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Happy Gregorian New Year, cooperative fam! We made it to 2024! This past year was *huge* for the Riverside Collective. We’re incredibly proud of the milestones accomplished and growth achieved for our organization and communities.
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Before fully launching into the new year, please take a walk with us down memory lane to celebrate some of our group’s many achievements in 2023:
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February 2023 - We hosted a fundraiser for Riverside Collective in partnership with cooperative bakery Sunflower Oven. What a beautiful night this was! Together with our bakery friends, we spent days preparing a feast of Indian dishes, drafting speeches about the transformative potential of cooperative economics, and designing an event that modeled the deep inclusion and belonging we strive for with our permanent space.
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March 2023 - Riverside Collective finalized its lease with New Horizon Ministries. For the first time ever, our cooperative had a physical space to call home. Our entry into South Jackson was unexpected, but it has become one of the greatest blessings of this journey so far. Shoutout to 3510 Terry Road and to Rep. Ronnie Crudup Jr. for this generous gift!
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April 2023 - September 2023 - Co-stewards and entrepreneurial students collaborated to vend our hearts out at pop-ups all across Jackson. From the MashUp market to PAI’s women’s wellness workshop to Refill Jackson’s Taste of West Jackson, Riverside’s team has spread the cooperative word and honed our skills in the kitchen thanks to these beautiful service opportunities. Here, Vilas and D’Nickolas work together to explore the components of an employment contract, discuss fair and equitable bargaining, and agree on labor and compensation terms ahead of the next pop-up gig.
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September 2023 - THE Treshika Melvin joined Riverside Collective as our third co-steward! Riverside Collective is incredibly lucky to have this kind, talented, and passionate person as part of the stewardship team moving into 2024. Her commitment to community and thoughtful interventions have already made us a stronger and more effective team. We love you Treshika!
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October 2023 - Present - Riverside’s cooperative mural project is connecting professional artists with creative young people to explore community-informed urban design. We’ve hosted two workshops so far for mural mentor Justin Ransburg to guide this year’s student cohort through the process of designing a mural for our building that responds to and reflects neighborhood interests and needs. Here, JPS parent Ms. Vanessa shows off her first collage at the end of a hands-on workshop assignment.
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May 2024 bring as many gifts, surprises, and generative challenges as the last. Thank you all and Happy New Year!
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