Volunteers will be divided into groups according to the priority and magnitude of project. The largest group will be turning up the land, building a raised bed, and planting a mixture of herb and vegetables in the garden. In addition, volunteers and residents will paint decorative signs for the garden to distinguish plants and add character. Another group will be constructing, painting, and planting flower boxes for the girls' windows. In addition, on one side of the garden there will be a reflection space with a bench, flowers, and large rocks decorated with empowering words by the girls living at Aurora House- giving them an opportunity to become part of the project and add their own personal touch. The money will be used to buy building supplies for the flower boxes and raised bed, heirloom seeds, and bench. The tool shed will be instrumental in allowing this project to be turned from a pile of supplies into a teaching and productive garden.

The $500 grant would cover the following costs: 1. The printing of 250 color 2-page Auction Brochures and Auction Donation Forms to be sent out with the volunteer teams. The brochures and forms have already been designed. 2. Awards for the Scavenger Hunt winners.... a. There will be up to five prizes for those who bring back the: - auction item of highest value - collection of auction items with highest combined value - most unique item - the first item collected, valued $25 or more...called in/delivered to Scavenger Hunt Desk - the auction item of largest physical size b. There will be a few smaller prizes awarded to those who bring in: - the first restaurant certificate for $50 or more - the first "sports-related" item...sporting goods, tickets, clothing, etc. - the first jewelry item valued at $50 or more - and, possibly a few more There will be two experienced "auction analyzers" on site to judge values, uniqueness of items, etc. This project requires no tools.

I would use the $500 to purchase fleece material at approximately $3.75 to $4.00 a yard from a fleece wholesaler in Califormia. The only tools that I would need are scissors - but those are traditionally supplied by the older kids who I have helping me prepare the blankets. I make simple fleece tie blankets - directions are on my website - www.maddiesblankets.org. I would find a space in a public library (which is free) and then have a blanket making party. Fifty people can make at least 100 blankets in an hour. My blanket making party would last two and a half hours.

The $500 grant, use of tools and 50 volunteers will ensure our project’s success! We would use the $500 grant to buy materials for constructing the raised beds, soil, seeds and plants. We would use the tools provided by Volunteer Fairfax to prepare the space for the garden, construction of the raised beds and general beautification of our outdoor space. The 50 volunteers would be the final step to getting our garden ready to grow! We would use their help with cleaning and preparing the space, building the beds and helping with beautification of Carpenter Shelter outdoor space.

The $500 grant would be used to purchase supplies for these workshops such as journals for survivors, crafting supplies for development exercises and educational materials to aid instructors and enrich workshops. The volunteers would be used to brainstorm fresh ideas on what topics they feel are important to personal development and to also create examples of workshop activities so that instructors can focus their time on research and writing proposals. The tools would be used to create these examples.

With the $500 we would rent a post hole digger and supplement our fencing supplies. We would also purchase some landscaping items to help beautify the new fence line. The tools would help with laying out the fence line and erecting the fence up. We would also need the tools for helping to plant the small trees and bushes that we intend to use for beautification. Also we would like to spruce up our sign that would be outside the fence line including telling the community that Lift Me Up! has been serving the disabled for over 37 years.