Volunteer Exchange
From 6/30-7/2 we had 70 volunteers doing a service-learning project in our community.
Thanks for conducting a community clean up and for running a fun fair with our neighbors at Park Shore Commons Apartments FMCFW.
Our 70 guests from Ft. Wayne were able to enjoy First Fridays too. Gary’s Miller Community was hopping on 7/1/16 for our monthly First Fridays Celebration.
Lake St was open late (festivities started at 5pm) and had tons of specials. Our local park rangers hosted a bonfire at Lake St Beach and Carmella's CAFE had a sunset concert. Come check out one of the Midwest's best kept secrets on on August 5th for First Fridays!
Launching the Lagoon Update:
6/25/16 was a Gorgeous day for a ribbon-cutting.
Gary's Miller Spotlight's Access Miller Action Group partnered with Barrier Free Beach 2020, Marquette Park Gary, NWI Paddling Association and Miller Beach Arts & Creative District to get funding for an accessible canoe/ kayak launch for our community.
We were able to garner the funds for this project through grants and donations. The ribbon cutting ceremony was held on 6/25/16 at the Gary Clean Water Festival.
Please spread the word about our latest attraction!
On 7/1/16 the final part of the launch was installed. Go team!!!
Thank you to all of our generous donors and granters for making this possible. Please spread the word about Gary's newest attraction! It is completely free to use!
On 7/7/16 All of our Action Groups were represented at our first Sunset Paddle and Pickup.
A large group excitedly listened to our local volunteers and used a variety of modes of transportation to get to our first Gary Sunset Paddle and Pickup in Marquette Park.
We're making these a weekly event. They start every Thursday at 6pm until winter chases us off the lagoon. The NWI Paddling Association provides some canoes/ kayaks, but they're on a first come first served basis.
Thanks so much to our community partner, The NWI Paddling Association, for sponsoring these awesome events!
Wirt Swag Update:
Great job Troopers!!! We raised $725 for our local high school over the Wirt All Class Reunion Weekend in June. We still have some items available. If you weren't able to come to to the reunion, stop by Gary's Miller Beach Farmers Market on Sundays 10am-3pm and purchase your memorabilia while you still can!
We've got track, cross country, baseball and football swag. Gary's Miller Spotlight: Education / Youth and Child Programming Action Group will sell authentic school swag at the farmers market until we run out of it.
Proceeds from these sales will go to help fund classroom wish lists from our Wirt-Emerson teachers. Any additional funds will go towards programming at our local high school. So far we have raised $825.00! Contact millerspotlight@gmail.com for more info.
New Leadership Opportunity!
New Community partner, Northern Lights Expeditions, piloted their first camp from 7/18-7/22 in Gary's beautiful Marquette Park. Camp Director, Mandi Renslow, is helping address the leadership gap within our community by merging a love of our outdoor amenities with team building and community service. Thanks to our awesome intern, Jonathan, for coming from the Westside to volunteer with us this week.
Thanks to CARgo, The Douglas Center, Family Folklore Foundation and The NWI Paddling Association for volunteering to help run programming this week. These community partners ran workshops with the kids. They included water safety, discovering the dunes and creating a community poem with an artist in residence.
This was an all-volunteer run project. Thanks to those who made this pilot project a success. We are hoping to expand it next year and will be seeking more volunteers and local sponsors.
Fest in the First is Back!
Gary's Miller Spotlight: Education/ Youth and Child Programming's Action Group has partnered with our local Precinct Committeemen/ women to run Fest in the First 2016. Our chairwoman, Gretchen Sipp, and our community builder, Jessica Renslow, attended our precinct committee meeting at the American Legion this week.
Fest in the First will be a fun, family-friendly event. It will take place from noon-6:30pm on Saturday 9/17 on Lake St in Gary's Miller Community!
Introducing our Newest Community Partners!
Directed by Women:
We will host a #DirectedbyWomen Worldwide Film Viewing Party in September! FILM LOVERS UNITE! Let's grow a deep culture of appreciation for women filmmakers and their work. If you have a film directed by a woman and wish to submit it to the viewing party please email millerspotlight@gmail.com .
What is Directed by Women????
Everyone's participation is welcome... as this is a grassroots, non-hierarchical, totally creative opportunity for women and men to mobilize screenings, filmmaker visits, house parties, family movie nights, virtual film viewing parties, etc. in communities everywhere to inspire the world to revel in the amazing film work already underway by women and fuel a proliferation of new motion picture expression by women eagerly embraced by audiences around the world.
Look around: Where do you envision women's films screening/streaming during the Directed by Women worldwide celebration in September 2016? Let's make that vision a reality...
Reubuild Project:
On August 3rd our community partners, The Garden Club and Project Rebuild, will have a work day at Wirt-Emerson. They will spruce up the grounds and are looking for folks to join in the efforts and/ or lend the following.
• wheelbarrows
• rakes
• gloves
• tarps
• shovels
• newspapers
• a hose
We have 7 themes that are being addressed in our 29 community goals. Miller Spotlight
volunteers presented our community plan at Wirt-Emerson on Saturday 11/14/15. Check out our full length plan on the Miller Spotlight Facebook page and look for our blog about the project's next phase coming soon. You can also email millerspotlight@gmail.com directly if you'd like a copy of the PDF. You don't have to live in Miller you just have to care about our revitalization efforts to participate. All are welcome to join!!!
