“Aside from clothes and food, sometimes we’ll hear from people who don’t feel connected to their families or need to talk to someone and don’t have anyone else they can go to. People are finding their community here at the center and that keeps me motivated when I'm working here.”
“As a poll worker ... you notice that many people, when they come through the doors, all of a sudden, they change. They become more dignified. You can see that they are getting ready to vote, and they rise to the occasion.”
“I love to encourage people to become volunteers. There are so many opportunities out there that could match your interests. If they have time, it's such a fulfilling thing for your spirit, for your heart. That's important to me. I want to leave this earth knowing I did good work, that I helped people.”
“As we continued with class, we began to think there's more to Wintu Qol than learning the language. Language is community, it's culture, it's who you are and how you connect with the community, your family, and your history.”
"It has been surprising to me to see how well a housing first model works! When people step up and take responsibility for themselves and make decisions for themselves, they're much more apt to follow through. They are doing what they want to do with their lives. There's hope in that."
"I told him I hadn’t brought a guitar and he sent me to borrow one from a woman who turned out to be Sarah Lee Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie's daughter. That was an incredible moment for me, to be standing in the Capitol Mall, on a stage, using Guthrie's guitar and singing one of my songs about Darfur.”
We're all here for a reason. We might not know what our purpose is, but we can do something nice for someone else or ourselves... We can talk to someone that is down and out. If I can give people hope, that's what I want to do.
“You get to know them, and they get to know you. It's so crazy and hella rewarding. That's all I'm saying. I love it.”
"Public libraries serve all people without distinction. I speak in grandiose terms, but I really believe this: libraries help sustain civilization."
“We don't talk politics and we don't talk religion in our group ...Discussions about politics or religion are causing tremendous division in our country today. I don't understand why everything has to be divisive."
