Residents lead the community’s beautification project

The residents of Walker Methodist River continue to surprise Patricia Demcho, the community’s housing manager director since May of last year.

“River is a HUD subsidized affordable dwelling community, which means we don’t have many funds available for projects beyond our pressing needs,” said Patricia. “But our residents take great pride in their community, and, even with limited resources, they want to continue enhancing our space so River remains a beautiful building we can all enjoy.”

Located in Anoka, the six-story building overlooks the Rum River.

“We have such a stunning view of the river in our backyard, but the space hasn’t seen much love and attention over the years—there just hasn’t been funds available to enhance the space,” said Patricia.

Although a small amount of money for landscaping was factored into the budget, a surprising heavy wind one evening knocked over a large tree in the area, scratching against the building. “After that happened, I knew that we needed to clear the area of any other trees that could damage the building or injure any of the residents. So the cleanup ate up the landscaping budget. It was necessary, but it was sad that the residents wouldn’t get to enjoy the planned beautification project they’d hoped for.”

But the resourceful residents of this community came up with an unexpected solution. Lynn Jansen, a resident of River, takes a daily walk through the city. She decided that on her walks she would drop into each local business and ask if they would help with the project.

“What she came back with surprised us all,” said Patricia. Businesses were eager to help and donated gift cards and merchandise for the residents to raffle off. “I have been blown away by the support. This has been an amazing testament to how much Anoka supports our community.”

Residents are personally inviting friends, family, and community members to sign up for the raffle, which will be held February 28.

Anyone interested in participating in this fundraiser to support River’s beautification project can email Patricia at pdemcho@walkermethodist.org. Ticket are $2 for one ticket or $5 for three tickets. Each ticket can be entered into the drawing for whichever raffle prize you are interested in.

Prizes:

• Back Pack ($100 value, from Bushel and Peck)
• Bumble and Bumble Hair product ($75 value, Salon Eleven)
• Fuzz Remover ($25 value, Jenson’s)
• Measuring Bowl set with Towel ($30 value, Happenstance)
• Size XL Poncho Sweater ($75 value, Jenson’s)
• Umbrella ($25 value, Jenson’s)
• $10-25 gift cards for Serum, Casa Rio, McGillycuddy’s, Jenson’s, Truffles and Tortes, Pizza Man, Peterson Shoes, Sparky’s, and Chema Malu