ժամանակակից արվեստ տարածելն է, ինչպես նաև մարդկանց ստեղծագործությունը դիտելու և դրա հետ լուսանկարվելու հնարավորություն տալը: Բետոնային հատվածի վրա կլինեն հովանավոր կազմակերպության, ստեղծագործության և հեղինակի անվանումները։

Gloucester, MA – Kops n Kids

2021-02-25T00:00:00Z

We have partnered with the Doug Flutie Foundation to purchase a “community resource dog” that will be assigned to our school resource officer. The Doug Flutie Foundation purchased the fully trained English Golden Retriever. The cost of our dog whose name is “ACE” was expensive but the rewards are paying off. Our Community Resource Dog will help children of all ages whom are diagnosed with ADD, ADHD and Autism. When Ace goes to visit who has experienced trauma, Ace leaves the child with an Ace stuffed animal as well as an Ace interactive book as a continued sense of comfort. We will also utilize ACE to visit senior living as well as nursing homes to visit those with Alzheimer’s. Local vet hospitals have donated yearly visits and vaccinations free of charge. We also received donated dog food for life as well as many other items. Our goal is to fully fund our community resource dog program with donations. Currently local businesses in Gloucester have “adopted” Ace for a month to support our Community Impact Unit, during this time we design Ace a patch of the business logo that he wears on his vest. If you would like to support our program, please contact the Community Impact Unit at 978-325-5471.

Boston, MA – Winter City Kits

2021-02-24T00:00:00Z

With cold weather and COVID restrictions, it's harder than ever to stay connected with friends and family. Winter City Kits are loaned portable placemaking kits that contain everything residents need to gather safely outdoors during the winter. During the pandemic, families have been separated, friends have been distanced from each other, and neighborhood social fabric has been disrupted. The Winter City Kits program addresses these challenges and allows people to come back together safely during the colder months. In the future, the kits will be adapted seasonally for spring, summer, and fall use. We will partner with community organizations to provide the kits for free to families in low-income communities who are often the hardest-hit by the pandemic. Winter City Kits include chairs, an outdoor heater, waterproof picnic blanket, lanterns, and PPE. Kits can be checked out, like a library book, for the weekend and can be used to reunite families, catch up with friends or enjoy the outdoors in a COVID-safe manner. Once the kits are checked out, the patron can arrange the items in a variety of ways to create a warm and socially-distant outdoor living room. To test the concept, we used operating funds to purchase the supplies for one kit as an initial pilot for the program. The pilot kit was booked, within the matter of hours, for the first three weekends we made it available. We now want to take this experimental pilot and grow it into a full program that works with our community partners, especially those serving low income neighborhoods. The proposed program would provide kits, software, and technical support to our Winter City Kit host partners in the Greater Boston area.

New York City, NY – East New York Community Land Trust

2021-02-24T00:00:00Z

_The East New York Community Land Trust (ENY CLT) is a grassroots, people of color-led non-profit organization founded by community residents dedicated to preserving affordability for future generations and providing a vehicle to create generational wealth. We aim to protect, stabilize, and expand the stock of affordable homes, locally-owned small businesses, and green spaces in East New York and Brownsville to benefit low to moderate-income BIPOC residents. We use community organizing, education, and multi-generational engagement as the guiding forces of how we approach our work. The ENY CLT will acquire land and lease it for developments/projects that will benefit all residents, such as affordable housing, gardens, community centers, etc. If housing exists on the land, there will be a ground lease agreement between the ENY CLT and the property owner to ensure that it remains permanently and deeply affordable. We will ensure that the community maintains control through our democratically elected governing board made up of local residents._ _In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, East New York and Brownsville residents mobilized quickly to form a steering committee to bring their vision of a community land trust to fruition. We knew that the time was right to create a community land trust because of the lessons we learned from the last two economic crises. If real estate values drop precipitously as they did during the last recession, community organizations like CLTs with limited buying power have an opportunity to substantially grow their inventory of land and houses. If we do not act now, private investors will leverage capital to buy properties that pass through public hands as they did after the Savings & Loan Crisis of the 1980s and the Great Recession of the late 2000s._ _ENY CLT is acquiring our first small vacant lot from HPD, which is currently used as a place where people throw their garbage. We plan to transform the lot into a public green space with a monument that honors the struggle for land justice and reparations and use it as a meeting place for our CLT. The grant funds would help pay for soil, plants, benches to beautify the lot, and other materials needed to build the monument._ [Follow their instagram](https://www.instagram.com/eastnewyorkclt/) for updates on their progress and ways that you might get involved. If you would like to learn more about community land trusts, the East New York CLT is hosting a series of CLT 101 workshops every third Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm. Each workshop will focus on a different theme and include guest presenters from other CLTs. You can register for their next workshop at http://bit.ly/CLTmovement

Melbourne (Inactief) – Wheelie Awesome Waminda

2021-02-23T00:00:00Z

So when your family is a bit short on funds - or a lot short! - and you have a bike but it's broken, how do you get around the neighbourhood with your mates? You don't. If you can't afford to take your bike to get fixed, but you can''t afford the bike mechanic and no-one can show you how to fix it, how do you sort the problem? You don't. Wheelie Awesome Waminda is a project to support young people by teaching them how to maintain and repair bikes, skateboards and scooters, keep them active and outdoors, and enable them to get around to visit their mates without pinching a tight household budget. Waminda has partnered up with Wheelie Awesome, a local bike repair workshop which teaches local kids with disability to fix their wheels. Bike master Glen will come along to Waminda with some of his crew to engage in a peer based bike repair mentoring program. Glen and the volunteers at Waminda will oversee the project as we get kids teaching kids to fix their wheels, then teach their mates to do the same.

Awesome Without Borders (Inactief) – Tidal: Healing from Psychological and Hidden Abuse

2021-02-22T00:00:00Z

TIDAL: of, relating to, caused by tides A short documentary about healing from psychological abuse The title of this short documentary references the tactics used by my ex to manipulate me. Their mood would ebb and flow like the ocean tide - sometimes loving, sometimes mean but never consistent. Like the current, they pulled me out to where I could not stand and had to tread until I could safely return to shore, only to be met by another swell that would pull me even further out than before. It is a form of mental anguish that is difficult to understand unless you’ve lived it. This documentary is an attempt at explaining that cycle so that you, the viewer, don’t have to. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I am creating this short documentary about my experience dating someone on the narcissist / sociopath / anti-social personality disorder spectrum. I use spectrum because where we’re at in psychology it is still impossible to definitively diagnose these beings. However, for anyone that has gone through their tactics it is as if we share the same diary - the sam experiences in different shades. This documentary, through the use of interviews of myself as well as of other survivors, will make psychological abuse visible in order to inform and protect future targets. The goal of this documentary is to be concise and effective at identifying the narcissist / sociopath / psychopath character profile through the sharing of personal testimonies. It will be artful in its presentation, using footage of myself dancing, as a form of embodied cathartic release that the viewer can witness. I want the viewer to see my anger, my pain, and my process in healing from loving such a person. May this be a humble offering of light to survivors and a healing experience to everyone involved in the making of this film. - Katrina Lillian Sorrentino

Santa Fe, NM (Inactief) – Student Literacy Contest, "The Book Cover Contest"

2021-02-22T00:00:00Z

Reading Quest is a local non profit organization that provides joyful, quality reading tutoring for striving readers. We empower children to believe in themselves and we support them to become strong, enthusiastic readers. We also provide reading training for teachers and volunteer tutors and we employ a team of 13 Reading Specialists provide free tutoring for over 200 students every week. Reading Quest students make remarkable growth in reading, perseverance and self-esteem. We also work to create engaging literacy experiences for all students in Santa Fe, including book giveaways and literacy contests. We are requesting funding to offer a "Book Cover Literacy Contest" for all students in grades 1-12. This contest asks students to read a book of their choice and create their own original book cover. In addition, they must explain why they chose that particular book and how it connects to their book cover image. In the fall, we held a Song, Rap and Poem literacy contest which was very successful and we have since received many requests to hold another contest. Our contests are very popular with schools in Santa Fe since students from all schools are invited to participate, including the New Mexico School for the Deaf, the Santa Fe Indian School and Pueblo schools. Especially right now, teachers are hungry for creative projects they can assign that motivate students to read and reflect on what they read. Students love this kind of imaginative, fun contest which gives them the opportunity to integrate literacy and art. Our Song, Rap and Poem contest was sponsored by the PNM Foundation and we do not have any funding for this new contest. All of the winning entries will be printed on bookmarks that will be distributed in schools and local libraries, and the winning book cover will grace the side of a city bus! The winners also receive a book of their choice and a cash prize, in addition to a lot of publicity and a Reading Quest Certificate of Achievement and medal!

Washington, DC – DC Queer Scifi Zine!

2021-02-22T00:00:00Z

We would like to make a rad zine of queer scifi from DC-area writers, and then do a free community reading of the work either online or at Rhizome DC, a community art space in the Takoma. Neon Hemlock Press is a small press based in Washington, DC. We are an emerging purveyor of speculative fiction, queer chapbooks, & literary candles. We've made a bunch of other zines in this exact format, and know how to do this sort of project with our eyes closed. This would be an opportunity to partner with OutWrite DC, Rhizome DC, and four rad DC-based writers! For contributors, we would probably ask Craig Gidney, Malka Older, Marlena Chertock and Rasha Abdulhadi.