Turns out the producers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition were SO impressed with the City of Good Neighbors that they would like to make a return to Buffalo! This would be the FIRST TIME they have come to a city twice (can I get a “Let’s go Buffalo!” chant?). Says Casting Supervisor Morgan Fahey: “We are looking for the deserving people and inspiring families that America can really root for.”

To be eligible, a family must own their own single family home and be able to show producers how a makeover will make a huge difference in their lives. Families can apply – or you can nominate a member of your community – by sending a short description of the family story to castingwesternnewyork {at} gmail(.)com. Each nomination must include the names and ages of every member of the household along with a description of the major challenges withing the home. All nominations must also include a contact phone number.

More info can be found at the Extreme Makeover website, which you can visit by clicking here.

The deadline for nominations is February 26th, 2010 so don’t delay!!! Let’s really show America what WNY is made of.

A big thanks to all who came out last night to watch the show together and to support Buffalo ReUse, PUSH Buffalo, Re-Tree WNY and WNY Americorps

Photos here!

A big thanks to Shea’s Buffalo for being the venue, Join us, JANUARY 24th, 2010!
You were there when the Hero Family was announced, You were there when Buffalo ReUse performed the Green Demolition, You were there when volunteers from PUSH and Re-Tree WNY built the community gardens, You were there when Americorps and others descended on the block and over 70 houses in the neighborhood got a facelift, You were there when David Homes built the brand new house!…Now you can be there as all of Buffalo celebrates the national spotlight! On behalf of PUSH Buffalo, Buffalo ReUse, Re-Tree WNY, and WNY Americorps, as well as The Powell Family–we hope you will join us all.

Doors open at 7pm Folks can meet The Powell Family, mingle, and learn about the ways they can volunteer and contribute to future neighborhood improvements. Channel 7 (WKBW) will feature a documentary of behind-the-scenes footage of the 106 hours of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition while the cast, volunteers, and neighborhood worked around the clock. Finally, from 8-10pm ABC will broadcast the Special Buffalo Episode and we’ll all watch together as the story unfolds.

We hope that everyone will come and celebrate the national spotlight on Buffalo and the neighborhood revitalization igniting across The Queen City!

TICKETS:  Tickets will be available on Friday, January 15th. All tickets will be distributed in advance of the evening’s events.  Tickets to be obtained from Shea’s Box Office. Tickets are complimentary, limit of 2 per person. No tickets at the door, unless they are still available.

The Shea’s Box Office is located at 650 Main Street and is open  M-F 10 a – 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 am– 2 pm   Event Parking is available on Pearl Street, Washington St. etc.

**This event is on FACEBOOK. Please, invite all your friends!!

“How was your weekend?”  “What are you doing this weekend?”  What do most folks talk about around the watercooler?  Sports and American Idol may be about the only things that are fairly safe –politics, religion, the hottie in Logistics with the tanned, firm and bulging… You see how it can quickly devolve into controversy, fisticuffs, gossip or make fellow co-workers blush.
We have a better idea!  Talk about US–Buffalo ReUse!

I remember how excited Tysha was when her boss asked her what she was “up to” and she was just as excited to share all the ways she helped us.  Hang our calendar near the watercooler or give them to your employees as a holiday gift and soon your employees could be sharing how they are helping to improve Buffalo!  The calendar is full of interesting photos of volunteers, deconstruction projects and unique inventory we’ve salvaged.  It will help inspire your employees all year long!  I used to have a co-worker that tortured me about her haircuts; she gave me endless details 3 weeks prior to her appointment.  I won’t tell you how badly I wanted to take a pair of scissors and just get it over with myself.

You could also sign up your office for one of our Vacation from Your Vocation Days where they come out and volunteer with us for a Friday morning or an afternoon and we’ll make them pancakes or grilled cheese sandwiches.  Marsha’s Keller Williams group did that for their Red Day–so did HSBC! Your employees have lots of other skills besides collating, flipping patties and filling out TPS reports–and even if they don’t–we’ll teach them some more.  They’ll feel good helping the community and so will you!

The Buffalo Edition of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will be aired Sunday, January 24th at 8 pm on Channel 7. And what’s more…they’ve extended it to a 2-hour special!

A network publicist confirmed the air date for the episode, which will highlight the Massachusetts Avenue home that was rebuilt last month for Delores Powell, a Jamaican immigrant, and her four children.

According to the Buffalo News, “The extra hour is expected to highlight the rehabilitation of several West Side homes near the Powell home, as the community rallied to expand the original idea of the program.” GO BUFFALO!

Buffalo ReUse will be planning something special for our big debut, so stay tuned…

We, at Buffalo ReUse–all the staff and board members– want to simply say, Thank You.

Thank you so much for your continued support.  Whether you donated a sink or a cheesecake or some tools or a pizza or 4hrs of your time wiping down inventory or gave one of us a ride to the hardware store or raked leaves and dropped them into our compost or made phone calls on our behalf or helped install a toilet at the office–we deeply appreciate all the big and little things you do for us.  We are not successful without you.  We hope you have a warm holiday filled with friendship and … maybe a piece of turkey cake!

The trees that were planted throughout The Queen City this past weekend were all made possible through the efforts of Re-Tree WNY.  Buffalo ReUse and 130 volunteers (we got a little of everybody–students and XCountry athletes from UB, Daemen, Canisius–the Queen City Roller Girls and even our youngest new friend, Bryant, brought his mom and sister to plant 410 trees.  The cost of our trees alone was 25K.  We would love to join Re-Tree again for their Spring 2010 planting; however, they need more funding to purchase more trees for everyone to plant.  Their goal is 30,000 trees and so far volunteers have planted a total of 11,000.  The Buffalo News is campaigning with Re-Tree to help raise funds.  If you or someone you know would like to contribute to Re-Tree’s fund raiser and reserve a tree in someone’s name, please click on the link.  The link will take you to a secure paypal page.  $30 gets you a tree for your Gramma Majorie or your Uncle Larry or your bff, Cookie.

We hope to see you again to plant with you next Spring!

I think we’ll all be planting in slickers!
Saturday, November 7th,  9am – 3pm
Meet at 298 Northampton St, Buffalo NY 14208; please do not be late because we will split everyone into street teams!

We have approx. 410 trees reserved for planting in the Masten & Cold Springs Neighborhood that must go in the ground before they die.

Dress Code:
Please plan for MUD and rain: sneaker/boots, rain poncho, hats, LAYERS, hoodie, water bottle, gloves.
Since we’ll be lending out some of our tools to other groups, it would help if you bring an iron rake, shovel, a blade or hand pruners.

Please eat a hearty breakfast!
We may be able to provide donated snacks; however, we will work continuously until 3pm and enjoy a potluck together–followed by a group massage (not feet, just shoulders).  You’re welcome to bring a pan of brownies, a carrot cake, a tater tot casserole, shepherd’s pie, pasta salad or a crock pot of anything that will dribble down the fronts of our shirts.

Together with over a hundred volunteers, Buffalo ReUse has already planted more than 450 trees in the Masten and Cold Springs Neighborhoods.
We will add another 400 trees to the 23 blocks around our store.  The weather can be muddy and the day is hectic, but it’s lots of fun.  We split folks up into teams–2 teams per street.
The holes are dug by a machine! We use an auger to dig the holes and that makes it so much easier!  It is still a lot of work though.  We’ll make sure the holes are pre-dug and each hole gets a tree.  Your job will be to take out dead trees, replace them with living trees, stake the trees and pickup any refuse nearby.
We will need to recruit about 50-75 people for the day–so if each of you bring a friend or 2 we will be all set, but we’ll also continue meeting new people and inviting them to assist between now and November.  Kids are welcome to help, but children under 14yrs must be accompanied by an adult.

6 NOV, Friday (tree pickup) We will arrange to bring our trucks/trailers and pick up all the trees, stakes and equipment from Re-Tree WNY at the City Garage.  Meet us at 8am, 1126 Seneca and help sort and pile trees.  All trees are bagged and labeled by species.  They’re very light.  One person can carry 2-3 trees without much trouble.  We’ll need about 5 people that morning to pick up, unload and sort our order.  If you’re available Friday morning, just show up!
7 NOV, Saturday (planting & potluck) See the photos and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like.
We could use some help from folks who don’t want to get their hands dirty and organize the FOOD.

Thanks for volunteering; you are helping us, ReTREE WNY, the environment and the City of Buffalo in one swoop!

ABC’s hit show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” is coming to the Queen City! This exciting opportunity brings with it the chance to use the momentum gained by the national spotlight to fuel the revitalization of an entire neighborhood in the matter of days. You have the opportunity to improve not only one family’s life, but the entire surrounding community. This will be a great chance to show that Buffalo really is the City of Good Neighbors.

David Homes  is designing and building an environmentally friendly home starting November 7th and lasting for one week. To sign up as a helping hand, go to http://www.davidhomesextreme.com/. They will need help with Food, Non-Skilled Construction Labor, Check-In, Media, Hospitality, Parking, Trash, Traffic, Barricades, Loading and much more. Join the Buffalo ReUse staff in this unique service experience!

We rarely get to invite volunteers on salvage runs so don’t let this one pass you by!  IF you’re not busy Saturday and have a hunkering for some careful pillaging; join us.  Here’s the details.  We’re only entering properties that we’ve been awarded “Salvage Rights” this means someone gave us permission to access the property and reclaim useable materials.  We get in, get out and resecure the property.  We look for tubs, windows, lighting, flooring, architectural features etc and bring them back to The ReSOURCE.

It’s a very good idea to bring a headlamp or a flashlight.  If you have a Buffalo ReUse tshirt or sweatshirt, please wear it so we look like we’re on the same crew (reminder: if your BR shirt isn’t dirty–you’re not wearing it right!) Wear boots or heavy soled shoes and long sleeves or layers and maybe a hat or cap because it gets dusty in vacant houses. If you have work gloves, bring them.  You do not need to bring any tools.  You can also bring dried fish, your rum flask, and some limes to deter scurvy, but we’ll probably tease you.

Be punctual! The crew will leave from The ReSOURCE, Saturday morning at 9am so you need to be here so we can outfit you with a hardhat and gloves.

If you’re available Sunday, at 10am, we’ll be working on the rear addition–mixing & pouring lots of concrete and building the frame.  If it’s raining, we’ll do some home improvement type tasks at Eaton House.