News
New North Park Friendship House Registry
Help CCC by bringing a gift to the housewarming.
The finishing touches for our new North Park Friendship House are being added now! And once they are complete, we-- along with our neighbors -- are excited about the opportunities this new house brings to our neighborhood.
The new house offers adequate space for the many activities we host with our neighbors as well as space for our family to live. Our final need for the Friendship House includes furnishings and supplies to add the special hospitality and functionality needed for community renewal success. If you would like to donate for the purchase of larger items you may send a donation to CCC or donate now using your credit card.
FURNITURE (estimated cost)
- Sofa sectional (2000)
- Ottoman or coffee table (300)
- 4 "comfy" chairs (600/each)
- 4 side/end tables (250/each)
- Game table and chairs (1500)
- 3 lamps (75/each)
- 2 Area rugs (500/each)
- Dining room table and 10 chairs (4000)
- 4 bar stools (75/each)
- 6 outdoor rocking chairs (100/each)
- Window blinds (1500)
KITCHEN SUPPLIES
- Paper towels
- Plasticware
- Napkins
- Hand towels
- Dish rags
- Reusable plastic cups (dishwasher safe)
- Reusable plastic plates (dishwasher safe)
OTHER SUPPLIES
- Toilet paper
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Glue sticks
- New Children's Games (such as Apples to Apples or board games)
The North Park Friendship House Open House will be 4:00 - 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 29, 2010 at the house, 2701 Hickory Street at Lowden. Everyone is welcome (gifts not necessary).
If you would like to bring a housewarming gift, a money tree will be available, you may bring an item above or donate toward or to cover a large item listed above. You can also make a gift using your credit card now.
Good Neighbor Breakfast Postponed
Snow delays fundraising event another month
Connecting Caring Communities first Good Neighbor Breakfast was scheduled for Wednesday morning, February 24, 2010. But the peaceful snow the day before has lead to a delay in this important event for CCC. Concerned about the weather's impact on safety for guests early Wednesday morning, CCC has decided to move to its plan B.
The Good Neighbor Breakfast will now be held on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 7:45-8:45 a.m. in the McCaleb Conference Room of the Hunter Welcome Center at Abilene Christian University. The event is free.
If you wanted to attend but weren't able to in February, now is your chance to attend after all. To save a spot at the Good Neighbor Breakfast, call 232-8241 or email Jordan at jordan@wecareabilene.org.
Sustainable Energy Efficient LEED Platinum Home 1 of 4 :: Press Release
The first of four sustainable energy efficient homes designed specifically for Low to Moderate Income (LMI) applications is set to begin construction on February 22, 2010 in Abilene, Texas.
The homes offer a wide array of sustainable amenities. This standard ranch style three bedroom, two bath, two car garage home offers a total living space of 1,300 square feet. The home is designed by Universal Design Consortium Inc., a Lubbock based sustainable architectural firm and is projected to set the stage for additional Energy Efficient homes to be constructed for low income citizens of Abilene by the Connecting Caring Communities (CCC) throughout the year. Design of this home began in January of 2010 with the following in mind: Reduced Energy Consumption, Maximized energy retention, Reduced operational maintenance, Low and fixed income affordability, Handicap Accessible adaptability, Increased resale value, Xeriscaped landscaping, Drip irrigation system, Renewable energy production system, Passive solar configuration, and Reduced construction difficulty, to name a few.
The home will achieve a Platinum LEED rating with analysis provided by GWS out of Oklahoma.
Its capabilities include handicap adaptability. Although not fully ADA configured, the home is designed with accessibility in mind. All doors are configured for handicap accessibility and bathrooms, kitchen, and closets are constructed to be adapted if the need arises. The home is designed for universal occupancy and directly addresses the growing need for elderly friendly single family residences.
Second the home is designed with passive solar in mind. Although the site has limited the maximum passive solar design flexibility, areas of concern such as wall thermal radiation absorption rates, window locations/ sizes and protective roof overhangs have been considered and installed to provide protection from solar thermal gain. Additional non-visible solar strategies have been designed into the home to maximize passive effectiveness.
The homes Cooling system, is also specifically designed for advanced sustainability and offers the highest percentage efficiency possible. The cooling system is designed for the cubic volume of the homes interior space and consists of round ductwork for increased efficiency and ease of cleaning. In all; the cooling system will operate way above an average HVAC system. This system will reduce the yearly electrical costs up to 63% by utilizing a direct flow ground source heat exchanger.
The home boosts a superior insulation package that is second to none; with Compressed Earth Block (CEB) exterior wall assemblies, an exterior wall insulation envelope of R-50+ is possible at very little cost.
In addition to the homes already impressive strategies, UDC has also equipped the home with a 5 kilowatt solar array, static mounted on the roof. The solar array is specifically designed and sized to allow the home the best chance of achieving a net zero energy performance per year. This is where the homes renewable energy production system produces enough electrical energy that the home can operate without utilizing electricity from the power grid. A collection of 24 evergreen 200 watt panels will allow the home owners to enjoy a very small to no electrical bill at all.
The home is also designed to achieve a 90% reduction in water usage and utilizes a gray water return system that collects non-bio hazardous water from inside the house, as well as, 100% of rain water run-off from the roof system and stores it in a 2,000 gallon underground concrete tank. A pedestal pump attached to an automatic irrigation system placed on top of the grey water tank provides irrigation for the surrounding landscape on a daily basis. A gray water return system and drip irrigation systems compliments the xeriscaped lawn. All plants, trees and grasses are drought resistant and low maintenance. Water not used by the home is further recycled and collected in a large Gray water tank that allows for the irrigation of the parks behind the home.
Overall, this homes design ushers in a new chapter in efficient design by UDC. It is hoped that the lessons learned with this home can be repeated in future homes for a greater effect in reducing excessive energy consumption and enhancing human habitation within homes. For additional information, please contact UDC or CCC directly or for more information concerning this project and others like it visit UDCINC.ORG, the leader in sustainable energy efficient design in Texas.
Snow Day Fun in North Park
Neighborhood kids came out to play after school at the field across from the Friendship House on February 11th.
North Park Neighborhood kids, teens and a few adults and a few HSU volunteers came out to play on the HSU intramural field across from the North Park Friendship House. They had snowball fights, rolled down the hill, made snow angels, took over a snow fort built by HSU students, and made real "snow cones". One new neighborhood family that just moved in 3 weeks earlier came out to join the fun to discover that they knew other kids from the neighborhood from their classes at school. The family got so excited to find other families nearby and to discover their children already knew several neighborhood kids. Everyone went home soaked and tired, but it sure was fun! Check out a few of our pictures below:
Dress Up Fun
This last week at the North Park Friendship House volunteers and neighborhood girls had fun playing dress up.
Kelsi, one of the North Park Friendship House volunteers, sent me an email last week asking if we could use some dress up clothes at the Friendship House, her family was moving and cleaning out things and she had found all her old dance outfits from growing up. On Thursday volunteers along with neighborhood girls played for 45 minutes trying on Kelsi's dance uniforms from over 14 years worth of dance. Every girl and volunteer was able to find something to put on and just have fun being silly and feeling like dancers, princesses, and little ballerinas. We got lots of fun photos and lots of laughs just hanging out and being silly. Hope you enjoy some of our photo fun!
CCC Works to get a Complete Count in Census 2010
KTXS NEWS' Melissa Garcia reports on CCC's Census work
ABILENE -- The 2010 census is right around the corner.
Connecting Caring Communities is teaming up with the Census Bureau to make sure in the 2010 count, lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, don't get left out. In the 2000 count, less than 48-percent of homes in the College Heights neighborhood turned in a census form. It's one of 5 areas in Abilene the census bureau identified as "hard to count." The count, directly affects the cities federal funding.
Brad Carter: Making the Connections (ARN)
Progress 2010 Profiles include CCC executive director Brad Carter
Brad Carter’s ultimate goal as executive director of Connecting Caring Communities may seem unusual.
“We are trying to work ourselves out of a job,” Carter said. Considering the objective of the 4-year-old nonprofit organization, however, the goal makes sense.
“CCC exists to build meaningful relationships where people are connected to each other and resources are connected with needs,” Carter said.
Read the rest of Laura Gutschke's profile from Jan 31, 2010 Abilene Reporter-News here
Abilene Friendship House Expands (KRBC/KTAB news)
Local news anchor Brittany Pelletz files this story on CCC
"A lot of people are different from us so we've gotten to meet a lot of different people...Right here in Abilene without having to move from the other side of the world...So it really has fit in with who we are and what we do...Just not the way we thought it would be at all," says Danyel Rogers, a resident of one of Abilene's Friendship homes...
See and read full story online at Big Country Homepage.com
Friendship House Activities about to Begin Again
January 25th the North Park Friendship House will be kicking off a new semester of Neighborhood Activities and is excited that sometime during the Spring there will be a transition made to the new Friendship House that is being built on the corner of Hickory and Lowden.
This is an exciting time in North Park neighborhood and we have some new activities and events we will be a part of this year at the Friendship House. This semeseter we will have the opportunity to offer Junior Master Gardener program to the North park neighborhood children and teens on Thursday afternoons. This is a program where kids can learn the basics of gardening from growing roses, to cucumbers and everything in between. The class will be taught by Community Coordinator Danyel Rogers and neighbor Patri Bailey. The class will also help prepare the space for the North park Community Garden that will begin this Spring as part of the new development where the North Park Friendship House, Park and other new homes will be built in the neighborhood.
Also, this semester our neighborhood teens will be involved in a city wide teen program: Da-Cipher, which is coordinated by Robert Lilly and seeks to give teens in the Abilene community a safe place to have their voices heard on important topics as well as experience a postive environment where they can be encouraged to make good decisions, make a difference in their neighborhoods and schools and enjoy inter-racial and inter-generational friendships.
Some of our one time events will include a Parents Night Out, a Census Party, a Neighborhood Fun Run/Walk/Bike to just encourage neighbors to get outside and meet neighbors, and the highlight of the Spring activities will be a big Neighborhood Party and Open House when the new Friendship House is completed. The open house will feature some neighborhood talent, as well as games and food and a time for neighbors and those interested in the friendship house to come out and just celebrate caring in the North Park Community. We can't wait for the Friendship House to be back in full swing and see what fun 2010 brings to our neighborhood!
Local News Covers Abilene Neighborhood Initiative
CCC's partnership with churches and City of Abilene brings renewal...and headlines.
Where It's Safest in Abilene by Sarah Kleiner Varble
"Margie Ornelas-Youngblood remembers playing Red Rover and other games late into the night with her brothers and other children in the Holiday Hills neighborhood. In the same house, decades later, she listens for gunshots." Read more in the Abilene Reporter-News
Abilene's Alameda Area has Crosswalk by Sarah Kleiner Varble
"Children walking to Reagan Elementary and Clack Middle schools from the Alameda neighborhood don’t have to wait for a break in traffic to dart across South 7th Street anymore." Read more in the Abilene Reporter-News