Picture Story

Rose got her new house in a special way

 

What would you think if you graduate from college for 8 years, and you still have extremely high student debt. Will you be able to have your house? “I have two kids, and I still have a high student debt. I could not afford my own house.” Stefanie Rose. Stefanie Rose is a single mom in Indiana. But now, with the help of Habitat for Humanity, Rose’s dream come true.

Habitat for Humanity is a company that gives an opportunity to people like Stefanie who desire to have their house. Habitat has point out “In Monroe County, Indiana, a person earning minimum wage must work 94 hours every week of the year to afford a two-bedroom apartment. In a county where 1 in 5 people are living in poverty, unaffordable housing holds our community back from being a place that many families can call “Home.”” By the support of volunteer labors, the human cost is extremely low which makes payment became affordable.

There are 3 requirements to be able to apply the program. The first requirement is the needs for housing. As their mission statement said, Habitat for Humanity is trying to offer people an opportunity to have their own house. The second requirement is people need to be able to afford their mortgage. They do not need to pay interest for their mortgage which could be a big thing for families like Stefanie Rose. The last requirement is that they need to spend 250 hours to take classes. Those classes can help to prepare homeowners, in that way, people can learn how to maintain their house after they moved in.

Rose start to apply this house from December 17th,  2017. It takes almost 10 months to complete the application process. But Rose still feel happy about that “I can’t believe how fast it is. It already looks like a house now, and it is the 4th day from the program start.”

Rose is not the only one who is excited for this program. Her nine-year-old son Trey and eight-year-old daughter Arianna are excited as well. “They come here every day after school and they are so happy to have their own bedroom now.” Said Rose. “I am so glad they can have their own space and privacy.” Trey and Arianna is Rose’s motivation to pursue a better life. Rose always worried about her kid’s safety, so she wanted to have a backyard and keep her kids safe.

For Rose’s house, the volunteer is mostly from Kelley Business School. ” This house won’t staying here(Briscoe). We will move it to somewhere else. We are construct house here because it is convenient for student to come and help us.” Said Lindsey Boswell, Engagement Assistant of Habitat Humanity. “We are cooperating with Kelley Business School for this house.”

There are no days off before a house was constructed. Rose’s house will be complete before October 13th, 2018. They are working from 9am to 5pm every day, and they have two shifts each day. Volunteers need to work 4 hours a day. “It is very fun to be construct an house, this is an incredible experience for my college life and I made a lot of friends during this time.” Said Yuanhong Huang, A volunteer of this program. “I would like to attend more activity like this, I feel like I am really help other people who are in need.”

Rose will have their dedication on this Saturday, October 13th ,2018 at Briscoe. Her two kids will be there as well. You can find more information here:

https://monroecountyhabitat.org .

If you want to be a volunteer for this program you can apply here :

https://monroecountyhabitat.org/volunteer-2/volunteertime/.

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Hive to Table

Tantalizing aromas and inviting chatter fill the air as crowds of people gather at the Bloomington Community Farmers Market. Aside from what farmer’s market vendors are typically known for such as produce, flowers, and bakery stations, there are also vendors who offer amazing selections of unusual things that you can’t find anywhere else!

Among the many vendors at the farmer’s market, Becky Vadas, bee farmer and producer, stands outside of her “Local Honey” booth offering sample taste testers of her product to wandering crowds.

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Vinally Famous

The digital world has completely changed the way we interact with media.  Technology has allowed us to access unlimited amounts of music at any time of the day. Eliminating any third party, the music we listen to today is the most direct it has ever been. But where’s the fun in that?

“There’s just something about holding that physical copy,” said Wilbur Bewley, a worker at TD’s CDs and LPs. “Placing the record down, hear a little scratch. There’s nothing better.”

Vinyl fans, collectors, or just music lovers in general have found a unique store in the heart of Bloomington.  Located in the basement of a historic mansion on Kirkwood Ave, TD’s CDs and LPs has a large selection of vinyl, DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, posters, and much more.

Sharing the location with a coffee shop, a moonrocks store, and a vintage clothing store, TD’s has been selling music out of the basement since the early 90’s. Originally selling CD’s only, the shop has evolved to include various types of media to its collection.

“We are not just a CD store anymore,” said Wilbur. “Now we order catalogs and photobooks that try to combine mediums, just really out-there stuff.”

Items in the store are relatively cheap, ranging from $1 to $50, but some special products can cost a lot more. Along with the type of medium, the genre of the product sold varies greatly as well. From comedy show VHS tapes to Beatles vinyl’s, almost anything is in the collection.

TD’s offers more than just vintage items, though. They offer a truly unique atmosphere that is hard to find around Bloomington. Whether you want a vinyl, a CD, or just a good time, TD’s CDs and LPs is the place to be.

Bloomington Walks to End Alzheimer’s

A sizable crowd gathers at City Hall Plaza in downtown Bloomington on a sunny mid-September afternoon. Children play games, dogs scamper around excitedly, and volunteers hand out colorful flower-shaped pinwheels. Bright purple, blue, yellow, and orange pinwheels litter the plaza as a woman rallies the mass of people. It is the 2018 Bloomington Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This event occurs annually in more than six hundred communities nationwide, making it the world’s largest fundraising event for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research.

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The Mane Event

A light stomp of a hoof, a swish of a tail, a soft whinny.  An old gray horse pricks his ears forward as a rider approaches his stall.  This is a rider he knows well, for she has ridden him every week for the past three months.  Each week, she brushes his coat and picks his hooves, saddles him, and they’re off.  Practicing trotting and cantering, along with various jump patterns.  Heels up, toes down, eye’s forward, thinks the girl as she makes her way around the ring.  This particular ride is important, because it is her last chance to practice for her very first horse show, happening the next day.

Thirteen year old Lauren Reynolds has been riding horses for a little more than a year at Crimson Stables in Bloomington, Indiana. Lauren practices her riding skills each week, learning the basics in the beginning and then moving on to more advanced riding maneuvers such as jumping.  As Lauren progressed in her riding abilities, competing in a show became a new and exciting opportunity.  On September 22, 2018, Lauren went to her first horse show which was held at Maple Ridge Sport Horses in Clinton, Indiana.  Lauren rode Stormy, a 22 year old gray Thoroughbred who is a barn favorite lesson horse at Crimson.  At the show, the pair competed in the walk/trot class, the walk/trot/canter class, and two jumping classes.

The evening before the show, Lauren and Stormy make final preparations.  This includes giving the gray horse a bath, which can sometimes be more difficult than it seems. “We actually use dish soap for his tail,” explained Lauren, “it’s the best way to make it look white again.”  After his bath, Stormy eats hay quietly in his stall while Lauren moves on to the next task of the evening, cleaning tack.  Preparations come to a close as Lauren loads the horse trailer with her tack and equipment, ensuring a smooth departure in the morning.  Lauren wishes one final goodnight to Stormy before going home to get as much sleep as she can before she is back at the barn, bright and early, to leave for the show.

The morning air was cool and filled with excitement the next morning.  By 7:45 am, Stormy was loaded into the horse trailer, and ready for the hour and a half trip to Maple Ridge.  The show began at 10 am, but it was important that Lauren arrive early enough to allow time for registration and more show preparations.  Lauren’s mother, Emily, accompanied Lauren to the show and registered her daughter for the correct classes.  After a good grooming, Lauren carefully tacks Stormy, ensuring his saddle fits correctly and looks clean.  A clean appearance is important in the show ring.

After final preparations are made, Lauren begins to warm up her horse.  Walking, trotting, and cantering around a warm up ring to ensure Stormy is settled and prepared for the show ring.  Luckily for Lauren, the old school horse has been to many shows and is calm and confident.  Without much time to spare, it is time for Lauren’s first class to begin.  She makes her way towards the show ring and holds her breath as Stormy takes his first steps into the soft sand of the arena. She studies the tree line just outside the ring as the gate closes behind the final rider. “Riders,” the announcer booms over the megaphone, “you are now being judged at the walk.”

A few hours later, Lauren and Stormy have finished their first competition together.  Competing in four classes, Lauren took home one third place, one second place, and two first place ribbons!  As a prospect for a competitive riding team at Crimson Stables, Lauren is excited by her results in the show.  “I want to be able to ride on the team, and thought riding in a show would be the best way to prepare.” Lauren explained.

As she loaded Stormy into the trailer, this time headed for home, Lauren gave the old horse one last pat for his good performance.  While the pair may have been headed home, Lauren already had her sights set on her next show with Stormy.  With ribbons in hand and horse in tow, the young rider smiled at her successes and settled in to sleep on her ride home.

Royally Rewarding

“There’s nothing like it on campus yet…and we wanted to combine philanthropy and this unique idea,” Royal Encounters founders Haley Sample and Emily Boehm explain.

It’s a hot Saturday in September, and the Indiana University Football Game is going on less than a mile away. Members of Royal Encounters meet in the basement of a member’s sorority house to commence the lengthy task of turning into the princesses and super heroes we know and love.

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A Taste of France

While the rest of Bloomington is just waking during the wee hours of the morning, the kitchen of La Vie en Rose is bristling with activity. The kitchen is warm from the heat of the ovens and the two chefs bustling around the cramped room. Sweet and savory smells bombard the nose when walking into the space. Yes, the rest of Bloomington might just be rising out of bed, but at a cafe and bakery, the day is brimming with life.

La Vie en Rose Patisserie and Cafe is located on 402 West Sixth Street in Bloomington, and the bright pink building is hard to miss. The owner, Stéphanie Jikeli, opened the cafe nine months ago. The cafe sells traditional French pastries such as croissants and baguettes, savory foods like quiches and soup, and delectable desserts that include cakes and macarons.  (more…)

Softball Hits a Home Run with Service

Softball is a sport where members of a team must work together to be successful. Whether it be on the physical side of the game: getting hits to score runs, or the relationship side of the game: working cohesively to accomplish a goal, nothing in softball can be done without the help of a teammate. All age groups are prone to this, as shown in the Smithville Wednesday night clinics hosted by the Indiana Softball team.

Throughout the Fall, staff and players of IU Softball have been spending time with girls ages 5-13 who are members of the Smithville Little League. It not only has been a way for IU to grow the game of softball, but a way to give back to the community and to the young girls who look up to players on the college team. For a couple hours out of the week, the Indiana staff runs drills, plays games, and teaches concepts of the game of softball to participants of the clinics. Drills can range from teaching outfield drop steps to working on having quick feet in the infield, but a main focus throughout the clinics was an emphasis on base running. By playing games like who can catch the most fly balls or who can run around the bases the fastest, competition is enforced then affirmed with a friendly scrimmage separated by age group at the conclusion of each clinic. The most important part of the clinics, however, is to have fun and create a bond between the college players and the girls attending each clinic.

Indiana softball player, Katie Lacefield, says that “It is great to make an impact on girls who really look up to you as a role model to them. Every week we would come out and work on drills with them, and they are so willing to listen and copy what we do, so by week four it really showed.”

The bond that is created between college girls and Smithville girls has been evident by week four as well. The players are able to share laughs and memories together such as having a water balloon fight for the last day of clinics.

“Being able to work with the Smithville girls reminded me of when I was a little girl with dreams of playing college softball. Through the Smithville program we are able to create special relationships with the little girls, and we have even seen them at some of our games.”

 

Living LRG

You scroll through all of your favorite social media sites checking out the statuses, thoughts, and opinions of your friends and family, but now a few more things catch your eye. Commercial videos have began to flood social media platforms in efforts to attract the attention of hard to reach consumers. Many don’t have the chance to see what life is like from the content creator’s perspective.

Ever wondered what it’s like to create a commercial? The process is not what most people would think. If you want it to be successful, it involves quite a bit of preparation and creativity. Meet Wayne Highfield, a 21 year old student at IUPUI, who loves creating content.

This neuroscience student has turned his obsession for creation into a media production company where he shoots both pictures and video. He loves looking at everyday activities and coming up with a variety of ways to make them visually appealing to your average person.

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SLCT STOCK: A Store About Nothing

Fashion enthusiasts rejoice. Bloomington has a new vintage clothes and sneaker store a mere 30 seconds from the iconic sample gates on Indiana Avenue. The next time you absolutely have to have a new pair of sneakers or are in dire need of a fashionable shirt for your next trip to Kilroy’s, walk no further than SLCT Stock. (more…)