This is a live work in progress, please forgive the untidiness!

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Table of Contents

Original grant as submitted

Project Summary

Project Narrative

Area Satellite Map

Project building photos

Possible garden spaces photos

Letters of Support

Madison Urban Ministry

Budget
Included Attachments:

Senior/Key Person Profile

1.   Grant Application Package

2.   Application for Federal Assistance, Research and Related Personal Data

5.   Project / Performance Site Locations
 

15. Research and Related Other Project Information
 

Included attachments:

Introduction

This is a project that has been close to my heart for years now.

New to Madison, in 2002 I bought a home with a nice city park (Marlborough) for a backyard. The realtor warned me that it was near a "bad" neighborhood, which turned out to be Allied Drive, 1/2 mile away. Not too much of a problem for me, since I live with confidence and don't have young children to be concerned about. Nor did it make a difference, then, that the house was actually in Fitchburg.

As I learned more about the community, I became interested in, and active with, various groups that were working toward improving the area, principally Madison's Allied Area Task Force.

Two things that were fairly apparent were that people didn't have money to meet their basic needs, but they had time since the availability of jobs was, and is, extremely limited.

Knowing, first hand at times, how much lack of money can impact people's sense of pride, I was looking for ways people could use their time to build pride. What became apparent is the look and feel of the neighborhood was a detriment to the community, but that, with some effort and expense, things could be spruced up fairly quickly and easily. 

When the Task Force was writing a neighborhood Safety and Security document, I had a chance to offer my thoughts, which were incorporated into it.

When the USDA offered a grant program that seemed a good fit for my ideas, I wrote a grant that would allow it to happen. Unfortunately, that was rejected. Since I have a well written, solid proposal, I'm now taking it out into the community seeking funding.