What we’ve been up to this spring!
2/9/2024 - We are back after our winter break! A lot of wonderful things have happened since our last respite. The Mobile Thriving Respite was awarded money by the 100+ Women Who Care of Pittsburgh! We are going to put this money towards a van so we can transport all our supplies and materials to our locations. We have a new crew of students at our respite events - we have enough people to hold two respite events each Friday!
2/16/2024 - Today, we held a respite at Second Avenue Commons and Hot Metal Bridge! Of course, since Valentine's Day was just a few days prior, we had special treats for everyone. Chocolate-covered strawberries and apples with caramel! We had art supplies and nail polish for everyone to use. Our friend John, who we’ve seen at Second Avenue for the past few respites, explained how much he loves the nail polish. He explained how he misses us throughout the week, but the nail polish is something he can take with him afterward to remind him of the fun he had that day. We also got to meet a new friendly face who talked with us about his love for singing and music and his dreams of recording in a studio. We were so lucky enough to hear him sing! His deep baritone voice was amazing!
2/23/2024- You never know what a Pittsburgh winter is going to look like, so of course, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and set up our respite event in North Side Park across the street from Yinz Coffee. Our other respite event was set up at 2nd Avenue Commons, which we attend every Friday. Folks were walking throughout the park - enjoying the sunshine and stopping over to say hello and grab a cup of coffee from us. We made a fresh fruit salad and listened to music on our new giant speaker (the sound was amazing!) As school was let out, all the kids ran over to see what we had brought to the park community. It was refreshing seeing all different aged people share the park space. We are eager to have more park respites as the spring weather approaches.
3/8/2024 - Art was the activity that moved folks at 2nd Avenue Commons today! We are joyed when folks create art and take it with them for their own reflection, but we LOVE it when people let us keep their artwork! We had a secret top notch painter in the crowd today who left us with a painting of a bird in a nature scene - it was incredible (you can find this on our picture section of the website). The commons are always filled with music, laughter, and conversation. Zana and Sasha played a rigorous hand of UNO with three others, Kay held down the fort and assisted everyone with their art supplies and snacks, while I chatted with old friends who I see regularly about what they’ve been up to. After our respite event, all the student ethnographers agreed - we love this location and returning again and again. This is how we build connections and friendships and thrive together.
