Buffalo Community Organization Highlights

I'm going to do a new "section" from now on in this blog:  Community Organization Highlights.  I'm going to highlight some of the great community groups we have here in Buffalo, working their arses off to make our city better, most of whom get $0 dollars from the government (Unlike Carl Paladino, and his ilk).  Imagine if we gave each of these organizations the same amount of money that we gave good ole Carl?

Green Options Buffalo

Green Options Buffalo is a community organization looking to move Buffalo to becoming a greener, more sustainable community.  And, to make our neighborhoods look nicer :)

Some of their projects are:

• Recycle-a-Bicycle: GO-Buffalo's Recycle-A-Bicycle program is an after school initiative for at-risk youth within the city of Buffalo, winning the “Bronze Commitment to Education” award from the Buffalo Alliance for Education in 2007. Recycle-A-Bicycle teaches up to 40 students per semester from Monday to Thursday. Through GO-Buffalo’s Recycle-A-Bicycle programs with Baker Victory Services, Bennett Park Montessori, Big Brother Big Sister, the Buffalo Youth Hostel, Enterprise Charter School, Harvey Austin Middle School, the Massachusetts Avenue Project, North Park Middle Academy and public schools 18, 27 and 77, students learn about bicycle repair and maintenance, as well as safety, health and the environment, while building their own bicycles from refurbished parts.
• Complete Streets: Complete Streets works to ensure that when a roadway is constructed or repaired in the City of Buffalo, equal consideration is given to commuters of all kinds – including bicyclists, pedestrians, public transportation users, children, people pushing baby strollers and the disabled.

As well as many other low-speed transportation initiatives, which can cut down on our reliance on fossil fuels, and also give us cleaner air.  In addition to the energy benefits of increased foot and bicycle traffic; we also get the beautification benefits.  Nice looking neighborhoods lead to increased property values, which leads to a more desirable place to live, which reduces unemployment.

Buffalo ReUse

Buffalo Reuse, Inc. is a non-profit organization focused on green deconstruction of eyesores, which does two things:  Keeps demolished building materials out of landfills, and also reduces the problem of blight.  From their site:

Buffalo ReUse, Inc. is committed to creating an economic and community development program related to deconstruction and re-use that provides quality job and educational opportunities; cross training in the trades, marketing, sales, and small business entrepreneurship; and a community collaboration process that considers both current and future use of our collective land resources

This organization has done much in the past to eliminate abandoned or neglected buildings, while also returning much of the antique architectural points of our city back into use (Such as building fixtures).  They operate both an brick and mortar store, and also an eBay store(http://www.buffaloreuse.org/ReSource/ReSource).

The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP)

The Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP) is essentially, a block club that has dedicated itself to urban gardening, and support local farmers through sponsorship of farmer's markets, classes, neighborhood gardens, neighborhood outreach programs to intervene in youth's before they turn to less than scrupulous affairs.

This group demonstrates, that with city cooperation, neighbors can be enabled to take their neighborhoods back from criminal elements.  Their work has made great strides in improving the culture and atmosphere of Massachusetts Avenue, in the Lower West Side.

Conclusion
All of these groups, draw very little in public dollars, but reinvest heavily into our community.  Try giving them some of your support next time you have a building project going on, are looking to add a bike rack or buy a bike, or even looking for support to turn to for advice on your garden.