Appendix E-J

The only problem with volunteers is that they most of the time eventually leave. Howevs – many Everyday Joe’s volunteers leave and begin to do things that make us proud.

Latest example: Missy Splittgerber (formerly Larson) and her husband Jonathan (always Splittgerber).

Together, the two are helping start Grace Orphanage in Togo, Africa. Jonathan has been working on it for years now. Missy came into the picture just over a year ago, already with plans to move to Africa once she finished school. She didn’t know what she’d do there. Then she met Jonathan. Then they got married. Now, they move to Africa in a couple weeks. This coming Friday (October 8), we’ll be hosting a benefit for the orphanage. Deets from the organization’s blog:

We have our first-ever, much-anticipated fundraiser happening Friday, October 8th at 7pm at Everyday Joe’s Coffee House (144 S Mason St, Ft Collins, CO). There will be live music from local superstars SHEL. Also Hors D’ouvres. And T-shirts and tote bags. We will be talking about the needs of the orphanage as well as our plans for the future. We are leaving next month and will be there for almost 6 months to make sure the money is being spent wisely and everything stays on-track. We would love to see you this friday – no pressure, just come to listen and ask questions!

It would be great to see your nice face here then. If you can’t make it, consider making a donation after you read further on the orphanage’s blog.

Popularity: 3% [?]

If you have issues dealing with jealousy or lusting after t-shirts and you’ve never volunteered at Everyday Joe’s, you might want to stop reading now. All volunteers current and former, continue.

We are pleased to bring you the first t-shirt exclusively available to Everyday Joe’s volunteers. The shirt is titled “Love Machine.”

It works on a few levels, mainly on those where awesome resides. Let us know if you want one by contacting us here. They’ll run you right about twelve bones.

Popularity: 2% [?]

99.99% of the time, the folks who volunteer at Everyday Joe’s are here because their heart desires to take care of people. When they move on from behind the bar or soundboard, it is not because their heart has changed but because it is being called to other places.

Rachel Robichaux is a good lady/Everyday Joe’s volunteer. Her heart has taken her & her camera to India as of late, where she has found herself in love with/heart-broken by the women of the Devadasi system – “in which girls are dedicated to the goddess Yellamma for a lifetime of ritualized prostitution.”

Injustice exists all over the planet earth. Rachel is helping to fight this particular injustice. She has a short essay & photo collection up on JPG Magazine’s site. If her piece receives enough votes, it will be featured in the print edition of JPG. Please head over, vote, and help spread the word of something that needs to be squelched.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Coffee is a spectacular thing. Much more spectacular than most folks give it credit for. We know the spectacularness of wine. The spectacularness of beer. The spectacularness of food. Coffee is just as spectacular. So are people doing good things.

Everyday Joe’s is very excited to introduce Coffee & Goodness. Every few months, we will host an afternoon of coffee education to benefit good things. The first of these afternoons is on September 12 and will benefit the efforts of International Teams: Greece (and an Everyday Joe’s volunteer Wendy Thompson ).

You can come in for free and learn about Wendy’s efforts, but the cost to educate your coffee palette concerning coffee is $7. We will “host” one bean for the afternoon (thinking a Guatemalan for this go round) and brew it for you 4 different ways. All profits will go to Wendy & her efforts. Your seven bones will get you:

• 6 oz. cup brewed via Hario Ceramic Drip
• 6 oz. cup brewed via Chemex
• 6 oz. cup brewed via French Press
• single origin espresso

We will have volunteers at each station, telling you what tasting notes to look for and what makes the brewing method special/delicious. Wendy will also be working the room with her smiling face and knowledge of her efforts working with refugees in Greece.

We hope to see you on September 12. If you are interested in being the beneficiary of an afternoon of Coffee & Goodness, just let us know and we’ll chat it up.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Finished!

come meet your new bar

Day 4

so close...

counters need support

Day 3

No new “bar” pictures for today. New tile was put down. Plumbing and electrical going in. It looks beautiful.

The question most often asked so far is, “Are you leaving the outside of the bar like that?” The answer is, “Yes, yes we are. And yes, it is stained & lacquered OSB. So hot right now.” (if that just confused you, see “Day 2.”)

I will leave you with this lovely image, a hint at something waiting for you Tuesday:

Day 2

nearly there

the end of the now huge bar

it's large

the carpet must go

End Day One

night night

the beginnings of new counters and walls

Welcome To Progress

...and so it begins

goodbye counters and walls

goodbye bar

goodbye tile

Things Are Showing Up

Tools, counter tops, etc. It feels like we’re about to embark on something unbeknown to us.

It’s Been Five Years & Coming

Tonight at 5 pm, a hammer will make a hole in some drywall. Drywall currently connected to our coffee bar. Then more holes will be made and crowbars will pry and saws will whir and the bar will be no more…until the new bar is erected in its place shortly thereafter. It’s going to be quite a weekend.

You can follow all the action right here. We’ll update this post with pictures and maybe some vids as the rebuild progresses…all the way until we reopen on Tuesday morning. We should be on HGtv.

Talk to you soon.

Popularity: 68% [?]

When you are an organization powered mostly by volunteers, it is a safe bet to assume that the folks around you have hearts that desire to do things for others.

Throughout the year, we see volunteers leave to head somewhere else and help other people. To serve the global community. Maggie Canty took off last summer to serve with YWAM in Switzerland. Now, she is leading a team to Costa Rica to assist with the relief efforts surrounding the January earthquake.

“My team will be headed to Costa Rica, where we will be helping earthquake refugees in several different ways, from working on houses to passing out food to watching children and wherever else there is need.

And eating a lot of bananas. At least that’s what I hear.”

You can read more about Maggie’s adventures beyond Fort Collins – past & present – over at her blog Marge At Large. She’s a good lady and we love her very much.

Further:

• Maggie’s blog Marge At Large
• BBC coverage of the Costa Rica earthquake

Popularity: 43% [?]

Yes, they are actually coyotes. At least that’s what they will tell you. I’ll tell you they make nice-sounding bits of music…not muzak. That’s a fact. Jack.

Enough of the rhyming. If they really are coyotes, they are human-looking enough to be named Adam & Zach. Young Coyotes are a musical duo on the rise, that’s for shiz. If I had a vote, they’d be taking off for stardom any day now…or at least enough success to sustain a carreer in the field of music and have a few Totino’s in the freezer as well.

If you’d like to catch Young Coyotes before this stardom, Saturday 1/31 will be your chance at Everyday Joe’s. They’re playing a benefit for local organization Deliver Darfur (which happens to have two Everyday Joe’s volunteers at the helm). Others taking the stage that evening:

Dan Craig, Bad Weather California, The Wheel.

Holy Moly.

Before you run out of the house and start camping on the sidewalk in front Everyday Joe’s, please have a listen to the following Young Coyotes composition. Enjoy “When I Was In The Fire.” See you Saturday. 7 pm. $10 suggested donation.

“When I Was In The Fire” by Young Coyotes

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Further:

• Deliver Darfur Official Site
• Young Coyotes on Myspace
• The Wheel / Dan Craig Audio Treats
• Write up of another show involving most of these bands & this show is mentioned at the end
• Young Coyotes Blog

Popularity: 37% [?]

The volunteers of Everyday Joe’s Coffee House are important people. They make this place go and without them it just wouldn’t be very much fun. It’s even more fun when the show up for their shift bearing gifts and when that gift is art we all do a dance.

Rico is our Monday barista from 11 am – 2 pm. He has a respectable beard, a lovely wife, a nice son named fynn, and a band called The Lighthouse Band. Yesterday, he emerged from Finn’s room with the following creation for Everyday Joe’s. It is beautiful and our heart is splattered all over it in a non-grotesque way. Enjoy.

Further:

• The Lighthouse Band Official Site

Popularity: 27% [?]

So, here’s the deal.

The usual Monday post did not make it up yesterday. This was mainly due to the fact that the large refrigerator…the primary purpose of which is to keep the soda pop and milk cool and drinkable…was warm when I came down to open. Warmness is not conducive to dairy products.

Sounds like something that would take place on a  Monday…a major organ in the coffee house body taking a dive (if the espresso machine is the heart, I’d say the refrigerator is at least one of the kidneys). This Monday was the Monday after our 5th birthday party, which was a nice time. A nice time on Saturday and back to the art of maintenance on Monday. A very nice fellow we know recently spoke about maintenance. Listen to that below if you like.

[audio http://www.everydayjoes.org/images/songs for blog/June%2022%209am%20Darren.mp3]

Back to the refrigerator. A good guy came yesterday and battled with the machine for near 8 hours, only to have the machine claim victory with its foot on his chest. He told us what the fix would be and that it would cost $800. We told him we’d let him know.

Now, we’ll leave the story to Daryle Dickens, the executive director of Everyday Joe’s:

Let’s see, how many lessons can we learn from what happened over the past 24 hours with the large cooler?

That is all.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Has a Moroccan – referring to himself only as Tom Cruise – ever offered you a dowry of camels in exchange for your love and companionship? Did that Moroccan then proceed to wrap his arms around you in an awkward side-hug?

Below is a picture of our beloved volunteer Diana living out this dream scenario. She’s described it as “surreal” and “not awesome.” Now, it is up to you to describe it, in caption form. Reply in the comments, telling us what is going through Tom Cruise’s head & Diana’s head. The winner gets a $5 Gift Card from Everyday Joe’s or a 1/2 pound of our bean of the week.

Example:

Tom Cruise: “I do not actually own any camels. Perhaps this hug will be enough and she will not think about the camels. Plus, I smell good.”

Diana: “I pray to God that this man does not have any camels. His arms are crushing me. At least he smells good.”

I now unleash your creative energy.

Popularity: 24% [?]