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Help keep Grand Avenue grand! GAMA would love your assistance in refreshing our planters with new dirt and greenery. Masks are mandatory and please maintain social distance.
Free eventbrite tickets are for tracking volunteer hours. You do not need to bring the ticket.
We need your help! We have 50 large container planters that we would like to refresh.
Our bi-monthly cleanup will start at 10 am and we’ll have a team hit the streets to clean up trash. The other volunteers will stay to refresh planters. If you can’t make it at the start, please come anyway and we’ll catch you up. Eric Eisenmann, from AZ Yard Farmers, will be bringing the plants and soil. He'll be assisting and guiding us.
This is a family-friendly event. Please social distance and wear masks. For more information on the planters please read the history below. We will have more volunteer days in October.
What to bring:
-Protect yourself from the sun and weather
-Personal drinks and snacks
-Gloves
-Clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty and sweaty
-Plants you'd like to share (please see acceptable plants below)
What we will provide:
-We will have masks and hand sanitizer.
-We will have disposable water bottles
available as well as a refilling station for reusable water bottles.
-An awesome opportunity to meet the people of our community
History:
The Grand Avenue Members Association is a 501(c)3 charity (EIN: 65-1300033) with the IRS that focuses on community building in the Historic Grand Avenue neighborhoods in Phoenix, Arizona. Our mission statement reads, “GAMA nurtures a thriving business and residential community along Historic Grand Ave by strengthening the sense of neighborhood and guiding its future form and character” and we engage in community cleanups, hosting and supporting events in our neighborhood and responding to development proposals with community feedback.
The planters were originally donated by the City of Phoenix, Street Transportation Department, as a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. It was funded to create a plan for a sustainable green environment on Grand Avenue between 7th Avenue and 15th Avenue. The plan included reducing the traffic lanes from 5 to 3, created on-street, parallel parking, resurfaced the street, added bike lanes, and strategically placed planters on the street. The project was completed on October 18th, 2013 and dedicated at the October 19th, 2013 Grand Avenue Festival. The city helped with the initial care and maintenance of the planters but then the community was responsible for planter maintenance. Grand Avenue Members Association (GAMA), acting for the community, formed a sub-committee to organize the administration of this program.
We created an Adopt-A-Planter Program where individuals and businesses from the community help to maintain the planters by removing debris, watering, and weeding. 40 of the 50 planters have been adopted and we are still seeking volunteers to adopt the remaining 7. We received a $1000 grant from the city to help refresh the planters in 2018 with volunteer hours. In October 2018, we used this grant to purchase soil and plants. The sub-committee is only responsible for the maintenance of the planters. As far as décor, artists should still contact Tammi Lynch-Forrest.
Each planter has a plastic watering device that holds 15 gallons of water. The condition of the watering devices is unknown but we do know that several do not work. They take a long time to fill and need an allen-wrench to open. At this time, we are not interested in replacing or removing the watering devices but adoptees and volunteers are encouraged to try using them. Tops do not need to be re-secured.
Plants should meet the following criteria:
-Succulents or low-maintenance plants
-Should not grow too large to block or hinder the view or right of ways of traffic, bicycles, or pedestrians
-If plants have thorns or prickly parts should not extend the planters in a way that could harm someone
Suggestions: Agave, Aloe, Red Yucca, Lantana, Desert Sage, Liatris, Sweet Potato Vine, Hyssop, Rosemary, Boxwood, Jade, etc
If you are interesting in helping with the Adopt-A-Planter program by adopting a planter, volunteering, or donating supplies, please contact Amber Harrold.
[email protected]
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Fushicho Daiko Dojo, 925 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85007, United States
Tickets
USD 0