Day in the Life: Amy Blansit

As clouds begin to grow darker in the sky, Amy Blansit gets her day started at The Fairbanks, coffee in hand from the Bikes & Brew Bodega inside the community hub. She checks emails on her laptop, and the floorboard creaks overhead in the 120-year-old former schoolhouse.

The repurposed building is like a second home for Blansit, who leads the nonprofit Drew Lewis Foundation Inc., owner and operator of The Fairbanks community resource and poverty reduction center in the Grant Beach neighborhood.

On this Tuesday, she’s busy touring residences being renovated through the foundation’s Blue House Project. The initiative has purchased around 30 homes, largely in Grant Beach, in an effort to provide affordable housing for residents and beautify the neighborhood. It’s the first time she seen the houses in-person in a month, following remote work  in Spain.

The first house on the tour is at 1029 N. Broadway Ave., a short walk from The Fairbanks. On the way, she makes note of a covered bus stop construction project in partnership with Drury University architecture students, indicating a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned the following week for the installation that also will double as the site of a community fridge.

At the first of six houses on the tour, Blansit meets with Chris Wilson, project site supervisor of the Blue House Project. Blansit takes notes with a pen and pad as she scopes out the residence.

“Let’s frame it and then maybe put some shelves,” she says to a receptive Wilson, with the noises of construction buzzing throughout the residence.

By 9 a.m., thunder rumbles and rain begins to fall. Blansit opts to drive to the next house on the list: 1302 N. Broadway Ave., a three-story, century-old home known as “Big Red” for its size and color.

“Do we want to use a modern tub?” Wilson asks.

Blansit replies, “Let’s use a clawfoot.”

Lightning strikes overhead as they examine the house. Around 9:14, smartphones buzz with tornado warnings and sirens are activated.

Blansit is back at The Fairbanks by 9:20, and in the chaos, her leadership naturally shines through. She updates staff on the weather situation after checking KY3, instructing employees to head to the basement.

The weather intensifies, and Blansit and her team shelter as heavy wind whips through sheets of rain. Sitting between bicycles in The Fairbanks Bike Shop, the power flickers on and off a few times before going out completely. It’s a short but violent bout of weather. Outside, a tree branch has punched through the sunroof of a neighbor’s vehicle, a harbinger of citywide damages.

“Since we don’t have power, you can go home and work,” she tells Drew Lewis Foundation staff members.

She signals plans to resume the house tour.

“Chris and I’s adventure from house to house is going to take on a different purpose today,” Blansit says, worrying of potential damage. She hops in her white Jeep Wrangler and heads to 1036 W. Calhoun St. around 10:06 a.m. Blansit uses voice to text to check in on family, which appears to be her standard mode of communication while on the go.

“Did it have a Lazy Susan?” Blansit asks Wilson as they examine the kitchen area.

Wilson confirms.

Fittingly, a blue house at 1049 W. Webster St. is the next stop for Blansit and Wilson on the Blue House Project tour.

“Oh, this is an unsupported window. That’s great,” Blansit laments after arriving at the house around 10:21 a.m.

Blansit and Wilson arrive at 10:45 at 655 W. Nichols St., just off Grant Avenue. An electrician working on-site informs the pair that the storm has exposed leaks in the property. Indeed, Blansit takes note of the source on the second floor. The house has been mostly gutted, but Blansit visualizes its future amenities.

“A twin bed would fit back here. It’s just going to be a fun kids room,” she tells Wilson.

The last stop on the Blue House Project tour is 1903 N. Campbell Ave., where Blansit pulls up around 11:07 a.m. Just outside the door hangs a lenticular painting of Jesus Christ – the kind that shifts and moves as you walk past.

“We left it there because we figured people are less likely to break in,” she says.

While Blansit and Wilson examine the house – most noticeably an unfinished floor with the ground showing through – a familiar face pops in. It’s Mike Stevens, former executive director of the Moxie Cinema, who now serves as a project coordinator for the Blue House Project. He’s in and out, informing the two about storm damages elsewhere in the city.

After goodbyes are exchanged with Stevens and Wilson, Blansit is back at The Fairbanks to check in with staff. The power’s still out, so Blansit works with Meghan Storey, director of the Drew Lewis Foundation’s RISE economic self-sufficiency program, to reschedule the rest of her day’s engagements. One piece of the schedule can move forward, as it doesn’t require Wi-Fi.

“I guess we’ll go to Hobby Lobby. That’s about the only thing we can do,” Blansit says, pointing to plans to pick up paint for a Be Well Bell to be installed at The Fairbanks in partnership with Burrell Behavioral Health.

Amid citywide power outages, the north-side Hobby Lobby is a no-go. Around 12:30 p.m., Blansit and Storey arrive at Lowe’s. It’s a surreal trip to the hardware store, with backup lights casting shadows around every corner. They’ve arrived at an opportune time, though, as the lights turn back on as they browse paints.

“Do we need brushes while we’re here?” Storey asks.

Blansit responds in the affirmative, and the two pick out brushes as their paint is mixed. Blansit takes a few phone calls while waiting.

The total is just short of $150 as the two check out around 1 p.m.

They’re back at The Fairbanks at around 1:20 p.m.

Blansit brushes a white coat of paint on the Be Well Bell and notes members of RISE, which stands for reaching independence through support and education, will put on the finishing touches. The Be Well Bell, which will feature information on behavioral health care access, is expected to be installed outside The Fairbanks at a later date.

Blansit and Storey lock down The Fairbanks near 2 p.m., acknowledging the rest of the day’s work would be better spent in a place with functioning power.

Blansit heads to a friend’s house, where she’s able to address around 122 emails that had piled up in her inbox. Her friend also provides a meal, which Blansit heartily welcomed after missing lunch.

Around 4, she takes a 30-minute siesta break, which she says is a “lovely habit” she picked up from her time in Spain.

After making phone calls to two banks in connection with the Blue House Project, she gets a bite of dinner, as well, before heading back to The Fairbanks at 7 p.m. to evaluate the building after the day’s events. She removes what she can of a tree limb that fell on the northwest corner of the property. She’s able to end her day around 8.

“All in all, the building and our houses had minimal damage,” Blansit reports.