Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and spurred a statewide shutdown, a small group of people had been meeting in a Campus Commons neighborhood on Sunday afternoons.
The outdoor weekly gatherings originated as end-of-the-year holiday celebrations. In time, the neighbors celebrated birthdays and wedding anniversaries. What began as a group of strangers is now a close-knit community.
When COVID-19 forced the closure of local galleries, the Sacramento arts community began a fight for its life. No longer able to welcome visitors to view art in person, galleries had to figure out other ways to keep their clients engaged—and their artists afloat.
“The word ‘pivot’ is used frequently these days to describe how businesses are trying to adjust at this time, but pivot doesn’t quite seem adequate for how rapidly (health protocols) change,” says Nisa Hayden of the Hayden Arts Agency, which represents local artists and galleries. “It feels more like a pirouette to me. We are spinning so fast right now and the only way to stay balanced is to select your spot and hold it. The making and marketing and selling of art demands unblinking focus.”
He was four months into his job heading the city’s animal shelter when COVID-19 shut down Sacramento. Phillip Zimmerman joined Front Street Animal Shelter as animal care services manager last November after leading the Stockton Animal Shelter for six years.
“I was running a shelter with the same number of animals, but with a lot less staff,” Zimmerman says of his time in Stockton. “We were doing really great things with a lot less money. So, I thought, I’ll be OK in Sacramento. Then COVID hit.”
Did you know a pair of headphones and an iPod can transform lives?
Forrest Reed does, and he’s made it his mission to share the power of music with as many people as possible through his work planning benefit concerts for the music therapy advocacy nonprofit, TunesWork.
A therapist once told Kim Frisella that if you stay in bed, you know what the results will be. But if you get up, you at least allow for the opportunity of change.
Frisella has had days when just making it from the bed to the couch is a major accomplishment. But she’s not hiding anymore. She’s telling her story to help others see that recovery is possible as a speaker for Stop Stigma Sacramento, a project overseen by the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services. Stop Stigma is designed to promote mental health, and reduce stigma and discrimination, as part of Sacramento County’s Mental Health Services Act.
Giving back has been the driving force of Dr. Barbara Arnold’s life. The celebrated ophthalmologist has generously donated her time, money and wisdom for decades—which she believes is the key to a life well lived.
“If you do big things young enough in life, you get to see the ripple effect as you get older,” says Arnold, who lives in Curtis Park, but also has an art studio off Scribner Road along the Sacramento River, where she paints the natural beauty out her window. “That’s why I encourage younger people to participate (in philanthropy). Do it within your vibrant lifetime to witness what your giving has done.”
