Rolling Stones by Alexa Davidson Executive Director
Peace continued from page 2 Our famous Greens Workshop returns with Kristy Arroyo at the helm once again! This may be the most beloved tradition of the Faire, and we are so grateful to Kristy, Amy Valens, and the many volunteers who make it happen so beautifully every year. It’s $20 to create your own take-home wreath or swag, and all proceeds go back to the Community Center. The Youth Team will guide the kids through creating their own one of a kind take home giftz at the Kids’ Crafts table in the Living Room from 2:30–4:30 pm, and our Greenstitch Climate Action interns will again host their fabulous hands-on activities booth throughout the day. Each year, Greenstitch presents a fun and artistic project along- side important information about climate change—and what we can do as a community to make a positive difference.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about what leadership really requires, not just the planning, the logistics, or the steady hand (though those matter), but some- thing deeper. This season, as our community contin- ues to feel the impacts of federal funding cuts and the long shadow of the recent government shutdown, I’ve realized something essential: my most important job may be to hold hope . Not blind optimism, but a deliberate choice to bring steadiness, transpar- ency, and a sense of possibility into rooms that feel heavy. Each day at the Center, we meet people fearful about their livelihoods, their ability to feed their families and to care for themselves. How we show up in these moments matters. A book I’ve been reading, Playful by Cas Holman, has been a welcome reminder of this. Holman writes about how small shifts in thinking can spark creativity and connection, and how play can open the door to resil- ience. Even in hard times, joy and curiosity help us see the magic in the mundane. This isn’t just theory for me. Many people know that my older sister Katie was in a severe car crash in 2021 and spent ten days in a coma. By every measure, it should have broken us. And yet, what kept my family afloat in those impossible days were the tiny, absurd moments of humor that slipped through the cracks. Like when my husband, Danny Piccione, checked into the ICU and his visitor badge printed as DANK PICGINE, a typo so ridiculous we laughed until we cried. In a situation that was decidedly not funny, that laughter was oxygen. It strengthened us. It reminded us that we were still alive. My sister has since defied the odds and made a miraculous recovery, full of new challenges, yes, but thank- fully with the ability to live a full and independent life. That experience taught me something profound: joy is not frivolous , it is survival. And I see it every day at the Center, where staff and volunteers routinely have each other doubled over with laughter. Passersby accuse us of “having too much fun,” and I take it as the highest compliment. Joy is a form of resistance. It is what allows us to keep going. I’ve been trying to practice three simple things that feed my own soul: 1.Physical exertion —that feeling of being out of breath, of the endor- phins finally rushing in. 2.Sunlight and fresh air —even on a rainy day, a quick walk around the neighborhood resets my nervous system. 3. Laughter —the deep belly laugh kind that shakes something loose in you.
We look forward to seeing you all this year at what is shaping up to be the best Faire yet!!
These aren’t luxuries; they are necessities.
And even as we navigate very real needs, empty refrigerators, childcare gaps, elders seeking support, I continue to be moved by how this com- munity responds. When food benefits were cut, partners stepped in imme- diately, volunteers filled the building with warmth and energy, neighbors brought groceries and generosity. Resilience is our muscle memory here and increasingly I believe that resilience is fueled by connection, creativity, and joy. As we move into the holidays, a season that can hold both tenderness and delight, I’m carrying this lesson with me: we can hold the world’s heavi- ness in one hand and choose joy with the other . In fact, we must.
Alexa practicing joy at the fall benefit
At the Center, we’ll keep planning, preparing, and showing up with all the seriousness the work requires. And we’ll also keep laughing, mak- ing music, building art, and finding playful moments wherever we can, because those are the things that nourish us enough to continue.
Page 2 SGV Community Center Stone Soup
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