Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2022)
Applegater Summer 2022 I’d like to share with you The Magnitude of All Things BY LILY MYERS KAPLAN 11 Sugarloaf Community Association working on Sports Court Project BY JEANETTE LETOURNEUX Every day I ponder the precarious nature of life on earth. We are in deep trouble. Smoky skies increase each summer. Ponderosa after ponderosa succumbs to pine beetles. Drought deepens. With each death my heart grows heavy. From October to May I breathe deeply as the air clears. The grass greens. My fears relax. While the rains aren’t exactly prominent, there is moisture. Rainbows return. I shift from despair to hope. Yet, even in the winter, I wonder, “What can I do? How can I meet the challenges of climate change?” It seems too big a problem to solve. I know more than a few folks who’ve packed up and moved out. That’s one solution. But as the phrase “climate refugee” becomes more common, it’s clear none of us can truly escape this planetary crisis. That’s the thing. It’s planetary. There is no escape. Then I came across this film, The Magnitude of All Things. I watched and I wept. It didn’t offer solutions, but it gave a kind of balm. Seeing people worldwide—from activists to Indigenous Peoples—engendered acceptance. My sorrow didn’t dissipate, but I found greater grace within it. As an end-of-life doula— one who accompanies the dying and grieving—when death presents, I bring deepest compassion and presence. The film affirmed that treating the declining planet with the same reverence I bring to human loss is sacred. I’ve worked with grieving people for decades. I’ve discovered that healing comes when mourners feel met, slowly rising from despair when the grief is witnessed without agenda. Watching this film offered me that kind of solace and initiated a desire to share its powerful storytelling. Wherever love of earth transcends ideology and political persuasion, this film opens hearts. I am proud to bring The Magnitude of All Things to the Applegate, where we so deeply value the land, river, and spectacular beauty of the earth. The Magnitude of All Things speaks to the heart—to the heart of the matter of all we are witnessing and to the human heart that binds us to this beautiful earth. Free event. Please watch this powerful film with me and others as the sun sets. We’ll hold small-group discussions afterward. It’ll be outside, at 7 pm July 12, at Red Lily Vineyards, where you can purchase a delicious meal, have a glass of wine, and relax on the grass to the sounds of local musician Noah Widdoff. Bring blankets and chairs for your comfort. Here’s a teaser and a link to the trailer. “A cinematic exploration of the emotional and psychological dimensions of climate change. When Jennifer Abbott lost her sister to cancer, her sorrow opened her up to the profound gravity of climate breakdown, drawing intimate parallels between the experiences of grief—both personal and planetary. Stories from the front lines of climate change merge with recollections from the filmmaker’s childhood on Ontario’s Georgian Bay. What do these stories have in common? The answer, surprisingly, is everything.” To view the trailer, visit themagnitudeofallthings. com. Screening rights were procured by Spirit of Resh Foundation. This free event is cosponsored by A Greater Applegate, Friends of the Applegate Library, the Applegater, and Crossroads Death-Care (Takilma). For more information, call me at 510-390-1098. Lily Myers Kaplan, Executive Director Spirit of Resh Foundation lily@reshfoundation.org The Sugarloaf Community Association (SCA) is building a Sports Court for all ages to enjoy outdoor recreation in downtown Williams. Sports will include basketball, pickleball (with removable net), shuffleboard, and four square. The SCA has hosted activities and events for almost 25 years and has built a soccer field, running track, bathrooms, children’s classrooms, and more. The folks at SCA run the Williams Farmers Market and administer a free or low-cost prekindergarten class at Williams Elementary School. Their land is open to everyone seven days a week, dawn to dusk. They are seeking donations for this new project. So far, they have received pledges for more than $8,000 from 24 local donors and another $1,300 of in-kind volunteer labor and supplies. They’ve received two grants—one from Nike that includes $1,200 and a set of professional basketball posts and nets, and a $7,500 grant from the Four Way Foundation. They are pursuing one more grant from an Oregon foundation and are approaching the local community for the balance of the project’s cost—about $3,700. The total cost of the court is around $26,700, so they are about 85 percent there! SCA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, allowing for all donations to be tax-deductible. Jenny Van Winkle, SCA board member, and Bryan Hunter, one of SCA’s cofounders, are upbeat about the great progress, noting that work has already begun and that professional contractors have been secured for the excavation, concrete work, and striping. The project organizers have been “shopping local,” with gravel from CPI in Murphy and a local excavator, rebar from Knife River, and concrete from Riverside Ready Mix. The community has already been involved in numerous ways. Fields Home Center donated all the materials for the storage shed. “We’ve also had help with tree work, gravel deliveries, and layout from amazing SCA is building a Sports Court in downtown Williams. Photo: Jeanette LeTourneux. folks in our local community,” Jenny and Bryan say. “We’ll still need a hand with fencing and landscaping and someone to take on the building of an equipment shed—a great opportunity for one or more creative builders. Please consider joining us in providing the community of Williams and the greater Applegate Valley with this essential resource. Thanks to everyone that’s pitched in. It’s been a real treat to see this community come together to create something useful and fun for all!” You can contact the SCA Sports Court Committee by emailing jennyvwsca@ gmail.com or 62bryanhunter@gmail.com. Checks can be sent to SCA Sports Court Project, PO Box 440, Williams, OR 97544. You may also donate to the project u s i n g Pa y p a l by e ma i l i n g i n fo @ sugarloafcommunityassociation.org. Please note that your donation is for the Sports Court. Jeanette LeTourneux jetlet10@gmail.com