Volunteers Give Back
Woven Together
Lynne Greaves admits that many people think weaving is a lost art, but she and fellow members of the Sacramento Weavers & Spinners Guild are here to show the world that the artform is alive and well.
“You name it, we can weave it,” says Greaves, a New Jersey native who’s lived in Carmichael for 48 years. “Anything made out of cloth was made by a weaver. In fact, when the commercial industry makes fabric, it’s first designed by hand by a weaver on a handloom, then it’s transferred to a commercial loom.
Step Up For Justice
When Patricia Sturdevant sees a problem in her community, she doesn’t just notice—she acts. When the Land Park resident saw excess citrus on the trees that line Sacramento streets—fruit that could go to hungry mouths—she did something about it.
Sturdevant has been on the pages of Inside Sacramento before for her work with the Land Park Community Association’s partnership with Harvest Sacramento, a collaborative project that gathers surplus citrus—fruit that would otherwise go to waste—to feed the underserved.
Strumming for Fun
Sept. 11 was a turning point for many people for many reasons. But for Lili Williams, it was a wakeup call that she wanted to do more for her local community.
“I saw that something like that could happen in our community tomorrow, so I decided to do something closer to home that would be impactful,” the Midtown resident says.
Fighting The Good Fight
For Lynette Blumhardt, volunteering with the Sacramento chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association wasn’t just a nice thing to do—it was a matter of survival.
The College Glen resident and Sacramento native found herself turning to the association—the country’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s and dementia care, support and research—when her father was diagnosed with the disease in 2012.
Achieving His Goals
If Bruce Mattos could encourage Sacramentans to do one thing, it would be to join a sports team.
“If we got more people involved in sports, we’d have a better sense of community,” says Mattos, longtime manager and now referee assignor of the Land Park Soccer Club. “Sports bring fellowship and comradery. Children are too connected to their devices—they need to build relationships.”
Becoming Aware
For Melinda Carson, relationships are key. Whether in her former capacity as executive director of the Sacramento and Northeastern California Make-A-Wish Foundation or as current volunteer extraordinaire for the Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation, Carson knows that connecting with the community is crucial.
