White Water Volunteer Registration

Project Details

https://www.whitewatervillage.org

March Volunteer Workdays

· Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th - Monday 13th

· Friday 17th – Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th

· 4-6 hour work sessions throughout the month March.

· Additional sessions will be scheduled as the work progresses.

Our Work Mindset

We are in need of flexible volunteers who are willing to jump in and try an assortment of jobs and potentially move through different rooms and spaces throughout the day. Some of the jobs are tedious, dirty and can be boring – our hope is to that when you leave you will have had a variety of small “wins” throughout the day.

• We will seek to rotate volunteers through the many possible job options throughout your time with us. If you have a particular skill (see list) we will maximize your expertise!

• If you find a job that you love you are welcome to spend your entire time doing that job.

• As we identify individuals preferences you can move throughout the dwelling and possibly partnering with others!

Work Schedule

• Email registration is simple. Just let us know what day(s) you will be joining us. mike@tenballoons.com

• We have staggered starting times to maximize and honor everyone’s time commitment.

• Because this will be a “work in progress,” - and not knowing how many volunteers we will have each session - we are unsure of what jobs will be needed each session. Not all jobs will be available each session.

• We will send out photos and weekly updates to our volunteer list to celebrate our progress as well as identify our current needs.

Non-skilled laborers needed.

• Sanding and taping windows frames and window casings.

• Painting window panes and casings.

• Patching, sanding and painting doors.

• Removing wallpaper. (Hot water spraying and scraping.)

• Plastering cracks, holes, corners and edges.

• Electric sanding plaster walls and ceilings.

• Hand sanding throughout the dwelling.

• Continual cleanup of dust and surface preparation.

• Priming wood and plaster surfaces.

• Painting woodwork and peg rails.

• Brushing and rolling plaster surfaces.

Skilled” Laborers needed.

• Skim coat on plaster walls. (Skim coating is a process of applying a thin layer of joint compound to existing drywall and other surfaces with a drywall knife or trowel.)

• Final painting wood surfaces.

• Drywall repair.

• Limited woodwork.

What to bring.

• Work gloves and paint clothes and footwear are essential.

• Shorts and t-shirts are not recommended.

• Eye protection and masks are essential in most rooms. Dust and air quality may be dangerous. Please make sure you have adequate protection for these areas.

• Long sleeve shirts and head covering recommended.

• Change of clothes for ride home and seat coverings.

• If you have your “favorite” paint brushes, scrapers, sanding blocks and small tools, consider bringing them.

• We provide band-aids for cuts and scratches!

• Beware! Limited electric outlets, hot water and internet/cell coverage.

White Water Paint Project

Beginning March 3rd!

What is the White Water Paint Project?

The White Water Shaker Village paint project is an opportunity for individuals and small teams to come together to be involved in the restoration effort of the Shaker Village, as the part of the 200th anniversary of its founding this year.

What is the White Water Shaker Village?

White Water is one of 24 communal villages founded in the United States between 1787 and 1824 by the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, generally called the "Shakers." It is the only remaining village of five Ohio Shaker villages, retaining most of its original buildings in their original settings and home of the only standing brick Shaker meeting house in the country. Learn more about White Water at: www.whitewatervillage.org

Why was this project created?

• To reverse the years of time and neglect by restoring peg rail, wainscot, plaster and painted surfaces to their 1832 appearance.

• As the kick-off project for the 200th anniversary by providing an opportunity for present and potential historical preservationists to be a part in preserving part of Southwest Ohio’s Shaker history.

• A time for individuals and volunteer teams of 2-6 to join in the restoration of the Dwelling within the Shaker Village.

• To enable The Friends of White Water Village to expand their scope and vision for their future with the public.

Who?

Volunteers, from the inexperienced to professional are needed to continue the restoration.

·      Removing wall paper.

·      Sanding walls and woodwork.

·      Priming and painting walls.

·      Taping and painting windows.

·       Drywall patching and plaster repair.

 When in March?

·      Friday 3rd - Saturday 4th - Sunday 5th

·      Saturday 11th - Sunday 12th - Monday 13th

·      Friday 17th – Saturday 18th - Sunday 19th

·      4-6 hour work sessions throughout the month March.

·      Additional sessions will be scheduled as the work progresses.

·      Ages: 16 and older.

·      All correspondence and registration will be through email. mike@tenballoons.com 

Who is leading?

•  The Lead Team is led by Rich Spence, President of White Water Shaker Village.

• Mike Nygren is the volunteer project manager.

 What commitment is needed of the volunteers?

·      First Read the Friends of Water Water Shaker Village website: www.whitewatervillage.org

·      Pre-register for one or more sessions with the project manager.

·      Workplace attire, workplace safety, needed tools or supplies, volunteer waiver and safety guidelines will be available upon registration.

Who should consider volunteering for this project?

·      Friends of the White Water Shaker Village.

·      Retirees.

·      Families desiring a creative outing/adventure. Minimum age of 16.

·      Small businesses and organizations in need of a team building experience.

·      Church or community small groups.

·      Alumni from “Down Memory Lane” with Mike. www.tenballoons.com/mikenygren

·      Fraternity and sorority leadership teams.

Contact: mike@tenballoons.com

The Forward to Mike’s New Book

My Story Isn’t Over

By Elizabeth Gish

It is not possible to say exactly what we learn from the people we love and who love us. The best we can do is tell stories and try to capture a little bit of the richness and depth that comes from such relationships, knowing our words and stories will always just be snapshots.

My story about Michael inviting me into the practices of service, fellowship, deep inquiry and careful study is one of thousands. This is what he does. He is relentless in his connecting, in his care and love, in his pushing and prodding, in his asking and searching and growing. I am so pleased that he has taken the time to write down a few snapshots that reflect this calling.

I have known Michael Nygren since I was fourteen years old. Our first interaction was at a youth group meeting. I was new to the youth group and trying to find my place — both in the youth group, but also in life. There were plans underway for a youth trip to Kentucky where we would help build a house for a family. The rules of the trip were: “Work Hard. Study Hard. Sleep Hard. Play Hard.” I liked the balance and simplicity of it. Even though I was nervous because I didn’t know many people in the youth group of about 200 teens, I signed up to go.

I loved building the house in Kentucky. I liked working on a team with other teens to do something meaningful. After failed efforts on the track team and volleyball team, I was glad to find an extracurricular activity that I was not bad at and connected to things I cared about. I appreciated that there were sessions during our trip where we would learn together with the other teens and adults, as well as from people in the town where we were staying. There were teachings and lessons that encouraged us to think about who we were and about who we could be. The teachings were not about believing the “right things,” but more about how to live our lives with others in a complicated world full of need. In the five day trip, there was so much opportunity to listen, reflect, share, work hard and connect. I had never really experienced something in my life where adults took teenagers seriously as people who mattered, who could think independently and who could make a difference in the world.

Michael and I talked some while we were building the house, and I soon joined his small group where we did a lot of the same things that we did on the trip: listening, learning, growing, connecting. I found him a little bit intimidating, but it was also exciting to be challenged and for someone to care so much about me. Sometimes we would go to breakfast together where he asked me about myself and who I wanted to be — things no one had ever asked me before. I really appreciated that he cared enough to ask and then listened so carefully when I responded.

One of Michael’s gifts is that he shares without expectation. He specializes in offering reflections, ideas, inquiries and conjecture; he finds it completely acceptable for people to take what they need and leave the rest. This is reflected in this book, and I would encourage readers to take in sections and stories that call to you, but not to feel like you must read the book from start to finish, agree with everything, or like every single story or idea. In many ways, each story is its own small invitation: to let go, to reflect, to wonder who you’d like to be, to consider what role community can play in our lives, and to imagine how we can do the difficult work of love and justice in a world that is in great need.

We live in a world where we need more stories about how things might be different than they are. I hope that readers will take what they need from these, finding ways to build on Michael’s vision to work toward a world we all long for.