Community Garden Summit

By jason | Published: March 4, 2010

Community Gareden Summit 2010

Community Garden Summit 2010

The Purdue University Extension of Elkhart County is hosting a Community Garden Summit on March 9th, 2010 from 7 – 8:30pm in the Elkhart County Extension office congerence room on the 4-H Fairgrounds.

All community garden enthusiasts are invited to attend. The focus of the Summit will be on sharing ideas and gaining knowledge about community gardens.

The stated goal for the summit is to encourage the sharing of experiences and the exchange of ideas.

The coordinators of the event do ask that those planning to attend fill out the Community Gardens Form and take that with you to the meeting, as they would would like to create packets for each community garden representative.

For more details feel free to Community Garden Form, or contact Ericka Soumare at 574-533-0554 or esoumare@purdue.edu.

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Organic Beekeeping Workshop

By jason | Published: March 3, 2010

Natural Beekeeping, by Ross Conrad

Natural Beekeeping, by Ross Conrad

A two-day intensive workshop focused on natural/organic approaches to beekeeping, apiculture, and apitherapy will be held on May 22-23, 2010 at Rise Up Farm in Elkhart.

A beginner’s session will take place from 9am-12pm on Saturday morning to prepare those with little or no experience for the rest of the workshop.

The workshop will be hosted at RISE UP FARM– a permaculture garden and diversified organic vegetable farm in Elkhart, IN.

The workshop will be led by Ross Conrad, author of “Natural Beekeeping” and natural beekeeper of over 20 years.

For more details and a complete schedule of events, Organic Beekeeping Flyer.

For more information on Rise Up Farm and Community Supported Agriculture, you can get the Rise Up Farm flyer here.

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I was gifted with unemployment in 2009

By MJ Frey | Published: December 31, 2009

I find myself more and more the last week or so reflecting on this year and what my experience has been. I keep going back to all that I experienced that NEVER would have happened if I had not been given the ‘gift’ of unemployment. For some who might read this, the question has to be how can unemployment be a gift? I too would have asked that question had I not been blessed by this ‘gift’ over the last year.

To explain just briefly how this time has been a gift, let me fill you in. I spent the first couple months after my layoff the first of February

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Is $250 better than $200,000?

By David | Published: December 28, 2009

Christmas was good for me personally (thanks for asking).  It was real.  Being together with our nearest and dearest in concentrated ways brings out everything that is part of our complex relationships.  But it’s good to practice the disciplines of Christmas:  expecting the best out of life, exercising personal generosity, and touching the lodestone of our values and beliefs.

The Elkhart Truth posted news just before Christmas of a $200,000 gift from a local family to the Elkhart County United Way.  This was an expression of all that is good about Christmas, and a testimony to the generosity found in our community.

I experienced this news with a twinge of something else besides joy. 

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“I’m afraid to hope for hope”

By David | Published: December 15, 2009

Life at ECWT has a weekly rhythm.  Each coordinator who is unemployed applies for three jobs a week.  Most job applications are never acknowledged.  Every once in awhile, someone is called for an interview.  On rare occasions, they are called for a second interview.

Last week one of our coordinators was called for the second interview, and it was looking very good.  The job wasn’t close to perfect.  It didn’t use the full range of professional skills the coordinator possesses.  It was more than an hour and 15 minutes commute one way.  But after a year of unemployment, this was looking pretty good. Then the prospective employer said the  coordinator could work from home two days a week.  The employer called for professional references. He spoke highly of the coordinator.

We were excited, or rather, we would have been excited if we had let ourselves be.  But we have schooled ourselves not to get excited about a prospect of a job. 

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ECWT makes ‘community contribution’

By Gerry Hertzler | Published: December 3, 2009

A Goshen-based grass-roots organization was recognized Thursday with a Community Contribution Award from the Goshen Chamber of Commerce.

Elkhart County Works Together, which has coordinated community garden projects, established a job skills bank and hosts a networking program for the unemployed, was cited at the Chamber’s annual dinner at Greencroft.

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Give a gift of work

By Gerry Hertzler | Published: December 1, 2009

Give a gift of work.

This has meaning on several levels for Elkhart County Works Together.

It is the theme of an alternative Christmas gift campaign for Elkhart County residents.

Instead of buying material things in the usual commercialized approach, hiring a worker from the Skills Bank will ensure a household project is completed and simultaneously help an unemployed local resident.

This act of assistance embodies the spirit of the Christmas season.

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Ten things you can do to help Elkhart County*

By jason | Published: November 25, 2009

10. Volunteer at a local agency.

9. Tell someone who lives outside of ELkhart County about something good you see happening here.

8. Listen to someone until you cry together.

7. Listen to someone until you laugh together.

6. Call your friends in Elkhart County and ask them how they’re doing.

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A week to remember

By David | Published: November 23, 2009

Regular readers of this blog know about the 4W campaign: the Week of Wonderful Weather and Work. We challenged Elkhart County to generate 1000 hours of paid work for unemployed people listed in the ECWT Skills Bank, and to contribute $1000 to the ECWT project fund.

Here are some memories that remain from this week:

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A Week of Wonderful Weather and Work (4W Campaign)

By Ben | Published: November 17, 2009

Elkhart County Works Together is celebrating this week of wonderful weather by launching an ambitious campaign aimed at generating 1000 hours of paying work for people in the ECWT Skills Bank!

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