MISSION STATEMENT

The Tri-State RE-use Center strives to create and nurture a community system to encourage environmental and social justice. The RE-use Center has accomplished much in operating a non-profit clearinghouse with a completely volunteer crew and part time hours. The RE-use Center's objective is to expand into a full-time/staffed self-sufficient clearinghouse, which will impact the tri-state area in various concrete ways including social change. This objective will be accomplished through execution of our primary goals, which include: staging community projects that market The RE-use Center as a community center as much as an enviromental activist and fair housing group. The projects are designed by weaving local culture into innovative national successful projects around environment and housing issues. Always adding a dash of playful art. These projects include partnerships with local well-established institutions and small non-profit grassroots groups that complement our mission.

The RE-use Center is focused on securing donations of surplus building materials from local state, and national businesses. Businesses recieve tax benefits, savings in waste management ans supporting the development of the community. These materials are collected, sorted, and re-distributed to are low-income residents and other non-profit entities working to better the community. 90% of the materials are assigned a handling fee, which pay for our overhead. 10% of all materials (all handicapped equipment and 50% of weatherization materials) are re-distributed free of charge to emergency situations, handicapped people and the elderly. "How to" workshops are staged monthly. Volunteer community businesses and leaders act as trainers.

If it can't be used for housing it must be ART. This is a motto at The RE-use Center. Broken unusable materials and tools are used for art — full signs and decorations, youth art projects ("Art in the Park"), and plain old "play art" (express yourself for no reason at all). We have been collecting broken tools, dishes, toilets, etc. Two ART projects are being planned for the spring. The first is a three dimensional rust sculpture. The second project will be to mosaic our storage sheds.

It is a belief of the board that people become empowered by responsibility. Being responsible for paying for and installing a higher standard of living is self-sufficient. The RE-use Center has this goal for itself and all its members. The key to developing and maintaining our sufficiency lies in one of our membership rules. Everyone must volunteer time at The RE-use Center. In order to take advantage of The RE-use Center's benefits each person must become involved with its development. This circle ensures that The RE-use Center will only grow if the individuals grow. However, The RE-use Center has its plateaus (as in any venture) and fundraises to outside sources periodically.

The RE-use Center formed an advisory board. Twenty community leaders from W.Va, MD, and PA were invited to a formal presentation of The RE-use Center. Nineteen people attended an ALL nineteen committed to The RE-use Center by joining our Advisory Board. This Advisory Board has proven to be great advocates and have increased awareness of our services. However, a strange thing was discovered. The leaders from the three states had not met each other, even though MD is only a mile wide between PA and W.Va. They had never worked on a regional project together! When the surprise of The RE-use Center's board spoke through and asked, "how can this be?" The response was, "we are territorial and respect others." Lots of organizing/networking to do when people in power are disadvantaged by historic "institutions that perpetuate poverty."

Another motto is, "If you're not having fun, then you're doing it wrong."