At the RHIC Annual Meeting Tonight!

Friends & Neighbors,

Reservoir Hill Improvement Council’s (RHIC) 2013 Annual Meeting is TONIGHT Tuesday, 5 November at Beth Am Synagogue, 2501 Eutaw Place. We hope you are able to join us. It’s been a year of significant developments, made possible by thousands of hours of volunteer work and a range of partnerships, and tonight we review and celebrate that work, and engage in some important discussions that affect the coming year. In addition, the RHIC Board will be electing new leaders and discussing its plans for leadership development in 2014.

 The following is a review of the program for tonight.  See you there!

School Revitalization as Community Revitalization: The Opportunities Before Us

John Eager Howard School, John Eager Howard Recreation Center, and John Eager Howard Park constitute the largest institutional footprint in Reservoir Hill, and the redevelopment of that site will positively impact hundreds of families and the community as a whole.  We have an unprecedented opportunity to shape a model for community engagement in the design process that brings together school redevelopment and neighborhood redevelopment.  This massive school investment affords possibilities for significant community development, not just in the funds invested in the school, but how that project design serves the rest of the neighborhood, and how other public and private investments are coordinated to create the most positive change possible leading up to and following upon the school redevelopment.

At the Annual Meeting you will hear some of our partners, architects, and organizations around the City discuss the model being built in Reservoir Hill and what we need to do city-wide to make sure our neighborhoods receive maximum benefit from school redevelopment. We welcome Transform Baltimore, Baltimore City Public Schools, Citizens Planning & Housing Association, Neighborhood Design Center, Healthy Neighborhoods, and others to this Annual Meeting conversation.

We think you will find this a lively and important conversation.

We’re very happy to once again honor the work of some dynamic neighbors and partners.

This year the Lenora Hewitt Awards goes to

Juanita Garrison

Chancey Avenue resident and member of Lakeside Neighbors Coalition

and

Carl Young,

Lennox Street resident and member of Historic Mt. Royal Terrace Association

The Lenora Hewitt Award honors individual community leaders who exemplify the ideal of thinking beyond the boundaries of block, race, organization, and other boundaries to work for the entire community.

This year we also honor an award winning development project,

The Bacharach Stein House on Linden Avenue

We are happy to honor Healthy Neighborhoods and their partners for this contribution to the community, and Women’s Housing Coalition for becoming part of the neighborhood.

This year there have been several projects that are demonstrating the importance of engaging the community broadly and deeply in community projects.

For that work, we honor

The School Design Team

The Linden Lot Project

Beth Am Synagogue’s, In, For, and Of the Community Initiative

And we honor and bid farewell to Elisa Lane and Doron Kutnick of Whitelock Community Farm

Please join us as we honor our neighbors and partners

RAFFLE

We have  some special items in our Annual meeting raffle this year. Come with a few dollars for tickets!

We Are Launching the

RHIC "Tree Menu"

In fall 2013 RHIC partnered with local artists, including one Reservoir Hill neighbor, to produce an illustrated guide for residents interested in tree planting. The hand-drawn illustrations present detailed descriptions of five native tree varieties and feature quotes from community members who have recently planted each of the tree options.  Pick up a copy at the Annual Meeting.

Dinner Menu

Catered by Milk & Honey

Free

Dinner served at 6:30 pm

You might have been wondering what’s on the buffet menu!

Appetizer Platter: pita, hummus, falafel, and more

Main Course:

Baked Ziti

Garlic bread

Salad

And we have some very special exhibitors this year

Baltimore Community Foundation:  Volunteers will be conducting surveys to help us understand better what you as residents want and need in our community.

Baltimore Green Map will be displaying their Druid Hill Park and John Eager Howard School Map/Passport projects.

Downtown Baltimore Family Alliance:  Speak with them about what they are doing to foster an ever more family-friendly city.

Girl Scout Troop 10281 will be selling girl scout cookies and recruiting to the troop.  The troop is based at John Eager Howard Recreation Center

Healthy Neighborhoods:  Speak with our Healthy Neighborhoods partners about their programs to buy in the city andto enhance your neighborhood.

John Eager Howard School will be taking orders for adult and children’s t-shirts that sport the winning design for the Maryland Department of the Environment’s 2013 Earth Day poster contest by JEH’s 4^th grade class.

Jubilee Baltimore will be showing the CHOICE Neighborhood designs, covering areas north and south of North Avenue.

The Linden Lot Team will be showing their design for redeveloping the lot at Linden & Brooks and discussing the project.

Live Baltimore will be discussing their new Neighborhood Know It Alls program and how you can take part.

Mosaic Makers will be discussing the mosaic they are working with neighbors to create for John Eager Howard Recreation Center

Neighborhood Design Center is working on a number of Reservoir Hill projects.  Speak with them about how they are helping our community.

No Boundaries Coalition works to bring Central West Baltimore communities into closer working relations.   Speak with them about what they have planned for the next year.

RHIC will be selling the new Reservoir Hill Coloring Book & Guided Tour

The School Design Team will be discussing the process underway to redesign and redevelop John Eager Howard School

Toastmasters:  Speak with them about their programs to develop public speaking and leadership skills.

Jubilee Baltimore will be showing the CHOICE Neighborhood designs, covering areas north and south of North Avenue.

. . . and of course much more