Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.
It has been a good summer so far and we are delighted each time we see old friends and new acquaintances in person. We have been walking, excercising, practicing yoga, doing improv, celebrating birthdays, visiting friends in hospitals and assisted living, honoring those that have passed, standing strong for justice and so much more.
Here a some snapshots of summer activities on their way to an album. Stay tuned, more to come.
If you live in the Cayuga neighborhood, you may have already met Community Living Campaign’s Director of Neighborhood Networks, Lauren Bactad.
If not, you want to get to know her!
In the few months she’s been with us, Lauren said what’s surprised her most was how engaged and active our senior communities are.
“The outpouring of support between neighbors is heartwarming, as is the dedication felt from the staff,” she said.
For example, she needed a volunteer to help a community member and so many people were happy to raise their hand to help their neighbor.
“That’s what it’s all about — a core part of our mission — and that’s exactly what’s happening,” she added. “It’s such an exciting experience, to see that in action!”
Before joining our team, Lauren served at the YMCA of San Francisco. But when the pandemic hit, she — like many people — took the opportunity to reflect on her life. She realized that in her career, she wanted to help community members more directly, more hands-on. CLC was a great fit!
One of her favorite weekly responsibilities is delivering food from Project Open Hand to the Cayuga community.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to fight food insecurity during the pandemic but, it’s also a chance to connect with folks in the community,” Lauren said. “Each stop is filled with connection, stories, and seeing how people are doing. Building those relationships is so fulfilling.”
We all know CLC has lots of fun, light-hearted activities to allow participants to get to know others, build relationships, get some exercise and learn new things. Beyond that, Lauren appreciates that we also stand for important causes and support equity, diversity and inclusion throughout the City.
The recent Asian American Pacific Islander rally on the Great Highway stands out as a great example of that, she said.
“It was memorable to have experienced that important cause with team members,” Lauren said. “We’re all there to reach out to seniors and do good. Our team rallies together for great causes and supports each other endlessly.”
Want to see more of what our Community Connectors are up to? Join the CLC Facebook group here!
Resiliency is buoyancy. It’s like those buoys you see off the coast, battered by powerful waves in storms, but they just don’t sink. They stay afloat. And they signal to others the line between safety and danger.
Resiliency is one of the qualities we’ve come to admire and appreciate so acutely in the last year. As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of Community Living Campaign staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.
Nicky Trasvina, one of our Community Connectors, felt that some of the best examples of resiliency are the often unseen, underappreciated essential workers. They continued to step up and keep San Francisco running while most of us were able to shelter in place.
Another great example of resiliency are community leaders, like the handful in the Mission who provided food to about 3,000 families each week.
“This continues as an amazing, tremendous undertaking by local leaders in that community, including Roberto Hernandez, Valerie Tolier, Tracy Brown, Ray Ponce and others,” Nicky said. “They created the space and tapped all their resources to get hundreds of pounds of food donated each week. It was such an abundance of food that would have otherwise gone to waste.”
She’s grateful for the opportunity to play a part in the operation, picking up leftover food supplies from donors to be distributed by other volunteers.
Nicky also sought ways to help neighbors and friends in small ways, like bringing them things they needed.
Acting generously also relieved some of the feelings of helplessness so many of us felt. So she also gave financially to some organizations she cares about, following the old adage to “put your money where your mouth is!”
And through it all, one of her primary sources of strength has been prayer.
“Depending on prayer gives me a lot of strength,” Nicky said. “And I think this helps others. I think people appreciate it when they know someone is praying for them. So when I say I’m going to pray for you, I just stop and say the prayer right then.”
She’s also found more connection by reaching out to old friends, neighbors and former students since she was a college adviser. And not just by phone and text.
“It’s not unusual to find me standing out in my front yard talking to people who go by,” Nicky said. “I feel it’s part of my role in getting our neighbors connected. And it’s fun! I’m like the stereotypical old lady looking out through her blinds watching everything, but people like it!”
Read another profile of our Community Connector Laura Atkins.
It’s worth taking a moment to celebrate just how resilient we’ve been in the last year. This is a key quality at healthy aging and thriving in life, and we’ve all been tested by COVID-19.
As May is Older Americans Month, we’re spotlighting a couple of our staff members who have done a great job of demonstrating strength and resilience and what that means.
“For me, resilience means having inner confidence and a belief in myself,” said Laura Atkins, our METCC Community Connector. “It means being able to adapt to changing circumstances, knowing where to find resources and being willing to ask for help and offer help.”
There are plenty of ways we’ve seen that play out since the pandemic made us all shelter in place. The business community adapted by offering more take-out and delivery services, she noted. Some restaurants even offering drinks to go!
All the participants in Community Living Campaign’s activities on Zoom also deserve applause. They embraced the often awkward and unfamiliar experience of trying a new way to be part of exercise classes, musical performances and art programs.
Indeed, that exercise is part of what Laura says has helped her feel strong through this period.
“Keeping to a healthy lifestyle as much as possible — eating well, exercising and spending time with friends and family — is a big part of how I continue to feel strong and resilient,” she said.
“I’ve also been pushing myself physically by walking up the hills and stairs of Bernal Hill and meeting with friends outside to swim at Aquatic Park. That helps support my mental strength as well and keeping a positive mindset.”
Laura also helps others stay connected to each other by co-hosting an ongoing program we named — appropriately — Community Tales!
Beyond CLC, she helps support others to feel strong and resilient by calling and writing cards and then listening. We all need to feel heard.
A fun tradition she’s formed is having Zoom dinners with friends.
“One of my best friends and I turn on Zoom while cooking, talk and then sit down to share the same dinner we each made separately.”
Throughout it all, she’s actually been able to reconnect with some old friends and has seen those friendships get stronger.
“I’ve also been able to build connections with new friends, particularly in the CLC neighborhood,” Laura said. “My walking area has grown as well. I now walk (masked) with a new friend in the METCC neighborhood. Big hills and walking friends are found all over San Francisco.”
Read another profile of our Community Connector Nicky Trasvina.
We’re back in person!
Senior Power’s outdoor event was a big hit, attracting neighbors in the Sunset to enjoy each other’s company once again, plus enjoy the talents of some of our participants.
Old friends who had not seen each other in a year or more bumped elbows and everyone’s eyes conveyed the smiles that masks couldn’t conceal
“It was a homecoming for many Senior Power participants and a tentative step forward into an enveloping community spirit for others,” said Margaret Graf, Senior Power’s fearless leader. “We’re back. We’re stronger than before. We’re together again.”
“Personally, my heart leaped through my ribcage!” she continued. “All thoughts of the past year’s isolation got pushed aside.”
We got to enjoy the beautiful watercolors by James Mao and marvel at succulents that demonstrate the all-too-important resilience we all have inside. Mary Gayle Thomas also shared her affable, personal stories and poems. See more pictures below!
Come to the next community event!
Thursday, May 13
9:00 to 1:00
Sunset Wellness Mercantile
37th Ave between Ortega & Pacheco
Drop-in any time during the above hours and say “hello.”
We’ll be sharing new exhibits and performances by seniors showing their art, music and stories.
You’ll also find Community Living Campaign’s monthly activity calendar for classes and programs you can enjoy by video or phone. And we’ll have more resources on safety and health for seniors, their families and caregivers.
We’re looking for seniors with talents, hobbies and interests to share!
For more info, to participate, to show off your COVID past-time, your passion, your flair and aptitude — be it musical, artistic or craft — email M. Graf at opoygan1@yahoo.com.
Come see, enjoy and learn the hobbies, talents and interests of your senior neighbors, families and friends!
Our partner, Senior Power, is proud to host a free community event soon! We’ll be presenting some of the talents of our active and engaged seniors, including watercolors by James, succulents by Les, and poetry and stories by Mary Gayle. 
So many of us are excited about being able to see each other in person again. This is one way we feel neighbors can gather in a way that’s still safe for everyone.
Date: Thursday, April 8, 2021
Time: 9:00 – 1:00
Location: Sunset Wellness Mercantile, on 37th Ave. between Ortega & Pacheco.
Safety protocols: This event will be held outdoors, in a tent, and abide by all local safety measures (masks, physical distancing, etc.)
Drop-in any time and say hello!
While there, we invite you to:
For future events, we’re looking for seniors with talents, hobbies and interests to share!
For more info, to participate, to show off your COVID past-time, your passion, your flair and aptitude — be it musical, artistic or craft — contact M. Graf for more info: opoygan1@yahoo.com.
For more fun activities and ways to get to know your neighbors, take a look at our calendar of events here.
Writing, poetry in particular, can be an excellent way to process feelings and thoughts, especially during this past turbulent year while we’ve been sheltering at home.
Two of our neighbors, Grace D’Anca and Mary Gayle Thomas, have used the Community Living Campaign’s weekly writing workshops in just such a way. They recently each had their work showcased by the San Francisco Public Library as a Poem of the Day.
Before the pandemic, CLC’s Community Connector program offered small writing groups in several San Francisco neighborhoods, as well as partnering with LitQuake on a joint elder writing project. For the past year, these writing groups (including one focused on memoir writing) have continued — and grown — with weekly virtual classes that engage participants online and by phone.
Ms. D’Anca has been writing on and off since the 70s but mostly kept her work private — only sharing it with a few close friends. Early on, she took a couple of classes with talented supportive teachers, including Leslie Simon and the later Kathleen Fraser. However, a handful of extremely critical classmates discouraged her from sharing her work more broadly.
Still, she’s always liked exercising her creativity, whether in drama, dance, theater or writing. As a creative arts therapist for about 40 years, she helped people of all ages use various art forms to cope with challenges.
She jumped back into writing poetry more regularly when the CLC LitQuake Elder Writing Project started.
“It’s a great program with such talented and supportive teachers who act as mentors,” she said. She also participates in some of CLC’s weekly writing groups with Marina and Melanie as well. “Because of the writing expertise and support of all the teachers, we’ve learned so much and developed lovely friendships through sharing our work, laughing a lot and crying a bit, too.”
One of her favorite experiences with the writing classes have been the opportunities to participate in public readings. These readings started in person and are currently held once a month via Zoom.
“These have been exhilarating,” Ms. D’Anca said. “One of my best experiences was the last in-person reading we did last year when my daughter came and I read a poem about her.”
For Ms. Thomas, poetry is an activity she took up after retiring in 2016. It’s more of a challenge — not so much labor of love as just labor — but the supportive environment keeps her coming back to our writing classes.
At first, she attended a CLC memoir writing class that she really enjoyed. She found herself in the poetry class by accident, thinking it was another writing class.
“Honestly, I’ve hated poetry for years,” Ms. Thomas said. “Once I realized it was a poetry class, I was just too polite to walk out.”
A big part of what keeps her coming back is the encouragement of her classmates. Her favorite thing about the classes has been the live readings when everyone shares their own poetry and prose.
“The CLC audience is always so positive and affirming of our work,” she said. “After the first reading, one attendee told me, ‘For someone who hates poetry, you’re pretty good at it.’ That meant more to me than anything the teachers could have said!”
In addition to attending CLC’s writing groups, Ms. Thomas also now leads the Monday Writing for Remembering group herself.
“Ms. Thomas has she become a huge part of the community that CLC aims to develop through our programming,” said Marina Lazzara, who teaches some of the writing workshops. “She’s also developed her skills as a writer and listener who can give positive feedback. When we write, we offer a part of ourselves to others. When we listen, we not only learn about our own craft. We are also inspired to be a more empathic person.”
To see their poems and the rest of the Poems of the Day, visit the San Francisco Public Library webpage.
Want to join one of our upcoming writing groups? CLC hosts four writing groups each week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. These groups are open to everyone from complete beginners to more experienced writers. You can find more details here on our calendar.
Books transport us to another world — another time or locale, real or imagined.
And reading keeps minds sharp and help young minds get stronger.
Jim and Kathryn Rato
So what better way to build community, provide some escape while sheltering in place, and entertain and teach than sharing books?
Those are the goals behind the growing number of little libraries that Community Living Campaign has helped neighbors put up in their front yards around San Francisco. There are now 14 of these little libraries, where people can borrow books for free or donate books they no longer need — new or used — for others to enjoy.
Glenda Hope, in Cayuga, first read about the idea online and then began noticing them here and there but not in her neighborhood.
“I thought it would be a great way both to share books but also to disseminate information about Cayuga Community Connectors,” she said. It’s proven to be both on her street, which sees a lot of foot traffic near the BART station.
One of our Community Connectors, Patti Spaniak, asked some other neighbors if they’d like to host a little library in front of their homes, and CLC and the San Francisco Public Library provided the libraries. Then, we bought art kits from Etsy and made it a neighborhood project to decorate the boxes before installing them.
Kiki DeKat and Tyler Davidson
For the box in front of Spaniak’s house, installed in 2018, they hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony. It included a community reading of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
“It was so much fun for all of us!” she said. “We had children and older adults. We also read some funny pieces and kids read from children’s books.”
As the number of little libraries grew, the donations poured in by the boxful. Our participants also picked up books from the library. Donations are not only in English but also in Chinese, Tagalog and other languages.
“We received such wonderful donations, including current best sellers and books in mint condition,” Spaniak said.
Besides swapping books, the libraries have proven to bring joy to those who witness visitors. A few senior neighbors near the little libraries said they love looking out the window and seeing the action. They like seeing someone timidly looking at what books are available or dropping off new choices for others to enjoy.
Besides books, some people leave flyers about other activities or news in the neighborhood, Hope said. She even found some “thank you for this library” notes left in the box.
One said, “I have so enjoyed seeing what treasures I might find in this little library. I am moving away and will miss those finds. Maybe I will be able to put up my own box. Thank you for doing this.”
Thank you to everyone who installed little libraries in front of their homes for the neighborhood to enjoy:
Bob CappaOne of the beautiful aspects of the pandemic has been seeing people’s creativity come out. In finding solutions and new ways to do things. Creativity in art and using our personal abilities to help others get through in so many small ways.
Community Living Campaign has continued beautifying neighborhoods while keeping everyone involved safe and healthy. One of those projects has been brightening up the stairway in Cayuga that extends Naglee Street.
Many neighbors have, over time, painted fun designs on the risers and most recently installed mosaics.
“During shelter in place, working on the stairway mosaic has been a bright light during dark times and an emblem of our resilience,” said Chris Dillon, a longtime neighborhood resident and president of the Cayuga Improvement Association.
It’s been quite the transformation from an unsightly, unsafe-feeling stairway , said Patti Spaniak, our Community Connector for the neighborhood. Older adults avoided using it even though it’s a great shortcut to Pacific Super.
Working closely with the Cayuga Improvement Association, we secured grants from Excelsior Collaborative Community Grants to paint a few murals. We got local seniors’ input on all the themes and installations. We scheduled community cleaning, hand-rail painting and weeding projects, often with the help of San Francisco Public Works. The Supervisor’s office also supported the project.
Seniors also painted the 30-stair risers, including some with scenes from Sponge Bob and Nemo that children like to try to find.
More recently, the artist of the Kenney Alley project nearby, Kim Jensen, completed the mosaic project. The designs also reflect Demi Braceros, the artist who carved many statues in Cayuga Playground.
What’s more, other similar neighborhood art projects are being considered.
