SEE POTENTIAL

SEE POTENTIAL uses documentary photography as advertising for community led revitalization projects on the South Side of Chicago

10/04/2013

Dear SEE POTENTIAL Friends:

Thanks to all of your Facebook “likes” and cross-sharing of our project, we have a total of 409 Friends! For the SEE POTENTIAL Team, this means that people are paying attention and show interest in community-driven revitalization projects. This is awesome and demonstrates a fundamental aspect of human nature: PEOPLE DO CARE about urban transformation! The question that lies before us as we look towards building on what has already been done is: How do we now MOBILIZE the support of all our Friends?

Supporting Bronzeville Community Garden’s Kickstarter initiative is one option; and, a very critical one at this juncture. They need to raise $1,960 by the close of business today in order to move forward with their campaign. We’ve done the math! If 100 of our Friends contribute $20 each, Bronzeville Community Garden stays in the game. We greatly request your financial support for the effort.

For the past four seasons, Bronzeville Community Garden has been a unique platform for creating community on 51st Street, while engaging residents from the broader Bronzeville community and visitors from beyond. They have facilitated many important connections and learned a tremendous amount about operating in their neighborhood.

Operating the garden has also been a great challenge. They've done it on less than a shoe string, relying on volunteers, re-tasked and re-used everything, and, when all else failed, providence. They've never sold a thing nor booked a dollar of revenue; and, they plan to continue - and to grow - in this fashion, as a community place.

To make it all work over the long haul, they'll need the ongoing support from folks who believe in what they're doing. The funding will support a broad range of garden-based initiatives, from our kids programming, to improved infrastructure (umbrellas for much needed shading!), and to our burgeoning Bronzeville Bikes program.

Please give us your pledge.

You can pledge as little as $1 (although our first reward comes at $10 :)) by clicking http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2013532372/a-community-center-without-walls.

Making a pledge today will be doubly helpful because, as mentioned above, it will allow them to continue their Kickstarter campaign beyond today!

Thanks for your support! And please circulate within all of your networks!!!!

A Community Center Without Walls A living fence, canopies and more events will advance Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood efforts in growing a healthier community.