Nicole

The Curated Closet is a Facebook group where individuals living in the TN Tri-Cities area can sell their new or gently used feminine style clothing and accessories. I hope that as this project grows it can evolve into a cooperatively owned store that is started and owned by those who participate in this group.

I see this program being an offshoot of The People's Fund mentioned in another section. Local small businesses would pool advertising dollars to invest in the production of these cards which could be centered around various themes i.e. Health & Wellness, Grooming Services, Kid Friendly Activities, Date Night etc. The cards could be sold at the small businesses themselves or be sold with individuals participating in the Community Corp program. The bulk of the funds earned would go to a safety net fund for the participating businesses to have should they fall on hard times, need an emergency repair, have an employee who needs support etc. Through this program advertising overhead costs are reduced, more traffic is driven to our local businesses and a fund is created to help those small businesses when they are struggling.

If you have ever lived in, or ever visited, a city like Chicago, or Washington, DC, San Francisco, Nashville or Seattle, you have probably seen a vendor selling a paper that reports on issues of poverty and homelessness. This is a “ Street Newspaper”. Street newspapers and magazines are located throughout the world. The International Network of Street Papers currently consists of over 100 street papers in 35 countries, publishing in 25 different languages. More than 20,000 vendors earn an income by selling street papers each year. While the model is often different depending on the city and publication, vendors (individuals experiencing homelessness or who are low-income) typically purchase a batch of newspapers or magazines for a percentage of the sale price and sell them for a cover price on the street or curbside. The extra money earned is theirs to keep.

Street papers in the US have, for the most part, intended to act as both an advocacy tool and a primary way for people who have been homeless to be active leaders in that advocacy. Today, most papers are run, written, and sold by homeless folks. Many papers offer case management assistance, training and networking opportunities to homeless folks in their communities.
The National Coalition for the Homeless has long supported the advocacy and empowerment outlet that street newspapers have provided. Street papers across the world continue to break down barriers between housed and unhoused people, creating employment opportunities to poor people worldwide.

I lived in Chicago and often bought Streetwise there and have connections at their office to get guidance to start our own paper here in JC! I've talked to many of the homeless about this idea and many were very receptive to having a program like it here. The paper could also have a web presence creating even more jobs for people who participate in the Community Corp program be sure to read that section as well.

I don't make the rules, but I have come to find the surest way to book an appointment with someone influential is by inviting them to a lunch or to grab a latte. Whether we go dutch or I treat those lattes add up! I make sure to always go to our locally owned coffee shops (which one I choose differs based on the individual and their personality) and never franchises for these meetings so the networking has a win-win-win outcome for the community.

The People's Fund initiative would be based off of Boston's Ujima Project (https://www.ujimaboston.com/). It's purpose is to create a community controlled capital fund with the intention of building up and uplifting the city and its community members. An overview of what Boston is doing can be found here: https://vimeo.com/226755271 I forsee this project being a branch of the Community Concerns Center.

The Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters is a book and DVD set available online and in bookstores that has a powerful message. Having 1 or multiple screenings (including the children's animated version) of this film is part of my Strategic Plan for the city to help inspire our community members to shift their paradigm from the charity mindset to one of solidarity. I believe it would make a major impact on attendees and be transformational for our community. You can find out more about the book and film here: https://www.andyandrews.com/ms/the-butterfly-effect/

Serving over 44 U.S. states, Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands, Challenge Day is on a mission to create a world where every person in our communities feels safe, loved and celebrated.
Challenge Day is a nonprofit organization committed to building empathy and compassion in our communities. They help youth and adults unlearn harmful habits, experience vulnerability as a pillar to restore strength, and enable them to experience the freedom of full expression through the lens of compassion, connection, and diversity, through their Challenge Day event programming. In the past 5 years they have supported 300,000 students and 60,000 adults directly. I have shared how transformational this type of event would be for our community to many citizens and there seems to be a desire for us to host one of their events here. I consider this program to be a core piece of the Strategic Plan I have developed for Johnson City that I would enact through the Community Concern Center. Here is a video showcasing their original program that was done with teens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOZoIt-vMIY&t=1830s The organization's website is: https://www.challengeday.org/

I Am would be an annual fashion show featuring the beautiful and diverse dressing style of our community members. Giving individuals a platoform to be celebrated being their authentic selves. It would be set to uplifting and empowering music and raise funds for charitable organizations in the area.

The Community Concern Center would be a major hub of proactive solution development for the city. It's main objective would be acting as a "complaint department" for the city, but also discovering the things fellow citizens love about living in Johnson City as well.  Work will then be done to magnify what is great about living here as well as to eliminate what isn't. Any resident of Johnson City could come to report and seek aid for a concern they have for themselves, someone they know or the city at large. It would act as a clearinghouse for resources and referrals for organizations and agencies that can help resolve the issue. It would also act as a filter to circumvent resources being wasted such as phone calls to 911 that are non emergency related etc. The Community Corp. as listed in its own tier would fulfill needs by being on task forces to address these concerns or refer them to the agencies, organizations or government departments that are more equipped to do so.

Based off of the Civilian Conservation Corp of the 1930's and 40's. Community Corp. is a program idea every Johnson City community member I've talked to has liked. While iterations of the CCC have evolved into today's Americorp and Vista programs that tend to focus on individuals that are teens or college aged, this program will focus on at risk adults who have trouble with finding or keeping employment. It will provide housing, training, therapeutic services, and case management to assist getting individuals back on their feet and upwardly mobile. For more info on what the day to day would be like for this project see also Community Concern Center.

Haven House will be a co-housing community for the LGBT + Allies Community. This community will be centered around the values of:

Collaboration
Cooperation
Community
Compassion

All utilities, internet, trash and toilet paper will be included in the monthly rent, as well as once a week community meals.

Living arrangements are family style. Each individual is given their own room and has access to communal spaces (kitchen, living room etc)

Additional Amenities:

-Communal Clothes Closet
- Library
- Movie and Table-top Games Collection
-Community Meals
- Events- (game night, guest speakers, support groups, discussion groups etc)
- A supportive loving environment that encourages authenticity and embracing one's true self.

Many local non-for-profit employees and individuals verbalized their support for this project, but when it came time to fundraise Covid-19 hit us and it came to a screeching halt. Turns out it was a blessing in disguise as the property I was in negotiations for had not disclosed it was not in compliance with having a recent fire inspection  and it was brought to my attention by someone working for a non-for-profit that it would need $50,000 to get it up to code. While that property was not a good match I know there are other ones out there that will be and there is stil very much a need in the community to create this type of place.

I am a co-founder of the online and offline social change organization The Transition and live in Johnson City, TN. Through The Transition I have come to know when individuals feel happy, healthy and whole they by default help create a community that demonstrates that as well. The Transition serves social change makers (activists, grassroots organizers, anyone who wants to start a project to help their community in any way) and we provide them with support, space and resources they need to succeed in the work they do through an Action Plan, personal development, training, and an online and offline mutual aid network. You can learn more about The Transition by listening to this podcast.

The purpose of Woven Roots Collaborative is to unify independent small business owners in the informed self-care space in order to reduce overhead cost outlay and provide leverage for business growth through shared resources and expertise. Collectively all members empower individuals with informed self-care education & tools, so they can transform the quality of their life and live it on their terms. If you would like to be a member go to: https://iwanttomakeyouwealthy.com/

This is a citizens' committee I am part of that was formed out of community members wanting proactive steps to be taken to address the impact of homelessness in Johnson City. The large goal of this group is to create a tiny home community based off of Austin, Texas' Community First Village model. You can learn more here: https://mlf.org/community-first/ To work up to that goal we would like to start a program called Refuge to build the path to that future. .If you want to learn more about the Refuge concept you can visit shorturl.at/cfzPT

I intend to create a series of World Cafe events: Where's the Unity in CommUNITY? that address the needs of various demographics that make up Johnson City. The World Café methodology is a simple, effective, and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue. Each element of the method has a specific purpose and corresponds to one or more of the design principles. More information about it can be found here: http://www.theworldcafe.com

Post Covid I know there is interest to start a community choir that focuses on singing uplifting songs that focus on compassion, self-love and unity. I've begun to work on selecting songs that choir can learn and put preliminary feelers out there for interest on the idea.

I regularly give to Agape because I see how they uplift the human spirit and believe in the work they do. Agape (which in Greek means unconditional love), is a trans-denominational movement and community comprised of thousands of local members and global live streamers (of which I am one!).. Through Dr. Beckwith’s weekly services, Agape’s University of Transformational Studies and Leadership classes, ministries and other outreach programs, the heart of Agape reaches deep into local and global communities teaching individuals about the transforming, healing power of prayer, meditation, and selfless service. They help enhance individuals life-experience from a foundation of personal spiritual empowerment. When Covid hit they pivoted quickly and invested in the technology and resources they needed to be able to stream globally. I am especially impressed in their recent investment in sign language interrupters for the hearing impaired. I benefit greatly from this weekly boost of inspiration via their streamed service and want to continue to give to an organization that touches the lives of many. I regularly recommend them to anyone who feels isolated or marginalized in their current faith based community.

Please use this tier if we have discussed me taking on a Side Gig or Odd Job to assist you with reaching a personal goal or objective. This retainer will allow you access to me and my personal skill-set as well as preferential treatment against other offers that have not yet made a financial commitment and the $25 will be subtracted from your balance of any services I've rendered within the month it is paid.