A new trail will connect Toledo Public School Hawkins Elementary and Toledo Botanical Garden, which became part of Metroparks Toledo three years ago. Since then, the park system has maintained and enhanced the garden beds and made numerous other improvements, such as adding the long-anticipated children’s discovery play area. As a result, visitation to the Garden has doubled in that time. The collaboration between TPS and the Metroparks will also explore opportunities to create new experiences for Metroparks visitors as well as students at Hawkins and the Natural Science Technology Center. Both schools are adjacent to TBG.
Virtual Programs at Imagination Station Support Remote Learning
Imagination Station has gotten creative and designed new educational programming to meet the evolving needs of teachers, parents and students who are utilizing remote learning options this year. From field trips to explosive demonstrations, Toledo’s science center is offering a variety of in-person and virtual programs to explore. With expert guidance from an Extreme Scientist, students can dive into the world of weather, create their own greeting cards, tinker with circuits, learn about genetics, and get creative with computer coding. Registration and more information at imaginationstationtoledo.org.
NDA Decorates 1000 Rocks to Spread Kindness
Notre Dame Academy students, staff and sisters decorated 1000 rocks, which were donated by Sandman Sales Yard, with messages of hope. Students met virtually to decorate the rocks, and they then brought them to the NDA prayer garden to be blessed before taking them out into the community. The goal of the project is to spread kindness throughout the Toledo community with the inspiring messages. Money raised from t-shirt sales were donated to Ronald McDonald House.
Toledo Subscription Box Curated by Local Women-Owned Businesses
Ten businesses highlighted in the box to be delivered next month
HerHub, a nonprofit initiative under Women of Toledo, was started to encourage and advance women-owned businesses. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, with businesses scrambling to stay afloat after their physical doors closed, HerHub had an idea: a subscription box filled with samples of products from local women-owned businesses, along with a booklet complete with information about the business owners and their stories. The subscription box, “For Her by Her,” gives local businesses the opportunity to sustain and expand their customer base during the pandemic and beyond.
What do you find in a box?
Items from local coffee shops, organic farms, bakeries, art galleries, bath and beauty boutiques, flower shops, and candle stores are a few examples of items included in the box subscription.
How often are boxes available and what is the cost?
HerHub subscription boxes are available quarterly, with delivery scheduled for November, February, May, and August. Subscriptions start at $43.99.
How can a business participate?
Local women-owned businesses may apply to participate in upcoming boxes by emailing HerHub at [email protected].
Local picture book helps children through grief
Grief is one of those difficult feelings that everyone experiences at some point in their life. For children, grief can be especially confusing and difficult. To help children process this difficult emotion, Amanda Held created the children’s book Patriot and Rowan’s Journey from Grief.
Amanda Held is the founder and facilitator for H.O.O.V.E.S (Healing of our Veterans Equine Service), a local organization that rescues horses and uses them to help veterans with PTSD. In 2013, Held unexpectedly lost her father who helped her run their farm. Along with his death, she lost the farm and many of their horses. During this time of grief, she found a process to help herself cope and developed exercises to help the veterans that she works with.
She decided to focus her attention on another population—children. Children, especially now, have been experiencing a lot of loss, and “with all the grief our children go through..having this process [to cope] can make or break them,” explains Held.
Held’s book centers around the animals on her farm. Patriot and Rowan’s Journey from Grief is about a little boy, Rowan, who is grieving for the farmer (based on Held’s father) who is “gone.” Patriot, a mini horse with dwarfism who lives on Held’s farm, approaches Rowan, who is crying, to see what the matter is. Throughout the book, Patriot tries numerous ways to cheer up Rowan, but each attempt only works temporarily. Patriot then takes Rowan to look for the farmer. Throughout the search, Rowan encounters other farm animals (all based on real animals from Herd’s farm) who talk with Rowan about the farmer. Although they never find the farmer, they do find the traits that Rowan loved about the farmer through his visits with the various farm animals.
The story is metaphorical and focuses on the idea that even when we lose someone we love, we can still find the traits that they embodied all around us in our lives.
In order to bring her idea to fruition, Held enlisted the help of Sara Kendel, the author of the story, and Kristen Woods, the illustrator. With their collaboration, a children’s book was born.
The book is currently in the pre-selling stage with the hope of it being published in time for Christmas. Held is hoping to raise $50,000 in pre-sales in order to pay the author and illustrator and purchase copies of the book to donate. She plans to collaborate with schools and funeral homes in order to get the book in the hands of children who need it the most. The plan is to donate one book for every book purchased. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book or would like to donate to the cause, please visit fundly.com/patriot-tales-children-s-book.
Home Improvement Starts in the Heart
The Playhouse Project
If you have logged more hours of HGTV than Joanna Gaines, then this might be the perfect family opportunity for you. The Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity Playhouse Project is an inspiring outlet for heart and creativity. Groups volunteer to build little playhouses for children who want them but whose family can’t afford to buy or build one. The materials and basic concepts are designed for every level of DIY experience and provide a blank canvas for volunteers to get creative in building and decorating a playhouse.
“Inspiring homeownership at an early age,” the tagline found on the volunteer website, speaks to the vision behind the program. To provide children with their own space in which they can play, dream, and imagine.
Imagining is the first step to planning for the future. If a child can imagine a future in a beautiful and inspiring home then their future is wide open. Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity provides a way for those who want to inspire and those who need to be inspired. Michael McIntyre, Executive Director for the Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity, shares some insight about the Playhouse Project:
Tell me about the Playhouse project.
“[The] Playhouse Project is Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity’s signature event that helps build a blessing in children’s lives. Area companies help support Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity by sponsoring a playhouse. The company is provided with design criteria from a family’s application. From there, the team plans out how they may design and build the playhouse to “WOW” the children. And it seems to work every time. Some designs have been super elaborate. For instance, this year we had a Giant Unicorn, an awesome Firehouse, a Transformer, other great designs, and some with complete furnishings. Tremendous generosity was shown by area companies.”
How and when did it start?
“This is the third year of the Playhouse Project Blitz Build for us that is staged at the concourse at Fifth Third Field. Like with so many things at Habitat for Humanity, we are really good with ‘sharing.’ This event and concept were borrowed from Habitat for Humanity of East Bay California and Silicon Valley. We have trained and shared it with other Habitat affiliates in Ohio, like the Columbus Habitat for Humanity. It’s really taking off.”
Whose idea was it?
“We had been watching the concept evolve over the past few years, and in 2018 we wanted to launch our first Blitz Build at Fifth Third Field. Leading the way on the idea was a mix of exuberant Habitat Pro Volunteers and our Development Staff. Ultimately it was a volunteer team from Leadership Toledo that helped plan the event, and cement it to occur at Fifth Third Field, which has been awesome.”
Why did they come up with this project?
“Building homes is core to our mission. Since this is also a fundraiser, we like to say, ‘Little houses help build big houses.’ We raise enough money for this project to fund one new build or rehab and sell the home to a partner family with a 0% interest loan. Conceptually, it’s a great fit for us.”
What are some highlights of work done in the past for Playhouse?
While the efforts and support from the area companies that sponsor the Playhouses have been awesome, the fact that they are building for area children who have demonstrated a need for a playhouse is really special. At the end of the build, when the children walk out from left field to see their personalized playhouse, it is an awe-inspiring moment.
How has the current pandemic affected the work?
The pandemic has definitely impacted things. We had tremendous enthusiasm for more teams earlier this year, but with Covid, understandably, some companies were not ready to volunteer at this time. We made a lot of adjustments to the planning and scheduling to be safe and distanced. Last year sponsors built 30 houses in one day, this year they built 24 houses spread out over two days with smaller sized teams. It was the right thing to do, and it was a very successful event.
What does the future look like for the project?
While some local companies love going to the big event downtown, other companies have felt more comfortable having us bring a playhouse kit to their company so they can build in their parking lot or place of business. It’s a great way to stay involved in the community and a team-building event. We expect to do more of those this year, and hold an even bigger Blitz in 2021. By building more of these houses, we are planting the seeds of homeownership with children of our community. And everyone knows, you can never have too many Unicorn Playhouses in our community!