Participation Committee
Chair: Nobody currently
Hospitality is an informal community thing rather than MSC business. The value of hospitality is not the funds one spends on it. It is relationships that form community and organize participation in efforts that serve both this coop and larger communities that residents are part of.
MSC has a computer projector so residents may watch movies together and share presentations/discussions. We have garden areas, decks on E-House, kitchen and porches. Our ping pong table... are only valuable when people use these things. Planning an preparation is needed for party and game noise not to disrupt others in a study friendly home. Storing acquired stuff competes with living space, and repair projects also need work space, so sustainability Committee often works with, or joins in, Maintenance Committee to prepare spaces to store supplies conveniently without cluttering floor space and sound insulate walls so accommodate the diversity of activities we may want in our homes. Our more immediate solutions tend to plan to facilitate parties outside the building.
Members have cars to go shopping or visit places, and all nature of equipment specific to their life style or hobby that they might share to make something fun happen. Someone always has a Frisbee, soccer ball, volleyball... if one asks around (We tend to store these in back entry cabinet of Main House). Gardens bring together people who might not otherwise meet from different houses.
All work and no play would make for a dull coop. Tranquil and quiet homes need not be dull. With so little free time to share as busy students & researchers our members tend to share meals and do activities in small groups. However, it would welcome potential new members if we invited them to some open events. With 43 members we could do more than we do if someone other than those running the business end of this coop took charge of participation and coordinating volunteers to simply have some fun.
The value of building community relationships practically guarantees that the BOD will fund reasonable Free Food for Volunteers participating in a Work Day, and a modest contribution of funds for any event that brings more than 15 Coop Members together. The BOD ended Hospitality Committee because what we need is participation and group building, and not handing out impersonal seasonal candies. Inviting people from other houses to pot luck gatherings has been more effective for leaders. These are opportunities to sort through logistics of bigger shared camping trip, project or party ideas.
We have at least 1 cooperative wide events with food annually.
The Annual Meeting, when we member shareholders find out what the Board of Directors has accomplished, and elect a new Board.
A near Thanksgiving meal, when we eat much turkey, chat, and ask if anyone has needs to prepare for winter.
Summer BBQs happen spontaneously, as do shopping car pools, movie viewing and such.
Participation is really our focus now because it is the quality and comfort of our buildings that matters most universally to residents.
House Coordinators help residents find items they need left by previous residents, such as desks, lamps, dishes, etc.
Our Supply Clerk attends to ensuring we have useful stuff, and gets rid of useless stuff. (Charity & recycling)
Sustainability looks to plan long term improvements to better serve resident comfort and health with environmental responsibility.
Mentoring is needed to involve new members in our coop in meaningful ways.
We take pride in our achievements:
Our events have never contributed significantly to our rent cost so enjoy! Gardeners take pleasure when they here others comment on flowers, taste berries, and simply choose to sit and read in the spaces they tend. Artists and craftspeople smile when someone admires or ponders something that they or someone they know made. With little fan-fair volunteers from our Coop have helped clean up Saint Anthony Park Neighborhood, participated in cleanup of Kasota Ponds, assisted Neighborhood waste cleanups, and much more.
We are a community of individuals that do stuff. We are diverse, and not a cohesive social club. The Board can allocate Beautification funds to decor improvements agreed upon at House Meetings, but each House has it's own fund for such things and small appliances without wasting limited big meeting time. We plan best is small focus groups who report to the board during Committee reports. David Fritsche has cultured houseplants to liven up our houses. Brian Ashman points out that many clean indoor air a little as well. Coordinators serve to get reimbursements for valuable initiatives residents do on their own.
We have rough plans to get 2 Coop Internet Service Connections wen we establish code compliant and pest proof communication links between homes, and visions to update the 3 largest homes to have (fresh HRV air to bedrooms with HEPA filtration, exhaust out dirty rooms, and de-humidification sufficient for future radiant cooling), but preparing houses to facilitate electrician visits to affordably rewire houses we constantly live in is the immediate task before we need professionals to run 3" HRV ducts through walls and integrate drains into water tight bathroom floors so we have commercial grade durability up to the worst that can happen in a house where 12 resident might decide they all prefer one bathroom... So our decision to keep our coop house costs low, and to invest in high quality bathrooms and HVAC requires we are deliberately patient and relentlessly persistent to reach such goals that the cheapest contractors don't specialize in delivering.
Here is an article about Housing Cooperatives and Health
We need others to give more than what money buys for us to affordably get the homes we want.
Others need us to give things at less than sale price to afford better stuff.
To be part of solving our own problems, we contribute to solving problems of others through the free exchange of surplus.
To have space for nicer stuff we need to curate what we are to keep where
We regularly give clean used clothing and other stuff to charity. We even recycle clean rags.
The Epilepsy Foundation accepts donations at 1600 University Ave. W. Suite 300, and via Savers (a for profit thrift store).
Savers Thrift Stores (map) -- focuses on profitably selling used items on behalf of local charities that collect donations
The Salvation Army (map Mpls; ___?___ StPaul)
Goodwill accepts: 553 Fairview Ave. N (Saint Paul); 1627 W County Rd. B and 2500 Cleveland Ave. N ( Roseville)
Other cool places to buy used stuff: PPL Shop may have closed , Practical Goods,
When we have sufficient quality of items Bridging is a great cause that helps many people.
Habitat ReStore -- are a place we donate quality furniture & maintenance hardware, <-- It is also a place Members buy such
Of course we use Craigslist to buy and sell, but it is a jungle out there.