It’s holiday time!  Let’s talk turkey…..um, Wish Lists!  (Still working on leftovers ?).  First off, I’d like to report on our amazing generosity from last year.  We were able to buy EVERYTHING on the list!  So thank you, thank you, thank you!  Technically, we haven’t spent all the money from last year because some of it went toward plantings and we’ve been slowly buying new plants all year long.  The final chunk helped buy the plants and mulch for the new pollinator garden.

A funny thing happened to my Wish List this year.  Well, not funny, more like astounding.  I had started my list just when we got a substantial donation from a lovely, generous, long-time member.  So, that donation covered several items that would have been on the list but that we no longer need—because we have them!:  20 new hymnals; the completion of the hearing sound loop in the choir area of the Sanctuary (new technology has allowed us to do something we could not do just 3 years ago); video equipment to be used to record in the Sanctuary; with the remainder being applied to the long-term (i.e., expensive) project we have in mind for the yard between the main building and the Memorial Garden, now to be known as the “Main Building Backyard Project.” (It will be awesome when it’s done, I promise.)

But fear not! (Holiday spirit, right?) I still have a Wish List for this year!  Just like for the solar panel project, you may donate to a particular item in any amount you desire.  However, please designate your donation to the WISH LIST so we can use it for any item on the list if we need to.

The List!

Nursery changing table – $100
     Our hand-me-down table is in sad shape.
Entry sign for the Memorial Garden – $500 
    The current one is peeling AND has “church” instead of “congregation” in the name.
Furnish a designated “teen space” in RE Commons – $500
    Every church needs a hang-out space for teens, and the way we are spread across campus, there is no place in the main building for that.  Our great RE folks have set aside an area in RE Commons now, but we need to get some seating for it and make it cool.
Screen the movie, The Mask You Live In, at UUCA, and open it to the community – $500
    The Mask You Live In follows boys and young men as they struggle to stay true to themselves while negotiating America’s narrow definition of masculinity. Experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education, and media weigh in, offering empirical evidence of the “boy crisis” and tactics to combat it. The Mask You Live In ultimately illustrates how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of boys and young men.  We think it’s an important movie for both our UUCA and greater community.
Install LED lights in Sandburg Hall – $1,000 more!
    Who could object to brighter, dimmable lighting in Sandburg Hall?  We’ll change out those 30-some-year old fluorescent fixtures.  This project will cost $2,000 but Ken Brame and Judy Mattox have offered a $1,000 match, so all YOU need to do is come up with $1,000 more.  We can do it!
Compost Now – $1300
    Between bear raids and the fact that getting food waste out of the landfill is environmentally correct, we’ll be using Compost Now to collect our food waste every week from the main building and 23 Edwin Place.  This service will cost $2500 a year but I’ll manage to get it officially into the budget next fiscal year.  This will pay for the unbudgeted amount this fiscal year.
Pavers from lower parking lot to Memorial Garden – $4,000
    Instead of pouring concrete, we want to use pavers like the ones on our front patio to make a handicap-accessible path to the Memorial Garden.  This is another part of the Main Building Backyard Project.

Linda Topp, Director of Administration