2010

We are so pleased to have the opportunity to tell you about all the great things going on at RCFL this year! This summary of activities is our way of keeping you up to date on the movement and impact of our engagement with the Harrison neighborhood in North Minneapolis. We have painted a broad picture of the ‘neighboring’ that we consider our greatest joy and blessing. We would also like you to know that on August 1st, Marilu Thomas, RCFL’s executive director, was ordained at Redeemer Lutheran Church to confirm her call to this powerful community development ministry.

Crunch, Zip, Zoom! was the name of our biggest camp this summer and it also seems to describe the activity around the RCFL campus this year! The community garden provided the crunch and was

instrumental in getting kids and their families into nutrition and cooking with fresh vegetables. In addition, roller skaters were zipping around in the Peace Palace until October, both adults and children, with a meal provided to ensure healthy post-skate eating. And Zoom? The bikes. From spring to summer, the People on Bikes bike boys refurbished bikes, sold bikes, loaned bikes from a bike library and infused the neighborhood with movement and life. We know that we have made a lasting impact with these activities because some children earned a bike and/or a pair of skates to keep, which will embed those

exercise habits. The Hip Hop Camp was also a big success, teaching enterprise skills as well as the five elements of hip-hop. In the fall, our RAP program began working on a new cohort model which gives each student a tutor and a big brother or big sister while participating in service learning activities, reading skill building and personal accountability. This model has been proven to aid in self-esteem building and academic success.

YOUTH

Check out this link!Perennial Plate

video on kids in the garden and cooking:http://vimeo.com/14088711

Redeemer Center for Life • 1800 Glenwood Ave. N. • Minneapolis, MN 55405 612-377-4476 • www.redeemercenter.org • mthomas@redeemercenter.org

Vision of housing and space development

We hope to have a Property Development Plan that can meet the June 2011 deadline for funding from the city that includes affordable housing and space for social entrepreneurial activity that gives an income stream to RCFL and promotes economic development on Glenwood. This will address the onerous burden of the holding costs for the properties that have eaten up organizational reserves for the last four years. The property plan will revitalize the community’s ability to envision itself as economically viable and will draw economic traffic from other sectors of the city. The Development Committee will guide this change with input from the Board but will include work from our LISC Careership intern, a Bonner intern and the Faith in the City partnership. Look for updates in the first quarter of 2011.

Housing and Transition (HAT)We had quite a celebration in July for our five high school graduates (L to R) Manny Lewis JT Taylor, Dijon Pin, K r i s ta Mos ley and Jo rdan Young .Manny, JT and Dijon live in RCFL housing and Krista and Jordan are youth leaders. Where are they now? Manny is attending the Arts Institute of Minneapolis in video production, JT will go to MCTC, Dijon is caring for her beautiful 3 month old Nalo before she goes to college

spring semester, Krista is in a nurse training p ro g ram and Jordan is at M C T C . I n addition, Krista and JT have been selected as the Health Ministries Fairview grant interns to survey the community o n h e a l t h concerns. We continue to offer l i f e s k i l l s experience and job readiness to our young people

t o p r e p a r e them for a solid e c o n o m i c

future.

We have expanded the Living Room engagement with the neighborhood by increasing activity and broadening reach through participation. In October, Aster Nebro (our LISC careership intern) and Ben Masters (LVC intern) conducted a survey to assess the needs of the neighbors. In October, we had a Health Week with an Ask the Nurse Day, a How to Prevent the Flu talk and a presentation on how the brain works. Masters, our new LVC intern, will be coordinating volunteers for this effort, including connecting our partner churches and Faith in the City team with the Living Room. Nebro is our link to community happenings in Harrison and in the broader community.

PROPERTIES

Harriet Oyera in the Living Room

GRATITUDEThank you for your ongoing support! We are very appreciative of your prayers, encouragement, thoughts and donations and pray every day to live up to the confidence you have in our work.

SPOTLIGHT Babette Chatman, Assistant Director, Housing and Facilities DirectorBabette Chatman grew up in Detroit with her 12 brothers and sisters. She first learned to mix hospitality and business while working in her dad’s concession stand at the baseball stadium, which she parlayed into a business administration degree from Wayne State Community College. Babette’s brother, Pastor Kelly Chatman, works at Redeemer Lutheran and her son, William, lives in Milda’s tower. When she first arrived at Redeemer, she oversaw a youth run confectionary called the Popcorn Palace, the forerunner to the Peace Palace. Before long she was made the Director of Housing and she received kudos from the Board in November for her efficient property management skills. You can also find Babette on the Augsburg campus on Monday mornings and Wednesday evenings where she earned her BA in English Literature and now serves on their campus ministry team. We are all very grateful for the love-infused presence that Babette brings to the Redeemer campus and hope that you can meet her when you are on campus!

CHRISTMAS STOREThe Christmas Store will take place on December 11th from 8:30-noon. Over 120+ children bring a $1 contribution and buy four presents for their siblings or parents, have them wrapped, have breakfast, and meet Santa. The children may not shop for themselves which, believe it or not, has not been a problem. The children are very focused and purposeful in their gift giving! This translates into almost 500 gifts, however, which is a challenge! If you would like to donate new gifts for the store, please contact Babette at 612-374-4139 before December 8th. (Hint: We usually run short of teenage items and gifts for Dads, if you are thinking of contributing.)

GENEROSITYDue to the generosity of an individual donor, we have the opportunity to match donations one-for-one until December 31, 2010. For credit cards, you can go to the Minneapolis Foundation website (https://www.minneapolisfoundation.org/MakeADonation.aspx) and find Redeemer Center for Life in the drop down menu. For checks, please make the check out to Redeemer Center for Life and mail to 1800 Glenwood Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55405. 

PEOPLE ON BIKESDid you hear that People on Bikes, a bike shop run by RCFL teens, was featured on WCCO and Minnesota Public Radio? Check out this link to read more! http://bit.ly/c3KQZu

Above, Jamal, Alonso, Kline, and Shaquille deliver a bike they assembled to Jessica Rodgers at Summit OIC.

1800 Glenwood Ave.Minneapolis, MN 55405

Happy Holidays!

ARE YOU A THRIVENT MEMBER?Thrivent Members can designate Redeemer Center for Life through the new giving program at Thrivent Choice. Direct your Choice Dollars online or call 800-THRIVENT (800-847-4836) and state "Thrivent Choice."