Ithaca Summer Activities for Youth Ages 3-20

I just put together an info packet of summer camps, activities and work opportunities for Ithaca kids and youth. If you have children and would like one, contact Dave at the main office (277-0099) or Megan (319-4887). Otherwise, we will be passing them out to households that we know have children.

All camps and activities in the packet are either FREE or offer some sort of scholarship. Summer activities are affordable for children in Ithaca and we should do what we can to take advantage of that fact.

The info packet also includes details on transportation to the camps. Some of them offer transportation, but others do not. If you need transportation, we can work something out. For example, a carpool or help getting a bus pass.

Any questions, just call! Have a great summer!

New Food Pantry Hours – 12:00-1:00 PM

Thank you to all of yesterday’s volunteers! The food pantry went very smoothly yesterday, and we had absolutely nothing to throw away!  We have a local community member who will be taking our leftovers to feed her chickens. Those lucky chickens were left with lots of bread, donuts and some veggies! But, at least the food doesn’t end up in the dumpster.

As many of you noticed, the pantry got an early start yesterday. This is for a number of reasons that we cannot change at the moment, so we will be changing the pantry times. The new pantry times will be from 12:00 until 1:00 PM. We will not be letting anyone get food before this time.

If you would like to volunteer, please arrive between 11:30 and 12 to help set up. We hope to put out a newsletter or flier with this info before the next pantry, so expect a notice on your door.

Also, we were reminded yesterday that there are many Overlook residents who need help collecting food from the pantry. If you need help, please call Megan (319-4887) or Sara (319-0320). If you have a neighbor who has a hard time leaving the house, please offer to bring them some food. Or let us know and we can get one of our young volunteers to help.

Thanks for supporting the Pantry!

See you May 1st!

Food Pantry Tomorrow

Hello Overlookers!

Food Pantry tomorrow – same time, same place! We need volunteers to help pick up, set up and clean up. So, call Megan, or just come down to the meeting room at 12:00.

See you then!

The people of Myanmar/Burma need our help!

This past week there was a cyclone in Myanmar that has killed nearly 100,000 people. That is 50 times the number of people who died due to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. I was recently in New Orleans, and that city has still not fully recovered. Now, imagine if it were 50 times that destruction… We would need help from other nations to get back on our feet. And now, Myanmar needs or help.

The military government in charge of Myanmar is not allowing enough outside aid into the country, so in order to help, we have to donate to groups who have already been working in Mayanmar. Thirst-Aid has been working in the largest city in Myanmar and they are helping to provide fresh water to people who no longer have clean water to drink.

I made a small donation to Thirst-Aid at www.thirst-aid.org. Please think of the thousands of children who have lost their parents and now have no water to drink. Even $5 would help… most of us ought to be able to afford that.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can give just a little.

Ithaca Services and Resources: Check it out!

Click on our Resources link to visit many of Ithaca’s great human and social services organizations. From the site you can find child care, host an exchange student, get financial help in times of need and much more!

If there is a link that you would like us to add, please send me a comment!

Meeting this Thursday at 6:30 pm

Hello Overlook residents!

We have rescheduled last week’s meeting for this Thursday at 6:30 PM. Megan will be there to discuss how we can improve the food pantry, as well as to make plans to publish our community survey and our next newsletter. This is also a great meeting for you to attend if you would like your children to attend Summer Camp in Ithaca this year. We have been researching camp availability as well as transportation and scholarships, and we have tons of info for you! Please come and bring your questions!

See you Thursday in the Meeting Room! (Same room as the pantry- next to the fitness center in the community building.)

Community Barbeque: Rain or Shine

The BBQ is this Saturday an Noon, and that’s whether it rains or not. It’s Ithaca, you never know. It could even snow. But, for now, the forcast looks good, and even if we get a little rain, we’re still going to be there.

So, get ready for BBQ chicken, burgers, hot dogs and ice cream cones!

See you there!

Community Luncheon is now a cookout!

It’s finally Spring, and we’re ready to grill! SO, we’ve decided that the Community Luncheon and Cookout will be a barbecue! We will be grilling up some BBQ chicken, burgers, hot dogs and more! We will also have vegetarian options and veggie side dishes. I’m thinking scalloped potatoes and pasta salad… Sound good?

We really need a few more grills to make this work. So, if you have a grill, please call Megan Begert and let me know! The number is on your newsletter from last week!

Also, if you like to bake, cook, or grill we could use your help. Call me and let me know!

This Saturday at 12 PM!

See you there!

Meeting Tonight!

Tonight at 6:30 we will be meeting in the meeting room/ classroom at the community building. All residents are welcome and encouraged to come. Please come share your opinions and help us plan the community luncheon.

See you tonight!

Event: Community Luncheon on April 26th

Dear Overlook residents,

You are invited to a community luncheon to be held in the Community building on April 26th at 12pm, noon. We will be offering a free, tasty lunch and discussing the future of the Neighborhood Association. This will be a great community event where we can get to know each other better and talk about making our neighborhood a better place to live.

As many of you know, there have been a number of incidents involving the police in the last few weeks. If you are like me, it makes you worry that our neighborhood may not be the best place to live. But I enjoy living here with all of you, and I know that, with a little effort, this can be a great place to live. Look what our volunteers have already accomplished: the food pantry, the Halloween party, bimonthly Newsletters and our own website! We are making progress and this is a better place to live because of your efforts.

Please come to the luncheon to celebrate our success and to get ready for a busy summer season.

Any questions or to volunteer at the luncheon, please call Megan.

Thanks!