Here we go

Tomorrow is the official start of winter quarter. Four more classes and onto my thesis! I will be the first Graf to have a Masters. I look forward to giving my dad bragging rights! Not only is tomorrow my official start of class, but also my practicum! Wookiye Gardens will hopefully come to life! I am currently working on my 510 (c) 3 status (non-profit tax exempt) , gathering my board of directors and hammering out my articles of incorporation. I am already miles ahead my projected goals for the class.

So what is Wookiye Gardens? First of all, Wookiye is peaceful in Lakota. It is also the one word I was so sad my daughter out grew; instead of monkeys they were wookies! When I came across the word it seemed only perfect! My initial goal is to set up a community garden attached to the local WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) office. I am torn between the county I live in, Greene, and the county next to me, Montgomery. The only thing I can honestly say about that is I get enough money in grants to provide both!

After many email exchanges with my advisor we have also decided to skip the graduate seminar course and do a capstone project. A capstone is an "action" thesis. I am lucky too because they no longer offer a capstone as an option; I was grandfathered in. I get to graduate with honors now! YES! More bragging rights for my dad! So anyways, my capstone is to expand the garden into a community center and eventually being some sort of halfway house for single mothers. But first, the community center. Here is where the tearing between the two counties comes in. There is a property in Beavercreek that is AMAZING, but is being held in federal court with no pending end. The other property is in Huber Heights and is an old VFW of sorts. It would be PERFECT!! And it is even next to low income housing. This property is REALLY SCREAMING at me! So there we go, my capstone project.

So this is my adventure. I hope you enjoy the ride! I write like I think, very sporadic and spontaneous and without much boundary.