EO Volunteer Men Bless HBI

Saturday morning at 8 am a crew of 7 gifted and talented men gathered at His Branches for prayer, followed by a very structured work day - they were there to install 30 new custom insulated windows in our 3 upstairs offices suites to replace the original, leaky, rattling, wooden windows we've been living with for years. Old and drafty in the winter, hot in the summer, but at least they kept the birds out...

Our experienced crew chief had estimated that the job could be done in one full Saturday, but others were doubtful and thought it would take at least two full days. Well, this gang pulled together in such a remarkably efficient way that all 30 windows were installed, rubbish cleaned up, and old windows hauled away before 3 pm! Is that a praise report, or what? Our faithful staff and clients will be offering their own thanks as the years go by when they're warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Special thanks go out to all who made this project such a success.

TWISY Event Rocks!

RYO hosted another wonderfully successful youth-led and run all-ages TWISY music Event this Friday night at their space on Warwick Ave. The weather was perfect and all the preparations were in place when the first guests started arriving at 4. By suppertime, the space was packed with people, young and old, enjoying the live music, refreshments, and wholesome social atmosphere. By 8 pm as the sun was going down, it all wrapped up. Thanks to all who poured themselves into creating such a great evening for all of us! Let's hope and pray that this is just the start of what will prove to be a very encouraging year ahead. Yes, TWISY - The World Is Still Young!

RYO Indiegogo Event!

Hello friends!

There are only 3 days left in the RYO Indiegogo Campaign! Check out the video here to find out what we’re about, and then please help if you can. Any money we raise will go a long way towards our mission of empowering Rochester's young people through music and the arts. Thank you to all those who have invested so far!

For our Rochester friends, be sure to check out our next event, No Clouds Included, this Friday, August 23rd, at 265 Warwick Ave from 4pm - 8pm. Come enjoy music from BC Likes You, The Tarrants, and Disharmony. Our youth leaders have been hard at work preparing and it should be a great community gathering! 

Remember to check out out Indiegogo site before the weekend, and join us this Friday night!

Thanks!
Dr. Bill and the RYO Team

Best Block Party Yet!

Our 7th annual (!!!) Arnett Block Party last Saturday was a wonderful success, thanks to the generous participation of so many amazing volunteers and contributors.

Click here to see a full size slide show

We've already been having a very hot and sometimes wet summer, but the weatherman was predicting rain in the morning and scattered afternoon thunderstorms for our Block Party so we were a little concerned. What did we get instead? Balmy sunshine and puffy clouds all day long! And by 3 pm when the party was in full swing we had already gone through 500 free hotdogs and bags of chips!

Here's an unsolicited report from a neighbor who came, helped, and stayed the whole day:

Dear Susan,

The Arnett Block Party that you and Rora and the others have put together (at your monthly planning meetings all year, which I never attend!) was simply amazing, and I'm sure it will lodge in the memories of the neighborhood children. I was there yesterday, and it was simply fabulous. There was SO much happening, so much for families to do, and all free. Everyone LOVES getting those free raffle tickets, and listening every 15 minutes to see if they get lucky and maybe their number will be called! I don't know where you found that magician, or how much he cost, but he seemed to have a good audience, and I liked what I could overhear.

Then there were the ponies, the Zoomobile, the basketball, the bike repair, the kids trying out Rural/Metro's stretcher. Wow!

The clown was making some really spectacular balloon creations, which were in great demand, as kids were queued up the entire afternoon. And I saw some fabulous painted faces on kids who had visited that tent.

The neighborhood library had a big presence, with Bruce and Debbie giving out free books and doing readings.

When the police officer arrived with Ian, his dog from the K-9 corps, and answered questions, that was a big draw. A great chance for the kids to have a positive interaction with the police. Also, Officer Kristin Runyon was offering a service of checking car seats to make sure they were properly installed. Wow!

I hope people took advantage of the free blood pressure and blood sugar checks. What a great service that was.

The Mt. Olivet Choir did themselves proud. I could see that the rapper had talent, and it was a great opportunity for him to further hone his talents.

Dana Miller gave a shout-out to the sponsors, Tops and Wegmans and others, and we definitely appreciate them being such good corporate citizens, contributing all that food to this worthy cause. Speaking of Dana Miller, he dedicated his entire afternoon, and did a great job at the microphone, not too intrusive, not too loud, and keeping people aware of the goings-on.

I'm quite sure that some of the services were not donated. I'm sure whatever funds we had, if any, did not completely cover the Zoomobile, the ponies, the magician, and probably several other things. If a person wanted to contribute towards those costs, to whom would they write the check?

As you have said, it is a joy to see so many people from our neighborhood working toward this good end. Thanks again for everything you do. And Bill was right there by your side the entire afternoon, so welcoming to everyone, and so upbeat, as always.

When I attend the Southwest Common Council Meeting, I will be sure to report about this event.

Mary Dan

Mount Olivet Mass Choir

As our Block Party was reaching a climax Saturday afternoon, the Mount Olivet Mass Choir showed up in force with keyboards, backup musicians, choir leader, and their pastor singing along with them.

What a wonderful way to close out a community celebration of God's goodness, promises, hope, and provision for the future.