Rain Thanks and Brooke Flow

Thank you, Volunteers!

Video of HT Rain Garden in Downpour
Viva Brooke – Haven for Children and WIldlife
Blackshear Bridge Year in Pictures Slideshow

RAIN THANKS Blackshear Bridge volunteers — Did you hear the Thank You song in our hearts – and on the refreshment table — when you built the Rams Rainscape at Huston-Tillotson University on Earth Day? Summer is a great time to see the value of a rainscape and to shout out appreciation to you. Thank you volunteers!

Project Designer Jason Patman’s video shows how well the rain garden banked water through the first of two downpours. The second shower was heavier. So we reinforced the berm with several larger rocks on the pass-through. Stop by and see the outcome as the temperatures fall and an evening stroll on the lovely HT campus is just the thing. See more photos from Earth Day 2017 rain garden dig in the Blackshear Bridge Year in Pictures below.

BROOKE FLOW Welcome to a hidden jewel on Austin’s east side. Brooke Elementary School on Tillery between 4th & 5th Streets is open for the 2017-2018 school year. Brooke children, parents, staff and friends plan to keep the school open. They have begun a campaign to raise awareness of all the things that make Brooke special. This fall Brooke parents will ask you to ask Austin ISD Trustees to keep Brooke open. Save the date to tour the campus during Festival de Leones – Friday, October 24.

What’s special about the Brooke community?

Brooke’s shady campus and outdoor programs provide a haven for children and wildlife with towering sycamore trees, fruit trees, veggie gardens, ponds, bee hives, chickens, ducks, and over 30 species of wildlife habitat plants. Read more…

BB YEAR IN PICTURES

Our way of saying Thanks!

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Thank you, Partners and Volunteers!

BLACKSHEAR BRIDGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Amanda Masino,Kevin Ritcherson, Gina Tillis, Yusuf Yildirim

Welcome new Blackshear Elementary School Principal Rick Garner and new Six Square Executive Director Nefertiti Jackmon!

ENRICHMENT TIME AT BLACKSHEAR’S FRIENDLY R. RICE COMMUNITY GARDEN Teacher Kasey Kirk, Professor Amanda Masino, Green is the New Black Students – Celeste Brewer, Marcus Callis, Jordan Cooper, Shay Hollins, Darrien Jones, Joya Lemmons, Chika Okfor, Pamela Perkins, Gaby Plummer, Tyra Powell, and Asia Walker

RAINSCAPE Thanks, Earth Day Austin for engaging Blackshear Bridge and Keep Austin Beautiful for the loan of equipment! Project Designer Jason Patman, Design Contributor Kali Miller, Project Manager Donna Hoffman, Consulting Engineer Bryan S. Martin with Environmental Water & Resources Institute, Huston-Tillotson University Professors, Green is the New Black and Dumpster Project sponsors — Amanda Masino and Karen Magid, Brandi Clarke and Reed Sternberg with Earth Day Austin, Oscar Garza and Matteo Scoggins with City of Austin Watershed Protection, Chad, Addison, & Wescot Threet, Bill Carter, Tone Truong, Kathy Schwab, George Lange, Lana Atenzon, Juliana Jimenez, Shirley Zhang, Hank Petersen, John Van Lowe, Leah Lorise, John Brickley, Nangah Tabukum, Grace Nolitse, Mary & Mike Brickley, Sue Love, Mecca Bobo, Paula McDermott, Shawn Neely-Otts, Julian Tillman-Green, Anna-Barbara D’James, Tenaishia Murry, Justin Ganiban, Patrick Bishara, Max Knorreck, Christian Parent, William Bradley, Christian Rounelis, Matthew Hooper, Anthony Edgington, Jake O’Shea, Naimisha Bhakta, Diyana Aboy, Alexis Maxie, Erin A. Backus, Tushar Patel, Teddi Andreas, Shannon Brown, Steven Sawyer, Darrion Jenerson.

FRIENDLY R. RICE FARM STAND Shannon Jones, Kali Miller, Green is the New Black Students, Sustainable Food Center, and Farm Share

FRIENDLY R. RICE COMMUNITY GARDEN NAMING & MLK SERVICE DAYS Gina & Jeiden Tillis, Ms. Vonnye Rice, Cara Briggs, Jonathan Clark, Principal Rick Garner, Laura DiCarlo, Karen Magid, Julia Heskett, Donna Hoffman, Luanne Stovall, Leslie Mattison, Winton Mattison, Green is the New Black, Huston-Tillotson University Baseball Team, Peace Through Pie, neighbors and friends

BIG FUN COMMUNITY GARDEN WORK DAYS Gina, Marion, and Alannah Tillis, Julia Heskett, Rob, Zadie, and Marlowe Ellis Hodges, Green is the New Black students

THE STUFF OF LIFE MURAL Graciela Salgado, Marc Dickenson, Rose, Jamie, and Rory Hernandez, Suzanne Burris, Brenda , Blackshear parents, Joanna Vaughn, Cindy Maus, Liz McConnell, and Sophia Benner