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A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPRING
Greetings to you from my home office in Napa. My husband, Ed, and I recently downsized to a smaller, modular home with little maintenance. We purposely did not designate office space since I have a perfectly suitable office in Sonoma and Ed is no longer operating his art glass business. Now, of course, I need a quiet space to work and have Zoom meetings! So, I painted Ed's old wooden writing desk a bright blue and stuck it in a corner of our bedroom near a window - voila, a home office!
We are all adapting to the Coronavirus restrictions and I'm proud of how most people are complying, even though we'd love to go to the coast, hug our grandkids, give someone a high five, or have a glass of wine at a real restaurant.
We will all remember this time as one of constraints and wishing we could do things we can't. I am sad about what our teens are missing this spring, especially their graduation celebrations and all the excitement and trepidation of starting the next phase of their lives.
Our community's support for Teen Services has been heartwarming and we are all anxious to reconnect with our teens in person. We are looking forward to the incremental lifting of the stay-at-home orders and are preparing now to be sure our facilities are safe for our staff and the public.
Most of all, I can't wait to see people in real life, give hugs from a distance, and continue our mission to serve Sonoma Valley's teens. In the meantime, take care and keep a positive attitude.
Thank you so much,
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OUR ABILITY TO ADAPT
There is still a weekly staff meeting at Teen Services, but Becky Jo is now using video conferencing software to connect with the TSS team. Adrian has been super busy at Operation Bicycle as people are pulling their bikes out of storage to serve as both recreation and transportation, but others are working a bit differently than before.
Chef Paloma:
I'm cooking up a storm to make dinners for Sonoma Overnight Support and I'm pleased that our TSS family continues to be of aid to those in need through these efforts. The Teen Center is pretty ding dang quiet, and I am not ashamed to admit that I have carried on several conversations with various inanimate objects around the place. I'm listening to music most of the time I'm here, to keep the voices at bay. Adrian can probably hear my tunes blasting all the way down the street [at Operation Bicycle] ...embarrassingly, he has popped into the building when I was rocking to some pretty bad 80's ballads.
Program Director Casey Richter:
My role has shifted dramatically. Rather than directing anything, I'm spending the bulk of my time assisting instead. I'm helping Paloma prep food, wash dishes, and deliver meals to S.O.S. On other days I try to help Adrian move through the heavy workload by answering the phone and greeting customers in the parking lot of Operation Bicycle, where business is BOOMING. I like to think that my little contributions are helping those two feel less overwhelmed and alone! I'm remaining optimistic that with the staff intact we will be able to hit the ground running when we emerge from this crisis and continue to serve the teens of Sonoma.
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MEANWHILE, OUR GIRLS' GROUP IS COOKING
Teen Center Coordinator Sandra Santiago would normally be meeting every Friday with the members of our Girls' Group, funded by Soroptimist International Sonoma Valley. Instead, she meets with them remotely and last week held a Zoom cooking class. The Soropotimists delivered Lasagne Kits to their homes, and Sandra guided them in the preparation.
From left to right: Meal kit and finished products prepared by Wendy, Zitale, and April
Sandra explained: I wanted to do a little something to get the girls out of their comfort zone and also find a small way to bring them closer to their families. Wendy is one of the girls in the group. Her mom was by her side as we cooked the meal. Wendy's mother was very pleased that we were taking the time to support the girls, but also to provide them with an important skill in life. Making a meal is a skill that we are not always taught, and when you're on your own it can be difficult to start learning. With the meal kits, we hope to help the girls learn simple meals they can recreate themselves. Stay tuned for our next meal kit.
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OTHER NEWS AT TEEN SERVICES
Gourmet dinners from Chef Bryan Jones
Bryan has been part of the TSS family for quite some time - serving as our culinary advisor and joining Paloma to teach front-of-the house skills to our Lovin' Oven Culinary Academy teens. With that on hold, he has found a new way to share his expertise and support our teens.
During the past couple of weeks, with help from his wife Amanda, he has prepared, packaged, and delivered gourmet dinners to many of you who were lucky enough to place orders before they were sold out. All proceeds have gone to support Teen Services. There simply are no thank-yous large enough!
Have you enjoyed our Re-boot messages?
So far: a recipe, animated lyrics from the '60s, and tips from Adrian - all to say thanks and bring you a smile. If you missed them, not to worry -
View here.
Our thanks to Pat Meier-Johnson for donning her boots and Russ Johnson for the filming to create our fun animation.
New grants for Teen Services Sonoma
We are pleased to announce the receipt of three unrestricted grants from Impact100 Sonoma, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, and Wells Fargo. We cannot thank them enough for supporting our efforts and empowering teens of Sonoma Valley.
#GivingTuesdayNow
Did you miss us? You can still make a donation and be a part of a national day of giving... AND we will match your gift dollar for dollar! See below.
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WE WILL MATCH YOUR GIFT UP TO $50,000
If you can, please help us continue to empower Sonoma Valley teens.
Click on the link below and fill the boot!
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CURRENT FAN DONORS
| Bob and Marilyn Albright |
Amy and Chris Hunsberger |
| Barry and Ali Ansell |
Ann Iverson |
| Lorraine Ashton |
Mary Clark Janis |
| Simon and Kimberly Blattner |
Deb and Bob Kweller |
| Kathy Bloch |
Jeanne Leonard |
| Nancy Bruce |
Annette Lomont |
| Mike and Joan Buckley |
Marney and Shah Malik |
| Jillian Buckley and Garrett Rowland |
Ron and Susan Matteson |
| Maria Campbell |
Doug Mo and Dr. Marcia Charles-Mo |
| Ronald and Audrey Chapman |
Jeanne Montague |
| Julie Cunningham |
Mirja and John Muncy |
| Arleen Curry and Ann Weeks |
Gordon & Tiffany Newman |
| Penny and Bill D'aillaird |
Shannon Nichols |
| Dino DiGiulio |
Jack and Hope Nisson |
| Sandy and Dick Drew |
Debbe Noto and Chuck Pendell |
| Susan Duke |
Mark and Tia Pierce |
| Mary Favaro |
Valerie Pistole and Jeffrey Walters |
| Gemma Gallovich and Ted Cutler |
Sydney and John Randazzo |
| Gayle Geary and Michael Lavigne |
Ann and Barry Reder |
| Patricia and John Grillos |
Randy Reimer and Gera Vaz |
| Constance Grizzell |
Angela Ryan |
| Phyllis and John Gurney |
Claudia Sims |
| Beth Hadley |
Barbara Talbott and John Riley |
| Doug Hanford |
Les & Judy Vadasz |
| Maida Herbst |
Chuck and Cathy Williamson |
| Sue and Mike Hoey |
Beverly Wilson |
| Marty Hughes |
Judy and Chuck Young |
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Judy Scotchmoor and Roland Gangloff |
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Teen Services Sonoma - a safe, caring place where all are welcome.
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