Neighborhood Cheer All Year:
Members of The Edney Innovation Center are working with local organizations to raise funds and donations to bring joy and support to our neighbors at Patten Towers.
March 2023:
Spring Celebration
As their immediate neighbors, we at The Enterprise Center are always interested in finding new ways to support our fellow community members at Patten Towers.
We are planning a festive spring luncheon that will facilitate community connections and provide some cheer, games, and delicious food.
We will have live music, a crafts table, and bingo. We are expecting around 40 guests.
We have partnered with local companies like Downtown Chattanooga Alliance, Unum, Dwell Hotel, Hotel Indigo, and Be The Change Youth Initiative to make this celebration extra special for our neighbors.
We sincerely and deeply appreciate your interest in helping with this project.
EVENT DETAILS:Date/Time: 3/9/23 – 12pm – 2pm
- Food served 12-1pm
- Bingo 12:30-2
- Free Store open 1-2pm
Guest Count: 40 guests from Patten Towers + neighborhood volunteers
January 2023:
A Holiday Celebration to Remember!
Here in the Innovation District, our mission is to ensure Chattanoogans have the necessary tools to succeed. (Specifically, our work revolves around eliminating barriers to access in the entrepreneurial and technological spheres.) This mission extends to all members of our community, and we strive to develop pathways to access that ensure that everyone – from seniors in rural areas, to children in underserved communities, to small business startups – can thrive.
As our TEC CEO, Deb Socia, is fond of saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Right across from the entrance to The Edney on East 11th Street is the Patten Towers building, once a historic hotel, which now provides affordable housing for low-income Chattanoogans, many of whom are seniors or find themselves in need of assistance.
Over the past seven years, organizations inside The Edney, including The Enterprise Center, The Company Lab, and Society of Work have come together regularly to support the tenants of Patten Towers. These groups partnered with other local organizations to hold regular events, food drives after a fire left many residents without necessities last year, and bingo nights and music to remind the residents that the surrounding community cares.
“When the crisis is no longer urgent, it can be hard to get continued support,” Deb also says often, as a reminder to look beyond reactivity toward sustainable solutions.
In our nonprofit community-driven work, we strive not only to respond to crises – as we did with our HCS EdConnect partnership at the start of the 2020 pandemic – we work to create proactive, practical programs that support the day-to-day livelihood of all residents within our community. When our most vulnerable residents receive support, we strengthen the heartbeat of the whole city and are better equipped to face future challenges when they arise
Bidding 2022 Adieu
Throughout November and December, The Enterprise Center, Society of Work, and Colab worked tirelessly to coordinate people, donations, planning, and set up for a festive luncheon jubilee for Patten Towers.
We are so proud to be a part of a dedicated network overflowing with willingness to create this meaningful holiday celebration. It was a local effort for a neighborhood cause, and we want to say thank you from the very bottom of our hearts to all who contributed funds, personal time, and positive energy, for making this day possible. As many residents told us during the event, “this day is our Christmas.”
We were able to transform the space with holiday decor and feed nearly 200 guests, distribute goodie bags to all attendees, give away 15 amazing prizes, provide a crafts table, and serenade everyone with live music, creating a truly festive holiday experience for all involved.
We could not have done this without the incredible support of local Chattanooga groups like The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga, the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, the Downtown Chattanooga Alliance, Tech Goes Home, Be The Change Youth Institute; local businesses like Goodman Coffee Roasters, The Dwell, Hotel Indigo, The Cosmetic Market, and a spectacular and dedicated team of volunteers.
Festive Fare:
Like a true holiday with friends and family, the event was overflowing with food… We had a hot cocoa station, coffee station brimming with Goodman’s Coffee, a delicious pie station from Publix, cookies from ArtsBuild, holiday meals of stuffing, turkey and more from Cracker Barrel, and creamy mac and cheese and scrumptious salad donated by Hotel Indigo and The Westin.
Food leftover overs were dropped off at Patten Towers for any guests that were not physically able to attend the celebration. Then, the last remaining coffee and treats were rolled on a holiday express led by Melissa and C-Grimey down 11th street to warm any last bellies they could find!
A Spirited Affair:
Live music saturated our space thanks to the generous artists at Be The Change Youth Institute. Mayor Tim Kelley also joined us to say hello and Happy Holidays to our shared neighbors! Christopher Shaw from Final Flash Productions captured all of our joyous moments on film.
Reindeer Games:
During the meal, C-Grimey of Tech Goes Home and Gabrielle Chevalier from The Enterprise Center distributed 10 awesome raffle prizes. Mary of Society of Work and Lya from Colab kept the party rolling and led the post-lunch bingo hour.
Our participants got some gorgeous goodie bags, filled with visa gift cards, gift cards to Bingo’s Market, a bounty of luxe self-care products from The Cosmetic Market, and several additional donations from shops at Warehouse Row.
Parting Gifts:
We distributed over 100 goodie bags, furnished with luxury soaps, lotions, and shampoos donated from The Dwell Hotel and additional items like socks and instant oatmeal purchased with funds from our generous donors.
A Continued Effort
The issue of affordable housing looms large in Chattanooga, and with the recent cold weather and sudden Budgetel Inn closure, addressing such challenges can often feel overwhelming. Chattamatters, our civic storytelling project, has been gathering data on this issue throughout this year, and what is clear is that solving these difficult systemic issues takes the effort of an entire community.
Together, we can help ease the pressure in our own neighborhoods.
We at TEC believe deeply that these efforts create ripples that reach far beyond our own arms. Thank you so much for your support in excuting this event!
November, 2022:
Help us spread Holiday Cheer to the Residents of Patten Towers
Over the past 7 years organizations including The Enterprise Center, The Company Lab, Patten Apartments, and Society of Work have come together to plan festivities for the tenants of Patten Towers.
You can help us by:
- Making a financial donation
- Contributing items to a donation drive
- Sharing this with anyone you know in your neighborhood
Neighborhood Cheer, our holiday celebration this December, is a collaboration between Society of Work, CoLab, and The Enterprise Center. We are seeking funding to pay for the holiday luncheon, bingo prizes, and toiletries goodie bags. Additionally, we will be collecting essential household goods, new clothing, and hygiene items on the Fifth Floor of the Edney. These will be gifted to the residents later this year. There will be donation bins in the foyer on Floor Five of the Edney Building ( 1100 Market Street)
Please reach out to laura@theenterprisectr.org if you have any questions or are interested in joining us!
More Information:
Neighborhood Cheer : A Patten Towers Holiday Celebration:
Our concept for the celebration involves three different segments. A holiday luncheon with holiday dessert, bingo with prizes, and item giveaway.
In addition to the gifting of full-sized items, each of the attendees from Patten Towers will be given a toiletry gift bag full of mini items like toothpaste and toothbrushes, detergent, and shampoos.
Holiday Luncheon:
We are hoping to host 100 residents on Floor Five of the Edney for a holiday luncheon including Turkey and fixings. We will decorate, host live holiday music, and set up a hot cocoa station with desserts. Ideally, we would like to assemble 200 luncheons so that residents who cannot physically attend the luncheon will still receive a warm holiday meal.
Bingo:
The tenants have been requesting bingo since pandemic restrictions eased, and seem very excited to restart this activity. Bingo will take place after lunch is served.
Goodie Bags:
We will be assembling holiday goodie bags to give each resident some much needed toiletries and basics to take with them after the event.
Our primary goal is to raise financial donations for this endeavor. Any amount helps, but our target goal will be $2-3000. This will fund hot meals for the residents, holiday goodie bags full of toiletry essentials, a dessert and hot cocoa station, and prizes for bingo.
If your organization can help with this in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. It is so important to support our neighbors downtown, and any amount of giving will go a long way.
Thank you!
Spring 2021:
After a fire at Patten Towers which made the building unlivable, Deb jumped into action to support displaced residents and offered ongoing assistance, volunteering her time and energy to help residents.
