RIVER EMPOWERMENT CENTER NEWS AND MORE..

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1 RUSSIAN RIVER EMPOWERMENT CENTER NEWS AND MORE.. June 2016 It has been a productive Spring at the EC. Mental Health Summits, Poet Laureates, Our garden growing, a wild and amazing structure placed in the middle of our labyrinth, new members and a new phobia. electoralphobia NOS. Make what you want of that. Thank you to all the staff, members, agencies and all who were involved in making the Mental Health Summit another success. Lots of networking, outreach and good food. There are certain staff at the EC who deserve the recognition for their compassion and determination. The Mental Health Summit is one of those events that Valerie Belote deserves mega kudos for being a major player in making this and other events happen. We are blessed with her presence. I can t keep up and don t plan to try. Also: Ernesto Garay, Kelly Kanclerowicz (spelling checked), Erica Khloe, Ted Fox, We appreciate all of you very much for everything you bring to the EC!

2 A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE SUMMIT.. Thank you Erika Klohe for great moderating Non stop flow of people. Wow what summit?

3 A Memorial for members who have passed away. If you look in the center of the labyrinth at the Empowerment center, you will see a huge whimsical wooden sculpture made of mostly of found objects, donated discs and random treasures discovered in the community. This living memorial project started as a small way to honor Kenny, Tut and Sue, three beloved local artists who passed The experience of this whole process is exactly what Douglass has been trying to teach us for the past few years.it s about the process! Let go of the outcome! Sometimes it s a lot easier to talk about the hard stuff in a less structured environment, and activities such as art, yoga and gardening offer us the chance to do the work in a non-threatening manner. Having volunteers with the patience and concern to listen to our members is such a gift. This memorial offers all of us the chance to remember and honor those we have lost. Please feel free to stop by our center and add to the sculpture! If you have a name you would like to add, we invite you to show up and we will provide the paint and other cool found object to memorialize your loved ones. -Valerie Belote

4 POETRY ROYALTY.. Sonoma County Poet Laureate, Iris Jamahl Dunkle As you know, peer run centers such as the empowerment center rely on volunteers and community members to enrich and contribute to our programs. The EC has been blessed to have a plethora of people who enthusiastically take time from their busy schedules to support our members on their paths to wellness. Community organizer Ernesto Garay has been a huge contributor to the EC, not only showing up monthly to facilitate a popular poetry group, but he is also a community partner to our agency, working with us to bring such projects as Clean Day and the West County Mental Health Summits. Ernesto has many community connections, including the amazing and talented Poet Laureate of Sonoma County, Iris Jamahl Dunkle, and we were thrilled when she agreed to lead a poetry workshop and reading for the Guerneville community. In addition to being the poet laureate for our county, iris is the Assistant Poet Director for the Napa Valley Writers Conference. Her most recent publication was there s A Ghost in this Machine of Air which is about the untold history of Sonoma County, and poems like Dear Sebastopol and Moon Over Laguna de Santa Rosa give us a whole new perspective on what actually happened in our county. Gay LeBaron said, Her poems translate the old stories of the West County into verse as pure as the joy she derives from being there. And Jane mead says this is a beautiful and powerful book. Iris debut poetry collection, Gold Passage was selected by Ross Gay to win the 2012 Trio Award. And published by trio house press in Valerie Belote

5 Member spotlight: Artist/Musician Jason Wright Jasons self written info: Born on a river in Eastern Washington, 36 years ago. I now call the Russian River home. I love the love I feel here. Finally a place to thrive with music and art. Empowered since day one. Take it easy as you can. Commit random acts of art! --Love Jason Jason is one of the most creative people around here. It seems like every moment awake for him is creative. From making found objects into art, to playing guitar and piano. Or creating what I call small flyers, with his drawings or collage work, distributed to random locations. Jason is an inspiration and shows what special drive, passion it takes to be a true artist.

6 More news: New music jam group! A couple of months ago, we started a music group, that now has grown with volunteers who play an instrument. All are welcome.. Fridays at 2pm-4pm. In other news: Coast field trips..once a month BBQ today! (7.1.16) At the EC..if you read this far, you are certainly welcome to show up. It s too hot! Did you notice? We have a mother raccoon and her five babies living in our attic. Stella Monday a Therapist, counseling members twice a month Clean day still going strong for people in the community, mobile showers coming! Back again in October!

7 Have a great Summer! Thank you for reading. Other important info.. Don t forget.. If you are a member of the EC there is a shuttle for members to come to the Center who are in West County. Rio Nido 11:30am Rio Nido Roadhouse Monte Rio 11:45 am Community Center Guerneville 11:55 am Downtown. The Russian River Empowerment Center is located In Guerneville, Ca at Armstrong Woods Rd / ext 207 Hours: 12n to 5pm Tuesday through Friday. Contributors: Valerie Belote, Mike Shirley, Adrial Fournel,, the many artists at the EC. Google images, and some people at Microsoft who makes clip art.