TGIF

Hey, y’all! Lee again. It’s been a wild couple weeks here at SEEED. We’re gearing up for our next career readiness training course in August, but before then there’s a lot to do. We are in the early stages of planning a new opportunity for our job trainees. The city will be rolling out a brand new 7.12 MILLION dollar program to weatherize houses, and it’s still up in the air how to spread the word. Everybody knows that SEEEED is the place to go for green jobs like weatherization, so I think it’ll get busy around here soon. Right now it’s a lot to take in, but it’ll all be worth it once those first paychecks come in for our trainees.

The building is pretty quiet this week since we don’t have the Just Lead kids here. John and I have been rocking out to his favorite music for getting stuff done, Taylor Swift, with the occasional Watch Me played by Josh, dance included. Never a dull day at SEEED!

not technically a picture of Josh, but you get the idea

Don’t forget that we have raised garden beds that are available for anyone to plant their vegetables in. The edible forest is looking good, and there are some tiny little fruits showing up. There’s still some room in a few of the garden beds, so if don’t have room in your yard come on down here to plant some vegetables. The best part is that raised beds have fewer weeds, and you don’t have to bend over to weed them!

Leroy mugging for the camera

Our next big project is updating the donor list so that we can keep y'all updated on what SEEED is doing. It turns out we don't have the mailing addresses for lots of people. Since everybody loves getting mail (as long as it isn't a bill!), be on the lookout for a letter over the next few weeks from all of us here at SEEED. Until then, John's keeping you up to date on facebook and twitter. Come in and see us any time!

Week One!

Hello from your new SEEED Career Readiness Program Coordinator, Lee!

John and I are wrapping up our first week on site at SEEED, and it’s already been a whirlwind! Before we even got in the doors for our first day, we had two weeks of training. First we went to Atlanta with all the other new AmeriCorps VISTAs in the South for a few days in the Emory Conference Center. The food was great, and we were told to enjoy it because we wouldn't make enough to eat that well for a while! Back in Tennessee we had a week of training with some of the other VISTA members in the area serving in Knoxville and Jefferson City. We met up at Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City for a few days of learning about the area and getting to know each other. We are lucky to have a great group of VISTAs working together this year!

Finally we got to actually get started at SEEED last Friday. John is taking over for Summer. He will be working on social media, so he'll be running the facebook page. twitter, instragram, and probably other sites I don't even know about. Right now, he’s updating SEEED's website, so check out his work! He'll also be setting up big events throughout the year for SEEED. From what I hear, SEEED knows how to party, so John will have his hands full!

As for me, I’m taking over for Kenisha as Program Coordinator for the career readiness program. Kenisha left two binders full of papers about everything she does, so it’s a little overwhelming right now. I’m looking forward to the challenge, though!

So far, John and I have met a ton of people doing great work to make Knoxville better. There’s no way I can list everyone, but here are some of the highlights of the first week.

•          Josh Outsey is back in town! Josh was one of the co-founders of SEEED and was in Kentucky as an Appalachian Transition Fellow. We got to hear some great stories and advice about Stan and SEEED.
  
•          The Williams Creek Community Garden is getting rolling! They have their first plot tilled and a sign up. Very official! They will be planting pumpkins this year that will be ripe just in time for Halloween. Thanks to Caley, the VISTA at the Permaculture Guild for letting us see the cool work y’all are doing!
  
•          The folks from Neighborhood Nerds fixed John’s computer. It wasn’t a great start for John to come into the office on the first day and not be able to connect to the internet. The Nerds helped him out and it was working in no time. Those guys are awesome!
  
•          We met with people from all across town to learn more about what’s coming up this year in weatherization and energy efficiency. Erin Gill and Brian Blackmon in Knoxville’s Office of Sustainability were especially helpful.
  

We still have a lot to learn about SEEED, but it looks like there’s some great work being done here. I’m excited to dig in and meet everybody soon. And we have the perfect opportunity to meet y’all at the barbecue coming up! Don't forget: We are having a cookout with Jarman's BBQ Friday June 19^th right here at SEEED. See you there!

Onward and Upward: Hear from Kenisha & Summer's experiences as VISTAs and Meet the 2015-2016 AmeriCorps VISTAs

HAPPY FRIDAY, EVERYONE!!! 

We know it's been awhile since we last wrote, but to be honest, you haven't missed much that has happened around the organization. For the most part last week everyone was mostly in and out of the office-either visit family and/or attending graduations. So, not much time was really spent at Seeedville all of last week.

These last two weeks at Seeedville are seeming to be bitter-sweet. Summer and I (Kenisha) are entering our final week with us. May 22, 5:00pm will mark our final day here at SEEED. We are sad to be leaving, but we believe that we have done some much for SEEED, and we are positive that everyone is eternally grateful to us for the contribution that we have made over the last year. SEEED won't be the same without us, but that doesn't mean that the organization won't continue to prosper--if anything, we believe that SEEED is on the verge of becoming something bigger than what it was these past year, and Summer and I are extremely excited, and are remorseful that we won't be a part of if; although we'll be sure to stay informed on up to date on the organization's accomplishments. We will miss Seeedville dearly and we are positive that we'll also be missed by everyone who has ever interacted with the organization. 

But on a more positive and sweeter note, SEEED is blessed to have two more VISTAs to join in the place of Summer and Kenisha. And no, these VISTAs are not the new Kenisha and Summer. They are John and Lee. These two young man come to us as graduates from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. SEEED was so lucky to have had these two young man who have been living and working in the local area; hence they seemed to be better equipped with knowledge about local community that Summer nor I had. Therefore, we believe that SEEED will be in great hands come May 29th when these two young men begin their journey as AmeriCorps VISTAs at Seeedville. I do not doubt that they will be equipped with the resource that Summer and I have left behind for them as well as their own knowledge and resources that they have gained while attending their undergraduate university and living in Knoxville. 


If I have to be honest, I think that when me and Summer started our journey as VISTAs, we came with not much knowledge about Knoxville or the communities we intend on serving. While Summer attended Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, TN and frequented Knoxville on the weekends, her interaction with the City was mainly based on shopping excursions, eating and enjoying the nightlife. Hence, she wasn't well-informed about the issues that plagues the inner-cities--low- to moderate-income communities. As for me, when I first learned about this VISTA opportunity, that was the first time I would have learned about the City of Knoxville. I had been the Nashville a while back and so Tennessee was not completely new to me. Quite frankly, Vanderbilt was in my top choices for schools to attend for my undergraduate degree, but decided to go elsewhere when I learned about how massive the institution is. Hence, when I decided to live and work in Knoxville for a year, I didn't really fully grasp what awaited me, nor did I fully understand the issues of poverty, race, class, homelessness, education and various other social in/justices that affect such a small City. I did do my research and so I was "well-informed" based on the statistics that were laid out on the internet. But if we are completely honest with ourselves, we'd really come to learn that not because it's on the internet, it doesn't make it true. Or we'll also acknowledge that a live-experience is worth much more than any book/research. 

Therefore, when Summer and I came to Knoxville, we were taken aback by some of the issues we ran into: lack of familiarity with surrounding communities, lack of understanding regarding the cultural idioms of the City, and various other lack of knowledge when it comes to what Knoxville is really about and who the people are whom we serve. 

Don't get me wrong. I do think we have made a positive impact and we have made an effort to really get out there and meet the people, learn about the City and gain a broader perspective of the work we do here. But I do think that when we have people coming in who are deeply rooted in Knoxville and have been a lot exposed to the issues that affect the City, it can get a lot more done for the organization and for those whom we choose to serve. 

So, as we've mentioned earlier, we have two amazing young men who will be joining Seeedville this year and we are sincerely grateful to them for saying "yes" to accepting the challenge to make Seeedville more successful over the coming year. The services that VISTAs provide to the organization are tremendously crucial to the success of SEEED. Hence, we are very excited to know that when Summer and I leave, that SEEED will be in great hands and that organization will be moving a different and positive direction. So, here are our two new added members of the Seeedville family: 


Meet Lee:

Hi all! I’m Lee Owen, and I will be serving as the program coordinator at SEEED this year. I am finishing up at UT (Knoxville) where I have been studying history and political philosophy. A lot of my involvement of campus has been coordinating informative lectures and public events at UT, so I’m looking forward to applying that experience in a whole new way. I was also on the quidditch team, which isn't much of a professional qualification, but it was very fun! I’m very involved with my church, Tyson House, where I’m very fortunate to be taking part in an intentional living program for the next year. I was thrilled to be accepted into the C-N Vista program because it seems like a great way to grow professionally while jumping right into serving the Knoxville community. To be honest, I don't have a set plan laid out for my career, but I know that programs targeted at building and supporting community have helped me so much, and I am thrilled to be part of that process. I’m impressed by the work I’ve seen at SEEED and the other sites, and I am especially looking forward to meeting my cohort and getting down to business!

Lee will be serving as the Program Coordinator for our Career Readiness Program, as well as working closely with Stan to merge Knoxville's Smarter Cities Campaign into what SEEED is doing. Lee will be entering the role that I (Kenisha) currently occupies, but will have his hands full with the Smarter Cities initiative. I hope that you'll give him the same (or even more) support that you have given me over the year ;)

Meet John:

Hello everyone, my name is John Gough and I'll be working with SEEED as the social media and events coordinator. Originally, I am from Michigan, but have lived in Knoxville for the past the five years. Prior to pursuing my undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee I served in the United States Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer with the 1431st SAPPER Battalion. With the 1431st I helped provide security for the Mackinac Bridge Walk, assisted in the Upper Peninsula Wildfires, and deployed Afghanistan in 2008 to conduct Route Clearance Patrols around the notorious Khost-Gardez pass. Upon returning home I spent some time traveling in Europe, South America, and Central America. During this time my parents had moved to Kingston, Tn to retire. With no immediate family left in Michigan I made the move to Knoxville, Tn in order to be closer to "home." Since my time here I have grown to love and call East Tennessee home, which has sparked my aspiration to serve the community in which I am apart of. I believe Americorps will give me the unique opportunity to make a real difference in our local community and lay the groundwork to eventually make a difference in the national and global community. As Martin Luther King once pronounced, "We must not be concerned merely with those who commit violence, but about the system, the way of life, and the philosophy which produced the violent." Moreover, I'm looking forward to meeting and working with everyone in the upcoming year. Until then, all the best, John!

John will be serving as the Coordinator of Communications, Event Planning, and Social Media. He will be continuing SEEED's capacity-building efforts in the same ways that Summer has been for this past year. Hence, we do ask that you continue to support, not just John and his efforts, but that you also continue to support SEEED in a way that shows how much you all care and love SEEED.

Summer and I sincerely thank you all for your kind support throughout our year of service. If we were to individually name each person who's made this year a success, we wouldn't have room left. So, we do hope that if you believe that you have touched our lives in any way past year, please know that we are grateful to you in more ways than one. And we cannot ask for anything more than for you to continue to give that same support to our incoming VISTAs, because they we are only as successful and effective to the organizations we serve when we know we have a lasting support system that won't give up on us and the work we set out to do. 

Thanks again for a year well-spent. We sincerely hope that we have in turn touched your life in a positive way and we do hope that our incoming VISTAs will too. 

That's all for this week, folks. I know that was a rather long post, but I do believe it was needed; at least for this time. We promise we won't do another post this long (maybe, LOL)!

FYI, next week is me and Summer's last week. So, if you haven't stopped by to bid your goodbyes (or see you laters), we encourage you to come by and do so. It's really suck if we don't get to see most, if not all, of you before we leave. So, please come by! We always love to you all around the building :) 

Stay tuned for my very last blog post on 05/22/2015. 

Until then, 
+Seeed Knox

When Your Service Does More Harm Than Good...

Hello, Everyone!

It’s been awhile since we last wrote, but we're am sure that you haven’t missed much; since we are constantly trying our best to keep you all up-to-date about what’s been happening at SEEED on our social media.

As you were already made aware, SEEED celebrated its sixth birthday, and the turnout was tremendous. We reached ¼ of our targeted goal, but since the event, we have been steadily making progress towards hitting that mark. For this post, we'll talk more about the minor, but impactful strides that we are making in regards to our renovation efforts. We'll also talk about bit about our Job Readiness Program, which at the moment seems to be a huge drag.

In previous posts, we have made some inclining to the fact that we are trying to install our computer lab. Since we last wrote, we had the desks installed and we had some gorgeous bar stools donated to add to the décor of our lab. At the turn of the new year, SEEED had been working with the University of Tennessee for computer donation. Last Thursday, we received a total of eight desktop computers free of charge. Now, we just need to work with our friends over at Neighborhood Nerds to get the software for each computer updated, and we should be good to go. With the desktops and a printer added, the lab looks sophisticated. See for yourself:

In addition to fully installing our computer lab, we have been working with Tennessee College of Applied Technology to “modernize” our heating and air systems. This is also tied into our building renovation efforts. And so, we are hoping that by the time we get closer to summer, we’ll have our HVAC system fixed and functioning like it should. Right now, we were told that the total cost will be $4,373.00, which itself could call for another fundraising event.

As for the organizational atmosphere, SEEED has been putting in a lot of effort into writing grants. SEEED’s partnership with the Morningside Housing Association is to serve as a Green Hub for all of East Knoxville. This hub is for residents to gain access to resources that focus on energy efficiency, sustainability and other initiatives that promote environmental literacy among our communities. Hence, we've written a grant to Bank of America for assistance in funding this project. Although we did not receive to total amount requested, we are grateful for the Foundation’s generosity in supporting SEEED’s efforts. We are also looking at other funding opportunities that will support to Morningside Revitalization Project that SEEED is in the process of spearheading. This project is also tied into our current interest—both the interior and the exterior renovation of the facility.

In regards to programming, we have run into yet another stumbling block. We've spent the last three months planning and coming up with recruitment efforts that will ensure the success of the program. Yet, after hours of recruiting in surrounding communities, and many phone calls, we had a total of 8 individuals showing interest in our program. However, when the first day came around, we had only two showed up. It’s been really stressful to see that all that work resulted in naught.

As the VISTA in charge of programming, it’s like I have spent this entire year trying to build something that will eventually be sustained, but on not one, but three tries, I seemed to have failed miserably. Now, with all of this, I am starting to question why I am even here in the first place. It really sucks when you are constantly being reminded about the successes that the program has had, but since I have been here, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. When I do something, I expect result because I am a results-driven individual. But that hasn't been happening for some time now. Don’t get me wrong, I do love being here. I do enjoy my job. I think that this experience is teaching me a lot about myself.

As VISTAs, we’re always being reminded that the experience is worthwhile, but is it really worth anything when I am probably doing more harm than good to the organization?

On the bright side, I am trying to find ways to remedy any potential damages that I may have caused the organization. I am currently looking into other ways that SEEED could potentially grow: through established summer opportunities for children and young adults. I am also looking into ways that we can turn our edible garden into an educational tool for community residents. So, I hope that by the completion of my year of service that I’ll have at least given the organization another reason to prosper.

Side note: it’s getting awfully close to May 22^nd! While I am really excited that I am less than two months away from successfully completing my year of service, I know that there’s still a lot left to be done. But in due time, it’ll all come together.

That’s all for now, y’all! For those of us celebrating the Easter Festivities, I wish for a very HAPPY Easter weekend. And for those of us who aren't celebrating, I wish for you a very relaxing and fun weekend.

Until next time,

+Seeed Knox