First off, our hours change. We are open M-F from 12-6 instead of being open on the weekends. We offer free lunch at noon and snack at 4 instead of focusing on evening meals. We will not have separate sessions; instead it will be $5 for a day's worth of access to the skating/biking areas. We have fewer kids in the park due to all the other summertime options they have available. This summer, however, that might change. For the first time we will have a high quality outdoor recreation option. The parking lot was paved this past fall. In the next couple of weeks we will complete the fencing, set up a volleyball pit and a basketball court and add to the outdoor skating elements. I think we will be busier here than we ever have been during the summer.
Another piece of our outdoor facilities is our garden. One of our AmeriCorps workers last year was named Chris. Chris took a master gardening class and threw himself into setting up a high quality garden for us. Last summer we grew the majority of vegetables that we served at the cafe. The garden had 10 foot tall sunflowers and berries and loads of vegetables. This year Chris is gone, but the garden...and his all important garden manual remain. Volunteers have offered to tend the garden and teach our kids about growing produce. After 9 months of winter, there are few more welcome sights than young people turning soil, setting up watering stations and plotting garden layouts. If you have a green thumb, or just enjoy helping kids learn new things, feel free to come by and help.
This summer we actually have tons of opportunities for volunteers. I would encourage you to take a look through this list and see what you would enjoy participating in:
- Gardening. Did I mention we have a garden? If you missed it, see above.
- Food. We are offering free meals for kids here at Joel's Place in addition to kids at the Birch Park housing complex. Keturah, our new cafe manager, has 50 kids to cook (and clean up after) each day. If you are interested in cooking, cleaning, transporting food between sites or helping serve meals, let us know.
- More Food. We are also putting on another season of Bone Builders Backpacks. Kids can come to one of 4 distribution sites around the Interior for a weekly pick up of healthy snacks and meals to supplement their summer nutrition. We can use people who are interested in sorting food at the Food Bank or donating items such as granola bars, fruit cups, easy mac and cheese, tuna cups or individual peanut butter servings.
- Concessions. Love to grill? We run the concession stands for local auctions during the summer. The first one arrives on June 1. They tend to be 8 hour affairs with burgers and brats flying. If anyone is interested in helping out, I would be verrrrrrrrrrrry grateful.
- We will have volunteer opportunities for skate camps, day camps and a special A.skate clinic on July 13th. I cannot overstate how much the lives of children can be affected through these opportunities.
There is a lot going on with Joel's Place this summer...now that summer is finally here. I know that these next few months will fly by and everyone in the Interior makes a concerted effort to squeeze as much action, adventure and fun out of summer as they can. I would humbly request that you take a day or a weekend out of your hiking/camping/fishing/traveling/biking/lessons/summer schedule in order to remember our youth and remember Joel's Place and maybe donate some of your precious time to see young people's lives transformed.
If you have any interest in these opportunities, feel free to get in touch with Kelli or myself at 907/452-2621.
Enjoy the sun.
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