A Response to the NoMi Tornado: How Can I Help?

Post and photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

I've said it already, but it bears repeating:  Hawthorne was lucky in that the tornado left us relatively unscathed.  There are trees down in the EcoVillage, but none on houses, a few garages were hit with a downed tree, and a smattering of properties lost a few shingles.

We were even more forunate, though, in the response.  Our office was inundated with phone calls the next day; virtually all of them either offering something specific in response or simply asking "How can I help?"  Forget the isolated case or so of looting.  Forget the unfounded fears that crime would somehow be out of control (although the heightened police presence was still, in my opinion, the right call).  The real story in the aftermath of the tornado is that so many northside organizations stepped up, along with thousands of volunteers from across the metro, all of them asking "How can I help?"

Without a doubt, my biggest (organizational) thank-you goes to Urban Homeworks.  You wouldn't know it from the coordinated response, but...

Preserving Hawthorne Housing History

Post and photos by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

Last year, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity purchased quite a few homes in Hawthorne to rehab or in some cases demolish and build new.  Folks may have heard a little bit about that in the press, what with President Carter and Vice President Mondale working together in the Hawthorne EcoVillage.  It was kind of a big deal.  The story of 315 30th Ave N is a big deal too, but on a more personal level within Hawthorne.

Habitat bought this property with the intention of rehabbing the home, but through an odd sequence of events, both the vinyl siding and the paint underneath tested positive for lead.  The abatement costs for lead removal just about doubled.  That, combined with some foundation issues, led Habitat to the conclusion that they could build a longer-standing and less expensive house by demolishing and starting anew.

When that news spread, one of Hawthorne's newest residents came to the rescue of some of the features that still remained at the property.  Brian Finstad just happened to be living in a house that was...

Giving Away Hula Hoops at the Habitat Closing Ceremony

Post, photos, and video by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

First off, I have to admit a bit of irony here on NXNS.  I set out to blog about the North High Polars football games basically to tell a feel-good story about the youth in our community, and to give myself something to blog about on a regular basis that wasn't controversial.  I specifically said that I did NOT want to get steeped in school/education politics.  And yet, if I had not started down that road, then when the proposal to close North High came about, I certainly would have approached that issue with less vigor.

And now my last seven posts in a row have focused on North High in one way or another.  Their final football game is tonight, and I may or may not get to that depending on how an evening meeting goes.  I still have a write-up of Monday's community forum to finish as well.

So here's a break from the North High posts.  At the closing ceremony for Habitat week in the Hawthorne EcoVillage, I gave away ten hula hoops to kids in the neighborhood.  I'm looking for ways to make more hoops and get them donated to schools or parks in the area.  Thing is, the supplies, especially the tape, are not cheap.  And making them can be fairly labor-intensive.  If anyone has ideas or wants to help, please contact me.

Working on the Presidential Seal

Post and first photo after the jump by the Hawthorne Hawkman, above photos contributed by a fellow Habitat volunteer.  Second photo after the jump by Irving Inquisition.

With all the tremendous progress made in Hawthorne last week thanks to Habitat for Humanity and President Carter, I wanted to spend at least a few hours volunteering.  It took until Friday morning before I finally cleared enough time to stop by and fill in wherever I was needed.  By that time I had put in enough hours at work that I was feeling a bit under the weather.  But if Jimmy Carter, at 86 years old, can spend a day or two in the hospital and then come out and pound a few nails, this former farmboy ought to be able to tough it out.

I asked where I was needed, and they put me on caulking duty at the house where the President worked.  So in a way, you could say I helped with the Presidential seal.  My childhood times scampering around on the top of a hay wagon came in handy too, as I approached the heights of the scaffolding rather casually.  I did have to duck out early enough to practice a speech written by former HNC Board Chair (and now Officer Candidate) Peter Teachout.

And earlier in the week, I received...