NRP And Minneapolis Call for Discussion

The Neighborhood Revitalization Program Policy Board and the Minneapolis City Council have called for public discussion of the Community Engagement Report submitted by the City Coordinator on November 9, 2006.

As a result, the offices of the NRP and the City Coordinator are working together to conduct a series of public meetings and a community survey.

The previously announced deadline for public comment on the report has been extended until Thursday, February 8, 2007.

Public meetings have been scheduled for the end of January and early February, at locations selected to encourage attendance by a broad cross-section of community members.

A language interpreter has been arranged at the meeting on February 1, 2006.

The date, time and location for the North side meeting is:

Thursday, February 1st, 2007 – North (Sumner-Glenwood, Near North, Willard-Hay, Hawthorne, Jordan, Folwell, Cleveland, McKinley, Victory, Webber-Camden, Shingle Creek, Lind-Bohanon)

Location: North Regional Library, 1315 Lowry Avenue N
Time: 7:00-8:30 PM

(Interpreters for Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Vietnamese, Lao and Oromo languages will be available)

Happy Holidays from Hawthorne!

And we recently we received the following message back from the Twin Cities neighborhood organizagtions:

Thank you! And we'll see you all in 2007!

Open House At Juxtaposition Arts On Tuesday

An intimate showing of drawings and animation works by youth artists will be held at Juxtaposition Arts on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 5:00-7:00p.m.

Juxtaposition Arts
2007 Emerson Avenue North
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411
Located at the intersection of Emerson and West Broadway on the 5 and 14 bus lines

For more information: Juxtaposition Arts, 612.588.1148
http://www.juxtaposition.org/

UPDATE:

Here are some scenes from the Open House including a discussion from Juxtaposition Arts project director Satoko Muratake.

Hawthorne Huddle a success! Thank you!

This month's Hawthorne Huddle was standing room only as friends, residents, officials and community organizations gathered at Farview Park to discuss the year's achievements and to mark 9 years of working together to make Hawthorne a better place.

Thank you to everyone who took time to announce their events and talk about what worked well for them this year. We look forward to seeing everyone again in January!

For more photos from this event, click here.

Here, Ellen Luger, Executive Director of the General Mills Foundation, discusses the Hawthorne Huddle (approximately 30 seconds):

Hawthorne Huddle Thursday, Dec. 7th

The General Mills Foundation and the Hawthorne Area Community Council would like to take time to remind you that we are having a very special Hawthorne Huddle on Thursday, Dec. 7th from 7:30 to 8:45 AM in the multipurpose room of Farview Park at 609 29th Avenue North.

In keeping with the celebretory spirit of this month's Huddle, a delicious hot breakfast will be served. Please come to celebrate the 9th anniversary of he Hawthorne Huddle and share your thoughts on the accomplishments we should celebrate and what we should work on for new year!

Special speakers will include Mayor R.T. Rybak, Interim Chief of Police Tim Dolan, and City Council member Diane Hofstede, as well as safety updates from Lt. Mike Sauro of the MPD 4th Precinct and a welcome from Ellen Luger, executive director of the General Mills Foundation.

Timberwolves visit Farview Park

Tuesday night on December 5th, the Timberwolves paid a visit to the Hawthorne area neighborhood to play basketball with our kids at the newly christened Gary Wilson Gymnasium at Farview Park. Gary Wilson and many other friends of Farview Park and the Hawthorne neighborhood were in attendance, and the evening included free t-shirts and a pizza party afterwards!

You can see some of the great photos from the evening here!

Thank you to everyone who came to make this a great event!

Here is Jon Oyanagi from the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board discussing the Timberwolves visit.

Coach W.H. Nelson also expressed his appreciation.

Coach Gary Wilson was very pleased as well.

Here, you can watch the Timberwolves as they play with the children:

Scenes from the Gary Wilson Gymnasium Dedication

Over 200 people gathered on Saturday, December 2nd to honor Gary Wilson for his lifelong contributions to the community. With the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board, they dedicated the new gymnasium at Farview Park in the Hawthorne Area Neighborhood to him.

Friends, families and officials gathered from far and wide to thank him for the unique and tremendous impact he's had on their lives and the well-being of the city.

Gary Wilson and his family expressed their heartfelt thanks and gratitude to everyone who has helped him along the way.

You can see more pictures of the dedication ceremony here!

Here is a youtubed video of the dedication ceremony. (Approximately 1 minute long)

Thank you, Gary, for everything you've done for our community!

It's made a difference!

Farview Soccer Team Emerges Undefeated in 2006

In case you missed it, the Hmong Times has a nice article about the success of the Farview Soccer Team in an earlier November issue and its recent successes with an undefeated season. Congratulations to Coach Blong Yang and his team.

Photo from the Hmong Times

An Introduction To The Hawthorne Area Neighborhood

A brief introduction to the Hawthorne Area and the Hawthorne Area Community Council.

You can see the larger version here.

Gary Wilson Gym Dedication Sat. 12/ 2

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) will honor longtime North Minneapolis coach, Gary Wilson, by dedicating the recently rehabilitated gymnasium at Farview Park in his honor.

Gary has worked tirelessly for the past 30 years to secure improvements at Farview. He was a vocal and active member of two community advisory committees the Park Board convened.

Gary Wilson is a very special “humble hero” and a fierce champion for positive athletic programs for Minneapolis youth. Conservative estimates are that he has touched the lives of at least 3,000 children through his coaching.

Gary comes from a family of eight children and grew up in NE Minneapolis. He graduated from Edison High School, where he excelled in sports and is a member of the Edison Hall of Fame.

Gary began his long association with the MPRB as a youth sports participant at various Eastside parks starting at age 10. As an adult, he has coached virtually every sport and every season at Farview and Jordan Parks for over 30 years.

In fact, Gary is still coaching at Farview Park and now is beginning to coach the grandchildren of his former players.

Over the years, Gary has been honored many times by various organizations, including the Annual MN Umpires Clinic, City of Minneapolis, City of Minneapolis Distinguished Nominee - Minneapolis Award, Kare 11 TV Eleven Who Care* , Northside Athletic Club, Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, University of Minnesota Cal Stoll Award,

* Eleven Who Care recognizes the contributions of grassroots volunteers and promoting the spirit of volunteerism in our communities. As only Gary would do, he requested that his Eleven Who Care monetary award of $1,000 be directed to the Jordan Park Athletic Program.

Gary and his wife Janet, who live in the McKinley Neighborhood in North Minneapolis, have been married over 50 years and are parents to three adult children and have eight grandchildren.

Join us as we honor this “humble hero” from North and Northeast Minneapolis who always puts others first. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for:

Gary Wilson Gym Dedication
Saturday – December 2, 2006
11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Dedication Ceremony @ 11:15 am
Farview Park – 29th & Lyndale Avenue North

Hawthorne Web Designer Needed

The Hawthorne Area Community Council is looking for a contractor to design the Hawthorne Website at http://www.hawthornecommunity.org

If you have good work skills, and understand issues in grassroots non-profit website design, we'd like to talk with you. We'd like to get the new website up by January, 2007. Designers will be paid upon completion of the project.

If you're interested in the opportunity, e-mail bworra@hawthornecommunity.org with your rates and a basic proposal of how you would approach the project and your projected timeline.

We would like to get a contractor finalized by November 15th.

Post-Halloween Report

The Hawthorne Area Community Council helped to take newly arrived Hmong refugee children to go trick-or-treating for the first time in their lives on Tuesday, October 31st.

Hmong youth gathered and met at the Hawthorne Area Community Council building around 5:00 PM where they soon put on face-paint and costumes. Then until about 7:45 PM, Jay Clark of the University of Minnesota and other volunteers took the children trick or treating in Robbinsdale.

The event was quite popular with the children who were very excited and enjoyed it. In the meantime, Hawthorne also received other trick or treaters on our doorstep, where we provided small candybars and treats for our tiny visitors.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this evening a success!

Hawthorne Annual Meeting Results

On Septemebr 28th, the Hawthorne Area Community Council met at Farview Park to elect new board members and to review the previous year's accomplishments.

A free and delicious dinner was served to community members, including an excellent lasagna, pulled pork sandwiches, fresh salad and rolls, fried rice and spring rolls, while entertainment was provided by the Aztec Dancers, UNL and the Hmong Princess Dancers.

Minneapolis Artist-in-Residence Seitu Jones gave a moving speech about the power and impact of art in people's lives and explained how art helps to transform communities.

Hawthorne area community residents then gathered together to vote on who would represent their quadrant, and who would be the at large representatives. Additional voting was held to determine representatives from the business community, the non-profits and youth.

Over 100 people showed up, making it one of the most well-attended annual dinners in recent years.

Door prizes were given out, including prizes from noted Minnesota writers and artists such as Ed Bok Lee, and Wing Young Huie, as well as tickets from the Center for Independent Artists, Mu Performing Arts, Regal Cinemas, and a one year membership to the Loft Literary Center, as well as generous gift certificates to Cub Foods and a large gift basket from Miss Cali Style Gift Baskets and Balloons.

The Hawthorne Area Community Council thanks all of the generous donors and supporters who helped to make this evening possible.

Hawthorne Community Meeting: October 11th

On Wednesday, October 11th, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at Farview Park, you are invited to join us for the first in a new series of community meetings to discuss the needs of Hawthorne and to propose new action steps for the city to make our neighborhood a great place to live. Refreshments will be provided! For additional questions, e-mail bworra@hawthornecommunity.org or call (612) 529-6033.

Posting Schedule

In order to keep Hawthorne Voices current and timely for you, we will be regularly updating this blog, especially every Monday. Be sure to check back in periodically for great new Hawthorne events that are coming up soon!

Hawthorne Annual Meeting: September 28th

Would you like to be a part of change in the Hawthorne neighborhood? Join the Hawthorne Area Community Council and our neighbors on Thursday, September 28th at Farview Park for dinner, starting at 6:00 PM.

Open to all residents and businesses in the Hawthorne area, the Hawthorne Annual Meeting is the time to elect board members to represent you as we make key decisions to help our great neighborhood grow.

The doors open at 6:00 PM and it’s a great time to talk about what you want to see.

This fun evening has live entertainment, a great review on what we accomplish together, door prizes, and a special multi-media show by Seitu Jones, the first artist-in-residence of the City of Minneapolis, who will explain how art improves our lives. Daycare is provided.

Voting is at 7:30 PM and seats are open in all 4 quadrants of Hawthorne, as well as at-large and other special positions.

Your participation is vital for effective change reflecting the true diverse voices of our community.

Are you interested in becoming a board member? There’s still time to apply! Just contact HACC and let us know!

To learn more, or if you wish to attend and have special needs, please call HACC at (612) 529-6033 or e-mail HACC at: bworra@hawthornecommunity.org

Welcome to Hawthorne Voices!

Welcome to Hawthorne Voices, the blog committed to making the diverse voices of the Hawthorne area neighborhood of Minneapolis heard!

This blog is maintained by the Hawthorne Area Community Council, a 501 (c) 3 Non-proft organization based at 2944 Emerson Avenue North.

We encourage your stories and ideas. Send them to bworra@hawthornecommunity.org or post them here. No profanity or abusive language will be permitted on this blog.

The views posted here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hawthorne Area Community Council, its staff, board or employees, nor its funders or supporters. The views are presented here only in the public interest.

The mission of the Hawthorne Area Community Council is to improve the quality of life in the Hawthorne Neighborhood through empowering residents in order to address the physical, cultural, social and economic needs of the community.