Due to many walls needing to be opened for asbestos abatement, we can now add more electrical outlets and cut down on the use of extension cords. Small wall-heaters are being removed, and will be replaced by mini-split air handlers making our HVAC system more efficient overall. The large dumpster in the parking lot will be replaced by a smaller dumpster next week, taking up fewer parking spaces. Extraneous and outdated land-line phone cables are being removed, and a new more efficient water heater has been installed. Our project liasons, Brian Egan and Nick Houtman are very pleased with the care being taking by the Gerding crew, to communicate with us and to contain costs!
weekly announcements
Green Apple Award: Support Sustainability Learning in the Corvallis School District
In January, UUFC Climate Action Team member John Swanson gave a brief presentation about an opportunity for UUFC members and friends to support sustainability learning in the Corvallis School District by helping to establish the Green Apple Award. Presented annually, this award will celebrate and reward staff members who make significant contributions to implementing sustainability learning in the district. In addition, it will shine a spotlight on sustainability initiatives each year, and help integrate sustainability into the ongoing district culture.
Through sustainability learning *“students become lifelong stewards of their environment and community, willing and able to exercise the rights and responsibilities of environmentally literate citizenship, and choose to interact frequently with the outdoor environment.” * Last spring the Corvallis School Board included sustainability learning in its five-year goals. As one step to meet this goal, the district adopted science curricula for grades K-5 and 6-8 grades that include sustainability concepts, making this learning a part of the regular science program.
In addition, through school Green Teams, students are engaged in a variety of hands-on projects like carrying out waste audits; growing and maintaining school gardens; composting; planting native species on school grounds; researching and “adopting” endangered species through the World Wildlife Fund; and learning about the impact of plastics on the environment and encouraging others to reduce its use.
The Green Apple Award Project was developed through a partnership between the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Education Action Team and the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation. Modeled after the district’s Golden Apple Awards, which were established by Mario Pastega in 1996 to recognize outstanding educators, the Green Apple Award will be funded through an endowment managed by the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation and will include a cash award to the recipient. To establish the award in perpetuity we only need to raise $20,000 dollars one time.
We are over halfway to the goal of $20,000. Help us cross the finish line by donating now! As a special incentive, John Swanson will gift a homemade apple pie for donations of $1000 or more!
Donate online to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation at cpsfoundation.org. In the drop-down list, indicate that you are donating to a “Specific school, program or fund,” and type “Green Apple Award” in the box that appears.
Donate via check to the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation, 1555 SW 35th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333. Make your check payable to CPSF, and write “Green Apple Award” in the memo line to ensure that your donation is directed.
Let’s show our support for the district’s commitment to sustainability learning while at the same time creating a lasting legacy by establishing the Green Apple Award!
Kirtan on Zoom, 2/7
Please join us for a relaxing set of Kirtan music on Zoom first and third Fridays at 7-8:30 PM.
A Zoom kirtan allows us to gather, share conversations about the good and bad happenings in our lives, and then listen to a relaxing set of kirtan music, usually ending with a meditation. It’s an opportunity to snooze, sing, or listen as you do other things. We gather at the end for a prayer and good wishes for the week ahead. I look forward to every Zoom kirtan, as it ends my week on a positive note.
We hope you’ll join us on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month from 7-8:30 PM on Zoom.
Queerly Beloved, 2/9
Join us on Sunday afternoon, February 9, 4:00-6:00 in the Social Hall to paint rocks and create our own “I am from” poems. All Queerly Beloveds and allies welcome. See you there!
LEGATO potluck, 2/12
NOTE the new time: 5:45 PM
Let’s create and nurture sustainable relations by enjoying a meal together. Join the choir and band for the potluck supper on Wednesday February 12 at 5:45 PM. Come early if you can help set up tables. Bring a dish to share (please identify all ingredients).
This is a Connect Up Event with the purpose of building community within the UUFC congregation.
Your UUFC Lawn Mowing Team Needs You!
The UUFC lawn mowing team has lost half of its eight members. WE NEED YOU! We have a state-of-the-art set of electric lawn mowers,lawn trimmers and blowers. Mowing takes 1-2 hours, once per month on your own schedule, and is a pleasant workout experience (1.5 to 2 mi of walking). The UUFC lawns are divided into front and back sections. We need mowers for both sections.
To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Russ Karow.
Thanks for your consideration!
Bhakti Heart Kirtan, 3/7
Friday, March 7, 7-8:30 PM
Bhakti Heart Kirtan is heart-opening joyous chanting with Eugene’s award winning singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Laura Kemp and Len Seligman. Please join us for a joyous, uplifting gathering, chanting sacred sounds from diverse traditions. All are welcome, regardless of musical experience or spiritual background. We look forward to singing with you!
2945 Circle Blvd
$20 at the door; No one turned away for lack of funds.
Peter Mayer Returns to the Fellowship, 2/23
Well-known, and loved, singer-songwriter Peter Mayer is coming to the Fellowship on Sunday, February 23. He’ll be with us for the Sunday service, which will include more than just a few songs. He’ll also be doing concerts at the Eugene UU congregation on Friday night Feb. 21 and at the Salem UU congregation on Saturday night Feb. 22. Plan now to join us on Sunday, and attend either of the other concerts as well.
Sensory Break Kits
We are aware that the new confines and acoustics of our Sunday morning building use are less than ideal, and for some, quite overstimulating. While we lack the space to create a quiet zone on Sunday mornings, we have constructed 2 Sensory Break kits, which will be stored in yellow bags — one will hang on the back of the rocking chair in the gallery of the sanctuary and the other will be in the Spirit Play cart in the social hall.
Any time you or your child need a quiet moment or support in recovering from overstimulation, you are invited to grab one of these bags for as long as you need. While some of these items have toy-like appeal, they have been carefully selected for the support of those with exceptional sensory needs. We ask that they not be used as sanctuary entertainment so that they are available when the need arises.
Each kit contains sound cancelling headphones that can be adjusted for adult and child fit, and a variety of items for visual and tactile distraction.
This is part of our ongoing effort to be more welcoming and inclusive, recognizing that a wide range of needs come with us into the Fellowship each week. If you would like to know more about these efforts, please contact Skyla King-Christison.
Book Discussion, 2/10
EDI, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion justice team invites you! Love a good adventure story you just can’t put down? While engrossed in the events unfolding in “James,” by Percival Everett, you’ll explore the many risks facing James and Huck who somehow muster the courage to prevail in a perilous time of our shared history. It’s a compelling tale! Cozy up in comfort and join the conversation, 7 PM, Monday, February 10th when we’ll share our experiences and responses reading “James.”
Contact Elona for more details and the Zoom link.