Well, after that mention about it in Hank's last post, I better post about this TV show project that is in our near future. But before I do that, I want to write a little about Marion's Ledge in general.

On the Spirit of a Traveler

Our Mission, first and foremost, is to spread what we are calling the culture of engagement and the spirit of a traveler as well as adding to the community. The best way that we can do this is through the building of the Community Commons and Cafe. As well as being a great place to come and hang out, this will be a place that will bring in a wide variety of people and will lend itself to discovery of many new things, places, ideas, and activities around Houston. That is what we are here for. By inviting Houston Groups in to use the space, we hope to have a wide variety of things for people to encounter. We are showcasing the wonders of Houston.

And it is not just the homeless groups that we want to showcase. We want to, in the true sense of the term "Spirit of a Traveler", showcase all that is Houston and that makes it what it is. This may be a unique landmark (like the Preston Street Bridge) or an interesting place (like the Aurora Picture Show) or a specific group of people (like a poetry slam team). These are all things that make Houston what it is.

When you travel places, you expect to find this type of stuff. You are actively looking for things that make whatever city you are visiting unique. And finding these things can lead to fun times and awesome adventures. But how often do we look at our own town that way? How many of you Houstonians have been to the Aurora or the Orange Show or something like those? Try it, you will be amazed at what you find.

The TV Show

So, we don't yet have a building, and it will be a few years until we do, so we began thinking of a way that we could start on our mission without the building. The idea of the TV show actually originated with a member of Rice TV, not someone associated with Marion's Ledge. She wanted to create a show for RTV that showed students and other members of campus what is out there "beyond the hedges" (ie. off campus) that they didn't know about. When she first explained this idea to me, I immediately thought about our mission for Marion's Ledge. There was definite room for collaboration. I raised the idea of doing a joint project and she liked the idea and welcomed the help. So, it is on. This next semester, we hope to shoot our first episodes, which will be aired on Rice TV as well as here on this website.

The hope is to spread knowledge about our town and give people information about things that are happening and groups and places that they can get involved in. We want, in the video as well as the actual place, to showcase Houston for all it is. We want to get people engaged, whether they are from Houston or not. We hope that this video project will help with that.

If you are interested in helping on such a project, please let us know. As we would welcome feedback or ideas or suggestions for content. Just comment on this blog entry. Thanks! :-D

I’m discovering in just the last week that it appears that little is really inviolate in the work so far.
Significantly, while “Marion’s Ledge” is fixed in my mind and soul, I’ve long wished for something better than “Community House” but haven’t thought of even a contender. Recently I heard “commons” used outside a university context and it occurred to me that it might hold just the right meaning.

commons |ˈkämənz| |ˌkɑmənz| |ˌkɒmənz|
plural noun
1 a dining hall in a residential school or college.
2 [treated as sing. ] land or resources belonging to or affecting the whole of a community.
• a public park of a town or city.
3 That’s Us baby!! We’re here for and affecting the whole of the community!

We’ve been sorta trying it on for size for a bit and I think we’re warming up to it so I’m going to go ahead and update the name on the website later today and see if it doesn’t stick.
~~

Hailey has found a good way for us to go ahead and try to pursue some of our mission without waiting on the funds for a building and the whole package. She’s found someone with Rice TV interested in producing a series of films on Houston Groups that we can help with. It sounded like their motivations are very much like ours so this ought to be good and I hope we get moving on it pretty soon. I’m sure she’ll soon elaborate more on the project.