Last fall after almost all of the leaves had fallen off the trees, I donned my red rubber boots and got up on the roof (or shall I say "roofs" -- Huss has seven of them) with Jay and Rob to clear the drains of debris before winter set in. For those unfamiliar with large,...
It can be easy to lose sight of something in the winter. Snow obscures it, covering it up and burying it from our eyes. We hunker down in our blankets, trying to keep in the body heat and keep out high heating bills. In these times, it is difficult to remember why you did something...
In September, we announced the next Brick Campaign goal: to occupy Huss -- specifically, the old kindergarten room on the north end of the main floor. The primary advantage of occupancy is that we'll be able to do year-round programming, building on our successful summer activities. Another important advantage is that occupancy would relieve us...
Last Monday was definitely our last *cino volunteer staff meeting in the un-heated Huss Project building -- in spite of the space heaters, I was shivering so much, I couldn't write legibly. We are SO looking forward to having a heated room, hopefully by the end of this year! In the meantime, we've continued to take...
We've been pretty quiet on the Brick Campaign front for the past few months while we focused on summer programming, including interns, Huss Future Fest, Triple Ripple Community Garden, Family Fun Nights and the summer lunch program. It's been good to get outside, kick a ball around, paint some murals, grow some vegetables, sing some songs...
There are things in life that we take for granted. One of those things is the ability to flush away our wastes and never have to see them again. Right now, we are lacking that ability at the Huss Project. And so our first Herculean task after the mortgage payoff is to furnish Huss with working...
So much of what you've been hearing from us over the past few months has been related to our current Brick Campaign, which is an effort to raise money to secure *cino's ownership of the Huss property and begin infrastructure improvements so we can host fun, creative programming year round. We still need all the...
As of this morning, we've raised $44,400 together toward our Brick Campaign goal of $50,000 by June 15. Here's a quick rundown of some interesting numbers from the campaign so far: 149 donors have purchased bricks 110 donors have contributed $200 or less 9 donors have contributed $1,000 or more 48 donors are from Three Rivers 87 donors are from...
After our blog post and e-mail on May 3 about the possibility of losing the Huss property if we can't pay the balloon payment on our mortgage by June 15, we had a flurry of donation activity. When we sent out that S.O.S., we were at $29,300, but this morning, we're at $39,200 -- which...
One of the traditions of the *culture is not optional community in Three Rivers, Michigan, is to read a blessing before communal meals together. Over the past several years, we've gathered quite a collection and some have become favorites to use during the winter months when things naturally slow down a bit in colder climates...
The *culture is not optional volunteer staff and board of directors are excited to announce the launch of the Huss Project Brick Campaign, a seven-month effort to raise $100,000 for the Huss Project by June 15, 2013. Through the sale of 1,000 "bricks" for $100 each, we will pay off the mortgage on the property, consult with an...
Here's a riddle for you: what's old and new at the same time? The Huss Future Festival is! The third annual Huss Future Festival will return this summer on July 21 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. with an array of creative activities for all ages at the historic Huss School property at 1008 8th Street in...
