Spring Community Service Projects

HELP WOMEN BUILD!

http://www.habitat.org/cd/frame/frameset.aspx?url=www.habichatt.org
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga is inviting women of Chattanooga to help build another home for a very deserving family this Spring. This is all part of their Women Build 2008 program, where the house is completely funded and built by women! For the first time in Chattanooga's Women Build history, they are constructing an EarthCraft House. EarthCraft homes reduce utility bills for the homeowner while protecting the environment. These homes can also increase the energy efficiency of a home by 30%, which can result in a reduction of over 1100 pounds of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year.

The house being built this spring will become the home for 24 year old Latrice Kirk and her two year old son. "A house to me means alot of things," says Latrice. "It is a warm shelter, a place to call home, and something of sentimental value that comes from hardwork or respect. It is a place to raise a family, a place of peace and honor."

Umbra Essence employees Sember LaRose, Jamie Mosey, and Amy Murray will be volunteering to help build this home, and so should you! Please call Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga today and sign up with some of the women you know. Call 423-756-0507 x 22.

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TRAIL MAINTENANCE AT REFLECTION RIDING
What a wonderful fertile area we live in! Ah the bountiful varieties of wild invasive plants and weeds. Joy! Controlling theses native invasive species is a top priority, especially in Spring, for the folks who manage the trails and woods right around us where we all love to hike and escape. Places like Reflection Riding, John C. Wilson Park, Pot Point Loop, The Nature Center, Edwards Point, Lula Lake, and so many other magnificent spots.

This is why Umbra Essence employees, Mary Barnett and Jamie Mosey are volunteering in a workshop about the Fundamentals of Trail Maintenance, taking place at Reflection Riding on Saturday, April 5. Topics will include trail tools and safety, clearing trail corridors, controlling erosion, installing grade dips and building rock and wooden steps to repair eroded trails. After the workshop, in the coming months, we will be able to also help with ongoing trail maintenance efforts at various sites in the area helping monitor trails, remove invasive plant species and other necessary tasks.

Does this interest you too? Find out how you can help. Call Volunteer Coordinator Sarah Quattrochi at 423-653-0091.
http://www.reflectionriding.org/riding_description.html