May Newsletter 2020

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A newsletter of the District 1 Community Council. Battle Creek | Conway  | Eastview | Highwood Hello all, We've made it through some difficult days (that have felt like the longest days ever) in April. Staff have tried our best to keep up our work and outreach despite being at home.  In the past month, we've worked on flyering to get our contact information out for individuals who may not have access to technology. This has resulted in phone calls and emails from neighbors who need resources and recommendations, and we've been able to help them. We continue to share loads of information on our Facebook page and other social media, and have created a page on our website with a list of resources. Our Youth Organizers are a small group of middle and high school students who have continued to work with Shaquonna to promote safe and healthy practices right now. They've been creating some wonderful and relevant artwork.   If you have questions or would like to talk, please leave a message at our office 651/578-7600 or send an email to betsy@southeastside.org. Shaquonna or I will get back to you! Stay At Home Order Extended Governor Tim Walz extended our stay-at-home order through May 18.    Bystander Intervention We know that COVID-19 has brought out an increase in racism against Asian and Pacific Islanders. SECO is committed to combating racism and social injustice.  SHOW UP: Your Guide to Bystander Intervention by ihollaback.org shares ways that you can step up to advocate for individuals who might be victims of harassment. This list of resources for victims of racism has been shared via the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. Southeast Parks   Which is your favorite park in our community? *|SURVEY: Eastview Playground|* *|SURVEY: Conway Park|* *|SURVEY: Battle Creek Regional Park|* *|SURVEY: Burns Ave Park|* *|SURVEY: Henry Park|* *|SURVEY: Pig's Eye Regional Park|* *|SURVEY: Taylor Park|* *|SURVEY: Highwood Rec Center Park|* *|SURVEY: Burns Ave Lookout|* *|SURVEY: Highwood Preserve|*   SECO is part of a St. Paul District Council's cohort to provide outreach and information gathering on our parks. The goal of the project is to encourage parks use, and to make sure that everyone has a park within 10 minutes of their home. Staff have done park walk-throughs of Burns Avenue Park, Taylor Park and the Burns Ave Overlook. See the videos on our Facebook page.   St. Paul ranks #2 across the nation for our parks! Criteria includes access, acreage, investment and amenities. In addition 98% of people live within 10 minutes of a park. October 10 is National #WalktoaParkDay. Pledge to do so this fall! Proposed By-Law Changes Recent pandemic issues have required changes in how SECO does business. Instead of holding our annual meetings and elections this year, we have postponed our annual meetings indefinitely We held elections on-line through a Google platform. This allowed us to keep moving forward in our work; allowing retiring board members to move on, and bringing new members up to speed. Please review the proposed changes on our website. If you have questions or comments regarding these changes, please send your comments to our office. Information will be passed along to the Board of Directors. New Resource Page   We now have a resource page on our website with information about food, housing and more. Each day, we also share resources and information on our Facebook and other social media pages. Please call 651/578-7600 or email if you are looking for something specific. Release MN announced a COVID Relief Fund. Find details and the link to apply on our website New! Free Meal Services for Families through the City of St. Paul Conway Recreation Center, 2090 Conway St, has meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00-4:00 p.m., as well as some other times. Please call 651/578-7600 for more info. Two of our favorite service organizations: Community Stabilization Project (CSP) helps prevent homelessness for tenants affected by condemnation, foreclosures, and evictions; increase awareness of tenant/landlord responsibilities and rights to ensure housing stability, and; strengthen relationships between tenants and landlords. St. Paul based Face to Face supports homeless and displaced youth ages 11-24 through medical and mental health care, housing support, employment training and social services. They are always looking for donations, and have specific lists of items to donate which makes it easier to do so. You can even sign up to donate a homemade hot meal! Input on St. Paul's proposed S.A.F.E. Ordinances for Renters The City of St Paul is accepting comments on the proposed S.A.F.E Ordinances for Renters. Please provide your input via the Legistar website. Our organization does support the proposal, and believe it would be greatly meaningful for tenants in our community - which make up more than 50% of our neighbors.  When you click on the link, link down to the the blue row that says HISTORY. Just below that, you will see a line that says "Add New Comment." This is where you fill in your information. You can also send an email to your City Councilmember Jane Prince. The Alliance has also shared more information about Tenant Protections. Complete Your Census Minnesota is in the national lead for census completion! Please remind friends, family and neighbors to complete their census.       The Dari-ette Drive-In is Open Though technically not in our district, people get excited about the drive-in re-opening each year! Tuesday-Saturday  11:00 am-8:00 pm Sunday, 12:00-8:00 pm Closed Mondays  Here are a few local small businesses where we hope you'll shop: The Little Oven,1786 E Minnehaha Chilli Time Coffee, 279 McKnight Road S Sunray BP Gas Station, 344 N Ruth St Culver's of St. Paul, 2065 Old Hudson Rd Ha Tien Super Market, 1959 Suburban Ave Jimmy's Food Market, 532 White Bear Ave N M & M Dry Cleaners, 1670 Suburban Ave Upcoming Meetings Land Use Committee: TBD, 6:00-7:30 pm  (1st Mondays) Communications Cmte: TBD, 6:00-7:30 pm  (2nd Mondays) Board Meeting: Closed to the public, Board Orientation, May 18 Virtual Coffee with Councilmember Jane Prince  Monday, May 11th: 4:30 - 6:30 PM, details TBD Submit information and events to betsy@southeastside.org. Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *Southeast Community ORganization*, All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|* Our mailing address is: Southeast Community Organization 2105 1/2 Old Hudson Road St. Paul, MN  55119 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. *|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*