Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,
Unfortunately, we did not receive the minimum number designers needed to try and produce a successful Fashion Show.  We will create a web gallery with the designers and images they submitted on our website instead.

Thank you to those who submitted entries–more soon, c

Did you know that many of Buffalo Public Schools require students to do community service before graduation?  Unfortunately, there is not a set policy or a set number or hours required across the board, so it’s important for parents, students and teachers to discuss the benefits of community service at home and in the classroom.  You can ask your child’s teacher, “Do you engage my child in any service learning?”  Over the summer we saw a lot of students but it has tapered off a little now that the school year has resumed.

TEENS LISTEN UP! At ReUse, we want students to know that whether or not your parents or your school requires you to volunteer you should find an organization or project that interests you now and begin volunteering.  Yes, you may learn about team work and leadership from participating in sports, but there are lots of other things to learn too (I was horrible at sports).  If you volunteer at ReUse you learn very practical things–like how to use tools and how to organize projects and groups.  You learn creative problem solving and planning.  You see how your attention and involvement make a difference in the neighborhood and the environment.  Some projects are FUN, like harvesting strawberries or painting and some are just part of our chores, like raking, denailing lumber or measuring doors for customers. No matter what we’re doing, we want you to learn that hard work can still be enjoyable.

The other big reason to volunteer is so that you build relationships.  After just a few volunteer sessions you have more people (besides your teachers or parents) who can speak positively about your work ethic, talents, skills, enthusiasm and self discipline.  You may be a horrible math student, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t good at other things.  When you volunteer you interact with other adults and people who can recommend you for employment, scholarships or other opportunities.  Plus, sometimes you might meet experts in fields that interest you, like Architecture, Urban Planning or Photography and they can mentor you.  Besides that, you might actually make new friends too.

Please click on this link or the photo to see other young people volunteering.

PARENTS LISTEN UP! From our perspective, volunteering is a very important value to instill in every child because volunteering teaches awareness, responsibility, leadership and citizenship.  I don’t think they are hokey concepts.  When you stop and think about what kind of human being you want to raise–independent, considerate, generous, reliable etc know that those traits can be developed through volunteerism.  ReUse offers all kinds of meaningful projects to engage you and your child.  Please have a conversation with your child about volunteering.  In the spring and summer months we definitely have a lot more opportunities for children under 14, but we still expect for parents to join their younger kids.

Please click on the link to hear one parent’s perspective on bringing his child to ReUse this summer.

Right now the weather is changing over.  Most of our projects are outdoors and we work even in very cold conditions.  It’s very important for students and parents to make plans to volunteer now while there are still lots of projects to do during the tolerable weather.  Please don’t wait until Christmas Break because we will be minimally staffed as well.

Please contact Danielle about volunteering at volunteer {at} buffaloreuse(.)org and visit our volunteer page for more details

Just passing this along from Linda at the Board of Block Clubs. It’s important to be a GOOD LANDLORD.

CITY OF BUFFALO
LANDLORD TRAINING
Friday, November 5
8:30am – 4:30pm
At Belmont Shelter Corporation
1195 Main Street
At the corner of Dodge

If you are a landlord or considering property management, don’t miss the opportunity to learn valuable information such as

• eviction proceedings
• mold prevention
• lead poisoning prevention
• funding sources
• housing court procedure
• the role of the police
• inspection procedures
• detecting drug activity on your property
• crime prevention techniques
• fair housing
• rental assistance corporation, belmont resources
• social service information
• leases and the best tenant selection processes

To register, please visit the City of Buffalo’s website.

ReUse is participating in World on Your Plate this year!  Brad and I will be teaching a workshop on Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening Method on Saturday 4pm, but there are lots of other great workshops and speakers too!

Message from Jordana Geist:

The 7^th Annual World on Your Plate Food ForumFriday, October 8, 6 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, October 9, 9 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Daemen College,
Charles J. Wick Campus Center,
4380 Main Street,
Amherst, NY 14226.

Friday night includes:

• Vegan dinner reception and the screening of the documentary Living Downstream, a trailblazing and inspiring scientific exposé, based on the book by Dr. Sandra Steingraber

Saturday’s program includes:

• Morning keynote address from bestselling author of Diet for a Hot Planet, Anna Lappé

• Afternoon address from Dr. Sandra Steingraber, internationally recognized expert on the environmental links to cancer and reproductive health.

The day also offers participants their choice of two workshop sessions, from choices including Community Gardens, Organic Apiculture, Living Roofs, Holistic Health, Raising Organic Beef, Raw Foods and more!

Also presenting in the afternoon are featured speakers:

• Margaret Mitchell, MD, Functional Medicine Specialist

• Caesandra Seawell, Dir. of Community Programs at Buffalo ReUse

• Michael Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator, Center for Health, Environment and Justice will be bringing Betty, the Be Safe Ducky, an inflatable 25-foot rubber ducky that’s been making headlines coast to coast, in support of a PVC-free and toxic-free future.

Cost is $25 with pre-registration and $30 at the door.

Students with ID are admitted free but must pre-register.

Registration includes both Friday and Saturday programs, as well as a Friday night light vegan dinner, Saturday organic lunch, and ongoing access to local vendors and information tables.

For more info. or to register, visit www.worldonyourplate.org

The City of Buffalo owns the most properties in Buffalo–most of which are vacant. Every October the City holds an auction on foreclosed empty lots, vacant commercial buildings and vacant houses. Many property owners who shop at The ReSource have successfully bid on properties and rehabbed the structures to live in themselves or to earn income as landlords. Maybe this is something you’ve thought of yourself but don’t know where to begin. I encourage you to attend our info-session October 2nd at 2pm. Megan McNally, Cassie Wilson, Michele Johnson, Harvey Garret and Diane Wray will be present to provide strategies, share their personal experiences and answer questions. There are a lot of options for acquiring property in Buffalo–this just one, but it might be the method that works for you.

Join us at 298 Northampton St.

There’s a need from Grace Community Church (175 Potomac Ave) for rides and/or carpooling to this event–not sure how many people. If anyone can assist, please coordinate with Matt Kauffman of the Homebuyers Club–maybe meet there at 1:30pm and then head over to ReUse before 2pm.

If you’ve been following the blog and facebook, you know the reason we’re hosting tonight’s Talent & Treasure Auction is so we can raise at least $6,000 toward our stipend for our two current Americorps Members, Brad and Scott. But what you might not know is how much more that 6K gets us. For almost 2yrs now we’ve been truly blessed to work with Americorps WNY and the 6 members who have served with us, Michele Silberman, Matthew Lapennas, Ben Kaiser, Rachel Mathews, Scott Kozak and Brad Kujawski.
There is no way we could have started all we have been able to accomplish with the Tool Library, all of the community gardens, the free DIY workshops, volunteer coordination, store maintenance, neighborhood improvements, tabling events and our other events and shenanigans without them–we couldn’t have even done as fabulous a job with the Extreme Demo or the Extreme Premiere!
Although we have had hundreds of hours from volunteers, this crew has provided the necessary volunteer training and support and filled in the gaps when we were short on volunteers and staff.  Their service has been crucial to this organization.

In my opinion our Americorps Members have done more to create ReUse’s positive reputation in the community than any other single person in our organization. We cannot maintain our high level of activity or grow without them.
I hope that if you do support the mission of Buffalo ReUse, you will come to tonight’s auction. It is absolutely a worthy cause. If you cannot make it to tonight’s event, but you still want to make a donation toward our Americorps stipend, please click here to go to our secure Paypal page or you can also mail a check.   Please put “Americorps stipend” in the memo section.  I also invite you to click on the photo which will take you to hundreds of other photos that prove just how much our Americorps Members have done for Buffalo, our neighborhood and this organization.
Thank you for your support.

The North American Association for Environmental Education NAAEE is hosting their conference here in the BFLO next week at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center!   Thursday, September 30th and Friday, October 1st there will be an Artist’s Market

This is your chance to shine and share your craftsmanship and art that you’ve created from found objects, recycled materials and/or “trash.”  If you’re an artist that works in reclaimed metals or wood, this would be right up your alley!  If you incorporate old knobs or mirrors or architectural details in your pieces–you could exhibit and sell your works, your portfolio or photos of the objects at the conference!  Please contact Marika if you want volunteer or exhibit:
Marika Woods-Frankenstein
WNY Sustainable Energy Association
Project Manager: The WNY Sustainable E-Mobile
afrankenstein {at} juno(.)com
(716) 881-7370

NAAEE will be providing tables and chairs. Items can be loaded in on Thursday 7:30 am until Noon and loaded up after 8 pm on Friday.  There will be NO electricity, so all transactions will be cash only.

Probably one of the more unique things we’ve set aside for the auction is this pair of towel bars. I didn’t even know we had milk glass anything and then Ian opened up the china cabinet like a magician opening a forbidden closet–the only thing missing was his silk cape!  “Wow!” I said and then Ian pulled out 2 white wands–which turned out to be the hanging bars for a short face-towel and longer hand-towel bar.  The bar is milk glass and the mounting brackets are white porcelain.  They are flawless.  A similar one on-line is currently selling for over $100.  These pieces would be perfect in a baby’s nursery or to display small quilts.  If you attached enamel s-hooks from them you could even use them to hang several towels, coats or other clothes.
We also have a candy bowl with a grape motif for the auction and Ian says there are milk glass lamp globes in the china cabinet at the store too–just ask for them.
According to wiki, milk glass was originally made in Venice and most popular at the turn of the century.  The white opaque glass was achieved by adding a tin dioxide or bone ash.

You could add to your collection if you’re the winning bidder at the Talent & Treasure Auction Saturday night!  View the other pieces here.  Join us at the Buffalo Bar & Grille at 307 Louisiana St. from 8-10pm

Folks, there is a rare opportunity for you to help us out this Friday–Sept24th! with processing materials on our current green demolition project.  It’s a very large cinder block warehouse and we need help: denailing, loading the truck and paletizing block, brick and other materials–some repetitive heavy lifting.  Amanda is the project manager and she will be directing folks on-site.  Please wear work clothes, layers–kudos for bright safety orange or yellow, and heavy soled boots/shoes for your own safety (steel toe–if you have them).  It’s important that you be at the ReSource, 298 Northampton, at 9:15am to sign-in, grab a hardhat and other safety gear.

We will carpool to the job site at 10am.  There is a port-o-jon on-site.  It’s a good idea to pack a lunch.
Be ready to sweat!

Paint me EXCITED!
I am beaming because Diane sent us images of her submission for our first-ever fashion show of garbage couture! If you know a fashionista, designer or dumpster diver who might be interested in creating some clothing for the show–please forward them the link for the CALL FOR ARTISTS. The deadline to submit your design is October 13th, but don’t wait because there are a lot of other details to take care of!

If you’d like to help with the exhibiton, please email volunteer {at} buffaloreuse(.)org

ReTHREAD
Thursday, October 21st
7–10pm
ArtSpace
1219 Main Street in Midtown Buffalo