It’s been one year since the man, the myth, the legend Chip Blenk entered our lives as an unstoppable fixing force. Chip is one of over a dozen skilled fixers who have generously donated their time and talents to the Dare to Repair Café, a community event where individuals can bring in their broken items and have volunteer “fixers” work side-by-side with them to repair their item for free. This not only saves people the cost of replacing an item, it also teaches them the necessary skills to make similar repairs in the future. The events are meant to reduce the amount of usable goods entering the waste stream, pass on traditional repair skills and knowledge through a “learn by doing” model, and foster community and sustainability.
The fixes has been flying in 2018 as organizers and repairers traveled across the city and county to host seven free repair cafes where repairers worked side-by-side to successfully repair 198 items diverting 1,610 lbs of waste from local landfills.
For those who haven’t yet experiences a Dare to Repair Café up close and in person, there are two upcoming events to bring your broken thingamabobs:
- Saturday, September 15th from 10am to 2pm (1-Anniversary Party starts promptly at 2:01pm)
University Heights Community Laboratory | 9 West Northrup Place - Saturday, October 20th from 10am to 2pm
Reinstein Woods Edcuation Center | 93 Honorine Drive
“There’s nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get when that antique lamp that you just couldn’t bring yourself to get rid of because it’s been in the family for generations suddenly springs back to life at the hands of a repairer.” said Monica Shannon, a successful repairee at the last Dare to Repair Café.
For those individuals who are interested in sharing a skill as a volunteer fixer, you can fill out this form and be well on your way to daring to repair! Be sure to check back to the Tool Library’s page often to see an updated calendar of events.
Partners in Repair: Buffalo Recycles, University Heights Tool Library, Preservation Buffalo Niagara, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve, Valu Home Centers, Knowledgefire, The Foundry
Special thanks to all the dedicated fixers who make these events possible and the sponsors of the Dare to Repair Café: United Way of Buffalo & Erie County (Next Gen) and LUSH Cosmetics
#fixitdontditchit
