August 1, 2005

St. Paul Homeless Unite

The homeless in St. Paul have united to form a group called the X Committee, "by the homeless, of the homeless, and for the homeless." The group addresses issues homeless people face and tries to find solutions. One recent example was adding lockers to a downtown day shelter.

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June 2, 2005

Fishing For Life: Score a Total Gym Makeover for the Ober Center

Attend a Minnesota Lynx game on Saturday, June 4 and you could help score a new gym for the Union Gospel Mission. It's part of Faith and Family Night presented by KTIS, the Minnesota Lynx, Fishing for Life and featuring a concert by Twin Cities natives Go Fish.

The WNBA is offering a $25,000 gym renovation as part of their Court of Dreams sales promotion. Whichever community group sells the most group tickets to a single game across the league will win. Last fall KTIS won the promotion after selling 3,467 tickets to a Lynx vs. Storm game and concert by the Christian group FFH. The new basketball court went to Total Victory Church in Minneapolis.

This year KTIS and the Lynx are partnering with the Union Gospel Mission and if they win the gym renovation will go to the Ober Center in St. Paul. The game that counts is this Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m., the Minnesota Lynx vs. the Charlotte Sting. Go Fish will sing the national anthem and perform a post-game concert. Fishing For Life will be promoting their upcoming Fish-a-Thon and offering fishing activities for kids before the game.

How to Order
You can order tickets by calling the Lynx/Timberwolves Christian Community Program at 612-673-1225 or ordering online (though I'm told you get a better seat selection by calling). If you buy tickets through Ticketmaster or at the gate they will not count towards this promotion. Tickets start at $10.

Other Ways to Help
You can also sponsor tickets for the Union Gospel Mission, buying $10 tickets that will be distributed for free to people the Union Gospel Mission serves. This tax-deductible donation is a great way to give people a night out who otherwise couldn't afford to go. Businesses are encouraged to donate.

In addition, the Union Gospel Mission is accepting donations to help remodel the Ober Center.

The Ober Center
Located in the Frogtown neighborhood just west of downtown St. Paul, the Ober Center houses the Promise Program, an office training program for women, and the King Family Foundation Child Development Center, a toddler and pre-school daycare center run by Bethel University. Until recently the Salvation Army also ran after school programs at the Ober Center, though the Union Gospel Mission has been remodeling the Ober Center for new ministry.

My wife works at the King CDC and they often use the gym when the weather prohibits them from going outside. Just last week when I picked my wife up I saw the inside of the gym for the first time and realized just how badly it could use a renovation. It's the size of a single basketball court with absolutely no windows and severe cracks in the walls. It's like stashing neighborhood kids away in the basement.

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May 3, 2005

Recycling Day

Starting on Earth Day recycling happens every week in St. Paul. Eureka Recycling upped their schedule from every other week to once a week.

Posted by kevin at 7:07 PM | TrackBack

April 28, 2005

Revitalizing Urban Neighborhoods

The Banyan Foundation is an inner-city non-profit ministry founded by a Bethel University professor in the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis. It's cool to see work like this happening, as well projects like Urban Homeworks.

The Frogtown Pastor is understandably excited about this foundation and eager to do something similar in Frogtown.

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