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We’re entering a new phase at the Huss Project and we need a community of friends to support our existing work and grow new programs. With a monthly donation of $10 or more, our Friends are the foundation for a flourishing future for our creative, community-building efforts. Thank you for your partnership!
For ten years, we’ve been working to preserve and restore the 100-year-old Huss School as a space for growing imagination and friendship in our Three Rivers community. We’ve grown thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables for families in need and hosted dozens of special events, from service-learning experiences to giant neighborhood festivals.
In this next phase, we’ll launch the Imaginarium, a beautiful year-round community space to support learning, play, art, celebration, sharing, creativity, and so much more. To sustain our work through this transition, we need YOU to consider becoming a friend of the Huss Project.
We’re looking to find 100 Friends of Huss by the end of 2019. Our Friends will provide critical support and encouragement through a monthly donation of $10 or more. In exchange, you’ll receive a special thank you reward and a monthly e-mail update about our progress.
We can’t count the number of times we’ve heard folks say things like, “I’m so glad they’re doing something to save Huss.” Well, friends, THEY is WE! And we need YOU to join US in preserving our community’s history and re-imagining our story for a future full of beauty, connection, and life!
How can I become a Friend of Huss?
If you’d like, you can set up your monthly donation online through our secure donation page. If you’d prefer to donate by mail, our address is:
*culture is not optional
P.O. Box 1
Three Rivers, MI 49093
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
What will Friends of Huss money be used for?
Donations from the Friends of Huss will be applied to Huss Project expenses, primarily start-up costs for the Imaginarium as we develop a sustainable business model. We’ve installed a brand new, environmentally conscious HVAC system with extensive insulation for maximum efficiency, but new systems like this will still cost extra money as we get up and running. We’ll also be investing in experiments with programming as we discern the best use of the space for the flourishing of our community.
What’s the plan for the next phase of the Huss Project?
Our priority for the coming fall and winter is to work with our AmeriCorps staff to assess our programming to date along with community needs and potential partnerships. We’re very excited to have a year-round space in the Imaginarium, and we want to be intentional about filling that space with activities that we can sustain and that provide maximum benefit to our community within our mission of serving the flourishing of all in Three Rivers. Basically, we’ll be learning, experimenting, playing around, and growing! In the meantime, we’ll continue to grow food with and for our neighbors in need through Project Farm. Please let us knowif you have a creative idea for consideration. You can also stay connected through our e-mail list, Facebook page,Twitter, and Instagram.
So you’ve renovated the old kindergarten room and library—what about the rest of the building?
Since our organization purchased Huss 10 years ago, we’ve had a vision for a mixture of housing and creative, multi-purpose community space. In the next couple of years, we’ll be exploring possibilities for partnership and funding to help guide the specific needs for the next phase of renovation. Along with the Imaginarium renovations, we replaced the roof on the original two-story section of the building to protect and preserve the historic architecture, which helps give us space to be patient for the best ideas to emerge!
It sounds like you’ve got a lot of general ideas, but not many specifics. Why is that?
That’s a great observation! We see the Huss Project as a work of art that’s growing into something beautiful as we listen and respond to our community. That kind of listening takes time, and it’s never finished. We need to stay on our toes to respond to community needs and dreams as they arise. Our programming to date—Project Farm, Storytelling Nights, Huss Future Festival, and more—has all taken shape in response to community needs and dreams. Maybe another way of describing it is that the Huss Project is a living, ongoing play in which our organization is setting the scene with lots of playfulness, art, and good food, and our extended community is improvising a vision on that stage for individual and collective flourishing. We have lots of ideas, but we want to test those ideas with the people who show up and figure out together which direction we will go. Does that sound wishy-washy? We don’t think it is. This whole project is about the way we are with one another in friendship, compassion, and collaboration. The way we get there IS the work! If that idea sounds good to you, we hope you’ll be part of our community.
Have a suggestion for our Q & A? Let us know!
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You can choose to donate monthly or in one yearly lump sum. Thank you for your support!
Receive a Huss Project sticker and a 1919 replica postcard
Everything above, plus a ceramic Huss Centennial commemorative ornament, handcrafted by the *cino community.
Everything above, plus a Huss Project water bottle and t-shirt.
Everything above, plus dinner for eight, prepared and served by the *cino resident community, or a very special box of homemade goodies for those who live afar!
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