Community Living Campaign

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

Cultivating connections to help seniors and people with disabilities age and thrive at home.

neighbors

Wishing Patti Spaniak-Davidson Well on Her Next Adventure

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The natural-born connector. The person who makes us smile every time we think of her. The person who takes and prints pictures of everyone like they are her family. A font of creativity and enthusiasm.

These were just some of the glowing tributes to Patti Spaniak-Davidson, our departing head of Community Connectors, before she and her husband, Tyler, moved to North Carolina.

“Do we owe it to your new neighbors to warn them their lives are going to grow and change?” Judy Goddess quipped.

Here’s more of what team members and neighbors had to say about Patti:

“Patti’s middle name should be ‘connector.’ She’s a master at connecting people and the services and programs they need. I am so grateful for her help in expanding the Always Active program to the Community Connector sites. I am also thankful that our connection became a special friendship. Keep on connecting, Patti!” —  Valorie Villela

“Patti, you have been such an inspiration to me! You are one of those rare people in the world that just exudes love and care and fun and friendship and all the good qualities of a human being! You encourage everyone to be creative, to be free, to express themselves, and you bring out the best in everyone around you. I shall miss you very, very much!”  — Juliet Rothman

“Patti has been the faithful angel who comes to my gate each week to deliver my Open Hand meals. She always brightens up my corner of Cayuga Avenue with her outfits that are as vividly colored as a 48-color crayon box.” — Paulann Sternberg

In addition, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recognized her as a catalyst to connect neighbors and a determined advocate for older adults and people with disabilities. Lauren Chung, staff for Supervisor Ahsha Safai, presented her with an official proclamation declaring March 19 as Patti Spaniak-Davidson Day.

Her team of Community Connectors across the city and the rest of the staff at Community Living Campaign will miss Patti and wish her well on her journey!

Meet the rest of us by coming to some of our activities! You can find our calendar of events here.

Art Viewing Adventures: Portrait Face Off (Virtual)

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Numerous scientific studies have shown that we are drawn to images of the human face from the very start of our lives. So it’s no surprise that portraits play a very special role in the world of art and that many of its most beloved images fall into this category.

Local museum guide Rodney Paul will be joined by Charlie Goldberg for a Portrait Face Off. Charlie, who recently gave a class on Portraiture, will show some of his favorite images. After Charlie shows an artwork, Rodney will respond with a portrait that he has selected, and they will discuss the relationship between the two. Charlie and Rodney won’t know beforehand which images the other will be showing. Audience members will be invited to share their thoughts, and we’ll all use polling to determine which of these images we’d want hanging in our homes.

(Image: “A Set of Six Portraits” by Andy Warhol, 1967)

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Voices from the Civil Rights Movement (Virtual)

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Listen and learn as two 80+ year old women share their experiences growing up in the 1960s in the US South. One Black, one white, both share their observations on those times and weigh in on today’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT:

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll-free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time. The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

More Than Books: Little Libraries Bring Neighbors Together

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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.

More Than Literature

“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.”

Books in Chinese, Tagalog

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.

Thank-You Notes

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:

  • Ananda Joy Hart
  • Rachel Erb
  • Jane Murschen
  • Glenda Hope
  • Carmelita Lozano
  • Noserat
  • Kiki DeKat
  • Joe and Linda Litehiser
  • Christine Arena
  • Lorraine and Daniel Gromet
  • Jim and Kathryn Rato
  • Bob Cappa
  • Jacynth Roberts Family
  • Ana Manzur-Allan
  • Patti Spaniak and Tyler Davidson

Resilient Neighborhoods: Little Libraries (Virtual)

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Have you ever seen those little community libraries as you’re walking through your neighborhood? The ones that look like little houses on the top of a pole? Maybe you’ve taken a book, or even shared one? Come hear heartwarming stories about how residents have come together to bring libraries to their neighborhoods!

 

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Postal Workers Deserve, And Get, Our Thanks

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Community Connectors show their appreciation for Postal Workers, who this year had to battle heat and smoke, bad air, a blizzard of political mail and ballots, and of course COVID 19 to bring the mail to our doorsteps.  Please take a minute to thank the mail carrier who keeps those cards, letters and packages coming.

Resilient Neighborhoods: Potrero Hill (Virtual)

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We all need some good news right now, and we can find it right here in our own neighborhoods! Come listen to inspiring stories of neighborhood resilience, kindness, and joy while we shelter in place.

This month, join CLC’s Sherri Sawyer as she talks to Edward Hatter from the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, Alyssa Nickell from Shanti’s PACT Program, and the staff of our new Potrero Hill Community Connector Network to learn how they’re building community during a pandemic.

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local). Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.
To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Good Neighbor Awards Celebration (Virtual)

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Join us for an evening of fun and connection as we celebrate this year’s Good Neighbor Award winners and five months of Good Neighbor activities. This year’s neighbors have delivered groceries, spread cheer, kept people connected during shelter-in-place, and much more to help build more joyous, caring, and resilient communities.

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Resilient Neighborhoods: Disaster Resilience with Daniel Homsey, Director of NEN (Virtual)

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Disaster resilience is essential for healthy communities, and with COVID-19, heat waves, and wildfires, it’s more important than ever to be prepared. Come listen to Daniel Homsey, the director of the City’s Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN). He’ll talk about NEN’s Empowered Communities Program, which leverages a community development approach to advance a neighborhood’s disaster resilience. By fusing together methods such as human-centered design, collective impact, and experiential leadership development, the program empowers neighborhoods to craft and implement culturally competent strategies that strengthen their capacity to negotiate times of stress and protect the health and well-being of all residents.

 

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link: https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.

Awards Ceremony for the “Broken Sidewalks Quack Me Up!” Contest (Virtual)

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Join us for a fun night as we hand out the awards for the winners of the “Broken Sidewalks Quack Me Up! Contest.” Come see if you recognize any of the dangerous and inaccessible sidewalks that our contestants photographed or described. Join Dignity Duck to help celebrate the winners as we all work together for safer sidewalks.

 

To join by phone, dial 888-475-4499 (toll free) or 669-900-6833 (local).
Enter Meeting ID: 865 6747 4200, then press # twice.

To join with video, click this link:  https://zoom.us/j/86567474200 to register and join. Wait in the “waiting room” until the activity is ready to start.

To create a friendly environment and minimize interruptions, we will close the activity to new participants 15 minutes after the start time.

The above link will work on your tablet or your computer. You’ll be prompted to download a Zoom app the first time you use Zoom. If you’re using a PC or Mac, you can join from your web browser without using the Zoom software.