Thank You!

We're opening our doors for lending on May 1st, but couldn't have done it without these lovely folks and organizations. May 15th we will want to publicly recognize them at our Grand Opening Celebration. Until then, we'll recognize them on the world wide web.

A round of applause for:

• Southeast Uplift (Tim and Kristen particularly)
• Chris Haberman, for our awesome hand-illustrated event banner
• Sara Fisher and the people of St. David Wales Episcopal Church, for donating the space to the library
• All the folks who helped with the reconstruction of our Tool Library Space
• All the volunteers who have reached out to the community by tabling events, selling raffle tickets, working on the website, working on the blog, worked on tool donations and grants and have overall volunteered so much of their personal time to get this resource off the ground. They've done such an enthusiastic job of bringing this to fruition.
  
  

Thanks to these organizations for donating to the raffle prize pool. All money raised will go towards buying new tools for the library:

• Green Hammer Construction, for their $450 home energy audit donation
• ReStore Habitat for Humanity Store, for their $50 gift certificate donation
• Urban Farm Store, for their $25 gift card donation
• 7 Dees Nursery on SE Powell, for their $25 gift certificate donation
• Naomi's Organic Farm Supply in Sellwood, for their $20 gift certificate donation

Table at People's Farmers Market: Wednesdays 3-6

Spring has sprung, which means Farmers Markets are open for business. Now that we have more daylight at the end of our days, these gatherings of local farmers and vendors are so much more enjoyable than the supermarket.

While you're perusing the fresh, seasonal produce and meeting your local farmers at People's Farmers Market, stop by and visit us as well on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 pm. We'll be selling raffle tickets ($1 each or 7 for $5,) taking ideas for workshops or tools you might be interested in and in general, providing information about the library.

Today is turning out to be quite beautiful actually, so hope to see you there!

Our New Banner

A big thank-you goes out to Chris Haberman who recently finished our fantastic banner. (Look for it at each event we attend.)

"Southeast Portland" features unique Southeast landmarks within the letters while "Tool Library" represents the varied amount of tools we have to lend.

He donated a lot of his time, not to mention materials, to our organization and we couldn't be more happy with his work.

Thanks again, Chris!

Spring Cleaning & Tool Donation Event

Our big Spring Cleaning & Tool Donation event is almost here!

This Saturday, stop by between 10 and 3 to check out the new tool library space at St David's Episcopal Church located at 28th and SE Harrison. You can get a sneak peak of the new space, become a member, savor delicious coffee and pastries, and purchase many raffle tickets that will be awarded during our Grand Opening Celebration on May 15th.

What to bring? Any working hand or electric tools you'd like for us to take off your hands. If you have gas-powered tools, we'll take those and resell them, the funds going back into the tool library. Bring your ideas as well. What kind of tools would you like to see at the library? Any workshops sound interesting? Would you like to volunteer? We'd love to see you.

If you can't make it, visit our website for updates or contact us to purchase raffle tickets. We're selling them for $1 each, or in bulk at a bargain price: 7 for $5.

It should be a beautiful weekend, so hope we see you there.

Spiffy Space

What was a somewhat unused space in the corner of St David's Episcopal Church on 28th and SE Harrison, also known as the "black hole," is now becoming quite a dashing tool library space. It's bright and cheery and even seems to have grown a few feet with the additional light of four double-fixture fluorescent lights.

And now, there's even more room to get into this lovely space via a double door, which will be nice when you have tools in tow.

Very soon, our space will not only be spiffy, but will be official as well with the addition of a red and white sign affixed to the exterior of the building announcing our presence. We're also working on a path to our door over the next couple of weeks, which will minimize mud on your boots.

To get a preview of the new space, come to our Tool Donation & Spring Cleaning this Saturday the 20th from 10-3. We'll be offering coffee, pastries, and early enrollment. Bring along any working hand or electric tools to free up space in your garage. They will get put to good use at the library. Looking forward to seeing you soon.

SEPTL Open May 1st, Grand Opening Event May 15th!

It's official. We will be open for tool-borrowing on May 1st! Come one, come all, fellow Southeast neighbors. Borrow some tools, donate some tools, maybe sign up to volunteer or share some of your ideas with us, like what kind of tools you'd like to see in the library or any workshops we can host that might come in handy. We're located at the St David's Episcopal Church at SE 28th and Harrison.

How does it work? Simple. You just have to be over 18 and a resident of SE Portland within SE Uplift's boundaries. Click here to read more.

If opening the doors itself isn't exciting enough, check out the Grand Opening celebration on May 15th. There will be food, refreshments, prizes and of course, tools. We'll be holding the raffle drawing that day, so make sure you're there if you've purchased a raffle ticket. (If you haven't, get on it! They're only $1 each, or buy in bulk with a special price of 7 for $5. Contact us if you'd like to get in on this deal.)

So far, we have graciously received the following donated prizes:

• $450 Home Energy Audit from Green Hammer
• $50 gift certificate from the ReStore Habitat for Humanity Store - a $50 gift certificate
• $25 gift card from the Urban Farm Store
• $25 gift certificate from 7 Dees Nursery on SE Powell
• $20 gift certificate from Naomi's Organic Farm Supply in Sellwood, along with a free copy of the "NW Maritime Planting Guide"

(A really big thank-you to all of these wonderful retailers and organizations for providing these prizes. All funds raised from the sale of the raffle tickets will be used to buy new tools for the library.)

Hope to see you soon. We'll be open before you know it!

Reminder: Logo Contest due 3/19

You: a creative spirit with a philanthropic nature, a dash of generosity and some spare time on your hands.

Us: an excellent up and coming community resource, an all-volunteer tool library that lends tools with neighbors in Southeast Portland, in need of a dashing logo.

We're opening this logo search to anyone and everyone who is interested. As this is a non-profit organization in its infancy, we aren't offering a prize, but just the recognition that comes with being the winner and seeing this logo displayed throughout the Southeast community.

If you're interested, here are the details:

• Deadline is March 19th. Please submit your logo in color and black and white, along with your name and contact information, to info@septl.org.
• The logo needs to include the acronym "SEPTL" along with "Southeast Portland Tool Library."
• Ideally, the logo will include some sort of tool icon or something that visually communicates the organization.
• The logo will be used on the website , printed on t-shirts, letterhead, banners, etc. so therefore will need to be compact, clean and easy to read. (Ideally the logo will fit within the designated area across the top of the existing website.)

Upon submission, please allow 10 business days for review and selection. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us at info@septl.org.

Good luck and we're looking forward to seeing your ideas!

News: 7 Dees Edible Landscapes March 6th

7 Dees Edible Landscapes Event? We wouldn't miss it, and neither should you. While you're expanding your gardening knowledge this Saturday the 6th from 10-5, stop by and visit with us. Check out our upcoming tool events, tool needs, volunteer opportunities and overall, get to know your fellow Southeast neighbors.

While you're at it, spring for a few raffle tickets for a chance to win a range of wonderful prizes at our Grand Opening in April or May. (Final details on the Grand Opening to come.) We'll be offering prizes like a $450 home energy audit donated by Green Hammer, a $25 gift certificate from 7 Dees Nursery, a gift certificate from Naomi's Organic Farm Supply in Sellwood and much, much more.

All raffle ticket sales will go to purchase more tools to share with the community. See you soon!

Raffle Tickets to be Sold at SEPTL Events

As we approach our Grand Opening in April or May, we'll be selling raffle tickets at each Community Event where we host a table, the first being the "7 Dees Edible Landscapes" event on March 6th from 10:00 - 5:00 and the next being our own Spring Cleaning/Tool Donation Event at the library on March 20th.

Visit us at our 7 Dees table on the 6th or at our library location on the 20th to buy tickets and be entered to win a range of wonderful prizes such as a $450 home energy audit donated by Green Hammer, a $25 gift certificate from 7 Dees Nursery, a gift certificate from Naomi's Organic Farm Supply in Sellwood, and so much more.

All raffle ticket sales will help us purchase more tools to lend to the community. Now that's a win-win.

News: Mt Scott Community Center March 3rd

Stop by and visit our table at the Mt Scott Community Center this Wednesday, March 3rd from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

We'll have new information regarding future tool-gathering events and ways you can help this wonderful community resource become active in time for all your Summer projects.

Hope to see you there!

(The Tool Library is located at St David's Episcopal Church at 2800 SE Harrison and planned to open in May.)