What are the needs of our communities? What do you see that needs to be done, not just to make our surroundings more beautiful, but to foster good relationships with our neighbors?

These can be simple things: a party, a flash clean-up, you come up with something and begin the conversation!

We have also recently started a relationship with The James Gang, a community building organization that has been in Iowa City for many years. Together we will be able to reach more people and hope to have more creativity with our projects.

Stay tuned. This is going to be a year to remember with {reclaiming roots}!

(don’t worry, the Hawks have a bye that week.)

We had around 30 volunteers show up that took roughly a ton of trash and three large loads and two small loads of branches and brush out to make room for the garden. We were also able to use the community tool shed provided the Board of Realtors.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day of work and we accomplished a lot. Click here to see a few pictures of the work that was done.

We have just helped get the ball rolling for this neighborhood, but like any garden, the work is never done. If you’re interested in supporting this community garden, please visit our Contact page and let us know what you’re willing to do.

“Everyone agrees something has to be done,” Grassley said in a lecture hall at UI’s Medical Education Research Facility. “However, Congress has spent a year writing bills that would make a bad situation worse.

Although the White House has said it aims to have the legislation wrapped up by March 18, Grassley said there is still time for the two parties to meet on middle ground and build from there. With widespread support on both sides of the aisle for reform that would make insurance companies offer more affordable and accessible coverage, as well as stop denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, Grassley said there are common goals to build upon.

What are your thoughts?

via press-citizen.

A Solon farm, an Iowa City restaurant and an Iowa City nonprofit were among the winners of the Edible Iowa River Valley magazine’s third Local Hero Awards.

Readers nominate the people they think are Iowa’s Local Heroes in five different categories.

Susan Jutz of ZJ Farms in Solon was named Best Farm/Farmer. Jutz operates a community-supported agriculture venture called Local Harvest.

Iowa City nonprofit Local Foods Connection won the Local Hero Award for the second time this year. Founded in 1999, Local Foods Connection is a charity that recruits volunteers to help on CSA farms and collects shares from those farms to distribute to families who cannot afford them.

The Best Chef/Restaurant award went to Masae Judge and Harriet Woodford for Leaf Kitchen in Iowa City. Leaf Kitchen is the first Iowa City restaurant to be named a local restaurant hero by the magazine.

Give us your thoughts. What would you like to see done in Iowa City? What do you think would be a good way to bring people out of their homes and working together with their neighbors? What can be done in your community that will add to the beauty?

To recap, and add LOTS of new details:

Where: Grant Wood Elementary School, Iowa City (1930 Lakeside Dr, Iowa City)

When: Saturday, October 24 from 9am-12pm

What:

1.  helping with a variety of winterization & clean-up tasks around the neighborhood.

2. canvassing for a coalition seeking answers on changes in the neighborhood (if you’re looking for a day of hearing stories and listening to life through somebody else – this will be for you! the canvassing will be the heart of helping the big picture in this neighborhood)

3.  oh, and meeting lots of new people!

Eats: coffee and pastries served before, lunch served at noon!

Tools: we’ve been asked what is helpful? rakes, rakes, rakes! if you’ve offered (via the registration) to bring other tools, we’re planning on them. ***Please put your name on whatever tools you bring!*** and we’ll bring more specific tools as well.

What to Wear: whatever you need to stay warm and dry, it could be muddy/wet in places. bring gloves! If you’d like to help canvassing on this day, wear comfortable walking shoes.

Weather: our weather channel friends say cool, and a chance of rain. If it’s seriously raining………. check the website www.reclaimingroots.org , Facebook, or Twitter, before coming. We’ll put a status up so you can plan accordingly. However, not much outside work can happen in a downpour, so you may end up enjoying coffee as the most strenous activity to your Sat.

FACEBOOK and TWITTER: many of you may not know that we can be found on both. Please join us, and you’ll get more regular updates on what’s going on before projects!

Sponsors: Thank you to the generous help of local businesses, churches, and individuals! If you’re interested in helping financially as well, please email luke@reclaimingroots.org. And please thank those who are helping make this event happen!

Other questions? Please email info@reclaimingroots.org. If you’d like to have volunteers help you this weekend, please call Stan at 530.4076.

Thanks again for your interest and support! Hope to see you Saturday, have a great weekend!

Last fall, we coordinated a neighborhood clean-up day in the Wetherby Neighborhoods.  This fall a similar day is being planned for another Iowa City neighborhood, and the date is October 24, 2009.  We will be bringing together communites with fall yard clean-up, trash pick-up, and hazardous waste removal.

We hope that again this year, neighborhoods from all over the greater-Iowa City area will reach out to help this community.

Come and witness what we can accomplish when we come together for others.

Stay tuned here at reclaimingroots.org for updates as the date gets closer.  Click here to register.