Muscatine

Yes, I understand completely everything that's been said. It's true that many of you have had similar visions of grandeur and lots of ideas, and sometimes they succeed and others they don't. I know it will be difficult, and it is improbable that we will get as far as we hope, but that's no reason to be cynical and not try.

Of course money is the biggest thing to tackle. I've a number of ideas, but with that said ideas can only get us so far. I'm hoping to employ as many ideas, though, as I can to raise some money, roughly $50,000. We've seen the fundraising skills of some people in the community: does anyone remember how much that riverfront water fountain cost? We're organizing an open to the public meeting Monday 4pm at the library to discuss ways to raise money and other ideas.

Sustainability is also one of the things dicussed in our 11-page plan. In short, I'm hoping to go with an idea that has been often suggested, charge a small membership fee. I want to ensure that it's super cheap, though, especially compared with other places like the Y. I've been considering about $160 a year, or alternatively $20 a month. (Some people suggested that's too much, so I'll have to have discussion on those). Also you could visit one day a month for free without paying. Taking that into consideration, all we need is less than 80 people paying, out of the couple thousand young people in Muscatine. I'm sure that several parents would even pay that so their kids and friends hang out elsewhere.

My email: kopf1988@gmail.com

 

    Well. I wish you well in your quest to keep todays youth entertained and amused. I'll never understand it though. Todays rugrats have more things than ever available to them, yet need more help than ever to be entertained. Guess that's what happens when kids are taught to be robots and not individuals.

Ryan,

  I take my youngest grand daughter to "Outbreak" EVERY Wednesday evening, and, there APPEARS to be a TON of people (about 200/night), and it's church sponsored.  You might want to find out what they've got going on to gather that kind of consistant crowd (non-denominational).  IF you're having an "Informational" meeting, GET THE WORD OUT!  Contact the Journal, get an interview(sotry).  Get with John Beckey, who has his own talk show on KWPC, I'm SURE that he'd be interested in some kind of POSITIVE round table discussion aboutt posibilities.  Get your word out!  Get the media to come to you!  Get KWQC involved.  SOMETIMES you have to SHAME local media into covering a story for you.  I did that for the American Legion Flag disposal cerimony, and the NEXT year, had media calling me!  Get the RIGHT people on board.  Go to Carver Trust, NOT to ask them for money, but, to PICK THEIR BRAINS on HOW to talk to the "right" people.  The Stanley Foundation is another great source of knowledge.  That skate park was built for YOU kids, because YOU wanted one.  IF there's a problem with it, POLICE IT YOURSELF.  IF you don't, and, the City HAS to police it, then you'll have to charge an ENTRY fee just to be able to use it.  That'll go over like you know what!  Get CREATIVE, Get the WINNERS on board with you.  You'll be SURPRISED at what you can accomplish.  Like I said before, BESIDES a wealth of WEALTH in this town, there's an abundance of KNOWLEDGE here also.  Use some of it.  BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!  Tom.

  I'll learn to spell, AND type, in the NEXT post............Sorry!  Tom.