Mid-MEAC $1,000 Challenge!

Dear  Friends:

 

 

What an exciting and successful year 2011 has been! Mid-MEAC is grateful for its members, staff and volunteers who have helped us wage numerous effective campaigns and events. With the help of active citizens like you, Mid-Michigan is becoming a more green, sustainable and healthy place to live.

 

We are thrilled to announce that several anonymous donors have joined together to match the first $1,000 in our annual Fall Campaign in order to make 2012 even more successful.  We hope you will consider helping us win this match with a contribution to Mid-MEAC of $100, $50, $25 or whatever amount you can give.   

 

Here is a little of what Mid-MEAC was able to accomplish in 2011:

 

 

 

Over Labor Day weekend eleven brave teams raced Dragon Boats down the Grand River in downtown Lansing to bring awareness to and protect the Grand River.  Dragon Boats have been used for spiritual and competitive purposes for over 2,000 years in China, and racing them has spread across the globe. I am excited to announce that this will now be an annual event in Lansing. Please contact Julie Powers at jpowers155@gmail.com for information on being a part of next year’s race.

 

 

A record- breaking 35 volunteers turned out for this Fall’s volunteer stream monitoring event allowing us to collect data on the health of area waterways. Monitoring the streams and rivers in the tri-county area helps identify sources of pollution and protect the health of local waters. Whether you are a professional wader or an amateur please contact our stream monitoring coordinator Dan Myers to be part of future events at danmyers901@gmail.com. No experience necessary, just a sense of adventure and a passion for protecting our waters.

 

 

Mid-MEAC helped organize this year's Adopt-a-River clean-up with the Board of Water & Light and Impression 5 Science Museum which brought more than 1,000 volunteers together to clean up the banks of the Grand River along the 13+ miles of Lansing River Trail. Volunteers also went and helped pull invasive species at Fenner Nature Center, tidy up parks throughout the region and do Spring Cleaning in Old Town. We are always looking for opportunities to partner with great community organizations like BWL, I5 and more! To learn more about this event, check out our website at www.midmeac.org or call Julie Powers at (517) 292-3078.

 

 

Do you walk, bike, telecommute, use public transit or ride share? That makes you a Smart Commuter! For almost a decade,  Mid-MEAC Smart Commuters have taken alternative forms of transportation to work, school, running errands, and getting around including walking, biking, using CATA or telecommuting as part of Mid-MEAC’s annual Smart Commute Challenge. The entire month of June is dedicated to highlighting the importance of doing our part to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in order to protect our environment. As part of Smart Commute, Mid-MEAC also sponsored a Walking in Our Community Series to help people learn about nature and healthy exercise. Since 2009, we've had 6,500 Smart Commutes and more than 500 people participating!

 

 

Through the generous support of a grant from the Ingham County Health Department Mid-MEAC was able to distribute 16 bicycle racks around Ingham County. Local businesses and organizations were able to apply for bicycle racks for their customers and members free of charge.  The project hopes to encourage physical activity by providing safe bike parking throughout Ingham County.

 

 

In 2009, Mid-MEAC joined forces with the AARP of Michigan and the City of Lansing to take on our biggest challenge: conducting a comprehensive inventory of the sidewalks in Lansing. The goal of this project is to catalog sections that need repair, replacement and installation to improve accessibility for local residents. Sidewalks have been in wide use since the 1920s and Lansing has more than 720 miles of sidewalk. We've already inventoried just about 460 miles and we need your help to get the last bit done in 2012. To sign up, please contact Julie Powers at jpowers155@gmail.com.

 

 

 

Mid-MEAC continues to host monthly gatherings focused on important environmental issues in our tri-county area through our Land Use Lunch series.  The events are a great opportunity to network and learn something new during your lunch break. Upcoming lunches include a look at the land use issues of the Red Cedar proposal, a conversation with Terry Link, and a study of urban farming in Detroit.  To join us for lunch or be a sponsor, please contact lunch coordinator Liz Harrow at lizharrow@gmail.com.

 

 

Did you know that we sent out monthly updates on volunteer opportunities in the tri-county area? Our newsletters, Facebook updates and Twitter account regularly alert our supporters to breaking news, fun events and more. There’s no cost to sign up and we’re always happy to include your environmentally-focused community event in our communications. To sign up, email Julie Powers at jpowers155@gmail.com or log on to www.midmeac.org.

 

 

Mid-MEAC looks forward to building on 2011 achievements.  But we cannot do it without your support! We couldn’t do this important, exciting work without the continued support of members like you! Whether you showed up at a city council meeting, collected signatures, raced a Dragon Boat down the Grand River, spent an afternoon looking for aquatic insects, attended a Land Use Lunch, became a member of Mid-MEAC or told your friends and family about us, we say THANK YOU!  Thank you for keeping real action taking place in the community in which you live. With your help, we can continue to make the tri-county area an even greater place to live, work, bike, hike, paddle, stroll and be.  Please make Mid-MEAC one of the organizations you support!

 

 

This year we are happy to announce that generous supporters have offered a challenge gift of $1,000.  The first $1,000 in our Fall Campaign will be matched dollar for dollar.  So now your gift can go twice as far.  Please consider donating to Mid-MEAC today so that we can be sure to realize this generous offer to double your donation. This year, your support will go twice as far to making Lansing a better place!

 

We are grateful for any contribution you make to Mid-MEAC and your donations are tax-deductible.  I hope you will consider supporting Mid-MEAC today with a contribution of $100, $50, $25 or whatever you can give.  Please use the enclosed return envelop or consider making your secure, online contribution at www.midmeac.org.  If you have any questions about Mid-MEAC, would like to attend an event, volunteer or make a contribution, please feel free to contact me directly at beckyjofarrington@gmail.com.

 

Warm Regards,

 

Becky Jo

 

Becky Jo Farrington

Mid-MEAC Board President