project leader
United H
location
2750 Colony Park Dr.
latest update rss
Thank you!

the project

The goal of our ioby campaign is to fund the construction of the NeighborScape Demonstration garden to encourage financial empowerment through learning how to budget for and maintain household lawns and gardens. This garden will provide the tools for people to create a safe and healthy outdoors for their family and neighborhoods. 

NeighborScape:

-builds on Homebuyer Education*

-is a demonstration garden meant to be a place of community building and learning, where our UHI community can learn strategies for growing foods and herbs, as well as low cost practices for maintaining their lawns

-is a no-cost add-on to Homebuyer Education. NeighborScape is free, optional, and open to all Homebuyer Education customers.

*So, what is Homebuyer Education, anyway?

Homebuyer Education is the heart of our organization. UHI is a nonprofit whose mission is to increase access to homeownership among low-to-moderate homebuyers. We do so largely through our Homebuyer Education program (HBE), an eight hour workshop that gives potential homebuyers the knowledge and know-how involved in buying and financing a house. The HBE course is a requirement to gain access to low-interest loan products and down payment assistance.

the steps

1. Hold community focus group to finalize design.

2. Hold Groundbreaking Cermeony, which will be open to public.

3. Hold Community Planting Day.

4. Recruit volunteers, staff, and students to help in gardening tasks.

why we're doing it

The first part of this project is made up of grading and building an ADA accessible pathway. The pathway has been funded by the Strengthening Communities Initiative, a community grant through the University of Memphis. The second part of our project is made up of building the garden itself: the plants, raised beds, and other structures. The NeighborScape garden when finished will be the site for hands-on, outdoor learning.

Our research has shown that the way lawns look affects the level of pride people have in their neighborhoods. We also know from experience that first-generation homeowners have a lot to learn when it comes to planning for homeownership. Not just financial ins and outs but things that might get overlooked, such as yard maintenance.

The aim of this project is to serve the Homebuyer Education community through providing a common set of knowledge and a common place to share this knowledge.

The garden will be designed using a combination of community expertise, sustainable landscaping knowledge, and architecture expertise.  The community expertise will come from the HBE participants who join a focus group or community charette. The architecture expertise comes from our faculty partner at the University of Memphis, and the sustainable landscaping expertise will come from our landscaping consultant. 

The expected outcome is to create an educational garden in collaboration with faculty, students, and community partners, and to write a curriculum for this class to be offered in combination with Homebuyer Education. The garden will provide a space for the sharing of knowledge on low-cost and time-saving lawn maintenance.

NeighborScape logo designed by Yasmine Al-Jafari (Dual Major Architecture and Interior Design, Department of Architecture). 

budget

DISBURSEMENT BUDGET (as of 4/30/15):



RAISED = $3,662.00
ioby Platform Fee  $35.00
3rd Party Payment Processing Fee (3%) $105.64
TOTAL TO DISBURSE = $3,521.36

Item and description

Surfacing (crushed limestone, pervious concrete). 1755 SF (For ADA Universal Accessibility) - $6725- fundraised as part of previous grant

Shade sails @ $299.95 per unit, 3 units - $1000

Seating - $500

Plants and raised bed materials - $1796

Entry Signage - Possible in-kind Donor

Rainwater Harvesting (Rain Barrels) - $150

Herb Garden starter kit - $75

Total - $3521

 

ORIGINAL BUDGET:

Surfacing (crushed limestone, pervious concrete). 1755 SF $6725 (For ADA Universal Accessibility)

Shade sails @ $299.95 per unit, 3 units $1000

Plants and raised bed materials $1275

Entry Signage Possible in-kind Donor

Rainwater Harvesting (Rain Barrels) Possible in-kind Donor



SUBTOTAL = $9,000
ioby Platform Fee  $35
3rd Party Payment Processing Fee (3%) $270
TOTAL TO RAISE = $9,305

 

updates

Thank you!

Thanks to our Amazing Donors!

We had a great Pop Up Party on Friday where we demonstrated how to make an herb garden and a rain barrel. Our wonderful staff helped us reach 100% staff giving, and board members Laura, Maggie, and Mike came by to give and support. We have a wonderful community who is working so hard to make our NeighborScape garden a reality! Way to go everyone!

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Holldon Properties LLC
  • Jimmie Tucker
  • Ross Sackett
  • Anonymous
  • Ruthbeth F.
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Bob & Deborah Coleman
  • Keith T.
  • Samantha C.
  • Megan E.
  • Venita Doggett
  • Cindy, in memory of Ed Bolding
  • Beth Wilson
  • Tyler Hampton
  • Anonymous
  • Isabelle B.
  • Jimmie Hopson
  • Mike F.
  • Jo Gross
  • Kendra L.
  • Laura H.
  • Margaret A. C.
  • Bianca Patel
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Leigh Nanney Hersey
  • Tim Bolding
  • Sharon Walker
  • ContigoCreative
  • Linda Davis
  • Anne M.
  • Anna Gattuso
  • Amy Schaftlein