By Catherine Ipsen, the Associate Director at the Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities and Director of Rural Employment Research at the RTC: Rural at the University of Montana. Catherine is a former Home ReSource board member and current Home ReSource events committee member.
Originally published in Missoula Current, September 7, 2018.
I attended my first SponCon as a spectator and volunteer. Fun day, big mistake.
As someone who watches Project Runway for guilty pleasure, the opportunity to participate on a SponCon building team was not to be missed. For the last three years, I have organized Team All Elbows, consisting of my family and a couple of close family friends.
I wouldn’t describe All Elbows as overly artistic or skilled. We are more aligned with celebrating reuse. The extent of our creativity is building furniture using weathered wood. Our last entry was titled “rowdy bar crowd not included,” so you get the idea.
With grown kids, family occasions are harder to come by and I’m so glad SponCon remains one of them. After all, SponCon represents a culmination of what I hope I’ve imparted to my family: Reuse and sustainability matters. Building community is a value beyond money. And, competition is fun, even if you aren’t that good….Read the entire article at missoulacurrent.com.
