McClure’s newest effort to show love for her neighbors popped up in Glass Farm this month near the corner of Glass Street and Crutchfield next to the new Save-A-Lot location. As that store is under construction this winter, McClure said she wanted to make sure that anyone in her community who was struggling and hungry could find food within reach.

McClure, 39, grew up in Chattanooga and believes in the mission of the local organization, Helping Hands, “to provide a place for people to obtain basic food items anonymously while building a sense of community amongst neighbors and changing the perception around hunger.” As a volunteer, NeTasha has helped fill the Helping Hands pantries located in the 37404 neighborhoods; but she noticed that there weren’t any pantries in 37406.

She also believes our human purpose is to help each other. So she decided to build a food pantry for her East Chattanooga neighbors.

Like most community work, it began with a spark and before she knew it, NeTasha had gathered the tools and talent to help her pull it off. She borrowed free tools from the Chattanooga Public Library’s Tool Lending Program, and, using donated wood pallets, got to work “making a mess” in her front yard.

“The library also recommended Rondell Crier, from Studio Everything, and that’s where the magic happened. Rondell and his apprentices taught me how to use the equipment, even donating the supplies,” McClure said.

Now that the Glass Street food pantry has been installed and filled with food, McClure said she will be making plans to create even more in other locations.

But that’s not all she’s creating. NeTasha has provided another kind of deeper nourishment with a homegrown project that not only inspires us, but lets everyone know that their needs are seen and supported.

Hear more from NeTasha McClure on WDEF-TV.

(photo credit: screenshot WDEF-TV interview)

Charles Millirons, Jr. , Pinnacle’s Chattanooga senior VP and financial advisor, recently stopped by the Glass House Collective offices to tell us about the Pinnacle 100 program. Millirons explained that the program is specifically designed for first time homeowners who want to purchase a home as their primary residence; and for current homeowners who are staying in their home but interested in refinancing.

“There are no income limitations for the Glass Farm area residents who qualify and no down payments required through the Pinnacle 100 program,” he said.

Other program criteria include:

• – Credit score minimum of 620
• – Alternative credit references accepted such as utility bills and other payments in good standing
• – No private mortgage insurance required (PMI)
• – Seller may cover all of the borrower’s closing costs, prepays and escrows
• – 30-year mortgages for primary residences only
• – Purchases and refinance options available
• – No downpayment required
• – No income limitations

If you’ve been thinking about moving from home renter to homeowner this could be the program for you.  Find out if the Pinnacle 100 program is a good fit and give Charles a call in his downtown office: 423-386-2636

Myra had to be honest and tell Kadesha they did not spend their time together talking about the teenager. But Myra knew that their recorded conversation about what it was like growing up in Chattanooga would be for Kadesha’s benefit.

“I am going to make her listen to it because she needs to know about her mama’s childhood. It was simpler then, just go outside and play. Now everyone needs their need wifi and electronics,” Myra said.

Kadesha won’t be the only one listening and learning. The audio stories recorded in Chattanooga during StoryCorps’ mobile tour stop will soon be added to the tens of thousands human voices gathered from all 50 states and Puerto Rico as part of the national archive at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

As will the songs and stories that were exchanged during Deborah Bledsoe’s StoryCorps session with her husband, David.

“Somehow that interview experience brought David and I closer. We left the session being more thankful. I can’t explain it. It made us really think: who is this person sitting across from me?” Deborah said.

The Bledsoes and the Cooks were a part of small group of residents from Glass Farm and Boyce Station who signed up to participate in the field recording day with the StoryCorps crew as they spent an entire day in East Chattanooga. Glass Farm Collective was one of the organization’s local Cultural Partners  during their month-long stop in Chattanooga. Mark Making also partnered and provided space in their studios for the producers and participants to have a quiet private place for meaningful conversations to emerge.

According to their website, StoryCorps’ Mobile Tour community partners are organizations, institutions, or community leaders that serve members of the community who are conventionally underrepresented in mainstream media. “Because our community partners are knowledgeable and connected in their communities, they are crucial in identifying participants and in explaining the importance of sharing their stories. We depend on community partners to engage their community members’ diverse voices.” Other cultural partners have included the African American Heritage Association in St. Petersburg, Florida; Chinatown Community for Equitable Development in Los Angeles, California; and the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Deborah told us she really resonated with the StoryCorps mantra “Listening is an act of love,” and the organization’s mission to remind one another of our shared humanity, to strengthen and build the connections between people, to teach the value of listening, and to weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that everyone’s story matters.

For the Bledsoes, listening to each other while talking about their history as friends, musical partners and eventually as husband and wife was very powerful and made them both realize that they had really been there for one another over the struggles and still share a long strong bond. The StoryCorps experience let them stop and think about threads in their life and their connection deepening over time.

“It was a really good experience to look back and think on the meaning of your life. People are walking through so many changes these days. Maybe someone can hear our conversation and stories and get some joy out of it,” Deborah said.

Myra and Deborah both believe there are universal lessons that can be learned by anyone who listens to their stories. From marriage and staying together, to parenting and growing up, to working with your spouse, to living in a community during unease, stories from Glass Farm will resonate around the world.

You can listen to the interview between Dr. Everlena Holmes and Frederick Flach here.
Check out some highlights from the Listening Party held on the last day of the tour in Chattanooga here.

Deborah and David Bledsoe talked about their history together as friends, musical partners and husband and wife.

Speaking of pride, many of the new Glass Farm house banners were distributed at the Christmas party and we were so glad we were there to hear everyone’s excitement and plans to hang their banners on their homes. As always, our appreciation to the Lilian Colby Foundation for sponsoring this project, which was sparked from an idea at a Glass Farm Block Leaders meeting nearly two years ago. It is so gratifying to see ideas from our neighbors turned into action. Now, everyone who drives through Glass Farm, will be able to see banners flying proudly from homes all around the neighborhood. Coming next: Be on the lookout for more neighborhood pride signs to place in yards as we look for different ways to celebrate and utilize the new winning design voted by the community!

In all, the evening was really special and we are so proud to see so many people working together to celebrate one another. Archway, especially Michele Peterson and Nedra Davis, generously hosted the party in their space and were the party sponsor. All the presents were generously gifted by Lee/Santa with Progress Barber Shop on Glass Street. Events With Taste provided the delicious food. And The Glass Farm Block Leaders provided the postage for the Christmas party invitations. Thanks for inviting us!

PHOTOS HERE

Did you give your input recently about ideas for the new house banners for Glass Farm residents? This summer and early Fall, the Neighborhood Pride committee – including Block Leader, Miss Janette, business owner, Mr Joe, emerging young leader, Asia, and Pops, who has been living and renting in the Glass Farm area for a few years –  reached out and had conversations with their neighbors about what the community was most proud of and what they wanted to see represented on the new house banners.

The committee worked with their neighbors so that ideas from the residents of Glass Farm and the business owners along Glass Street would be shared with the creative team designing the banners for homes and light poles.

The design team took all the neighborhood input, worked hard and listened closely. Now that design proposals are in, there will be one more chance at Glass Street LIVE! for residents to choose the best design idea that will become the new banner.

Miss Janette is encouraging residents to visit the Glass Farm Block Captain tent at Glass Street LIVE! this Saturday. She will be on hand with volunteers helping distribute simple surveys for residents to fill out while attending the block party to help choose the best design for Glass Farm.

“The biggest number of votes for any one design will be the one chosen. So this is your chance to vote while the designs are in the booth and surveys ready,” Miss Janette said.

Also if you are one of the first 50 residents to give input  just remember to leave your contact information and receive a free house banner once they are produced. You can be one of the first Glass Farm residents to hang the new banner on your home!

Janette says she believes things can improve when more people in the neighborhood are involved in what goes on in their neighborhood and choose to get involved in shaping what’s coming next.

“House banners and a Pride program will help too. We want more people interested in what’s in their neighborhood now and what’s about to take place in their neighborhood. It will be alot better.”

Miss Janette says that this project is nearly complete. She hopes to receive a lot of surveys for the best design at Glass Street LIVE! so the committee can get the banners produced and delivered to residents soon.

Don’t miss the chance to leave your vote and check out what the committee and creative team accomplished after gathering input and inspiration from the community.

Glass House Collective would like to thank Miss Janette for her leadership and helping see this project through. We are proud and grateful of her entire committee, Mr. Joe, Pops, Asia, for their time and effort bringing in community ideas and new voices.  We would also like to thank the project’s funders from The Lillian Colby Foundation. We can not wait to see these banners hanging proudly on homes in the coming months!

While larger meetings were hosted by Councilwoman Coonrod, Orchard Knob Elementary Community School PTA, and The Recreation Centers. Smaller meetings were hosted by neighbors who hosted streetscaping feedback dinners in their own homes. These meetings engaged neighbors who wouldn’t normally go to a community meeting.

Glass House Collective had the opportunity to invest dollars in neighbors to host the streetscaping dinners, instigating a flow of welcome and pride through sharing hospitality with friends new and old. Over 50 neighbors participated in the dinners. Many of these neighbors had never previously engaged in traditional meetings and had no interest in doing so, but were grateful to be engaged in a non-traditional manner.

The artistic process for gathering feedback was created and facilitated by 800 Collective’s Josiah Golson and Mary Ann Twitty. Shawana Kendrick, who was an assistant facilitator in the 2014 community input sessions centered around the North Chamberlain and Glass St. intersection, was hired to help with facilitation of the larger meetings.

Stay tuned for their collected analysis of the shared space our neighbors would most care about. Our common public space comes alive only to the extent that we view it as a shared resource in which as many neighbors as possible participate, and understand the difference design makes for everybody.

By the end of the day, the porch looked years younger, and sturdier, thanks to the crew’s TLC. The rest of the house repairs and improvements extended to a full gutter sweep, roof and siding scrub, porch carpet removal and scrub-removal of mold and flaking paint, and removal of invasive vines causing partial damage to the home’s siding. Inside, one room was also receiving drywall repairs and replacement patching where walls and floorboards were showing signs of damage. It was tough, sore-muscle work that renewed our respect and appreciation for the hard work Habitat’s staff and volunteers take on each week, and also rewarding to pitch in and practice new ladder skills.

We’re consistently hearing positive feedback from residents who have gone through Habitat’s NR program, many of whom bridge from their participation on their own residence, to caring for the neighborhood collectively, by attending and participating in meetings and events like the Good Neighbor Network meeting held the first Monday of every month.

During the last meeting, Deborah and David Bledsoe shared about what a blessing it had been for them to experience the Habitat NR program for themselves, as the most recently completed home in the neighborhood. We look forward to finding out what good leadership their renewed energy might bring to our community.

Come enjoy the grand finale of the day, where the Glass Farm neighborhood meets the Boyce Station and Avondale neighborhoods, at the intersection of Dodson Avenue and Glass Street! Our neighbors want to see change and improvements there, and together we can test and demonstrate ways to make this busy link between Hardy Elementary School and the East Chatt YFD Center safer and more welcoming for the families using these resources daily!

We will have a community parade, live music, local food vendors (including some of the best BBQ anywhere in Chattanooga!), a pop-up farm stand, dance competitions, and a chance to participate in temporary crosswalk installations that are colorful, safe, and we believe can be as effective in attracting permanent design improvements as these same tactics were when we started work with Better Block at the Chamberlain Ave. and Glass Street intersection 4 years ago! Catch the spirit of Glass Street LIVE by watching last year’s video on our YouTube Channel!

Want to get involved? Please fill out our Online Interest Form!

We’re excited to include lots of community vendors, information booths, and VOLUNTEERS! Food vendors are being carefully curated to prioritize sales for local eateries.

Interested in showcasing your business as an official Glass Street LIVE sponsor? Find details on our website’s Sponsorship Page!

Let friends know about our party by sharing our Facebook Event Page!

See you in October!