Contacts for new sail fabric

Dimension Sailcloth Technology
78 Highland Drive
Putnam, CT 06260
Tom, 1-800-441-2424
http://www.dimension-polyant.com
3.8oz Dacron, $6.75 per yard
A roll is 55" x 10+yards

SailRite Enterprises, Inc.
4506 S. State Rd. 9
Churubusco, IN 46723
1-260-693-2242
http://www.sailrite.com
4oz Dacron, $9.5 per yard
A roll is 36" x Unsure yards

Contacts for donated sail fabric

Rachel Daugherty from Southern Yacht Club has been extremely helpful with locating donated sails.

John Strassman from Milwaukee is also helping to locate donated sails.

A special thanks to Chris from Quantum, who donated the sail we used for testing purposes.

FUNDING!

As I was leaving today, I dropped off the copies for Renee and Tom and was able to talk to Renee who said she would arrange, with Tom for $500 in funding for the project. The crowd cheers softly in the background. Although, while we have funding for the prototype, I am a strong believer in offering people the opportunity to do good, so we will continue to rigorously pursue donations. Then we can use the excess for the trip to the finals (he said with fingers tightly crossed).


Fundraising letters should appear here soon and as to a script when asking for funds, simply describe the project, point out the humanitarian nature of our work and ask if they can help with in kind (meaning material they normally sell) support. Below is one suggestion for text for the fundraising letter, taken from the proposal, that outlines the project well.

ARCHITECTURE 4284 | FOOD FOR GROWTH, NEW ORLEANS

College of Design, University of Minnesota, Spring Semester 2008

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Following the catastrophic flooding of the city resulting from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Lower Ninth Ward was quickly recognized as one of the most heavily devastated areas. With home occupancy rates still at a fraction of pre-hurricane levels, the community faces the daunting task of rebuilding as a fully functional part of the city. The marked absence of supermarkets in the Lower Ninth for over three decades and the slow dissolution of small, family run grocery stores, has created a pressing need for a fresh food source. Currently, a handful of restaurants and gas stations act as inadequate stand-ins. The current redevelopment brings forth an opportunity not only to improve the quality of life, but also to build access to quality foods, which were previously scarce in the neighborhood. The proposed solution to this problem is the implementation of three projects developed by students in the School of Architecture in the College of Design at the University of Minnesota in collaboration with the Renaissance Project (a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization) to put local food in the hands of residents: The Dunson Memorial Greenhouse for growing seedlings for local gardens and farmers markets, the Dunson Memorial Garden Structure (WaterShed) to serve community gardens, and the Downtown Neighborhood Market Consortium Furniture to allow growers to sell their produce at local farmers markets. In addition to providing the supply of produce, these projects will begin to mend the fractured neighborhood identity by laying a foundation for community interaction.

The first project the students are developing is a prototype for innovative, iconic market furniture. The design of the market place furniture was approached with a list of key goals. The design of the booths addresses the need to be light weight, affordable, and collapsible for storage while simultaneously being easy to assemble on and off site. Minimal labor and minimal waste is incorporated by using parts that are readily available and sustainable. In order to achieve a lightweight structure, materials such as aluminum poles, which are both light weight and recyclable, are used in the canopy frame and supports. A thin ½” sheet of plywood is used to create a sturdy table, that is light weight when broken down into its parts, but when pieced together on site is heavy enough to hold down the canopy in strong winds. The canopy is composed of used sail fabric that will most likely be acquired through donations; making use of fabric that would otherwise be disposed of while drawing on the symbolic nature of the sail in the coastal community. By using the entirety of a 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood, and using full lengths of 8’ aluminum pipes waste is minimal. We are asking for in kind support for this humanitarian project.

Happy hunting!

Tom