Category Archives: Volunteer

First Workday in the Community Space Garden Scheduled

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guerrilla-gardening

Hello Gardeners! Our first garden work day has been scheduled:

When: Saturday September 27, 2014 8am-12pm. You do not have to work the whole time, feel free to show up late or leave early

Where: Legacy Park (Airport Blvd. and Sabovich St. at the Rotary Rocket)

Goals: Weed and level the garden space. If there is time, we will begin staking out garden plots.

What To Bring: Water, gloves, sunscreen, hat, closed toe shoes. If you have a shovel, wheelbarrow, or hoe/metal rake that you could bring, please let me know!

If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to contact me via email or phone (661) 749-0940. I’m looking forward to digging in the dirt with all of you! 

-Joyce

Mojave’s First Community Garden Meeting

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20 August 2014IMG_20140820_170325_552

The Mojave Foundation hosted it’s first community garden meeting at the site of the first ever community garden on an active Space Port.  Organizer Joyce Nash, of the Mojave Foundation, welcomed the future gardeners at the 1300 square foot space that will be divided into 10-12 gardening plots for gardeners to grow items of their choosing.

“Where else on the planet can gardeners grow their fruits and vegetables in the shadow of a Rotary Rocket? Or with SpaceShipTwo flying overhead?” commented Marlena Rowley.

“Mojave is a community that strives to be a safe, beautiful and desirable place to LIVE and WORK,” says Nash, “with the realization that The Mojave Foundation will provide direction and attract support for the garden project from long term Mojave residents and airport employees.”

To become involved with the planning of Mojave’s community garden project feel free to leave a comment or call The Mojave Foundation ofIMG_20140820_170342_246fice at 661-749-0940.

Habitat for Humanity Starts Building in Mojave!

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IMG_20140809_101858_232August 9: For the first time in Mojave, Habitat for Humanity is in the process of rehabilitating a house in downtown Mojave. The house, 15556 K Street, is on the southeast corner of K and Trinity and was recently donated to Habitat by the family of the previous owner. The house, is undergoing massive restoration, including reinforcing and pouring a new foundation, a totally renovated kitchen, all new windows and doors, and updated bathroom, new roof, walls and interior paint. Habitat’s full time construction manager Eric Mosby is on site five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday, coordinating new construction and materials.

IMG_20140809_101944_431This branch of Habitat is located in Bakersfield, and is looking for volunteers from Mojave community to help out during the week, and especially on Saturday. If Habitat can get greater community participation they can rehabilitate additional homes in Mojave; and if there is overwhelming community support there is the possibility of new home construction.

habitat-for-humanity-logoThe Mojave Foundation is an avid supporter of Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit 501c3 organization headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia dedicated to restoring and constructing safe, healthy housing to families around the world. Recipients of Habitat homes must be employed and undergo an extensive screening process. Contrary to popular myth, homeowners purchase the home, which is relatively inexpensive due to volunteer labor and donated materials, but are responsible for maintaing the property and are required to invest substantial levels of “sweat equity”. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Habitat’s volunteer coordinator, Pat Rhodes at 661-861-8449, or email at hfh-pat@sbcglobal.net. Click here for the global Habitat for Humanity organization; click here for the Bakersfield Habitat for Humanity branch.

New Neighborhood Watch Signs are Up!

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Brand new sign 

July2014 (1)

Weathered sign at M and Inyo streets

Debbie Crocoll from Mojave’s Neighborhood Watch group was happy to annouce that the vandalized, sun-faded, weathered and worn Neighborhood Watch signs at M and Inyo streets and also at L and Cerro Gordo streets were replaced by Mojave Foundation volunteer Leon Ryder early this week. The new signs look great!

Contact Debbie if you would like to order an extra large (18″X 24″) Neighborhood Watch sign for $28.00 including shipping and tax.
Thank you again, Leon Ryder for your continued dedication to helping keep Mojave SAFE and BEAUTIFUL!
2014Calendar

Mojave Community Garden Survey

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Community gardens are pieces of land where plants are grown and maintained by a group of individuals in the community. They are generally divided into plots for individual, family, or group use, and can host a variety of community events.

The Revitalize Mojave Vision Plan outlined how community gardens would add value to Mojave, and address several of its critical needs. The Mojave Foundation, whose mission is to encourage grassroots development of Mojave, is well placed to organize and execute the development and construction of a community garden.

We need your input to develop Mojave’s community garden into a useful and valuable space!

Please follow the link to the following survey.

 

Queens Campaign for Cleanup on Friday May 23rd

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Mojave QueensMay 19: The Mojave Queens teamed up with the Mojave Foundation and several local volunteers to knock on doors in Western Village, to tell residents about a cleanup in that Neighborhood on Friday, May 23rd at 8:00 a.m. Mojave Queens included Miss Mojave, Merysa Rangel, a junior at Mojave High; Ana Marquiz, Miss Junior Mojave; and Rhaylene Joaquin, Little Miss Mojave. “We all need to pull together to keep this place clean” said volunteer Isaac Martin, a junior at Mojave High, “These guys are trying to do a good thing, and we all need to pitch in.” Mojave’s own volunteer police squad, Citizen Service Unit (CSU), also participated, providing security and overwatch while our volunteers walked door to door.

Before - Edwin-2The cleanup on Friday will target three areas in Western Village that have accumulated garbage and furniture for years, including the desert and alley behind Edwin Street, and the apartments on Milton. The Mojave Foundation is determined to partner with local residents in the affected area to help remove the trash and keep the neighborhood clean once and for all. Volunteers also passed out information on Neighborhood Watch and graffiti consent forms, which allow The Mojave Foundation to remove graffiti immediately with the permission of the property owner. The Mojave Foundation would also like thank Leon Ryder for organizing the door-to-door campaign and the cleanup this Friday.

CHP Looking for Volunteer Seniors: Feb. 14 at 10 am

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VSPFebruary 8: The California Highway Patrol (CHP) branch in Mojave is looking for motivated, community-minded seniors to participate in the Senior Volunteer Program (SVP). CHP will be hosting an orientation and informational-meeting at the CHP Office in Mojave, just east of the Mariah Inn, on February 14th at 10:00 am. Eligible volunteers must be 55 years old, with a clean driving record, and able to pass a background check. Volunteers typically perform a variety of duties that include administrative functions, participation in community events, directing traffic, and assisting officers as needed. They can also ride along with officers, serving as an extra set of eyes in search of vehicle code violations.

CHP MojaveThe Mojave Foundation is proud to have helped stand up a volunteer police squad in Mojave through Kern County Sheriff’s Citizen Service Unit (CSU), and we will enthusiastically support establishing another volunteer unit through CHP. The Senior Volunteer Program offers a slightly different volunteer experience, geared specifically for seniors, and offers another dimension of citizen participation in law-enforcement. Safety and security are our primary concerns, and the SVP is another opportunity to increase the connectivity between law-enforcement and the community in Mojave. For questions about the SVP, contact Darlena Dotson at (661) 823-5500, or email at dardotson@chp.ca.gov.

CHP Seeks Volunteers

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The California Highway Patrol Mojave Area Office is looking for a few good men and women willing to give something back to their community. The Mojave area is now recruiting people 55 and older who will contribute volunteer time to the Mojave Area office. Lt. Julian Irigoyen, Commander of the Mojave Area CHP office, said he is seeking energetic and enthusiastic volunteers. The Lieutenant is looking for quality, motivated individuals that want to give back to their community in a positive way.

The volunteers perform a variety of duties that include administrative functions, participation in community events, directing traffic, and assisting officers as needed. They can also ride along with officers, serving as an extra set of eyes in search of vehicle code violations. Volunteers must be able to pass a background check, have a good driving record, and successfully complete an in house academy. Anyone interested in finding out more about this program may call Officer Darlena Dotson @ (661) 823-5500 or email dardotson@chp.ca.gov.

The Mojave Foundation strongly encourages residents to get involved with CHP, and donating our time is the best way to increase the connectivity between law enforcement and the community. Volunteers are still the best way to improve safety and security in Mojave.

Mojave Foundation Receives 501(c)3 Status!

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cropped-cropped-mf-logo-20130515-blue-green.pngDecember 3: The Mojave Foundation is proud to announce that we have received our 501(c)3 status from the IRS. This means that the MF can now receive donations, which the donors can deduct from their taxes! This is critical to our mission to clean up Mojave, and allows us to put real resources behind our big ideas. We have accomplished a lot in 2013 with no money and a highly-motivated group of volunteers – starting a volunteer police squad (CSU), demolishing and cleaning up lots, and launching a series of entrepreneurship and educational workshops. But community-scale infrastructure projects will require substantial investments from both public and private donors. Some of our funding priorities in 2014 are (1) to demolish vacant hazardous structures that blight our downtown area, (2) to increase the public lighting for safety and security, (3) to build a railroad park on the west side of Sierra Highway, as well as community gardens. We believe that this community has the means and the motivation to change this town for the better, and we humbly encourage all residents to get involved – either by volunteering at the school, or the senior center, or with the Mojave Foundation! We intend to match this incredible outpouring of community support with tangible results in a relatively short period of time. We will execute all projects quickly and efficiently, with 100% transparency. Individuals can make general donations to support the Foundation’s operations, or can donate to a specific project; we will work with you to find a project that fits your priorities for the community. To make a tax-deductible donation to the Mojave Foundation, click here!

Volunteer Police Squad Graduates Academy

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CSUNovember 16: Mojave’s own Citizen Service Unit (CSU) graduated the required police academy this Saturday, held at the Mojave Air & Space Port. This month’s class contained 18 volunteers from several communities throughout Kern County. Mojave had 7 volunteers go graduate the academy, as part of the first multi-member team of CSU volunteers in Mojave in years. Volunteers will be sworn in on December 5th, and will be in uniform and on the street patrolling Mojave’s neighborhoods soon.