Organization Description: Bridge of Grace Compassionate Ministries Center (BGCMC) -a faith based nonprofit organization affiliated with Many Nations Church of the Nazarene- was created for the purpose of transforming the Mount Vernon Park neighborhood as well as the lives of its residents.

Our mission is to encourage confidence and self-sufficiency by empowering individuals and families through a Christ-centered approach that endeavors to meet the spiritual, academic, physical, and emotional needs of our community.

Program Description: On June 11th, we will launch our 2nd annual Tired-a-Lot Summer Studio, a 2016 Knight Cities Challenge project! Tired-a-Lot is a 5-week youth-design studio that will reimagine and transform vacant properties in Mount Vernon Park.

Mount Vernon Park, an underserved neighborhood in Fort Wayne Indiana, has

Tired-a-Lot, a design studio organized by Bridge of Grace CMC, for the youth of Mount Vernon Park, is an effort that will begin to address each of these concerns.  The studio will foster civic engagement and resourcefulness by engaging students in the process of identifying and creating design solutions-- using low-cost and upcycled materials (like pallets and tires)-- to address a community need of their choosing.

During the summer, 12-24 high-school students from Mount Vernon Park and its surrounding neighborhoods will participate in a 5-week design studio, whose final outcome will be the reactivation of 1-2 vacant green lots in the neighborhood. The studio will also result in the creation of community toolkits that residents can use to learn how to create similar installations.