ArtsFest is the one thing that tells you that Spring has sprung and Summer is around the corner. Rain or shine (and let’s not kid ourselves Arts Fest can be a soggy affair) GSOL will be there there doing some dynamic programming.
Our charming faces and your love of all things outdoors will bring you to our booth and you’ll stay for Homemade Stampmaking- a How to Letterbox/Produce Stamping Art extravaganza! Kids can participate making artwork using rubber stamps with nature themes or making their own stamps for “letterboxing” using wood as a base with foam stickers. Younger kids can also paint with vegetables painted with with washable finger paint, kids will be stamping on paperboard (cereal boxes) or other recycled/upcycled materials – paper scraps, old stationary, envelopes etc.
Since we are a green organization and would love to have people contribute however they can, it would be great if you could donate some paper materials for these art projects. Please collect things that you might be throwing away that could be canvases for this art! Our intrepid board member Becky will be collecting and processing the cardboard for the event. So, kudos to her. Please email GraydonSprings@gmail.com for more details about drop off and volunteering.
We could also use as many of your lovely faces to man the booth for a few hours at a time. It’s fun, easy, and great way to get your foot into ArtsFest and get to know your fellow Springfieldians. We have time slots all weekend so let us know when you could throw your hand into the mix because we are eager to get to know you and see what sort of mark you’ll leave.
We hope you enjoyed our little April Fool’s prank yesterday. Rusty was a good sport about it.
However, in all seriousness, we have been approved for our non-profit status this past week. We have worked long and hard with friends who have been ever supportive. Huge thanks goes out to our board members, our accountant, our lawyer, the lovely officials at IRS who helped us through this process and the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. If you’re looking to donate now that you can deduct it from your next tax returns then you can go through CFO using this link. Just make sure to put Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy in the “Fund / Program” box.
So now that we are 501(c)(3), we have some amazing programming we’d love for you to be a part of, just look!
Sat, 4/28/12 – Zeleny Art Fair at Heartland Center in Parkville, MO (near Kansas City) which is a shared fundraiser with the proceeds being shared between us and Heartland Camp near Kansas City. When you go, you’ll find 40+ eco-friendly artists and they will have an upcycled art activity table available. If buying Mother’s Day gifts gives you a headache then throw out the aspirin because you’re set with all the great hand made gifts this Art Fair will have. It’ll be Eco-chic-o!
Check out the rest of our great upcoming events and keep coming back here for features on each of these events as they get a bit closer.
Sat-Sun 5/5/12-5/6/12 – Arts Fest in Springfield.
Sat 5/12/12 – Ozarks Greenways Adventure Race, near & around the Frisco Highline Trail
Sat 5/19/12 – Young Sprouts in the Garden, Nathaniel Green Park, Springfield
Sat 6/2/12 – Wildflower Ride, Frisco Highline Trail
It’s been shown time and time again, in our experience, that you can build a community that stands for recreation, education, and conservation much more quickly (and have a ton more fun) the more hands you have involved. So why not join us? If you’d like to be involved in helping with any of these events please send an email to GraydonSprings@gmail.com.
As many of you may have heard, Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy has some incredibly big news to celebrate. When we say “big news” we mean big news, otherwise we’d never have used the caps lock in our title.
Drumroll please… (I’ll wait while you wrap you fingers lightly and rhythmically on your key board)
We have been approved by the US government for non-profit status! (I’ll now wait while you finish you ear-shattering cheers)
Thanks for all your support!
Now that we’re legit we hope you will join us in more of our fantastic adventures!
Speaking of adventures… one teeny last bit of news…. Rusty the Pony has joined a group of Pirates of Pomme de Terre Lake. He’s been pillaging villages left and right.
So much to do! So many friends to see! So many people to tell about Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy! If you have been wondering how to get involved, NOW is the time to do it! Check out the list of dates, times, locations, events to see how to get connected & involved!
May 21, 9am-1pm, come see our hay bale garden in action!
The Botanical Center & Gardens at Nathanael Greene|Close Memorial Park
2400 S Scenic Ave
May Trivia Night
McSalty’s on Battlefield
May 26, 6:30pm-9pm
Open House / Wakahni Reunion!
June 4, 10am-6pm (bonfire at 4pm)
INVITE EVERYONE!
If you have any questions, ideas, or just enthusiasm & excitement to share, then send it to GraydonSprings@gmail.com ! We can’t wait to make new friends but keep the old!
Its been a big week for the GSOL community & its only Tuesday!
NEW twitter account! www.twitter.com/GraydonSprings share it with your friends, your family, your neighbors, your doggies…well, you get the point. Just share it!
This is where we announced our 1st ever t-shirt winner! Wondering who it is? Well, you will just have to watch the crazy video to find out!
200+ “likers” on the facebook page lead to the t-shirt winner! Congratulations! If you have not already become a liker, you should! Go, like the page & you might win next time!
NEW Trivia Night FUNdraiser planned! The whole 1st floor of McSalty’s on Battlefield will be reserved for your big brains! Come hungry, as McSalty’s is generously donating 10% of all sales that night to GSOL!
Plans are being made for not just 1, but 2 Reunion/Open House events this summer! Did you know that 50 years ago this summer the Graydon Springs property was first used as a camp?! If you or someone you know has ever been a camper there (traditionally called Camp Wakahni), please PLEASE make sure to invite them! Details will be posted soon!
Remember, the High-5 Campgain is still going strong. If you haven’t already donated, its not too late!
Lots of GREEN (meaning money) was raised on Tuesday night at our 2nd Trivia Night! Almost 60 people played along! We haven’t heard yet how much Garbo’s is generously donating.
GSOL t-shirts are available! No, they are not colored GREEN. They are a “GREEN” product: locally made & printed in the Ozarks (little gasoline used) with organic cotton. Please email us (GraydonSprings@gmail.com) to purchase one for $18 – all of that money goes straight to GSOL! Thank you Third Street Sportswear for donating them!
We hope to see or hear from you all soon! Things are ramping up & YOUR donations and input matters!
We have an AWESOME opportunity for your donations to be doubled! We have a $500 matching donation waiting for us if we can raise $500 by the end of this week! That means we would be 1/5 of the way to our goal of $5000 by 5-5-11!! WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Please mail donations to our PO Box or give to a board member!
Other FUNdraising items on the agenda:
2nd Trivia Night will be at Garbo’s in Springfield, March 15, 2011 – Join a team now or form your own team!
Belle Epoque Salon in Kansas City, MO will host a First Friday celebration on April 1 including a fundraiser for GSOL! More details soon, but mark your calendar for a great night out on April 1!
There is SO MUCH to talk about! I thought I might be easier to make a list & check it twice…oh wait, that’s a Christmas song. I will make a list & then expound upon each item in another blog.
501(c)3 paperwork is complete & sent in!!!! Becky worked very hard at it & has made a masterpiece (can that be said about a legal form filled out?)! Thank you Becky!
We have also become part of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks! Wahoo!
Bylaws have been adopted! Again, Becky was the brains of this legal creation. Thank you! The of the Board of Directors utilized email to discuss, adapt & vote on the bylaws. It was beautiful to see this happen over email throughout a day. Great job to our Board!
Speaking of our Board, we now have 9 members! This is where we will stop. All nine are excited to see this Legacy become reality. We have elected officers & formed committees.
Fundraising is kicking off to a great start!
We have donors who have committed to a matching donation if we get $500 extra dollars raised. This is an easy way to donate & double what you give!
1st Trivia Night was a BLAST!!!! It was held Feb 22 at McSalty’s. Photos are posted on our facebook page.
2nd Trivia Night will be at Garbo’s in Springfield
Oscar Watch Party was a raging success in Washington DC! Thank you to Elise & her friends who had fun watching & donating!
This is just a little thing, but exciting nonetheless. We have new tabs at the top of our blog. Did you see them? Please take a moment to check them out. You will see we have some links to really great friends of GSOL. Do you know someone’s business (or your own) that could become a friend of GSOL? Let us know!
Ok. That’s 5 in our list. I hope it was a quick read & come back for the details.
GSOL has taken the next step in this incredible journey of starting up! We now have a Business page on facebook. We hope this will serve everyone better than the Group page. We will now concentrate our facebook updating efforts on the business page. Please take just a moment to “like” Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy. As soon as we have 25 “likes” we can get a username – will YOU be that 25th “like”? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Graydon-Springs-Outdoor-Legacy/110762322333941
