Tag Archives: community

Seeds of Success Job Training Program

Seeds of Success, a new project of Wasatch Community Gardens, is up and running! Sees of Success is focused on supporting unemployed and underemployed single moms with job training and placement.

Seeds of Success organizers are hosting a ten-week job training that is completely free to participants and will provide moms with their Certified Nursing Assistant license. The curriculum also includes skills development days taking place on the Green Team Farm, where moms will learn to grow their own food while developing essential job skills. The Seeds of Success team will work to find the right job placement for each mom with different shift options in hospitals, home health, assisted living, or long-term care facilities.

To find out more about this amazing project, plan to attend and Information Meeting for interested moms on March 20 from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm at the Sorenson Unity Center, 1383 S 900 W. There is also a Facebook event for the info meeting. https://www.facebook.com/events/308838166491382/.

You can help by spreading the word!

Print these flyers and distirbute:

SOS_FullPage

SOS_Quarter

The Wellness Bus

Did you know that the University of Utah has a Wellness Bus? And that it visits our Westside communities regularly? “The Wellness Bus helps communities, families and individuals by teaching them to make healthier lifestyle choices. Learn how to manage pre-diabetes and help prevent Type 2 diabetes. The Wellness Bus travels to places you live, work, and play.” Here is a list of its weekly locations and schedule (Click on photo for larger view).

Visit the website at WellnessBus.org

Westside Festival Returns for Encore

The Westside Music Arts and Food Festival is returning to Sugar Space on June 16th from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Featuring many of the same musicians that made last year such a hit, the 2018 Festival has expanded hours and will feature Changing Lanes Experience as its headline act. Besides longer hours, Festival organizers also received a permit to close 800 West in front of Sugar Space. Over 50 art and information booths will line the street and multiple food trucks will be showcasing their menus. This is an all ages event with free admission.

Conceived last year as a way to showcase positive elements of the Westside, the Festival was a surprise success with multiple vendors and artists who attracted over 500 people in just four hours. With only weeks to prepare last year, this year’s organizers Restore North Temple and the River District Chamber decided to expand both the hours and the venue for 2018. Advanced planning allowed the organizers to receive a grant from Salt Lake City to help fund the 2018 event. “Generous support from Rocky Mountain Power has helped us immensely both years,” said Aaron Ernst of Restore North Temple. Andeavor is the main stage sponsor for 2018. Fairpark Community Council is a proud sponsor of the event providing accounting, logistical and marketing support.

2017’s Festival was a blur of activity with performers ranging from Polynesian drummers to bluesman Danny Weldon to the jazz quartet K-Tones. Dancers, aerialists and magicians entertained the crowd on three different stages while food trucks kept the crowd fed with a variety of delicious food. One attendee remarked last year he had the best tacos he’d ever tasted.

Traditions have to start somewhere and event organizers envisioned last year’s festival to be the start of something that would take place many times over the coming years. It’s telling that all the artists and musicians who were invited back jumped at the opportunity. 2018’s upcoming festival is the next step in the journey. It looks to be bigger, better and more fun than ever before.

Westside Music Art and Food Festival

Free admission!

Saturday June 16th – 11 am to 9 pm

Headline show – 7 pm – Changing Lanes Experience

132 S. 800 W. at Sugar Space

Parking – 200 S.

Take TRAX to Jackson/Euclid stop

Bike valet available

Salt Lake City Mobile App

The SLC Mobile App is an application available in theA p ple or Android app store. It is an online and mobile issue reporting and service request system for Salt Lake
City. The app is easy to use to report known issues, and yo uc an follow the progress the city is making on resolving those issues. The app will use your GPS location and you can take a picture with your phone of the issue and upload it when
reporting.

There are a number of issue types that can be reported through the app: biking issues, construction concerns, crimetips, crosswalk maintenance, drinking water, graffiti removal,holiday tree pickup, illegal dumping of trash, leaf collection,
missing garbage lid, leaf collection, parking, plant /trees, pot hole, public utility issue, parks, roadway cleanup, roadwaypaint, sewer, sidewalks and ramps, snow/ice removal,speeding prevention, storm water, street lights, street signs,traffic signal, trash/recycle/compost bin, vehicle (expired tag), vehicle violation, water, water conservation, water in street, and weed abatement. If what you are reporting is
an emergency with someone in danger, please call 911 for dispatch.

Information about the Salt Lake Mobile App is a static feature on our website, on the left sidebar.

Annual Community Coat Exchange

Bring a coat, take a coat: If you need a coat, come get one. If you have a coat, we know someone who can use it.

Fairpark Community Council is once again partnering with Blue Sky Institute for its annual Community Coat Exchange.

The Community Coat Exchange has been an ongoing event in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2005.

The event is held annually at Pioneer Park from 10am to 1pm the day after Thanksgiving.

The Coat Exchange is a collection and distribution of winter coats and other clothing items. The idea is for people to bring donations to any of the drop off centers before Thanksgiving or to the event itself. The drop off for Fairpark is All Chay restaurant, 500 North 1264 West. Chapman Library is the drop off for the Poplar Grove area, 577 South 900 West.

At the event, no questions are asked: If you need a coat, come get one. If you want to exchange a coat, bring the coat you want to donate and take one in exchange. If you have a donation of coats, we know people who can use them.

Left over coats are donated to the Crossroads Urban Center Thrift Store, a project of the Crossroads Urban Center which advocates for low income and homeless people. The Crossroads Urban Center Thrift Store gives clothes away to poor people and also sells clothes and other goods in its retail shop to the general public to help fund the Crossroads Urban Center programs.

Please call 801-502-1991 for more information.

http://www.coatexchange.org

Westside Arts Fest Draws Big Crowds

It was a sunny day with a light breeze and kids ran around with painted faces and balloon animals. The first annual Westside Arts, Food and Music Festival was in full swing. “This is our first year and we couldn’t be happier with the turnout!” said Restore North Temple Founder, Jade Sarver. “The whole purpose of this event is to bring our entire community together to appreciate all the things our neighborhood is known for. Our food, our art, our music and our history!” The event was well attended with estimates in the range of about 500 people. The event was free to attend and featured over 30 local artists and vendors, as well as 3 stages packed all day with live music from bands like The K Tones, individual guitarists and singers like local favorite Dan Weldon, and local dance groups like the popular Malialole Dance group, who performed several traditional dancers, and even got a few audience members to jump in. “I’m here for the food trucks!!” said one festival goer. The Red Food truck sold delicious Peruvian sandwiches, and Facil Taco truck sold locally flavored fare. “We are so thankful to Westview Media, the River District Business Alliance Neighborworks and Rocky Mountain Power for being our key sponsors. We were able to put on this free event for neighbors through generous donations from local businesses,” said Sarver. The event was held at the Sugar Space Arts Warehouse. “This was a hugely successful event,” said Brittany Reese, owner of Sugar Space. “We would love to host more events like this in the future.”

Restore North Temple is a citizen-led, grassroots movement to bring the entire west side community together to support the restoration of our Grand Boulevard, North Temple. The purpose of this movement is to unite residents, community organizations, and businesses to reduce crime, increase economic development and improve the perception of the west side of Salt Lake City, particularly focused on the North Temple corridor.

Get a HAND up from Salt Lake City

The city of Salt Lake has several programs to help residents buy or fix their homes. So long as the property is within the Salt Lake City limits, lower income residents can benefit. Run by Housing and Neighborhood Development, there are two main programs Fairpark residents can put to use.

For existing homeowners, repair options are available. Older and disabled homeowners who make less than 80% of the area median income can qualify for free, minor home repairs through the handyman program. Regardless of age or ability, so long as you make less than 80% AMI, homeowners can benefit from the Home Repair Program. This is a low interest loan that may have deferred payments to help improve a property.

Prospective homeowners can make their monthly payments more affordable through the Welcome Home SLC loan program. This lending program doesn’t require a down payment or mortgage insurance which can save hundreds of dollars a month. It also has a low interest rate of only 3% allowing people with smaller incomes to still buy a home. Buyers need $1,000 of their own money for closing costs and a 620 credit score to qualify.

To get more information on these programs and to apply, visit http://www.slcgov.com/hand/housing-programs or call 801-535-7228.

Dirt2Table:

Spring Festival and Plant Sale!

It’s almost here! The Fairpark Community Festival of Spring and Plant Sale, hosted by the Fairpark Community Council and several community partners, April 29^th at the Northwest Community Center. The greenhouse has been erected at All Chay restaurant (1250 West 500 North) and the plants are growing!

Watch for information about pre-orders of plants for your garden. Stop by the greenhouse and check it out!

In the meantime, be sure to be preparing your garden area for the plants you will have this year. We will be writing more articles on gardening in general this season. More information: dirt2tableslc@gmail.com or 801-502-1991.

Dirt2Table: Spring is Coming! Plant your Seeds Now!

Isn’t it fantastic? The days keep getting longer, the low temperatures keep getting higher and the dirt is thawing out. Soon, we can get our hands in it and prepare it for giving us back the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor.

During the month of March, we should all take advantage of the dirt’s willingness to start growing an array of wonderful treats for our tables. Among those plants that can be planted by seed in March are greens such as kale, spinach, chard and lettuce. It’s also a good time to plant seeds for root vegetables such as carrots, beets and onions. There are many varieties of each of the food plants mentioned, so have fun and plant as many varieties as you can!
Don’t forget that the Fairpark Community Council will be working hard between now and April 29th to grow a delectable assortment of starter plants, ready for you
to plant out in your patch of dirt by May 1st. We will be starting herbs, tomatoes, eggplant and pepper plants soon so that by the end of April they will be established
and ready to thrive in your garden. This year, to create an event that provides more value to our Community than just a plant sale, we are having the First Annual Fairpark
Community Festival of Spring and Plant Sale. The event will feature a seed giveaway and plant sale like last year, but will also include many educational booths and workshops to help make your spring and summer more enjoyable for
all.

If you have any ideas to help make this Festival of Spring and Plant Sale a success, please reach out to Tom King at 801-502-1991 or write to dirt2tableslc@gmail.com.

Winter Spotlight: Annual Community Coat Exchange

Can you believe how cold it is getting out there?! The Fairpark Community Council was proud to participate as a partner in the Annual Community Coat Exchange again this fall. The Annual Community Coat Exchange, a project of Blue Sky Institute, has been an ongoing event in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2005. The event is held annually at Pioneer Park from 10am to 1pm the day after Thanksgiving. “Need a coat? Come get one. Have a coat? We know someone who can use it!” the website says.

We wanted to learn more about the individuals that this event helps so we met with Glenn Baily, Executive Director of the Crossroads Urban Center. With over 50 years of service, Crossroads Urban Center is a nonprofit, grassroots organization that assists and organizes Utahans with low incomes, those with disabilities, and people of color to meet basic survival needs and to address essential issues affecting quality of life. Crossroads runs an Emergency Food Pantry and helps over 4,000 families each year. Mr. Bailey is passionate about getting individuals to participate in Community Council events. “We want to continue working with individuals in the neighborhood to discuss real issues of homelessness and affordable housing, and make sure that individuals that haven’t traditionally been involved in Community Council are able to have their voices heard.” Continue reading →