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!

HAPPY EARTH MONTH (APRIL IS EARTH MONTH... )!!!

Hi Guys!!

We hope that for those of us who are experiencing Spring/summer seasons are enjoying the beautiful sunshine that we're getting here in Knoxville. 

Not much has happened at Seeedville this past week. We have been really trying to increase our efforts to renovate the facility. So, mostly this week has been a lot of walking around outside and looking at what needs to be done both on the interior and exterior of the building.

We're really HAPPY this it is spring! The flowers are looking magnificently beautiful!

But like most of us know, April is Earth Month!! We don't know about you, but SEEED is sincerely grateful to have at least one month dedicated to truly acknowledge the earth and all that she has been doing for us. 

Fun Fact: Did you know that Earth Day was first introduced by the EPA on April 22, 1970? 

On this day, millions of Americans gathered to partake in the various celebrations that were put forth to recognizing the earth. In addition to having Americans fully invested in this new-found ideology, politicians, even started including "environmentalism" into their political platforms. 

Now, 4 and 1/2 decades later, the Earth is still subjected to the capitalistic ideals of man. But on the brighter side, we have come a long way in terms of protecting the earth. Now there are policies put in place that basically prohibits man from destroying. And while that is sign of process, we still have long ways to go, if we want this Earth to be sustained for future generations. 

Looking for things to do throughout the month of April to show your appreciation of Mother Earth? Well, here in Knoxville, Earthfest will be on Saturday, April 18th, Downtown; starting at 10:00 a.m. It's not impossible to find local events around your communities that are dedicated to celebrating Earth Day. So, get out there and join in the celebration. Dont forget to take those #selfies and those #hastags #EarthDay :)

That's all for this week, folks. Still looking for ways to continue supporting Seeedville? Well, please LIKE us on Facebook-we can't stress how important it is to have facebook supporters. Also, we are still dormantly fundraising for our building renovation. So, feel free to donate. No amount is too small. 

Have a fantastic weekend. 

+Seeed Knox 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SEEED--SIX YEARS STRONG

Hi Guys!!!
TGIF!! After yesterday's fantastic celebration of Seeedville's birthday, we're still rejuvenating. Hence, this week's post won't be as lengthy as others.

It's been two weeks since we last wrote. We didn't do an update for last week because not much had happened around the organization due to how terrible the weather was.

But as the saying goes, "after the storm, there's a calm." This past week has been a tremendous week for us. The organization is doing well. We just CELEBRATED our SIXTH year anniversary, which was on March 12th. We had a huge Open House Birthday Fundraiser Extravaganza. The turn out was tremendous. We reached 1/4 of our target goal. It was really great to see all people who have been supporting us throughout our six years of being in existence.

Though we may not have reached our desired goal in its entirety, the celebration in itself was a success.

Here are a few photos just in case you wanted to get a sense of what happened yesterday.

Now with that said, we still want to reach our target goal ($2,500) by the end of March, which is 18 days away. So, you can still donate to our cause to ensure that our windows get fixed so we can stop wasting so much energy. Again, please donate to help us reach our target by donating on our Go Fund Me page: www.GoFundMe.com/seeedopenhouse. Remember, no donation is too small. 

As for our Job Readiness Program, now that our celebration is over, we will resume to recruiting and getting geared up for our first day of class which is scheduled for Monday, March 23rd. So far we have done some recruiting, had a few interests, and so we just hope that we can gain some more this upcoming week, and then see where things go from there. 

If you're in the local Knoxville area, and know anyone who might be interested in a FREE job training program, please feel free to send them our way. We want to make sure we reach as many young people as we possibly can.

That's all for this week, folks. If you're still sad about missing our event, or want to recap with us about how fun yesterday was, please drop by our facebook page: facebook.com/seeedknox.

We wish you all a very productive remainder of your Friday afternoon, and a very relaxing weekend. 

Cheers, 

Staff +Seeed Knox 

LET THERE BE SNOW

I say burr, it's cold in here! It's single digit temperature in Knoxville!!!

Hi Everybody!!

It's another week for Seeedville updates! Not much that has happened at SEEED this past week, due to the weather. We had SNNOOOWWW! Lots and lot of snow--from a Knoxville-an's perspective. 

Due to bad weather, we experienced some set backs in regards to recruitment as well as events. We had to cancel our Open House Fundraiser that was scheduled for Thursday because it was freakishly cold outside all day. In addition, we designated Thursdays and Fridays as the days we recruit, but we weren't able to recruitment this week!

With that said, we are still needing assistance with getting our broken windows fixed. I can assure you, the single-digit weather is NOT on our side :) 

Here is a link-- http://youtu.be/KUNI_zTzg-A--for you all to check out of a squirrel having fun in the snow! Looking at this video reminds us that we have to "make hay while the sun shines." We cannot wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow is promised to no one, and just like this squirrel, we have to take advantage of the present; regardless if it's sleet, hail, rain, snow, storm or sunshine! We hope this video brings a new meaning to your reality and give you something this hope for--at least a new day!

Okay, enough with the cute squirrel and the inspirational/motivational mumbo-jumbo. We want you to know that you can still support our call for financial assistance WITHOUT leaving your home in this brick weather, by going to our GoFundMe page: www.GoFundMe.com/seeedopenhouse. 

That's all for now folks. As always, thank you all for your continuous support to SEEED; whether that be clicking on a link, checking out our website, liking our Facebook page, following us on twitter and/or instagram, donating, volunteering, or any support of any sort. We sincerely appreciate having an audience to cater to. 

To that end, we wish for you all a productive and fun-filled weekend. 

Until next time, 

Seeedville Staff

JOB READINESS PROGRAM PREPARATION: THE SEEED-(MAKE)OVER CONTINUES

Greetings to you all on this (hopefully) wonderful Friday afternoon!!

For this week's post, we have a few things that we'd like to share with you all: (1) Thank-You; (2) Computer Lab installation; (3) Funding; (4) Program Recruitment; and (5) Upcoming Events 

First, we at SEEED would like to take this time to say a huge "THANK-YOU" to everyone who's been supporting us. Last time we checked, we have viewers from Indonesia, Germany, Russia, and don't forget the US. We are tremendously grateful to everyone who's been reading. We are happy to know that we have people who are interested in the things we are posting; whether at home or abroad. Thank-you to all of you!

Second, we'd like to, as usual, provide some updates about things that have happened at Seeedville this week. We are SO excited to share with you the small, but great things have happened throughout the week. We FINALLY got to install our long-overdue computer lab! Yes, we did it! Seeedville has installed its computer lab!!! Soon we will be installing actual computers to add to the interior remodeling that has been taking place. Our friends from First Baptist Concord Church came out on Tuesday to get us in motion for what will soon become a designated work space for our program participants, but also a hub for community residents. 

The photos below provide a visual glimpse of what we started with and what the final product is. It is, indeed, an amazing feeling to have the ground work covered for the computer lab. We are thrilled to know that our young adults will have a space that they can call their own, a space that gives them a sense of freedom, and a space that will, potentially, in the end, make most of their dreams come true. 

In addition to finishing the ground work for installing our computer lab, we are also working on getting the heating system fixed. Inspectors from Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) came by to look at what can be done to ensure that we get to stay warm and cozy during the cold seasons. SEEED is super pumped to be able to finally call the Morningside Community Center a home. This renovation gives a sense of stability, it also helps us tell our community members that we'll be around for a while. 

Third, we are in need of support for the projects and tasks that we are undertaking in preparation for our job readiness program. Upon completion of the computer lab, our next task will be fixing all the broken windows and blinds that are taking a toll on our energy usage; especially during the winter season. To help our cause or to learn more about SEEED's renovations needs, please feel to check out our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/seeedmakeover or visit our website at: www.seeedknox.com. You can directly donate to our "call for new windows" on our GoFundMe Page: www.GoFundMe.com/seeedopenhouse. Here is your chance to see what SEEED sees whenever it looks outside of its windows. And on a side note, the view is really beautiful during the nighttime :)

Fourth, not only are we busy with renovating the interior of Seeedville for our Job Readiness Program, but we are also pulling the necessary strings to get our program off to a great start, which is scheduled to commence on Tuesday, March 10th. This week marks the official start of our recruitment. So, we will be hitting up the nearby communities to pass out information about our program, and hope that we might snug a few potential interested candidates. On Thursday, we hit the streets and recruited around the Morningside community. If you missed us, we'll be back again. In addition to recruitment, we have been writing grants and looking for potential ways that we might be able to fund our program so that our young adults do not have to. Again, if you'd like to know more, please visit the links posted above. 

Fifth, and last, Upcoming Events:
February 19th (6:30-8:00): SEEED's Open House Fundraiser @ the SEEED building. If you're in the Knoxville area and want to learning about the new and exciting things that are happening, this is a great opportunity to learn!

That is all for now, everyone! I wish you all a productive rest of the day and a wonderful weekend.

P.S. For those of us who do celebrate Valentine's Day, I wish for you nothing but an extra day filled will love & laughter. And for those of us who don't, I wish for you the very same.

Until next time,
Take care

SEEED MAKEOVER

Hello Everyone,

We hope you all have had a wonderful work week, and are looking forward to whatever it is that you have planned for the weekend. And if you haven't yet decided on what your plans are, don't worry, you still have time. But whatever you decide, we at Seeedville hope that it relaxes you.

Since our last, and first, blog post, A LOT of exciting things have happened here at Seeedville! And we are SOOOO excited to let you in on the scoop. First, we (more like our Social Media and Events Coordinator, Summer Gregory, who also happens to major in interior design) renovated the organization's lobby. We turned the SEEED lobby from being a cold dark passageway to a more welcoming and people-friendly space. We have new and update bulletin boards- boards that provide a feeling of stability, success, and welcome. They provide information about what's currently happening at SEEED and/or around the City and offer information on local resources for community members.

Here are a few pictures to give somewhat of a tour:

Board providing information about events happening at Seeedville or in the community, as well as highlighting SEEED's moments in the News.

In the process of adding local resources that will benefit visitors, however they see fit.

Our Social Media and Events Coordinator hard at work. Also, one of our two AmeriCorps VISTAs.

Couches rearranged to offer a more welcoming space for visitors. 

Bookshelves stacked with books to add to the welcoming atmosphere that the lobby/organization as a whole provides.

In addition to making Seeedville more welcoming and friendly, we have painted the inside of the facility with the help of volunteer from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Bank of America, and various others. This was done in the spirit of MLK's Day(s) of Service. Now, the inside of the building looks tremendously great. The paint color compliments the building's interior. 

Bank of America crew applying painter's tape around the trimmings.

CTV's camera collecting footage of the day.

A glimpse at what the inside looks like after being painted. 

This is everything that has happened at Seeedville this week. We hope you've enjoyed the tour of what seems to be the newly made-over SEEED. We'd love to have you stop by to check out what we do! Please, we'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you may have.

SHOUT-OUTS: 

1. To Summer Gregory for creating and publishing our brand new website: www.seeedknox.com It's fantastic. So check it out and become familiar with it. 
2. Kermit Hayes, our dedicated volunteer for taking on the role of documenting all of SEEED's building renovation progress via CTV's camera.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Tuesday, February 10th, 9:00-NOON: Computer Lab Installation
• Tuesday, February 10th, Job Readiness Program Recruitment Commences

Welcome to SeeedVille

Happy Friday Everyone!!

With all the changes that are currently happening with the organization, we have decided that it is about time that we start keeping a weekly blog to update our followers about all the many blessings that SEEED receives. 

Since this is our first blog post, we'd like to kick things off by welcoming each and everyone of you to SEEEDVille! Yes, you got that right, SEEEDVille!! We are excited to share our journey with you for the year ahead, and we sincerely hope that you will continue to support us or start supporting our cause for this year. SEEEDVille is in reference to the organization's facility-it includes the day-to-day of SEEED. So, get comfortable with this name because we will refer to the organization as such from now on. 

Again, because this is the initial post, we'll try to keep it as short as possible and do our best to get you all up to speed. Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED) is a nonprofit organization here in Knoxville, TN. We are currently located in the Morningside Community Center, also known as Turnkey 3. SEEED's mission is to create opportunities for pathways our of poverty for Knoxville's young adults through job readiness training, while equipping communities with environmental literacy skills. 

The job readiness program is for young adults between the ages of 16-28 years old. We mostly work with high school dropouts, but strive to ensure that everyone, as long as they meet to specific age requirement, is given a chance to become job ready. This nine weeks program focuses on resume-writing, interviewing techniques, budgeting application completion, time management, and various other skills that are crucial to succeeding in any job. 

SEEED's environmental awareness community workshops are designed to properly inform low- to middle-income community residents about energy saving opportunities that will potentially lower their utility costs, equip residents with community organizing skills that will enable them to become more engaged citizens, and provide a space for social capital to prosper. 

SEEED Cores Values:

• Empowerment

• Sustainability 

• Community 

• Pathways to Development 

This is how we define #pathwayoutofpoverty:

Thank you to all of you who have been a support system to SEEED, and we hope you'll continue to do so. And to our potentially newest supports, we want to welcome you to SEEEDVille, where it's always green on this side!

We leave you with this quote: 

"The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind." - Gaylord Nelson

Until Next Time...

SEEEDVille Staff