Happenings at the HUUB Fall 2018

Happy fall! Come see what
we’ve been up to at The HUUB!

 

Happy Halloween and welcome back! Summer was fun and with weirding
weather felt like it lasted a few more weeks than it should’ve, but we’re deep into fall and wanted to check in, say hello, let you know what we’ve been doing since Labor day and what we’ve got planned as we head into the holidays!

Our third cohort of HUUB Fellows (now the Joseph Thomasberger Community
Fellows!) are working on new program ideas, our monthly SolidarityPotlucks are back, the Faith+Works schedule is mostly figured out for the year, our newest tenants (and oldest friends!) at the University of Orange have a 10 Year Reunion party coming up, and we’ve got new staff on the team to introduce.

We’ve got a lot happening and hope we’ll see you at The HUUB soon!

The HUUB’s (Growing) Team!
We’re so excited to welcome a new cohort of HUUB Fellows (now the Joseph
Thomasberger Community Fellows, read about it below) and some new faces to The HUUB team this year.

2018-2019 Joseph Thomasberger Community Fellows
This September we welcomed out third cohort of HUUB Fellows and renamed the program the Joseph Thomasberger Community Fellows. You can read more about Joe and his work below.

This year we have four Fellows, two senior Fellows doing a second year in the program and two new Fellows. Stephen Batiz and Ray Sykes have returned for a second year in the program, focusing on visual and performing arts programs, respectively.  Amonnie Nicolas and Cesar Presa are first year Fellows and are also working on visual and performing arts programs. These projects will be getting developed and implemented throughout the winter, fall, and spring.

Additionally, Ray and Stephen, along with Patricia Rogers, a Fellow Emeritus, and Molly Rose Kaufman, one of The HUUB’s current Interim Directors,
attended the New York State Convention of Universalists Annual Meeting in Syracuse, NY on Oct 20 and presented a workshop about The HUUB and the Fellows program. We’re so proud that this crew represented us so well!

Ashni Mathew – Program & Outreach Coordinator
Ashni Mathew has joined The HUUB as our part-time Program & Outreach
Coordinator. She’ll be working on Neighborhood Project Grants and our Community Listening Project, as well as other communications, outreach, and program related things as her time allows. She is coming to The HUUB from
a two-year posting as a FoodCorps Service Member working with the Orange
Board of Education based at Forest St Elementary School. We’re so excited
about your energy and experience in Orange, Ashni, and welcome to The HUUB!

Charles Loflin – Meadville Lombard Seminarian Intern
Charles Loflin is a first year student at Meadville Lombard Theological School (http://www.meadville.edu/) pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. He is an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair and holds a BA in Religion and an MFA in Acting. A lover of all things technological, he worked most recently as a software developer in the field of advertising. Beginning seminary work has felt like a step in fulfilling a lifetime “call” for Charles. He’s been married for over thirty years to his wife Malinda whom he met in Kindergarten in Yazoo City, Mississippi and he’s the father of three children ages 21, 20 and 12. Congratulations on starting this next chapter of your life work, Charles, and welcome to The HUUB!

Molly Rose Kaufman & Aubrey Murdock – The HUUB Interim
Directors
The HUUB Board generously provided The HUUB’s Managing Director Charlie Wirene with a three-month family sabbatical which he started on October 15, 2018. While he is away, Molly Rose Kaufman and Aubrey Murdock from the
University of Orange will be acting as The HUUB’s Interim Directors. The place
couldn’t be in better hands and if you have any questions, they’llbe more than happy to help you out!

(Camille Guyot-Bender, a new member of the First UU Congregation, and
Charlie welcomed healthy, happy, and hungry Eloise Jane Wirene into their
family on August 30, 2018! Big brother Liam is happy.)

FAITH + WORKS

One Sunday a month we invite a friend to discuss their faith, their life’s work, and the intersection of the two. Descriptions of the September 30 & October 21 talks are below, and exciting
upcoming F+W dates to add to your calendar are:
– 5pm, November 4, 2018 – Maughn Rollins Gregory
– 5pm, December 16, 2018 – Molly Rose Kaufman

September 30: Becky Doggett and the Joseph Thomasberger
Community Fellows
The HUUB at the First UU of Essex has initiated a vibrant program that encourages young people to make a difference in Orange. This program will be
named to honor the urban ministry work of the late Rev. Joseph J Thomasberger. Becky Doggett, Joe’s life partner and activist partner, will start the conversation about Joe and his work. Those attending also added their experiences. On the same day, the City of Orange Township Council honored Joe by renaming the street corner of Hickory St. and South Main St., the
former North Orange Baptist Church.Becky is a founding member of The HUUB’s board and we are so honored to be able to keep Joe’s legacy alive through this program.

October 21: Jared Fontaine, “Holding On and Letting Go”
A journey of discovering identity and purpose. Jared “J-Read” Fontaine, a
Newark NJ native, is a young, independent hip hop artist who
transcends rap music. Raised on an eclectic collection of artists, J-Read offers a wide variety in his music and
expression. He is a lead teaching artist with Sonic Explorations, a
free daily music education program
in Orange NJ focused on cultivating students’ creative engagement with
sound and music. J-Read is also the director of HiCalLife, a lifestyle
brand dedicated to the economic, social, and cultural evolution of
the urban community through art,
entertainment, education, and media.

SOLIDARITY POTLUCKS

We have gotten together one Monday a month since the election of Donald Trump to share good food and great company, two important building blocks to a healthy community. Recaps of
September & October are below and join us for our next potlucks:
– November 19, 2018
– December 17, 2018  6-8pm, bring a dish and a friend!

September 24th marked our first Building Solidarity Potluck of the fall! We caught up with each other afterthe summer off, and together, designed a timeline of The HUUB/First UU Church over the last three years–all while sharing
a delicious meal.  Lastly, we want to thank Ryan, Zach, Josh, and Jayson from Drew University who joined us for the potluck and helped with set up and break down that evening!

On October 22, we enjoyed the company of Urban Sociology students from Drew University, who have each been
involved with various projects in Orange this semester. We enjoyed good music together while feasting on a variety of dishes. Someof us were lucky enough to take home a succulent
or two, thanks to HollyBarszcz, HUUB Fellow Emeritus!

NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT GRANTS

All HANDS In

The photo above is from October 10, when The HUUB, HANDS, and ValleyArts, hosted “All HANDS In” a reception for all 30 grantees since the
beginning of the Neighborhood Project Grant program last summer. It was a great evening for meeting other community focused people in Orange and to begin activating the NPG network to develop these community based projects into growing community organizations.

Fall 2018 – NPG Round 5

We awarded our fifth round of Neighborhood Project Grants in the Heart of Orange neighborhood and our second round in the Valley in early October. The
Grantees from theHeart of Orange are

  • Not Orange, Inc’s Community Cookout and School Supply Giveaway, Sept 1, 2018
  • Orange Italian American Organization’s Italian American Street Festival,
    Sept 8 & 9, 2018
  • Hispanos Mano a Mano’s 10th Annual Festival deOrange, the Central
    American and Mexican Independence Day Festival, Sept 22 & 23, 2018
  • Sewing Angel’s Fall Sewing Class, Wednesdays in October & November, 2018
  • Lincoln Avenue School Leadership Team’s Operation Trunk or Treat, October 31, 2018
  • Orange Preparatory Academy’s Teen Summit 2018, Nov 3, 2018
  • Orange High School NJROTC’s Little Heroes Day, May 2019
  • Orange High School Drill Leadership Team’s Junior Cadet Challenge, May 2019

The Grantees from the Valley are

  • Concepts in Choreography’s Community Dance Class, date TBD
  • Culture Diversity Project’s Community Diversity Project, date TBD

University
of Orange’s
Housewarming Party

We’ve officially welcomed one of our closest partners as The HUUB and First UU’s newest tenant – The University of Orange has started renting space on the second floor of Hale House as an office. They’re having a party to celebrate their 10th anniversary and show off their new digs. Come celebrate a decade of this great organization and check out the new space on Nov 10th. For more info & to RSVP visit the links below!

https://uofo10.brownpapertickets.com/

Sewing Angels Fall Class
After a wonderful intensive summer sewing camp, the Sewing Angels program
started another six-week fall course. The young women in the class love what they’re learning and we couldn’t be luckier for the dedication and commitment from Ms Rolanda and Ms Wannetta, the dynamic duo who brought their immense experience into the program. We hope we’ll be able to keep them
around and keep the program going again after the fall!
Happy Fall, thanks for being part of our community, supporting our work, and
we look forward to seeing you soon at The HUUB!