Happy Holidays!

It's the end of the year, school is out, work is taking a break for most employers, and it is a time to be with our families. One of the roommates was even kind enough to spend the last 2 months in pottery studio every Wednesday night to create a mug for each and every one of her 8 roommates. It was an amazing act of love for those around her with the amount of thought and time that went into this thoughtful gift. All of us here in the house will value this gift made with love and care and thought more than a simple trinket purchased at the value store that will quickly be forgotten.

And on another note, this first half year has been amazing. When we first moved in, it seemed every time we would try and talk with the neighbors, they would turn their heads, or ignore us. Now it seems that every time I am outside, I can even walk to my car without someone stopping and saying hello and to chat about any topic. Building relationships takes a long time, and I am grateful that after these few first months, there seems to be some hopeful traction in that department. Its hard not to when we are surrounded by amazing, intelligent, thoughtful people in our neighborhood who seem to be looking out for one another!

Enjoy the holidays and have a great rest of the year!

Full House

The house was purchased late April, repairs started immediately and our first residents moved in July 31. A full three months later, we are full with 9 people! It is amazing to see the great people who have chosen to live in a community-focused, service-oriented house to claim as their residence.

The beginning of the community has been great. We had an amazing pot luck where well over 70 people came to share our community with us, from friends and families from out to state, to neighbors and a local band, Agape Alive, we had a great showing with a positive and uplifting energy the entire night.

Then came Halloween and it was great having 7 people sitting on the front porch interacting with the neighborhood kids and giving them candy. Although some may claim this is a preposterous holiday, giving simple sugars to kids dressed as ghouls and goblins, we felt is a positive experience to share community. Unfortunately, there was not much community to go around as we had only 2 groups of teenagers and then 3 small families come by all night. (Pictures will be posted soon!) Although though there were few people, there was a lot of great energy!

And just when the house thought we could not have any more fun, just yesterday, November 1st, it was Ben's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!) And what is better than a communal taco night shared amongst friends? - The answer: The dancing that followed the meal!!

Until next time!

Teamwork

This past weekend, the entire house scheduled a work day at the house. We painted, we cleaned, we fixed and we ate. Overall it was a great time. We now have 3 finished living rooms and great home.

It is great to see the collaborative effort of a team and seeing how much can get accomplished with a group of individuals get together for a common goal. Individually the amount we painted would have taken months, but together, just one day :)

The main drive for getting the home ready is the Oct 17 pot luck housewarming that is coming up! We are inviting our community neighbors and our friends. Should be a great deal of fun, email us if you are interested in coming!

The Beginning

With 8 people currently living in the house, we are learning to work together as a team to maintain a positive atmosphere (and a clean home). By rotating chores, helping each other paint, and having weekly dinners together, we are growing together. One of our first initiatives was to bake cookies together then pass them out to our neighbors to become a positive and welcoming presence in the neighborhood.

Also, the Mount Auburn Community Council meets every third Monday at 7pm at the Historical Taft Center on Auburn, some of us will be there every month to try to see how we can make a positive impact on the community of Mt. Auburn.

Summer Updates

There have been many updates with the house for the summer and there has been much progress made. Here is a recap.

Matt Flege (board member) had a group of 15 highschool students come out and help with the house. They cleaned the carpets that had been in disabondon for the past two years, they cleaned up floor bathroom as well. Photos to follow!

We have another group from MIT coming July 15 to help finish up any big projects around the house to have it move in ready, as our first residential community members will be moving in the last weekend of July!

Other updates include fixing the water heater to a new high efficiency one and repairing parts of the roof. The leadership team and the future residential members are extremely excited about having this project up and running, and don't forget to vote for us at www.cincinnatiinnovates.com!

Thanks for you interest in our progress,

-The Mac House

What is the McGregor House?

The Mission:

To create a socially and environmentally conscious intentional community that focuses on developing their local community while providing affordable housing to those who work in the public service sector.

The Team:

Matt Flege

Meghan Snyder

Jessica Leon

Nelson Robles

Nick Shaver