|
We had our first official AOK session at the Dream Center of Peoria, and I gave myself a C+ for overall effort.
The flow was a bit off, and our timing just wasn't right. The kids though, wow, what wonderful kids. I will have to make the activities have a bit more "punch". We worked with the theme of Respect, since Jojo the director had just had a session on Respect with the boys. Of course I don't have the depth of relationship or charisma that Jojo has. What I bring to the table is the fun element, the game element, the self-expression and creativity and art. So that is it. The art activity has to be completely engaging. Our first activity was based on the AOK Level 1 handbook. To create a crest. I think it was a bit hard for them to imagine what a crest represents. They hadn't yet been introduced to the vocabulary of the virtues either, so when the activity required them to come up with the qualities they respect in their loved ones, they could describe the quality, but didn't necessarly have the words. That was a plus in some ways. Many of the kids put their mom as someone they respected. Mom was seen as always doing things for them, cooking, buying them things--putting them first. These descriptions were excellent examples of the virtues. I gave them some ideas for qualities, like generosity and selflessness. I just had a realization, this is the core of the work. We are connecting the concept, the word, to the actual behaviors. So for example, when working the other way around, when using the word Respect, they could come up with conceptual ideas, like 'treating others as you would want to be treated', which is of course one of the best guides for living, but the specifics need to be fleshed out. So this is really where we can come in and give them a chance to make those leaps from concept, to action, or from real life, to abstract reasoning. If we can achieve this, we have achieved the goals of the AOK program. It was good, but I just felt a bit off, too much "school" like. Too much, I have to do this rather than I want to. The goal is for them to attend completely voluntarily. For them to move through the activities entirely based on their intrinsic motivation. No coersion, no need for forcing. The final issue was the communication. It is hard to have the kind of planning and connection when you have a moving train with 60 kids. We had to change rooms at the beginning, which honestly, I love the new room! There were a few ideas I wanted to share, but there wasn't the chance. With that said, we had the team member come and check on us while we were debriefing, and she was so kind and present, a quality of awareness that is rare. We had a chance to talk to her about next time. Some things will take time to unfold. The goal is to build the relationship. This was the goal from the beginning. June was to be the launch of the AOK full program, these sessions building up to that were meant to allow us to get to know those who are running the program, how it works, and build a realtionship and awareness of who the kids at the program are. So overall, given it was our first day, I will leave with this final assessment: there is room for improvement. There is every reason to be hopeful. As they say in AA, we just need to "Keep Coming Back".
0 Comments
Today is our Founder's Day. March 18th. Sue's Birthday! An important day to honor my step-mother Sue, who was the impetus for this project. Her guidance support and of course money are what made it possible for me to give back, rather than focus on how I would survive. It just so happens that today I will be submitting an application to form a Neighborhood Association. We have some great members on the team. Linda Cloyd who has been a resident for 25 years, and is committed to helping the neighborhood become what it can be, Kevin ____ who has been an homeowner in the neighborhood for 30+ years and of course Achevis Hines. He is the leader of so many of the young people in the neighborhood. He is an Ambassador of Kindness. This may not seem like a big deal, but I have stayed away from formally participating in government, and not only that, the Neighborhood Associations are all registered with The Department of Community Development. I wonder how those folks will feel about my application crossing their desk. Hopefully we won't have any shennanegans. How could they have an issue? We have a cracker-jack team, and Lord knows our neighborhood needs to come together to address so many of the real issues we are facing. So many blessing on this day, and on the formal organizing of our neighborhood association. Who would have thought I could do anything formally. I am sure Sue was rooting for me all along. Thanks for the push in the right direction, Sue. I owe it all to you.  Neighbors in need are neighbors indeed.
Neighbors in Deed are Ambassadors of Kindness. We want to welcome to our team Linda Cloyd, who has already been serving our community with her kindness. She has taken care of many of the stray animals in our area, and beautified the neighborhood with her love of plants and flowers of all kind. She has cleaned some of our neighbors houses who were unable to do so themselves, and all of this she has done freely or with minimal cost. So, why not join forces. Welcome Linda to our team of Neighbors in Deed. Those who serve our most neediest residents, including animals! The goal of collaboration is the theme for this year, and I am so grateful that I have found just the right person to support and guide me in this process. Ethel Pates is the founder of Your Lives Matter Outreach Ministry. We have worked together before, and we have the same deep passion for creating positive change in the world. Ethel also has all of the strengths in my areas of weakness. She is a create connector of people and she has deep roots in this community. She has a way with people like no other, and her enthusiasm is contagious. We are starting our work together on the new programming, and so there is great hope for success in this coming year. Thank you Ethel, we are so grateful for your light.  THE COMMUNITY HOUSE NETWORK, NFP
Founded October 27, 2020 REVISED MISSION STATEMENT 2025 “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” THE COMMUNITY HOUSE NETWORK, NFP RENEWED VISION & MISSION 2025 Revised Mission Statement The Community House Network is committed to helping members of our community live their best lives. From meeting basic needs, and helping high risk youth and adults, we work to build the foundation of a healthy neighborhood. We believe it is the highest goal of all individuals to realize their positive potential and share their gifts with the world. We want to empower our community and remove the dependencies and self-limiting beliefs. The youth play an important role in our mission. A focus character building and intellectual foundations for our youth can lead them out of the cycle of addiction and poverty. We create venues that support competency, purpose and self-actualization in all our community members. We believe creativity and self-actualization are the pathway to peace and a healthy society. Vision Statement:The future depends upon each of us realizing our positive potentials and sharing our gifts with the world. We believe that by fostering creativity and connection in our community members, we are working to find workable solutions to our local and global conflicts and build a peaceful society. We work together to build up our community members, especially our young people, to become thoughtful and empowered individuals. We co-create a world of engaged citizens and community leaders. Character, Creativity & Self-Actualization The new mission of the Community House Network refocuses the energies and efforts towards creativity, character development and self-actualization. Undergirding this vision is the philosophy of Ubuntu. We know that we are all connected, and that the positive evolution of one, benefits the whole. As each one of us become self-actualized, we uplift and invite others to step onto their own path of self-realization. CONTEXT OF OUR MISSION REVISION The changes in our focus allow us to more deeply align with our values. We have made the decision to work towards building up our creative entrepreneurs, and to support youth leadership and to leave behind our work with those in addiction. Our previous focus and energies were directed towards supporting those in addiction to find the road toward recovery. We held over nine different 12 step meetings a week. We provided free transitional housing to people coming out of prison or rehab and wanting to start a sober life. This endeavor, although positive, overwhelmed our small operation, and so it has been necessary to shift our focus towards prevention. Prevention entails addressing many factors, including the underlying social and emotional causes of addition. Our neighborhood population is at high risk of developing addiction. Certain social policies meant to provide greater freedom, or less stigmatization of those who are in the throes of addiction, have also made it easier for the most innocent members of our community to gain access to drugs. With the legalization of marijuana, most of our teenage population have become regular users of this drug, with the unintended consequence of minimizing the potential and very real harm that drugs of abuse can cause. The reality of the danger our at risk populations face can be seen in the statistics. Over 100,000 people are now dying each year from drug overdoses. This number continues to grow, despite the efforts of Harm Reduction policies which provide life-saving interventions for addicts. Our neighborhood has a Harm Reduction center, and they provide Narcan and free needles to all who would like them. We believe that through encouraging self-realization, giving the gift of character, and creativity we empower community members to participate fully in creating their best life. We believe we are providing avenues for individuals to step in a powerful way into the stream of creating one’s best life and participating in a thriving community. We believe we will see greater benefits over time by fostering this approach, than by simply providing for basic needs. CREATIVITY AS THE PATHWAY TO SELF REALIZATION: We believe the essence of creativity is self-expression. As we allow people to authentically express themselves, they begin to see themselves and each other in a larger way. Children, especially, may not have the words to express what they are experiencing. Creative expression allows the underlying aspects of their struggles and challenges to become manifest in their art. Art can come in many forms, writing, music, painting, theater, computer graphics, video, textiles. All of these media are simply the tools to access the deeper self. As people see within themselves via creative expression, they develop greater self-awareness. This greater self-awareness, when fostered through exercises focused on channeling these new understandings into action, becomes self-actualization. In engaging in creative work, dark elements of the psyche are not prohibited. The need to help make sense of challenging, often traumatic experiences, is an important element of creative work. In this age, darkness envelops the world. People can become jaded, or get lost in the negativity. We focus on building character, helping our community members, especially our youth, see the best aspects of themselves. CHARACTER AS THE KEY TO HEALTHY SOCIETY: Every individual has the potential to be good or bad. It is, to some extent, a free-will choice. This choice to be good is diminished when a person is surrounded by negative and evil influences. These influences can come through the entertainment industry, video-games, or through family and community violence and drug-use. The Community House Network has a mission to encourage character and virtue in all its members. We believe that when we create positive relationships amongst one another we build goodwill. This brings the best out in each of us. We want to help one another, and live up to the highest idea of who we collectively can be. This being said, in some ways we have collectively lost hold of what the virtues really are. The Community House Network seeks to make visible these highest aspects of humanity in our actions, and in our programming. The Ambassadors of Kindness is focused entirely on character development, and it not only educates its members on the virtues but gives them the opportunity to enact these within their families and the community. We believe these actions ripple out into the community strengthening the desire and awareness of goodness and virtue. Basic Philosophical Framework of the CHN The primary core elements to the entire approach of The Community House Network involves direct community engagement, emergent growth of ideas, personal self-direction, and emotional well-being. The Community House Network is committed to creating opportunities for its members to become empowered to direct their own lives. As such, that means its members will deepen their understanding of who they are and find where they are able to share their gifts in the world. These opportunities are provided to the youth and adult populations of the community. The Community House Network is committed to building healthy relationships and enhancing the emotional well-being in the lives of those in our community. We believe that this comes from developing social skills, personal character and focusing on virtues rather than individual’s defects of character. We also recognize that many members of our community are struggling with meeting their basic needs. This is a barrier in many cases to having the energy to move out of survival mode and into a state of creative self-actualization. We therefore are committed to helping not just with the highest level goals, but also in giving support for basic needs. The goal is to move every member of our community into a place where there is enough relief from suffering that they can realize their higher goals and become the fullest expression of themselves in this world. Moving Our Community Up the Scale: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We realize that many in our community are struggling with basic physiological and safety needs. In a very real way, they live in fear for their lives. During our 4 years of operation thus far, we have experienced multiple shootings in our neighborhood, vandalism and countless thefts. Our community struggles with food insecurity, and any small financial demand can lead to a complete breakdown of their ability to meet basic needs. This new addition to our basic Philosophical Framework comes with new programming elements that acknowledge and seek to meet some of the very pressing basic needs of our community members. One such program is the Neighbor In Need program. This program provides rides to pantries, pharmacies and other locals, lawncare for those who are unable to pay or take care of their own lawns, and services to help pet-owners. When we help families meet their basic needs, we also keep the youth safe. We help them become able to focus on learning and developing higher virtues, and move the out of despair and into hope. Self-Determination Theory The goals of the CHN include personal empowerment through building of self-awareness, connection to others and intrinsic motivation. The CHN utilizes Self-Determination Theory, based on the work of Deci and Ryan, in order to support these goals. Self-Determination Theory has more than a 30-year history of development and is based on the concepts of Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence. Strengths Based Approach The move away from deficit thinking into the strengths-based approach to psychological well-being and mental health is now prevalent in social work, business, and education. Organizational scholarship supports the shift of our lens from what is not working (deficits) towards those things and places where things are working (strengths) as a means of expanding effective programs and behaviors within an existing cultural milieu. The strengths-based approach is particularly of value in social-cultural issues due to the complexity of these group phenomena. We employ this approach in the Community House programs by teaching community members, individuals in recovery, mentors and parents how to find and recognize the strengths in the children and themselves. Positive Psychology The foundation of positive psychology comes from the study of the healthy human being, rather than the mentally ill human. In their groundbreaking effort, Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman (2004) created an intensive study of the nature of virtuous behaviors and value systems across various cultures. What they discovered was that virtues have nuances regarding culture, but fall within six core domains. The Core Domains of Virtues 1. Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective, innovation 2. Courage: bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality, zest 3. Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence 4. Justice: citizenship, fairness, leadership 5. Temperance: forgiveness and mercy, humility, prudence, self-control 6. Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality They conclude that these core domains represent the basis for healthy societies and their research since this groundbreaking publication has focused on the manner in which we can enhance these human tendencies. The Community House Network’s programming approaches the issue of building healthy relationships with the same lens. Programs to Build Healthy Community & People The Community House Network believes that when neighbors come together, get to know and support one another, they will treat each other with love and respect. This relational view of community development is one that has lasting impact and leads to an empowered approach to change. Rather than looking outside of our community for support, we look to each other. We have now created two adult focused programs as core elements of our mission: Neighbor In Need, and Live Your Creative Purpose. Neighbor In Need Our new Neighbor In Need program is based on what we have observed in our community over the past 4 years of operation. We have identified several pressing areas of need for our neighborhood and community members.
We are starting the services immediately although they will be formalized over time. A summary statement is provided, and will be further elaborated on as we get these programs full established. Because of the level of need, we have already started providing these services as the opportunities arise. Outreach and volunteerism is in development. Food Insecurity. For food insecurity we plan to continue our community garden, and to provide gardening support for neighbors who are ready to create their own backyard food supply. This programming overlaps with our youth programs: Gardening, Nature and Cooking Clubs. We also will provide transportation to pantries for those who have no means of accessing these locations. We will also help to cook food and provide meals to those who come to our location at 800 W. Thrush Ave. Lawn maintenance. Although lawn maintenance does not seem like a basic need, the lack of ability to care for one’s lawn in our neighborhood can result in dire repercussions. The current fine for tall grass and weeds is $100 in Peoria. This fine can result in the inability to pay for food, utilities and rent. By providing lawn services for our community we prevent the hardships which would inevitably erode the basic happiness and ability to work on higher level goals for our community members. We are currently purchasing a riding mower and will provide services to all those who are unable to pay. We will tie in our services with entrepreneurialism for our youth, allowing them to approach and ask community members if they want their lawn cut, performing the service, and ensuring their satisfaction with their service. Those who want to donate, will be encouraged to do so, but for those who cannot pay, we will provide these services for free. We will also start a program to eradicate poison ivy in the neighborhood. Spraying areas and removing plants when alerted. Animal Care. We have had an increasing number of stray cats in our area who are repeatedly becoming pregnant. We will make attempts to neuter and spay these animals, and to find them permanent homes. For those who take kittens, we will help with supplies. Keeping a pet teaches children responsibility and gives them empathy and comfort. But pets can be expensive. They can lead to flea infestations, ringworm and other parasites. We will provide services to help with the control of fleas and other parasites with those who adopt our animals. Transportation and Communication. We have been able to provide transportation services to those high risk neighbors who are unable to get to the store for phone cards, food and prescriptions. We have also been able to provide phone cards to those who would otherwise be cut off in communication. These services are currently limited to the most dire situations as our funding and time allows. Live Your Creative PurposeTo only focus on basic needs would be to miss the point of our primary mission. This program is focused on 3 areas. Helping community members identify their purpose, helping them enact that purpose and collaborating with them in ways that support the success of their goals. This program helps individuals with every step of their creative goals. For those in our community who are ready to step into a deeper purpose, we help with coaching them to identify their goal, then with clarifying the actionable steps to achieving those goals. For those who are wanting to build a non-profit or create a business we help with website development, mentoring and connecting them to resources. We help them get their businesses listed on Google and create outreach materials, business cards, and other printed information. We hope to create a community of creators, who work together and support accountability to one another to reach goals. We have created a structured goal setting systems and provide workshops and coaching to help our local and extended community members to discover and move towards their higher goals. We believe that when we are able to help the adults live their purpose and achieve higher level goals, this will positively impact our neighborhood. Youth Programming Youth Programming is the gem and central purpose of the Community House Network. Indeed our entire non-profit organization began out of the Art Garage. We are now most interested in how we can create youth leadership in our neighborhood. We believe that there are many ways, including creative and artistic activities, that will build healthy identities in our youth. The programming that provides the foundation for empowered youth in our community can be summarized in three domains. First we provide support for academic skill building. It is easy to lose sight of the importance of academics when focusing on aspects of character and leadership, but we believe that competency in academics is a primary foundation for success in life. To lack academic skills, to be illiterate or innumerate is to have limited opportunities. Second we provide avenues for helping our youth develop awareness of themselves and others. Creative expression is a powerful means of developing self-awareness. Finally we promote civic responsibility through character development and a focus on understanding one’s place in the world and giving opportunities to serve the community. Youth Program Offerings All of our program offerings are designed to build in our three pillars, of academic skills, self and other awareness, and civic responsibility. However, certain of our available programs are more highly centered in one area or another, and are so presented here accordingly. Academic Skill Building The basis of these academic support programs is that they work with a deep understanding of the science of how our youth learn. This programming is now offered through the LLC Creative Curriculum Solutions, and has been opened up to be available to non-profits throughout the region. There are three offerings available through the Creative Curriculum Website. These are: *From the Creative Curriculum Solutions website: www.creativecurriculumsolutions.com WE WORK WITH NONPROFITS Through the Non-profit foundation, The Community House Network, these creative curriculum offerings are available free of charge to other non-profits. Please contact us if you are interested in enhancing the youth programming at your site. [email protected] Ambassadors of Kindness This is a four month program that guides youth ages 9-14 through challenges designed to help them practice kindness and goodness in the world. The AOK program is based on extensive research into how we learn to see ourselves, develop healthy prosocial habits of mind and action, create a positive self-image, and develop social conscience. There are more risks than ever today to take a path of self-and societal destruction. This program is designed to help our youth see themselves as good and capable, and to practice the qualities of the virtues. Research shows that simply knowing what the virtues are will lead to choices that reflect those virtues. We go further as Ambassadors of Kindness, and create opportunities to practice what we have learned. Through challenges and games that every kid enjoys, we learn that being kind is FUN! It feels good to be good. Conceptual Math Wizards Many of our kids struggle with math. This is because they have not had the chance to develop a powerful number sense. This research based program guides our kids into a deep relationship with the base 10 number system. Through games, music and art, our non-traditional learners start to enjoy learning again. This approach truly reaches learners at every level. This program is great as an outdoor activity, or in a gymnasium. It involves physical games as well as artistic expression and reaches even the most reluctant learners. Baby Chicks Build Empathy Remember back in the "olden days" when we used to hatch chicks in school This activity is not only fun and exciting it is an opportunity to learn about life. We have a basic instinct to feel joy and empathy towards babies, human and animal. Experiencing this forms the roots of empathy. Babies bring out the best in us, and even the toughest kids start to soften when you allow them to see the sacred life unfolding. We bring all of the equipment and set it up for you. We will visit and care for the eggs while they incubate and share with the children information about what is happening inside the egg. Self and Other Awareness The Art Garage The Art Garage is where the Community House Network all began. It is an organic, responsive, community center where kids of all ages can connect. We believe that self-expression leads to self awareness. The Art Garage is hosted in the garage at the Center for Creative Learning. It is the most established program at the Community House Network. It was established to promote healthy relationships between the younger community members. Besides providing a safe space for children to do art and have fun, the Art Garage is focused on character development. It utilizes the Virtues Project as its framework. The Art Garage is particularly interested in promoting creative thinking and intrinsic motivation in learning. Strong moral character, creativity and motivation are necessary cognitive capacities for the fabric of our community. The Art Garage believes: Children learn best when they are pursuing their own interests. Children need to explore to build confidence, motivation and self-awareness. Children deserve to be happy. Creativity is a means of moving towards self-actualization. Creativity enhances intrinsic motivation. Creativity is a necessary commodity in our world today. The Art Garage is an open venue that allows the children to attend of their own free will. There is no coercion, which is what encourages intrinsic motivation, the basis for life-long learning. The Art Garage also has no set curriculum instead it responds to the ideas and interests of the children who attend. This fosters self-direction and leadership skills in our members. The Art Garage is open from April to October. We also hope to extend some of our creative programs out into the community. Some of the creative projects begun by our youth included theater programs. As we follow the lead of our youth, we may seek to collaborate with other organizations to present some of the art work. This collaborative effort will help our youth feel confident in sharing who they are and what they believe. Civic Responsibility The final element of our leadership model is that of Civic Responsibility. Although there have been elements of encouraging civic responsibility in our programming, this new mission is to extend and create solid avenues for our youth to engage in the community in a meaningful way. We believe the Ambassadors of Kindness program will be one of these avenues, and the Neighbors in Need program will be another. This is our most fledgling element of our youth program. A Final Word on Community Programs The primary purpose of all of the programming supported by the Community House Network is to build healthy community by fostering connection as well as empowering individuals to be able to support themselves and live a healthy and happy life. Programming focuses on youth and adults in the community. It seeks to mentor self-discovery and to find avenues for sharing talents and gifts with the world. It serves high risk populations: youth, mentally ill and disabled, and isolated members of our community. It provides means for individuals to become financially independent, and meet basic needs. The emerging structures of the Community House Network are developing through the building of community relationships. Engaged, active and thriving community is both the primary goal of the Community House Network, and the means of supporting and expanding its programming. The responsiveness of the Community House Network to the emerging needs of the participants is central to its growth. The Community House Network has always been and will continue to be a responsive organizations. It is intended to be attuned to the needs of our community and the world. As such, it is designed to grow and change as the needs of the community grow and change.
At the New Year's Day event hosted at the Center for Creative Learning, one of our community members stated that his hearts desire was to help people with their lawns. He wanted to beautify the neighborhood. I realized that this was a great opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. This is a great addition to our new and revised mission statement. Helping our community members who are struggling to maintain their lawns, keep in compliance with code enforement. We also have a problem with stray cats. One of our neighbors up the street has been taking care of pregnant and nursing mother cats and their kittens, but we need to do more. I believe the Community House Network is capable of helping the animals in our neighborhood. So two new things to add to our revised mission statement. Let's see what else the New Year calls us to do. With all of the concern about social justice, equity, priviledge and oppression, you would think that trying to address issues of unfair policies would be burgeoning. But try to get a lawyer who will take a case against the city, and wow! I spent the morning calling several law firms describing the issue of code enforcement, how it inordinatly impacts the poor members of the community.
Here is the case: People on fixed incomes, or with physical and mental disabilities, struggle to even pay someone to mow their lawns. Wealthy people have no problem paying for professional lawn services. People in our community, if they can find someone to mow the lawn, may find that the job was not considered to be sufficient. I saw a code enforcement agent take his ruler and bring it to the side of the house, finding that there were patches of grass that exceeded the 10 inch limit, he issued a ticket. A professional lawn service would do a detailed job. These services which are simply a part of homeownership for the more affluent neighbors, are out of the price range for our residents. People in our neighborhood cannot afford to pay the standard ticket fee of 100$. This price tag would have an unfair negative effect on members of our neighborhood. It could mean difficulty paying rent, electric, or buying food. Those in affluent neighborhoods are able to pay this fee without it causing distress. There are many other ways in which this reflects a social injustice towards those community members on a fixed income. What I would like to see is the fee reduced to 15$. This would be a deterrant, to be sure, but it wouldn't be a complete hardship that could take months, if not years to overcome. Apparently, it is not as easy as I imagined, in this era of Equity, to find lawyers who will stand up to injustice. Shame on them!  It has been a challenge to re-focus the direction of the energy of the organization. Clearly there is work to be done in our community and in our world. We have always sought to encourage people to embrace their gifts and share them with the world. To do this we believe that people need support and encouragement.
This New Year's day we will be hosting an annual gathering. Online and in person, our loving community comes together each year to support one another in envisioning a powerful New Year. We have been meeting this way every year since 2018. These sessions have shifted from simply setting intentions, to structured goal setting. The intention this year is on setting a creative goal and working towards it for the entire year. If you are wanting to live more deeply and share your gifts, join us and connect in loving supportive community. Find the link here. www.consciousnessexplorations.com I have stood up in several instances to bullying, and the typical response is intimidation. When the person who has power is confronted, the first thing they do is to weild that power against you.
So I guess I wasn't surprised when I found that my 100$ fine for a few strands of long grass (literally a few foxtails that had sprung up....photo to follow) is now at 200$. It literally makes me feel physically ill to think of how much money that is. Especially for those who live in my neighborhood. To pay 200$ is to not pay heat, electric, phone, food, rent. These are not insignificant amounts of money. And for what? Because there were a few long pieces of grass in the yard? How is this even a crime? I had contacted the Department of Community Development and spoke to Deja Jenkins to request a rehearing, she told me there was nothing I could do, and that I would only be meeting with the same person anyway, (John "I have no life" Redlingshafer). Furthermore, had no idea how I could even do this (this shows you how many people even take the time to try to challenge these people). I pointed out that on their very document they sent for me to pay the fine, at the bottom it stated I could petition for a rehearing. I finally went above her head and spoke with the supervisor, Ashley Elias. To his credit, he did return my call. He practiced some reflective speech, or whatever it is called when you repeat back what someone says to you. It actually did make me feel heard, but I don't think he heard me. I wound up getting an email back from Deja Jenkins saying that if I wanted to go through with the rehearing I had to send a 60$ rehearing fee, and sign a certain document. I didn't do any of these things. I was too tired. I had made the decision I would try to fight the situation in another way. So it was interesting that I received the letter that I was now to pay $200. That letter came quick! They don't mess around when it comes to intimidation, which is what this is really all about. John Redlingshafer and his buddy Matt Hayes must have horrible lives. I am pretty sure to get a job in code enforcement your training involves drowning kittens, or tripping old ladies as they cross the street. Who else would have the stomach to fine poor people hundreds of dollars for tall grass? When I had my first encounter with this dynamic dream team, fighting the high crimes taking place in the lawns of Peorians, I first noticed they were trolling my document that outlined my grievances. CLICK HERE TO VIEW DOC https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y1llh7A4P9O5e9mpC23_EodAttrc7hhLJ98vy3YyTvk/edit?usp=sharing Just looking at it again brings up all of the emotions. Back to the story...when I was preparing the document and what I would say during my hearing in Aug of 2022, I saw that there was someone watching, "Anonymous Raccoon" and so when we started the hearing, I could tell these boys had done their homework. I was cut off before I could show any of my images, and John "I have no life" Redlingshafer said, "Let me just ask you one thing," and being naive, not thinking I was getting set up, I allowed him to say his one thing, that was, "Did you have tall weeds outside in the alleyway?" I answered that yes I did, and then he was like elated! It was his shining moment. Now he concluded that I was in the wrong because of these tall weeds in the alleyway, and none of my evidence was relevant. I was guilty, but because he was such a nice guy he would only charge me $50. I was so confused, I was cut off and did not have a chance to say anything in my defense. But, hey wait, if that is his case, that all they were really concerned about were the weeds outside the gate, then why did he mow down my entire backyard? Why mow down the blueberry bushes, why cut down our apple tree, our cucumber plants, tomatoes, herbs galore... and why even come in the yard at all? No, they had done their homework and didn't want me to show how wrong and dishonest they had been. I believe we are in the era of exposing corruption, and as much as I would like to just leave it all alone and move on with my life, I am compelled to act. I can advocate where others cannot. I actually have had multiple scenarios where I was pushed to expose injustice, and in those cases major changes happened. So I guess I can feel a sense of hope in taking these action. I do not need to fear. I know this is the right thing to do. I know I am doing this, not for myself, but with the hope of impacting the way things are done. My hope is that these fines can be reduced to something manageable for our residents. I would like to see them come down to something more like `15$ instead of 100$. I don't believe that people should be allowed to be completely negligent about their properties, but what constitutes a weed, and what constitutes beauty is a matter of opinion. Should the government be allowed to call edible foragable plants weeds, fine people, poison people's yards, and cut down their plants? Absolutely NOT! Our yards and all of the plants therein should be considered our personal property. What I have to say is, Joe Dulin, stay off my property! I am a big believer in the Law of Attraction. I have seen it impact my life and the lives of those around me. I know that my thoughts are powerful contributors to the way my intentions are manifested. How then after all of the challenges and negative experiences can I stay in the positive stream? Perhaps this is the primary lesson I am meant to learn through all of this?
I have been working on the new vision and mission with little spurts and jumps. The haltingness of the process has been frustrating, and there have been periods of deep lows. Moments when I just sit and stare and wonder. However, because of my own awareness of the important to both validate the present state of feeling, and the critical importance of not spinning out in the mental story telling of the negativity, I have allowed myself those days of staring out the window. I believe this made all the difference. I finally believe I have a clear vision to move forward. One that is exciting and taps into all those areas I feel competent in and desire to share with the world. Just to share the process on how these arrived, I will map out my evolution here. The Evolution. My first start at reorienting had two primary areas of focus. These two areas were chosen by first and foremost eliminating what was not working. I had to realize my serious limitations. The First Apprentice program, as powerful and meaningful I felt it was, had to go. I did not have the skill set to fulfill this vision, and my ability to connect with the larger community was lackluster to say the least. Secondly, and probably most importantly, I had to relinquish all attempts to work with the addicts in the community. This had drained me both physically, financially and spiritually. I gave and gave and gave and in return was slandered throughout the recovery community. This did great harm to the project and my own reputation. This had to be cut off completely. Luckily, the CoDA community is separate and small, so I will be able to partiipate in this amazing 12 step community. This won't be a part of the project, but might touch back in at somepoint. Getting to the primary mission, the Youth Programming did continue to develop over the four years of the project. We held our Art Garage April to October every year. We developed the Ambassador's of Kindness program, publishing two books and working to operationalize our level one, so that it could be enacted effectively with youth anywhere. We published several childrens math books, and held Conceptual Math Wizards Level 1 courses. These were all successes, and furthermore, it was felt that the drama of working with the addict population had taken away the focus that should have been on the youth all along. The Community House was an extension of the Art Garage. It was meant to extend that programming, not diminish it. Now looking at what other new areas were successful. It was clear that some powerful connections were made with women who were also community organizers. We helped several people start new endeavors, Ann Oesterle, started her own Yoga Studeo, Anna Prana. We didn't do much, but helped to flame the fire, and offered her the chance to practice her craft at our own studeo at the Community House. Still we are so proud of her accomplishments, just amazing. We helped Ryan and Phil with their business, getting it on Google and setting pu their website. The tragedy here is that they both succombed to their addictions, and Ryan passed away from an overdose last year. So tragic, as his talent was undeniable and his business had found some incredible success. More lasting and meaningful connections have been made. Ethel Pates, founder of Your Lives Matter Outreach Ministry has become a collaborator in the project, and also the Community House has been able to support her work, by assisting with her website. Another collaborator, Yolanda Wallace, has been a point of hope. Her own ability to organize and create powerful event for her non-profit, A Mother's War On Violence. https://www.motherswaronviolence.org/, has been an inspiration. For this reason, I felt collaboration was a necessary piece to keep. So this was the first iteration: Youth Programming and Collaboration The more I thought about who I might collaborate with, and how I might support entrepreneurialism, I just kind of froze. I reached out to a couple places, but they were all dead ends. Will this be another drain of my energy. One thing I came to understand about my goal of creating loving community is that I do not have control over what others do. I cannot dictate their action, or determine their engagement. This means that to a certain extent, loving community is not something I can actually create. God can create this. It happens under certain circumstances. I can attempt to create these circumstances, but so far I have not been successful in creating loving community. So what can I create, what do I have control over. I can create websites, and books, and art, and I can create opportunities to engage in art and publish your own work, and host events. If I do these things, community may develop, or it may not, but I am still doing my part. Something about the collaboration piece just felt too hard. I struggle with people stuff, so it is ironic that I would create a Community House. It is a deep longing I have for something that I have lacked and that doesn't come naturally to me. OK, second iteration, Youth Programming Only. This was where I was about 3 weeks ago. Youth programming only. I felt I could do this. I focused on first the Math and AOK programs, but realized the baby chicks were an amazing success, and of course the Art Garage. So it expanded. I could continue the Art Garage in my own garage, and offer the other programming at other sites. These are so prevalent all over Peoria and there was no reason I had to limit my offerings to Peoria only. So that was decided. But something was nagging at my heart. I felt like I was loosing what I loved so much. That is to encourage adults to share their gifts as well. I didn't want to only work with kids, although I love it, kids are just starting to discover themselves. I wanted to find creative adults who wanted to share their gifts and were looking for creative community to foster their dreams. That was it. I realized my second purpose. It wasn't about entrepreneurs, it was about creative people. It was about supporting Creators! Entrepreneurs are creators, but by turning the focus onto the creative aspect of it, it allows all of my passion to be present in the vision. So here we are now. Youth Programming and Creators Programming. I still need to discover the names, but that feel like what the new program wants to become. I feel myself being lifted out of the morass and back into the stream of life. Praise God and may I serve his mission with this vision. |
AuthorAn Idealist-Realist. Striving to Bring those Idealistic Dreams into Reality. Archives
April 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed