Kipps Lane & Community

River Park Towers Tenant Association

2011-11-29T18:11:00.001-05:00

There is a new renters's association being formed by a resident of River Park Towers. If you live in one of the many apartments located on the property (like the 754 building as pictured on the left) you should consider contacting the group.

Blog: River Park Towers Tenant Association

Facebook: River Park Towers Tenant Association

Next Meeting December 7th

2011-11-29T18:06:00.001-05:00

The next meeting is on December 7th at 6:00pm at the Northbrae Community Hub. Everyone is Welcome!

November Calendar for Hub Programming

2011-11-02T14:49:00.002-04:00

The November calendar for community programming at the Northbrae Hub has been released. The link is on the right side of the blog. All sorts of great children and youth activities provided by the likes of Childreach and LUSO.

Pumpkin Retirement Photos

2011-11-02T14:38:00.000-04:00

The Pumpkin Retirement Party went well last night and we had a good turn out despite some organizational glitches on our part. Here are some photos from the event, and remember if you'd like an opportunity to have your voice heard and plan events, meetings, groups and other activities, come out to the KL&C Meeting the first Wednesday of every month. We meet at the Northbrae Hub at 6pm.

Community Appreciation and BBQ

2011-10-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

On Sunday October 23rd The Sanctuary is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary. The free barbecue will be held in the afternoon starting at 3pm and running until 5pm.

If you are interested in the religious services offered by the Sanctuary, information can be found over at their website.

Photos from The Kipps Lane Community Fair

2011-10-11T18:36:00.000-04:00

At the end of August, KL&C along with our community partners hosted the Kipps Lane Community Fair. This event included the NE Market, live music, a corn roast, the Kipps Lane Cup, a chalk drawing, and various children's activities. Thanks to all of supporters, including the Sparks! Neighbourhood Matching Fund, and all the residents who came out. The event was a big success, enjoy the photos.

Pumpkin Retirement Party

2011-10-07T12:51:00.000-04:00

The day after Halloween, Kipps Lane and Community and North East London Community Engagement hold the annual Pumpkin retirement party. Last year, we retired our pumpkins at the Kipps Lane Plaza by lining them up and lighting them up for one last time. We enjoyed muffins and warm apple cider prepared by NELCE and enjoyed the company of our friends and neighbours before recycling our jack-o-lanterns.

This year we will be joined by another community partner, The Friends of Ed Blake Park, and we will hold the pumpkin retirement party at the newly renovated Ed Blake Park on 449 Barker St. Stop by anytime between 5pm-8pm with your jack-o-lantern for recycling. Come enjoy apple cider and muffins and help us light up the night one last time.

1,000 Acts of Kindness

2011-10-06T02:14:00.002-04:00

The 1,000 Acts of Kindness Challenge is a social movement that encourages people to end hate by spreading kindness – one generous act at a time!

The 1,000 Acts of Kindness Challenge is an initiative of the Anti-Hate & Anti-Bias Program at LUSO Community Services. The Challenge was started in response to a series of hate-motivated incidents that targeted community members in London, Ontario during the fall of 2009. More specifically, people living in London and surrounding communities were issued a challenge: to work together to end hate by completing at least 1,000 acts of kindness in one month, from October 1 to October 31. In just 31 days, thousands of people completed 52,115 acts of kindness and changed thousands of lives in the process! Since that time, the 1,000 Acts of Kindness Challenge has grown to include people living in communities throughout Canada and the United States…after all, kindness knows no boundaries!

The 1,000 Acts of Kindness Challenge reminds us that we all have the power to create positive change by choosing kindness at every opportunity – anytime, anywhere. So what are YOU waiting for? Join the Kindness Revolution! Choose Kindness! More information.

Stir it Up With Kids in th Kitchen

2011-10-05T11:33:00.002-04:00

A fun, educational, and free program for children 3-6 years old and their parents/caregivers.

Learn about healthy eating, the four groups, cooking, and trying new food!

Presented by: Families First Merrymount

Where: London Intercommunity Health Centre (LIHC) 1355 Huron St. beside Shoppers Drug Mart

When: Fridays October 14, 21, 28 and November 4 from 1 to 3 pm

From Community Gardening to Urban Agriculture

2011-10-05T11:20:00.002-04:00

From Community Gardening to Urban Agriculture in London, initiated by Community Gardens London is taking place on October 16, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cost: $20.00 ($10.00 students)

This gathering is to help people meet each other, share information, and begin to develop some ways to work together and stay in touch. Participants will be the experts in regards to both community gardening and local urban agriculture projects.

The recent Community Gardens Programme Review* stated the need for "community stakeholders" to contribute to London's community gardening development. In the morning, Ross Fair, executive director of London's Community Services department, will be giving us a brief update on this. Then, in groups, we will work on ways to start the forward process.

The afternoon session is where we'll focus on urban agriculture and what London has and might aspire to. Participants and information table contributors - e.g. Veggie City Project, London City Farm, TREA and Seeds of Diversity Canada - will be talking about their projects and then we'll be into groups to figure ways to move urban agriculture forward.

More information and registration

Car Free Festival / Doors Open / OH! Festival

2011-09-13T16:57:00.000-04:00

This weekend (Sept 17th and 18th) there is another car free event! This time in collaboration with Doors Open and OH! Festival.

Sept. 20th - Shop for Jobs Job Fair

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

Shop for Jobs Job Fair

Day: Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

Time: 10:00 am until 2:00 pm

Location: Northland Mall

Free parking and childminding will be provided by Childreach.

This event will be mostly employers looking for employees. There is over 20 employers registered to be there to meet potential workers. The organizers have limited the number of temp agencies coming and are only allowing one agency to be present. If you are in need of employment this is a great opportunity to meet with the people that do the actual hiring. Don't forget to bring your resume.

Want to Learn More about Mental Health? For Those with Friends or Family with a Mental Illness

2011-09-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

FALL 2011

FREE 7 WEEK FAMILY EDUCATION COURSE

Do you have a family member or a friend with a mental illness and want to learn more about mental health? This course may be for you!

WHEN: Begins Thursday, September 15 to October 27, 2011 9:30 pm

WHERE: Regional Mental Health Care London - Boardroom 850 Highbury Ave.

Experienced family members, individuals with lived mental health experience and professionals will speak on topics which include: Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Anxiety, Depression, Coping with Mental Illness, Communicating with your Loved Ones, Legal & Police Issues, Community Services, Medication and Adherence and more.

Program Goals:

To reduce family stress by developing coping strategies and familiarity with
To support family involvement in treatment through knowledge of mental mental health system
To improve communication among families, health care professionals and related community service providers

To register contact: Laurel Lamarre (519) 455-5110 Ext. 47440

Take Back the Night

2011-09-02T12:01:00.000-04:00

Take Back the Night
Organised by WEC - Women's Events Committee of London

Take Back the Night is an internationally held march and rally intended as a protest and direct action against rape and other forms of violence against women. The event is designed to bring attention to the violence and safety concerns that women face when they are alone on the streets at night.

Thursday, September 15 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm
in Victoria Park

Guest Speaker:
London's Poet Laureate Penn Kemp

6:00 pm - Gathering with live music
6.45 pm - Rally & Speakers
7.30 pm - March
8.30 pm - After Party at Lavish Night Club and Lounge, 238 Dundas Street

More information at the Facebook page.

Photos From the Kipps Lane Fair

2011-08-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love diabolo juggling?

Chalk drawing with local tattoo artist, Will from the Neon Crab.

London Needs a Green Bin Program

2011-08-18T13:55:00.001-04:00

London is the last major Ontario city that fails to responsibly deal with its organic wastes via a Green Bin program which diverts the usable organic materials from our remaining landfill space and turns it into usable products.

The program has been delayed and delayed and is now about to be SHELVED again by City Council. It is not economically nor environmentally responsible for us to continue to dump our wastes and leave the costs to future generations. I believe Londoners want a Green Bin program. They want to dispose of their own household waste in a responsible way.

If a Green Bin program is important to you, you need to contact your Councillor and tell them before Aug 29th when they vote.

Email addresses for your Councillor can be found here: www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/default.htm

Map of London to find out who your Councillor is can be found here: www.london.ca/d.aspx?s=/City_Council/wardmap.htm

We can’t expect Councillors to run the City they way we wish they would unless we tell them what’s important to us! Don’t be shy about sharing this note further with other friends and neighbours.

[Thanks to Dean for passing the above information along]

Here's a video from over a year ago by Lodoner and YouTube user, carkey188 talking about the importance of a Green Bin program.

Kipps Lane Fair - August 20th

2011-08-16T10:20:00.001-04:00

This weekend is the Kipps Lane Community Fair. The activities begin at 9:00 am in front of Ross Secondary School with the Northeast Community Market where vendors will be out selling hand crafted goods, jewelry, art, and other trinkets.

Local youth will be involved in the Kipps Lane Cup which is a soccer tournament running on the fields behind the school. In addition there will be other children's activities and games, chalk drawing with Will from the Neon Crab, musical entertainment and a corn roast.

All activities are free so we hope to see everyone there. KL&C has partnered with Car-Free and are friends that have continually supported the community including LIHC, LUSO, The Life Resource Centre and the YMCA.

From Youth to You - Improve Our Communities

2011-08-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

From Youth To You

Youth Joining Hands to Improve Our Communities

Come and learn about:
* School Orientation
* Homework Clubs
* School Clubs
* Volunteering

Where: YMCA - Youth Room
382 Waterloo St, London, On

When: Thursday, August 11,2011 at 2:00pm -4:00pm
Snacks will be provided

To register or for more information please contact Marcela at mnieto@ymcawo.ca or 519-860-0907

Drop-In Program at Beacock Library

2011-08-08T13:26:00.000-04:00

There has been a youth drop-in program running at the Beacock Library and this is the last week of the program. Sorry, for not getting this posted early in the summer but I just got word of it now. The drop-in is geared toward youth and children and is a free event. Contact Noelle at LUSO Community Services for more information.

Garden Gates Open

2011-07-20T00:38:00.000-04:00

Garden Gates Open is an event that allows Londoners the oppourtuntiy to visit gardens throughout the city. This year's Garden Gates Open will be under the umbrella group of London Strengthening Neighbourhoods Strategies. The whole premise of Garden Gates Open was to bring neighbours and friends and gardeners together to form our own bigger community within the smaller groups.

This is the fourth year for the event and the garden tour will be bigger and better than ever. Last year was the first year to welcome the community gardens group from London City Hall, as well as University of Western Ontario, Fanshawe College, the Grounds and gardens of LHSC and SJHC and many other gardens that were listed as drive by, enjoy and celebrate. The photographers had a fabulous time capturing all of the wonderful creative gardens in the previous years, and will do so again.

This year a number of gardens in the Northeast will be featured. Including the garden located at River Park Towers (Kipps Lane and Adelaide) and a number of the gardens that are participating in Veggie City.

For a full list of gardens that are open for tourism and more information about the event hit the site, Garden Gates Open.

Forest City Go Club

2011-07-18T18:11:00.000-04:00

Go is one of the best games in the world, only rivaled by Chess!

The Forest City Go Club is a group of people in London, Ontario, Canada who love playing the board game Go (also known as iGo, Baduk and WeiQi) and meet every Thursday at The Northbrae YMCA (335 Belfield St
London, ON N5Y 2K3) from 6pm to 9pm to play. Everyone is welcome to come out, no experience or equipment necessary, and it's 100% free! Come learn more about a game that has fascinated players for 4000 years and more!

More information.

Million Tree Challenge

2011-07-15T11:52:00.001-04:00

London's Million Tree Challenge calls on Londoners to plant one million trees over the next ten years. To kick this campaign off, we begin with a three-year goal of planting one tree for every Londoner. 2011 is the International Year of the Forest - a fitting year to begin a project that will benefit our city for generations.

London's legacy to the future can be found in our identity - The Forest City. London can be, and should be, among the best-treed communities in Canada, but we need to step up our efforts and everyone needs to contribute to create the greenest and healthiest London ever.

There are plenty of ways to get involved; plant a tree in your yard, challenge others to plant trees, donate money to pay for trees and recommend areas that trees should be planted. This is a great initiative!

London’s legacy to the future can be found in our identity – The Forest City. London can be, and should be, among the best-treed communities in Canada, but we need to step up our efforts and everyone needs to contribute to create the greenest and healthiest London ever.

Imagine residents of the Forest City joining together to plant trees in every corner of the city, planting a legacy of green for the future. Business and industry plant thousands of trees on available land, creating more attractive properties; commercial districts add trees to lawns and parking areas, attracting shoppers and customers; property owners in residential areas plant trees in front, back, and side lawns, improving land values and making our communities more walkable and livable; rural landowner expand woodlots and create new windbreaks; the City of London increases tree planting on boulevards and parks, inviting community and recreational use of our neighbourhoods and parks; and groups like ReForest London, the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA), Scoutrees, and many others redouble their planting efforts and support and leverage city-wide efforts.

As the Challenge progresses, there will be new trees in every corner of the city, from White Hills to White Oaks, from Westmount to the East Village, from busy downtown streets to rural farms.
Tree planting in the City of London has been a community effort for decades, with many organizations involved in improving our urban forest. Yet despite these efforts, our leaf cover has not grown and there is evidence to suggest that it is decreasing.

London is not unique in its challenges to maintaining a healthy urban forest. The pressures of land use, growth, tree disease and pests, road construction, and vandalism are some of the ongoing threats to our urban forest. Many other municipalities facing similar challenges have responded by setting tree planting goals and leaf cover goals for their municipalities.

http://www.milliontrees.ca/

Learn about and Get involved in Environmental Activities

2011-07-11T11:53:00.000-04:00

EcoVox TV on Rogers TV London (Channel 13) Wednesdays at 7:00 pm and several times during the week, highlights local environmental initiatives. In this segment EcoVox TV Solar Installation ReForest London goes solar at a workshop organized by TREA and Post Carbon London. Worth the time to check it out. It would be great if you posted this link to your FB page or sent to your e-mail listings. People are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and this is available right here in London.

July 12th, Monthly meeting of Council of Canadians: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=242407795787477

July 14th, TREA www.trea.ca monthly general membership meeting, 6:30 pm Grosvenor Lodge, Potluck Picnic, bring your own lawn chair and your favourite dish to share, refreshments provided. Here about TREA’s involvement in the community and share your wisdom with other environmentally concerned individuals. If you are not already a member consider becoming one to support the work of this valuable resource here in London. Memberships are $25/individual or $30/family.

July 15, 16, 17: Home County Folk Festival www.homecounty.ca Check out Sarah Harmer Friday night mainstage. Sarah, a talented songwriter has devoted much of her time and creativity to environmental concerns.

July 15, 16, 17 Volunteers: Also at Home County again this year we are offering the reusable dishes program so you can enjoy your food on real stainless steel plates. Volunteers are needed to ensure this program runs smoothly. If you can offer 3 hours of your time on one of the days of the weekend to help with the various tasks that would be greatly appreciated. To do this reply to this e-mail or go to www.homecounty.ca and fill in the volunteer form. If you have already signed up thank you -see you next weekend at the festival.

July 18, 7 - 9pm at the Living Centre – Mike Nickerson, Living on Earth as if We Want to Stay.

The Biggest News on Planet Earth

The biggest news on planet Earth today is that the human family has grown to fill its habitat. Evidence is found in issues around energy, waste accumulation, fresh water, climate, biodiversity and levels of fairness among those who have to share the planet.

Join us for a talk and discussion about "Living on Earth As If We Want to Stay" By Donation!

Mike Nickerson, the author of "Life, Money and Illusion: Living on Earth as if we want to stay" has spent 35 years studying Cultural Evolution and how we might adapt to our new circumstances. He will outline promising opportunities that await our collective choice to respect and accommodate planetary limits and key mechanisms by which that choice is advancing. It is a Question of Direction. Click this link for more details and directions to get there: Mike Nickerson - Living on Earth as if We Want to Stay

If you plan to attend please consider carpooling.

July 24th, 3 pm. Getting to Know the Meadowlily Woods. A free workshop to explore the local wild space known as the Meadowlily Woods -- an environmentally sensitive area which has been threatened by plans to build a Wal-Mart 'SmartCentre.' The exact location for this event will be provided to those who register. E-mail Toban Black attoban@riseup.net to RSVP.

Garlic Harvesting: At some point in the next few weeks we will help to harvest a garlic farm that we helped to plant last fall. If you are interested in participating please let me know and I can forward details when they become available. We will carpool, or those who are really ambitious can bike.

So much needs to be done and there are always opportunities to get involved for planet earth. Doing nothing is not an option.
--
Maryanne MacDonald

www.ecovoxlondon.com
www.wastefreeworld.org
www.volunteerlondon.ca
www.trea.ca

Dynamic Dozen

2011-07-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

The Dynamic Dozen has been chosen from the pool of high school students that tried out earlier in the year. The tryouts were held at Montcalm at the end of May and open to all youth in London. The Dynamic Dozen will be spending the summer engaging in flashmob style routines all over the city – paying particular attention to the Northeast and Kipps Lane areas. The highlight of the summer will be a very large scale Micheal Jackson tribute flashmob held downtown in partnership with the John Labatt Centre.

Join Us at the Next KL&C Meeting

2011-06-29T14:04:00.000-04:00

Come and join us in our efforts. Our next meeting is on Monday, July 4th at 6 pm at Northbrae Community Hub.

As a resident group, we are trying to make our neighbourhoods a better place to live.

Over the last week we have celebrated many successes, including The Northeast Community Market, The Grand Opening of Ed Blake Park, and the continued growth of the resident garden at River Park Towers.

Our sympathies go out to those involved in the shooting on Sunday night.