Exciting news in Gentilly: HONO Day 2010, Jericho Road Community Garden/Clean Up Day

Two great projects in Gentilly this past weekend:

HandsOn New Orleans Day 2010

and

Jericho Road's Community Garden/Clean Up Day

HandsOn New Orleans Day 2010 was a celebration of our organization's 4th anniversary! Over 200 local and visiting volunteers helped to clean up Gentilly's very own Indian Village on March 20th. Teams of hard workers, from high school students to parents, utilized our TLL's cache of gloves, shovels, rakes, weedwackers, and hand tools to clear street debris and cut down overgrowth. In a matter of hours, the community had seen a great transformation and the celebration of genrously donated food, Mardi Gras Indian spectacles, and top volunteer recognition awards had begun.

Jericho Road Episcopal Housing Initiative held a Community Garden/Clean Up Day in Gentilly the following Sunday where a number of volunteers beautified a section of the neighborhood and overhauled the site of an impressive community garden plot. Rachel of Jericho Road and her equally enthusiastic accomplace, Tammy, returned their tools with great stories of accomplishment. You can view their photo album on Facebook here and catch the visual storyline of what you can imagine was a monster-sized project. We're glad such individuals and organizations have this much motivation to see their projects to the end!

Do you have pictures of the house you are working on or the community site your friends fixed up? The HONO Tool Lending Library would love to share your story as a member of our Greater New Orleans community so that others can be inspired. Feel free to contact us with your pictures and stories via email or in person.

Cheers,
Marc

Thank you GNODRP for your wonderful donation!

We would like to extend a big thank you to Jeff, Asa and the great staff at GNODRP for the wonderful donation of tools ya'll presented to us earlier this month!  Dozens of tools were marked for community use like pruning shears, shopvacs, tile cutters, weedwackers, and many more useful goodies.

 For those of you who don't know, GNODRP stands for Greater New Orleans Disaster Relief Partnership.  It is a name that embodies their intrinsic value as a positive force in supporting our region's recovery and future disaster preparedness.  For more information, visit their website at www.gnodrp.org.

Donations like these help us keep our expansive tool inventory stocked and ready to serve community needs.  We are always willing to accept tool donations of new, used, or easily repairable tools.  Just contact us here at tools@handsonneworleans.org for any questions or comments.

Thanks again ya'll, I have plenty more updates to bring to light in the upcoming days so stay tuned!
-Marc

Promotion at the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association this Saturday

Exciting news coming up as we start to spread the word about the Tool Lending Library to local neighborhood associatioons. First on our list of stops is the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association Meeting happening this weekend.

There, I will be standing alongside Audrey Cropp, another HandsOn Staff Member pictured here to give a brief introduction to the Tool Lending Library as well as our Volunteer Leader Program. After the meeting, we will be able to answer any questions and register new members on-site!

After that, I will be dropping off a small stack of one-pagers to The Green Project in the St. Claude Neighborhood.

If you would like to help spread the word or are interested in having us come visit your local neighborhood meeting or other event, feel free to contact us at tools@handsonneworleans.org or by phone at 504-483-7041 Ext. 105.

-Marc

Tool Lending Library Quick Facts

Who?
HandsOn New Orleans, a HandsOn Network affiliate and local volunteer resource center, inspires and motivates people to meet critical community needs by encouraging active citizenship through meaningful service. Since our inception in 2006, HandsOn New Orleans has provided local and visiting volunteers with the tools, housing and training necessary to strengthen and rebuild the New Orleans community.

What?
The HandsOn New Orleans Tool Lending Library is one of the first official tool lending libraries in the city of New Orleans. The library consists of more than 4800 tools that New Orleans residents, non-profits and volunteers can utilize to repair homes, plant trees, beautify area schools and parks, and more.

Where?
The Tool Lending Library is located at 1204 South White Street in Central City.

When?
The Tool Lending Library is open Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday by appointment, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (or by appointment).

How much?
For $10 a month or $100 a year, members may check-out tools for landscaping, painting, construction projects, neighborhood clean-ups and more. Members must present a valid, government issued photo ID and proof of address in the Greater New Orleans area when registering.

Need more information?
For more information regarding the HandsOn New Orleans Tool Lending Library, call (504) 483-7041 extension 105 or e-mail tools@handsonneworleans.org.

We have updated our wish list!

Thank you so much to everyone who has been offering to donate to the Tool Lending Library. We love seeing our tools being put to good use throughout the city! Sometimes that means excessive wear and tear that needs safe repair or replacement. We wouldn't be able to continue functioning without these regular generous donations.

We now have a Tool Lending Library Wish List for all to see. Tools specified are preferred makes and models but any help is warmly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for you considerations, and have a happy and safe Mardi Gras!