Securing Our ReSource
Most of you know that we currently rent the space at 298 Northampton, but in order for us to do all that we hope to accomplish in the neighborhood, for our clientele and the environment–we need to become owners.  We are striving for a store that serves the community through education, jobskills, DIY workshops and environmental stewardship.  It will be a laboratory green business practices and models for you to experience and possibly implement in your houses.  Owning the building will make this possible.
To that end, Michele Johnson, one of our founding board members, has organized an evening of food, prizes, awards and fun!   Michele has put together a night with a catered dinner featuring Kentucky Greg’s plus homemade desserts.

Tickets are just $25 each.  You can purchase them at the store and at the door.  All proceeds go toward the down payment of the building. 
Please join us Saturday, November 22nd from 6-8pm at 63 Kenmore Ave (It’s the Hughes and Wray building next to University Plaza)

If you have a question or cannot attend but would like to make a contribution, please contact Michele at shizumaru2004 {at} aol(.)com

What: Channels – Stories from the Niagara Frontier Premiere Screening
When: Sunday, November 30th, 3 pm
Where: Market Arcade Film & Arts Center , 639 Main Street
Cost: FREE!
Channels – Stories from the Niagara Frontier, now in its second year, is Squeaky’s production program which matches documentary filmmakers with grass roots initiatives and groups to collaboratively create documentary films about issues important to this region.
The participating groups are Buffalo ReUSE, People United for Sustainable Housing (PUSH Buffalo), Journey’s End Refugee Services, and the Children’s Mental Health Coalition of WNY. Channels is supported by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Buffalo ReUSE: Building Community by Carl Lee focuses on the multi-faceted work of Buffalo ReUSE to deconstruct houses in order to create jobs and community.

Refugees: Buffalo’s Next Generation by Brett Williams and Scott Murchie illuminates the issues that refugee students face and how the Refugee School Impact Program of Journey’s End Refugee Service Inc. works closely with the families and schools to help bridge the existing cultural and linguistic gap.

PUSHing People Power: Rebuilding Buffalo’s West Side is a story about ordinary citizens working together to create and sustain an urban community that values sustainable and equitable housing, jobs and lifestyles.

Everybody Has a Story by Holly Johnson looks at some of the issues facing families of children with mental health diagnoses, exploring the challenges facing families through the eyes of some of the youth, parents, and organizers who are a part of the mental health movement.

About the filmmakers: Brett M. Williams has been making films and videos since 2002 and graduated from the Department of Media Study, State University of New York at Buffalo, where he received the Gregory Cappasso Memorial Award for outstanding achievement as an undergraduate student. Scott T. Murchie is a 2002 graduate from University of Toronto’s Film and Video Department and founding member of Chance Encounter Productions in Clarence, New York. Ruth Goldman is an award-winning, internationally exhibited documentary filmmaker and a PhD Candidate in the Department of American Studies at the University at Buffalo. Holly Johnson is a media and performance artist living in Buffalo, NY who draws on her experiences as an educator, poet, visual artist, and web designer to help explore the diverse topics that inspire her. Carl Lee is an award-winning documentary and experimental filmmaker who is currently working on a documentary about musician William Parker.  
dorothea braemer, executive director
squeaky wheel :: buffalo’s media arts center
712 Main Street
Buffalo, NY  14202
716-884-7172 ph
716-886-1619 fax
New opening hours:  Tues-Thurs 1-7; Fri-Sat 1-5
http://www.squeaky.org

The Vacant Property Summit is coming up, Tuesday, November 18 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo in room Regency C from 5 pm to 7pm. The purpose of the Summit is to bring together Erie County citizens to develop innovative policies and programming to address vacant property issues in our county.

The Vacant Property Summit is free and open to the public. It will be moderated by Michael Groman, founder of Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Green program and Anthony Armstrong, of Local Initiative Support Corporation – Buffalo. Members of the City of Buffalo Mayor’s Office and Council Member David Rivera’s office have already committed their attendance. The more city and county officials who enter into this conversation, the more we will accomplish.

Summit participants also include people from other cities who have established successful programming, community members, and stakeholders interested in issues of abandoned properties in Buffalo. Please join us at the table!

In order to plan for a room large enough, we ask that you RSVP to this email address, rebekah {at} buffaloreuse(.)org, by 5pm on Monday, November 17.  We hope that you will join us for the Summit. If you know of others who should attend, please extend an invitation to them.

It is sure to be an important event!  The Summit is part of a four-day conference – the Great Lakes Building ReUse Conference – which will take place November 16 through November 19, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. The Great Lakes Building ReUse Conference will focus on deconstruction, vacant property stabilization, neighborhood revitalization, and policy & implementation. We are hosting an exciting group of keynote speakers from around the country as well as local movers and shakers for nine workshops, two keynote addresses, networking and exchange. For more information or to register for the Great Lakes Building ReUse Conference, please visit www.greatlakesreuse.org.

Michael can rest easy at night because he doesn’t have to worry so much about Kevin’s sanity.  The ReSource finally has a POS (point of sale) system.  This means no more tallying totals by hand for Kevin or figuring taxes on his toes or fearing that ruthless bandits will tie him up and “thief off” with sacks of gold nuggets.  (remember, Kevin is a lot older so his nightmares have different villains).  This also means that we can accept credit card payments too.  Missy, you can leave that sack of nuggets under your mattress; bring us plastic!

Paypal for the conference ends at 5pm
If you’re still deliberating over whether or not attend The Great Lakes ReUse Building Conference –on-line registration ends at 5pm, but you can still pay for the conference in person Sunday at the registration tables.  Please remember there are discounted rates for nonprofs and students.  Take a peek at the schedule.  There’s a one-day only rate and if you have an interest in one workshop or one keynote speaker, bring $10 and you’re in (sorry, that doesn’t include the tours; they’re full).

Who needs a sandwich board when you have Hadley!?  It’s always a little funny to see grownups dressed like a chicken or a hotdog or even a gorilla on the corner trying to get your attention and draw you into their store for some crazy bargain.  We happen to think our gimmick is way more adorable and hopefully, effective!  We want to invite you to our first funder geared toward buying our building on Northampton.  We want to buy the building so that we can continue to establish Buffalo ReUse and The ReSource as a retail and education destination.  We know that investing and working there will further stabilize the neighborhood. To that end, Michele Johnson, one of our founding board members, has organized an evening of food, prizes, awards and fun!   Michele has put together a night with a catered dinner featuring Kentucky Greg’s plus homemade desserts.  We’ll announce our award for Volunteer of the Year and other awards of prestige and . . . intrigue!  There will be a chinese auction; prizes include gift certificates, dinners-for-two and more.

Tickets are just $25 each.  You can purchase tickests at the store and at the door.  All proceeds go toward the down payment of the building.  Please join us Saturday, November 22nd from 6-8pm at 63 Kenmore Ave (It’s the Hughes and Wray building next to University Plaza)

If you have a question or cannot attend but would like to make a contribution, please contact Michele at shizumaru2004 {at} aol(.)com

This weekend something exciting is happening on 4 little streets in Mid-Town.  Northampton, Southampton, Eaton and Riley streets are going to get TREES!  225 trees will be planted along both sides of these streets–from one end to the other.  Buffalo ReUse is participating (again) with ReTree WNY for the Fall planting.  Overall, ReTree WNY will put 1,100 trees in the ground and we’re proud to say we represent almost a fourth of that number and we’re one of the few organizations planting on the East Side.  Our goal is to bring tree-lined streets back to this part of town a little at a time as we can manage it.
A special thanks to Admar Supply, a local heavy equipment supplier, for donating the use of an auger attachment so we don’t wreck our backs!
We hope that many of you will join us.
Saturday, November 8th
Like last time we’ll begin at 298 Northampton St at 9am to load up with tools and a PEP TALK (and a little training).
We’ll work until about 3:30pm and have a potluck and group massage afterward!  (no feet)
We have a machine which will pre-dig the holes so the work will be much easier; click here to see photos for a better idea.

Speaking of–Photographers, please come out and document this; last time I was too busy running around bonkers and didn’t get to photograph as many volunteers as I would have liked.  We’ll only be on 4 streets this time so it will be easier to coordinate.
This Saturday might be much colder than it was back in May when we planted 150 and it might rain a lot like last time too, so please prepare yourselves for that.
Any age is okay!
If you’re not a very physical person, you can still help in a lot of ways–trimming, staking, wiring–even watering people.
You can also help via the potluck with a batch of peanut butter cookies, pumpkin pie, zuchini bread, tater tot casserole or what ever you are great at making!
If people or groups that are planning to assist by planting could give me a headcount, it would be a big help this time.  We believe we’ll need about 50-60 people.  Please bring your buddies–last time Tysha brought her mom all the way from Oswego and she had so much fun she’s coming back again.

Friday, November 7th
We will also need help picking up all the trees from the City Garage 1126 Seneca the day before–around 8am.  It will take about 2hours to grab the trees and bring them back to our site.  Most trees are bareroot and so they are very light

We will be very glad for any kind of assistance and we know you will have a fun day