We are sending out a gigantic thank you to everyone who volunteered and donated! We collected $1,680 in cash and over 6,000 individual back-to-school items for local students. This is our first year partnering with Durham Children's Initiative on this event. We are excited to broaden our community reach and DCI build pathways to equity. Our event was co-chaired this year by board members, Hope Smith and Sherry Wanner-Dolan. We had an extraordinary team of volunteers who served on our collection box, sorting and delivery teams. 

All Creekside residents are welcome to join us. Please visit ClubExpress to learn more. 

We received a lovely note from Julianne Reas, Gardens for Everyone Project Coordinator. How wonderful to see the tools that were purchased with funds we raised here in Creekside. The Gardens for Everyone project helps residents in the Triangle build raised-bed garden boxes. They provide support from seed to harvest. They have built over 110 boxes. This program enables families to have healthy food all year long. Thanks to everyone who donated. 

On May 24, seven Creekside Cares volunteers joined forces with four Fayetteville Street Elementary staff members to set up the school’s new outdoor education area. Thanks to the generosity of the Durham Public Schools Foundation, the school had received a $19,500 grant to purchase 18 steel picnic tables and 10 freestanding benches. After assembling one table and one bench, the staff realized that the remaining work was going to be more than they could manage. They reached out to Triangle Grace Church, which has had a long relationship with the school. Sue Bradley, a member of both Triangle Grace and Creekside Cares, offered to find Creekside volunteers to do the work. One email later, six men had stepped up to help. Work that would have taken the staff several days of hard labor was completed in three hours. Now, the students can enjoy having some of their classes outdoors in the shaded area alongside the school. ​

We are excited to share another opportunity to grow something special in our community. We have recently learned about a wonderful program through the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (IFFS) called Gardens for Everyone (GFE). This dynamic program falls within their mission to feed, teach and grow. GFE is designed to provide fresh food to local homes and communities by building raised garden boxes on site and providing support from seed to harvest. Most boxes are 4' x 8' x 20', and are built by IFFS staff and volunteers.

Our Vice President, Paul Leifer was a volunteer at a recent build at the Whitted School in Durham. Though volunteer turnout was terrific and the energy level high, the tools available were old and malfunctioning. It was easy to identify a need and an opportunity to show #CreeksideCares!

Our goal is to raise about $1,000 to purchase items including new drills, shovels, shears, hammers, battery packs and pick axes. Creekside Cares will set up a table down at Hemingway Hall on Thursday, May 27 from 5-7 p.m. Come on down, there will be a food truck! Feel free to drop by and make a donation. We are accepting cash and checks made payable to Creekside Cares, Inc. No amount is too small.
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Beginning May 28, we will be accepting donations in our secure donation box at 1038 Carraway Lane until June 4th. Thanks in advance for your support.

Creekside at Bethpage is full of caring residents and neighbors. Our community is beautiful on the inside and the out. We wanted to shine a spotlight on a dedicated group of  volunteers who are working to beautify and enhance our community. The garden and bulb planters are an off-shoot of the disbanded landscaping committee. With seed money from the HOA, the group planted bulbs at our front entrance including daffodils, hyacinths, and day lilies.

Members of the group include Terry Billie, Joanne Cella, Eileen Waszkiewicz, Andrew Pettigrew, Jan Jarrett, Kathleen Boyd, Maryann Smith, Karen Finnegan Meyers, Patricia Muldowney, Marie Serrine, Jennifer Srivastava, JoAnn Atwater, Amy Chambless, Rosana Hartley Lisa Leifer, Paul Leifer, Alice Bayne and Anita Mendat Cabacar. 

The group has plans to purchase and plant pollinators that will bloom through the summer. The group hopes the plantings will attract pollinators including butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. The group welcomes more volunteers. Watch for additional information on ClubExpress and on the Creekside Talk and Creekside Neighbors Facebook Groups that are open to Creekside residents.

Creekside is a very caring community and we couldn't let this kindness go unnoticed.