April 16, 2013 | 11:02 pm | Share
Length of Internship: 3 months (Mid May – Mid August)
Working Hours of Internship: Monday – Saturday, 10-15 hours per week
Compensation: Unpaid
Direct Supervisor: Amanda Werhane
The Bloomington Community Orchard inspires communities to cultivate thriving systems of sharing and growing fruit. As one of the only projects of its kind in the nation, the Bloomington Community Orchard is on the forefront of sustainable living and community building. Incredible, dedicated volunteers have worked thousands of hours to carry the Orchard from its first community meeting in February 2010, through two major grants and two community-wide planting days, and onward to harvesting and maintaining a place they love. Thanks to hundreds of community members who voted in the Communities Take Root contest, representatives from Edy’s and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation came to town to provide the trees and instruction for our first planting.
The Orchard will contribute to Bloomington’s food security, inspire joyful community engagement, and educate citizens while making sustainability delicious. Our publicly owned Orchard operates in partnership with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.
The Orchard is run by a volunteer Board of Directors. Learn more about our Board, or check out the minutes archives from their monthly meetings.
Responsibilities
The Bloomington Community Orchard (BCO) is seeking an Outreach Intern for the 2013 Summer season. As an intern with the BCO, you will be responsible for assisting the Volunteer Coordinator with all aspects of outreach. The intern will assist in finding organizations,companies and individuals to attend weekly workdays at the Orchard. In addition, he/she will arrange and attend Orchard tabling events. These events allow the Orchard to be present in the community and gain awareness amongst community members. As a vital part of the metrics required for many grant applications, the intern will assist in recording volunteer hours each week, to properly organize monthly volunteer hours at the Orchard.
As a BCO Outreach Intern you will gain knowledge about sustainability and assist in the community growth of the Orchard. As a budding organization, the BCO needs more visibility which is why we need more recognition in the Bloomington community. If you are interested in outreach, sustainability, or community development, then our Outreach Internship is a perfect fit for you!
April 3, 2013 | 8:10 pm | Share
Title: Workday
Location: Orchard, 2120 S. Highland Ave.
Description: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 11:00 Welcome, instructions, and planting
- Noon Community potluck. Bring a dish to share–and your own dishes/silverware to use if you have them.
Date: 2013-04-20
Rain date is April 27.
March 31, 2013 | 10:45 pm | Share
The Orchard is working to improve our sustainable impact on the community while also looking forward to new initiatives that support our mission and provide free fruit to the community. We’re inviting interested individuals to contact us about stepping into a leadership or supporting team position. There are team and committee positions and leadership roles at a variety of commitment levels.
If you’re a passionate and dedicated member of the community looking to get your hands dirty or to help shape the initiatives and strategic direction of the organization, send a resume and quick letter of interest to getinvolved@bloomingtoncommunityorchard.org.
If you have ever thought about getting involved with one of the only projects on its kind in the nation, while advancing the forefront of sustainable living and community building, we would love to start the conversation with you. With your help, we look forward to working together to help dream, build, and share an Orchard Community. Here are some of the possibilities:
- join a team like education or outreach,
- take the lead of an on-site project, or
- take on a larger leadership position with the Development, Governance, or Finance Committee.
March 4, 2013 | 12:44 pm | Share
Title: Workday
Location: Orchard, 2120 S. Highland Ave.
Description: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- 11:00 Welcome, instructions, and planting
- Noon Community potluck. Bring a dish to share–and your own dishes/silverware to use if you have them.
Date: 2013-04-20
Rain date is April 27.
January 25, 2013 | 3:15 pm | Share
The Local Growers’ Guild is hosting a spring Bike to Barns event, riding through the community to visit urban agriculture, gardens, and farms. Each location will host a miniature showcase, giving you an intimate tour of Bloomington’s food system. The Orchard will be a stop on the Urban Fruit Route! Click here to visit the Guild’s registration page.
Date: 2013-06-09
January 13, 2013 | 4:11 pm | Share
Looking for an internship that gets you out of the cubicle and into the world? Join the Operations Team for hands-on experience. A full overview is below, or you can download the flier here.
About the Bloomington Community Orchard:
As one of the only projects of its kind in the nation, the Orchard is at the forefront of sustainable living and community building. The publicly-owned space is operated in partnership with the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, and a volunteer Board of Directors approves major Orchard decisions. Thanks to hundreds of community members who voted in the “Communities Take Root” contest, representatives from Edy’s and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation came to Bloomington to provide the trees and instruction for our first planting.
Incredible, dedicated volunteers have worked thousands of hours to carry the Orchard from its first community meeting in February 2010, through two major grants and two community-wide planting days, and onward, to harvesting and maintaining the place that they love. The Orchard will continue to contribute to Bloomington’s food security, inspire joyful community engagement, and educate citizens, while making sustainability “delicious” in the most literal sense.
Position Description:
The Orchard’s Operations Team seeks three interns for the 2013 winter/spring season. Each intern will participate in the Orchard’s operations, in addition to developing and managing an independent project. For the individual assignment, interns will choose from the following positions: Tree Steward, Pest Management, and Permaculture Design. If you are interested in community development, urban agriculture, food security, or education through demonstration, then this is the internship for you!
Experience:
We only require that applicants have a desire to learn.
Time Commitment:
Each position will require 8-15 hours per week. Two of the positions are from February 10th – May 10th.
A third position is available from February 10th – June 10th (Schedule is somewhat flexible)
Compensation:
The Bloomington Community Orchard is a public orchard that is run and maintained entirely by volunteers. This internship is unpaid. However, interns will benefit in a variety of ways that will enhance one’s personal knowledge, as well as expand the knowledge and experiences of the community.
Questions? Contact Amy Allen at alleamy@indiana.edu.
November 17, 2012 | 11:49 am | Share
The community forum was a success, with community members turning out to share their ideas. Additional comments can be sent to communityforum@bloomingtoncommunityorchard.org
Read about the community for and the PACE program at IU: http://pace.indiana.edu/Community%20Orchard.shtml
For more details about the topics covered at the forum, download the Orchard Forum Guide
September 14, 2012 | 10:10 pm | Share
The Orchard Board of Directors has fresh faces. Meet them here, and find them in the community. Board members are always eager to talk about the Orchard and would be happy to answer questions or help you get involved. Visit the About the Board page.
August 4, 2012 | 5:05 pm | Share
The Orchard is now on FourSquare! Next time you stop by, be sure to check in and let your friends know what’s blooming.
July 4, 2012 | 10:24 am | Share
The Orchard and the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department have established a formal partnership to continue sharing the Orchard’s mission and fruit with the Bloomington community.
The Department helped to establish the orchard by designating nearly an acre of land for orchard development. Earlier in 2012, the Orchard became an independent nonprofit organization. Both the Department and the Orchard were eager to continue a partnership.
Lee Huss, Bloomington’s Urban Forester, served as the Department’s representative on the agreement. Huss said, “The creation of the Bloomington Community Orchard brings diversity to Bloomington’s urban forest… It is our sincere desire that the public learn from the orchard and duplicate the planting of fruit trees on their private property.”
Vice-President of the Parks and Recreation Board Jane St. John said, “The partnership is another of many examples of what seems to be a hallmark of Bloomington’s Park and Recreation Department: how the needs of residents… intersect with the resources of the community made available through its parks.” She believes “the yield of the trees goes far beyond their fruit.”
Amy Countryman developed the Orchard concept as an undergraduate and served on the Orchard board of directors from its inception in 2010 until June 2012. Countryman said, “This exciting step will allow the Orchard to continue to grow and blossom with the support of the City and the efforts of its hard-working volunteers.”
The partnership will ensure continued educational programming, including four classes this fall, that the Orchard offers. It will also provide assistance with site development and maintenance.
Josh David, chair of the Governance Committee, said, “The support that we have received from the City of Bloomington and the Orchard community has been truly inspiring… We can only hope that these types of collaborative organizations… serve as models for the future.”