The Birds and the Bees program is a way to provide veterans with the space and materials to learn basic carpentry skills, while also providing vital habitat to the local animal and insect populations of the Acadiana area. This program engages veterans in their community, as well as helping the local wildlife in building habitat. This not only helps the various flora and fauna, it encourages bigger yields in the gardens we encourage and aide people in building. It also helps develop strong bonds in the participants, and breeds the camaraderie veterans have grown accustomed to during their time in service. Not just with each other, but with the environment around them as well.

By building various housing for bats, birds, and insects we encourage the natural ecosystem to regenerate and thrive. In doing so in a group setting we provide a non judgmental space, and a task that is very manageable and rewarding. The fruits of their labor are immediate and purposeful.

Each box will include a bat box, birdhouse, vermicomposter (worm composter), native plants and seeds, and a guide to each item and how they interact.

Goals

• Teach the importance of a regenerative Eco system.
• Teach basic carpentry skills and shop safety.
• Provide a large selection of Native plants to encourage even more diversity.
• Provide a space for veterans to feel safe and understood.
• Provide space at the veterans home to help find peace.
• Create strong bonds through mutual support and a love for the community around them.
• Provide the farm and the community with abundant wildlife, and natural beauty.

Specifications

Lumber will be provided by Live Edge lumber company (veteran owned) and milled and organized in “kits” by Abby’s Acre personnel. These will be organized by set designs and blueprints and can be scaled up or down depending on the skill of the participant. There will be emphasis on safety, and for the time being, no power tools will be utilized.

Native seeds and starts will be provided by The Urban Naturalist in Fightinville. A guide to each item in the box will be included to aid the recipient in further educating themselves on each component provided.

For those not able to build their own, Abby’s Acre personnel will be building, distributing, and installing these boxes for those most in need of them.

Team”M.I.Brary” was funded $5,000 during the 24 Hour Citizen Project in 2017 to build a musical instrument library. According to project creator, Ryan Cazares, a”M.I.Brary” is a place where musicians or prospective musicians can check out various musical instruments, much like they can a book at a traditional library. This project speaks to the heart of musicians, and prospective musicians who want to try an instrument without the up front cost burden of purchasing it.

The MIBrary will help address a few problems with connecting musicians with instruments:

1.) Musicians will not be faced with the financial burden of renting or purchasing an instrument.
2.) Musicians who want to try an instrument will not have to commit to it should they end up not enjoying the chosen instrument.
3.) Recording artists who may want to sample a particular instrument will have easy access to several instruments while in the recording process.

It is our hope that providing musicians and prospective musicians with the ability to check out instruments will help sustain Lafayette’s musical culture and create musicians who may have never had access to musical instruments.

Team “Pop Up Theatre”was funded $2,000 during the 24 Hour Citizen Project in 2017 to create a pop-up children’s theatre for ages 6-12. The concept is modeled after the ole “Spanky and Our Gang” plays. Each performance will be completed within a 3-hour timeframe including set and costume design, rehearsal and performance. Most of the plays will include stories and nursery rhymes that the children are familiar with to encourage participation.

A group of volunteers from Disney first started this concept in Orlando, Florida. It was called The Black Swan Theatre. We created a script, made the costumes, set design, practiced and performed all in 3 hours.  We had at least 6-9 adult volunteers along with 8-10 kids that regularly participated. I am looking to bring this theatre concept to Lafayette, Louisiana. I will need a group of volunteers that will work closely with the children to bring this to life. We will perform each play at several parks around the area to reach children in their neighborhoods and make it easily accessible to the parents or guardians that provide transportation. It is mandatory that the guardian will stay for the whole 3 hours to encourage participation and create an audience for the play. This is a summer program and will run for 6 weeks starting in the month of June. A new show will be performed every Saturday starting at 9am and ending at 12pm with refreshments for the actors and viewers. It will be a free, fun and engaging summer program.

Involving children in theatre and drama at an early age builds confidence and self-esteem. I want to concentrate on 6-12 year old at-risk children but also make it open to anyone that is interested in the Lafayette and surrounding areas. This project involves the whole family from performing to being part of the audience. Not everyone has a chance to participate in the arts at this level and I want to give them this opportunity to explore and learn about the world of theatre. This program encourages fun, learning and play-acting in one free event. The time constraints of doing a play from start to finish in 3 hours increases participation every week. I understand that it is hard for some families to commit to a theatre program that lasts over several weeks or months like most of them, but this concept makes it easy and accessible all in one Saturday morning.

We are nothing more than citizens of our community. We’re not an organization, support group or committee. Rather, we’re just a couple of guys who thought of an idea, and came up with a plan for execution. We love running. We love the outdoors. And we believe that Lafayette is a special place to live and play.

We couldn’t have gotten here without a little help along the way. Huge thanks to these folks who have worked and are continuing to work behind the scenes:

• Videographer: Katie Napoli
• Water Fountain Designers: UL Industrial Design Students and Hector LaSala
• Plumber and Fountain Installer: Brandon Touchet
• Brick Layer: John Francis
• The Helping Hands: Drew Edmiston, James LeBlanc, Butch Roussel, David Wyble, Edie Riedel, Kevin Castille, Erin Edmiston, Elizabeth Greenman, Active Acadiana, and Zydeco Marathon. 

The Quick Facts.

• Purpose: To install drinking water fountains in various neighborhoods throughout Lafayette. The fountains will serve as a “hydration station” for runners, walkers, bikers, children playing, and of course, our pets.
• Funding Goal: $14,500.00. This is an ‘All or Nothing Campaign.’ If the project isn’t fully funded, your credit card is not charged.
• Days to reach goal: ~60 days.
• Fountain Target Areas: Saint Streets, White Subdivision, Upper Lafayette, Broadmoor, UL Campus, Freetown, and East Bayou Parkway (we’re still working on finalizing locations, and will provide in an update soon).
• Fountain Designs: There will be eight (8) fountains total. Four (4) will be designed by UL’s industrial design students in a competition through a school project called “Project No Waste.” Other fountains installed will be square/brick.
• Fountain installation and use: The project creators have sought feedback from people in the community to determine the most desired locations. Property owners have agreed to “adopt a fountain,” which means after installation, the property owner will maintain the fountain including paying for water utilities on a monthly basis.
• #hydratelafayette

What We Want?

Simply put, we want to install eight (8) filtered drinking water fountains in neighborhoods where people are most active. Lafayette is ever increasingly becoming a more active community. An active community is a healthy community and we would like to make physical activity here in Lafayette a little easier. The water fountains will serve as a ‘hydration station’ for runners, walkers, bikers, children playing in neighborhoods, pets, etc. The project goal is to install drinking water fountains for a funding goal of $14,500. Areas that have been targeted as possible locations include Saint Streets, White Oak Subdivision, Upper Lafayette area, Broadmoor, UL Campus area, Freetown, and East Bayou Parkway area. The intent is to target areas that are high in foot traffic. The water fountains will be designed by UL’s Industrial Design Department through a school project called ‘Project No Waste.’ Fountain designs will be chosen through collaborations with civicside.com, the Project Creator, the property owner, UL Industrial Design Professors, and/or voting through social media outlets.

We plan to accomplish this by seeking the help of the active community to help and crowdfund this project. A small donation today could materialize into multiple drinking fountains being installed throughout Lafayette.

Location Location Location.

Consulting the public was the only way to determine the ideal locations. In a perfect world, we would be able to install drinking water fountains in every nook and crevice that needed one. We sought feedback from thousands of runners during the Zydeco Marathon, who told us where they run and play. We created a map, and decided knocking on neighbors doors to see if they would be interested in “adopting a fountain.” At least 90% of our effort has been reaching out to folks in the community who live or work in high demand areas. Some property owners said no. Some said maybe. And others said, yes! We’re still working out some of the final locations, and promise to let everyone know as soon as possible where they’ll be. Here’s the target areas:

• Saint Streets
• White Subdivision
• Upper Lafayette
• Broadmoor
• UL Campus
• Freetown
• East Bayou Parkway

Why We Want It?

The real question is… Do you want it? Here’s a couple of reasons that we came up with. By all means, feel free to come up with your own reasons, and share with us:

• Runners and bikers have told us time and time again that their routes are mapped around water sources. Running the same routes every day to reach certain water sources around Lafayette can become monotonous. Additional water sources will make running easier and more convenient.
• We all love to walk our dogs. Taking the dog for a long walk means that both you and your pup will at some point need a drink of water.
• If knowing your neighbor has a drinking water fountain encourages you to take a jog around the neighborhood, then we’ve done our job. Enough said! 
• Running with water strapped to your hips can be annoying, inconvenient and heavy on the legs.

The Small Print.

Water Fountain Specification: The placement of the fountain will be on private property within close proximity to property owner’s water meter, and should be easily accessible to pedestrians. Each fountain location will be discussed and agreed upon by the property owner and Project Creator prior to installation. To ensure stability of the fountains, an approximate 4×4 ft concrete slab will be poured to serve as the base for the fountain design. The distance from ground to bubbler will be approximately 42 inches, and is considered an ideal height for young children and adults. See image below for additional specifications. To access water, the plumber will install a ‘T fitting’ on the main access water line near the water meter. Between the ‘T fitting’ and water fountain will be a shutoff valve and water fountain (both housed in an accessible box underground). The shut off valve will allow the ability to shut off water from the fountain without shutting off the entire water supply from the water meter.

Water Fountain Installation: The water fountains will be installed by a licensed/insured master plumber, with the ability to purchase city permits, if necessary. During installation, the plumber has communicated risks in possibly damaging other piping during the installation of the ‘T fitting,’ particularly if the main water line is fragile galvanized piping. The Project Creator has considered this possibility and will make every attempt to pay for additional labor to remedy the problem as project funds allow.  The property owner should expect the trench to be filled back with dirt. The project or project funds will not be responsible for planting grass for re-growth.

Water Fountain Maintenance: Where the Project Creator is responsible for providing the funds for the installation of the water fountain, the property owner is responsible for the maintenance and agrees to keep the fountain in clean condition and working order. As part of this agreement, the homeowner also agrees to pay appropriate utilities for water and sewage, and recognizes that civicside.com and the Project Creator is NOT responsible for these utilities. The property owner should consider creating a safe pathway, free of obstruction, walkway to the fountain from the road so that it can be accessed freely and safely by walkers and runners. The property owner should also consider landscaping and/or solar lighting around the fountain to ensure attractive appeal in your neighborhood.

Project Liability: The property owner understands and acknowledges: (1) the water fountain creates an express invitation for individuals to lawfully enter their property; (2) the property owner may be liable for any injuries or damages sustained by individuals lawfully on their property; (3) the property owner must maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition for individuals to use the water fountain; (4) the property owner must periodically inspect the water fountain and the surrounding property for any potentially dangerous conditions; AND (5) civicside, LLC and/or the Project Creator are in no way responsible for any injuries or damages which occur on the property owner’s property.

How Can You Help?

We feel that the community stands to benefit from this project. We ask for a contribution, or just to let your friends know about the project. If successful, our goal is to begin installation of the fountains beginning July 2015. The biggest way in which you can help is to spread the word that this project is underway and seeking the help of the community to help make it a reality.