Christmas Bureau Update

We wanted to take a minute and provide an update on what we are doing for the 3 families we adopted from the Christmas Bureau.  We raised $605, and it is because of that generosity that we have been able to do so much for these 3 families (total of 16 lives we are touching).  We spent $122.35 at Toys R Us on toys for 9 of the 11 kids.  We spent $337.71 on clothes for each of the 11 kids, gift cards for 2 of the 11 kids, and gifts for the 5 adults.  We spent $82.99 at Hyvee to buy holiday meals for each family: 1/2 a Ham, potatoes, veggies, rolls, and pie.  We area also giving each family a $20 gift card to Dillons to meet any other needs they might have (e.g., food, diapers, soap, paper goods, etc).  Who knew $605 could do so much?

We will be making deliveries on Tuesday and Wednesday to the families.  I only wish we could do more for not only these families, but for all those in need this holiday season.  Thank you to everyone who donated money to help us help more in our community.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Last year was my first Thanksgiving back in Topeka (we moved back the weekend after Thanksgiving in 2007).  I was listening to the radio a few weeks before Thanksgiving and heard of the need for volunteers for the Community Thanksgiving Dinner.  I wondered what this event was and how I could help.  I called the number, offered to volunteer, and reported for duty on Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving.  We were a group charged with setting up the dining hall.  First a couple of kids and I filled the sugar/sweeter boxes and set one on each table.  Then some Girl Scouts and I set out place-mats and centerpieces.  I was only there for a few hours, but it felt good to be part of something so huge. 

In 2008, the Community Thanksgiving Dinner served 975 meals eaten inside Ag Hall, 430 meals were served to-go,  and delivered 1,320 meals (according to CJOnline).  This year’s dinner is on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26th) from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Agricultural Hall (Kansas Expocentre).  Every community member is welcome (no income requirement) to join the community for a traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Read the rest of this entry »

Topeka Tree Team Announces their Schedule for 2009

Last fall Transform Topeka helped with the Willow Park cleanup that was organized by the Topeka Tree Team and Keep America Beautiful.  It was amazing how much was accomplished in one Saturday morning.  This year the Topeka Tree Team is concentrating on beautifying “gateways” into our city.  Read the rest of this entry »

Willow Park Makeover Sat Sep 20th – Come Help!!!

Come help make Topeka a more beautiful place and join in the clean up of Willow Park on Saturday! Several of the Transform Topeka members will be there and this is a great opportunity to take just a few hours & help out in the community. Here is all the info:

Topeka Tree Team

Y’ALL COME!

THIS COMING SATURDAY MORNING, SEP. 20, BEGINNING AT 9:00 O’CLOCK, PLEASE JOIN US IN A VOLUNTEER CITIZENS’ BIG AMBITIOUS MAKEOVER PROJECT TO BEAUTIFY AND RESTORE TOPEKA’S HISTORIC WILLOW PARK.

Willow Park, located immediately to the north across S.W. 6th Street from Saint Francis Hospital, is five blocks long, and extends to the west between SW Garfield and SW Lindenwood Streets. Its central Topeka location on a busy main east-west traffic corridor makes it highly visible to large numbers of out-of-town visitors and Topeka citizens alike. In bygone days it had a beautiful bandstand and a baseball diamond, and two pedestrian suspension bridges spanned the stormwater runoff creek toward its west end. But today, many of its trees are badly damaged or diseased, its shrubs are badly overgrown, the bridges have been torn down, and its creek banks are eroding away, choked with weeds and wild bushes. In short, Willow Park frankly has become almost more of an unfortunate eyesore than a valuable asset to our city and its image.

We intend to fix that on Saturday…or at least make a jolly good start at it!

Read the rest of this entry »