Emerge Mothers Academy (EMA) is on the lookout for time, talent and treasure.
Well what does that mean; what does time, talent, and treasure look like in a time like this? How could you possibly think I have anything to offer?
Good questions! I, too, ask these questions. As I anticipate great things to come- spiritual things, emotional things, and an amazing opportunity to serve a lot of women and children in need. So what is there to offer? Simply the things you already have. We need your eyes, and ears, we need your connections, your friends, and your prayers! Together we can easily accomplish the next steps for EMA.
Paperwork, Place, People.
The next steps for EMA are the aforementioned 3 p's. First, Paperwork. (who doesn't love talking about paperwork!) :) Oh yay. SO, our name was approved by the Secretary of State, and now we are getting the ball rolling for the paperwork on which we have been working so diligently (bylaws, articles of incorporation, business plan, our 1023). This all needs to be submitted to bolster our efforts in getting our 501c3 business, a non-profit business tax status, up & running in 2012. (Also still hopeful that the government will see our paperwork, love it, stamp us with vigor & excitement, knight us with a sword accolade for all the good things to come, and let us loose in the first 6 months of 2012, not the last!).
Second, we are keeping our eyes, ears, and hearts open for that special place to call Home for our Mothers Academy. We have seen a number of properties already, 4 frontrunners in Minneapolis. Naturally, each comes with a price tag (really? darn!), and each is laced with it's own unique hurdles of construction/licensing/permits/maintenance/leases/zoning. Luckily I know some people, ehem, who know a little bit about building things. Clearly, I am not speaking of myself in the third person: I cannot even figure out how Angry Birds builds these rickety structures that I just cannot knock down for the life of me. Back to hurdles: anyone out there a track star in high school? Hurdles were never my thing, neither was running, nor discuss, nor shot-put, nor those super tight biker-shorts. But before you assume I have no athletic skill may I plead for some dignity and inform you that in the midst of my theatre and speech I also took to the slopes, and I was the center dancer in dance school (if you know what this means, then you KNOW what this means, if not- never mind...clearly both proving to be real helpful at this point in my life, hmmm, nope). Also in elementary school, at punt pass kick Play Day, I won the tug-of-war 5 years in a row, and scored a sweet t-shirt. Also, getting me no where. Again, I digress, sheeesh the point is- hurdlers: help me with a strategy to bend Mpls and Hennepin county in our favor for residential/child housing in commercial or mixed building. So, getting over the hurdle- is it the lift, the timing, the speed, the spread, or the length? Or is this all about coordinating all 5? In which case, "yikes", my brothers didn't give me the nickname Grace as any sort of compliment, I better get this coordination thing figured out.
Finally, we have already been overwhelmed and blessed with the amount of interest and support there is for EMA. Thank you, to each of you, who has offered ideas, curriculum info, book suggestions, wisdom and time with us! We are so grateful to have you in our corner, (like boxing coaches, not naughty 3 year olds), and to have you as ambassadors spreading the word about EMA. We will continue to network to look for the right people (you) for our Board of Directors, volunteers (mentors, painters, laborers, friends, cooks, child care providers), our staff (2012), prayer team, and resource team. Envision the uncle sam poster "I want you" with the finger. (whatever finger it is that gets you to respond sooner). All jokes aside, dear friends, I'd love to have each and every one of you on-board in some manner. Let's have lunch, call me!
