“Trust in people and their creative power.” – Paulo Freire
It has been my great pleasure to spend the last six years helping to launch, develop and grow the
Culture Builds Community program at Cityfolk with all of our incredible staff, partner agencies and community leaders. On August 19th, I will be leaving my role as Community Programs Manager at Cityfolk to return to my home town, Sweet ‘Ole Chicago. However, the transition is bittersweet, as I will be bidding farewell to Dayton, OH and all of its wonderful people with a great deal of heaviness in my heart. It is not easy to say goodbye to a place that has given me so much, most importantly, the opportunity to do work that I wholeheartedly believe in.
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Kelsa (at left in the red bandana) with Randy Wilson and
several East End residents at an early CBC event |
There are leaders, cultural ambassadors, and people with amazing skills, knowledge, and passions to share in every corner of every community. It is Renee McClendon, Imelda Ayala, Diana Watkins, Eric Goldsmith, Andy Espino, Verita Robinson, Jean Howat-Berry, Claude Famborough, Maribel Ruiz, Nozipo Glenn, Leslie Sheward, Adam Elfers, Thelma Patterson, Amaha Sellassie, Islom Shaichborndorov, Ras and Tatinda Calhoun, Tony Massoud and many many others who are doing the work of Culture Builds Community. My role has simply been to help connect these extraordinary individuals to community assets and resources so that they can do even more of what they already do.
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| Kelsa in rehearsal for Rise Up and Dance! earlier this year |
Some of the things that we have strived for and accomplished together over the last few years include: introducing people to new art forms, the cultures that surround them and the people within them; softening some of the barriers between us, by showing through our unique artistic expressions, how much alike we really are; and providing people with creative experiences that put them at the forefront of their own process of development, helping them to discover a new sense of self, source of inner strength, and a far greater understanding of what is possible for themselves and their communities. Above all, I know that the seeds we have planted together will continue to blossom beyond our wildest imaginations.
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Kelsa (front) dancing with Pandora and members of
Nationbeat at the Cityfolk Festival |
One idea that I have learned as a community organizer is that the success of our work is measured by what happens when we are gone. If everything we worked for disappears when we leave, we haven't accomplished anything at all. Our work is about sustainability. Hence, nothing will make me prouder than to see the Culture Builds Community program and all of its offshoots, operating even stronger 10 years from now.
I want to thank Cityfolk, all of our great CBC partners, and especially all of the cultural leaders, neighbors, families and children for allowing me to step in and get to know you and your communities. I will cherish everything that I've learned and received from all of you over the last six years. I wish you all the best of luck, and I know in my heart that you will continue to shine, prosper and celebrate the unique and beautiful tapestry of cultures that is Dayton, OH.
With greatest respect,
Kelsa R. Rieger Robinson
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3 comments:
I wish I could say it was my wisdom and foresight that led me and Jan Lepore-Jentleson to hire Kelsa shortly after we received our first funding from the Kettering Fund for what would eventually become the CBC program. Truth is, it was dumb luck. It didn't take long for me to realize how crucial it was to have a strong, passionate, creative leader to allow the program to grow and flourish, and it was even more obvious how lucky we were to have Kelsa appear out of nowhere at just the right moment.
But, then again, sometimes a certain person is meant to be in a certain place at a certain time to make a powerful contribution that reaches many people. No doubt this was one of them.
Those of you who know Kelsa know what an incredible soul she is and how hard she worked to build something special. And those who don't missed something special. But I'm sure if you get up to Chicago you'll still have plenty of chances to see more.
Good luck, Kelsa!
John, I was JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU and was planning to send you a message to thank you, personally. Now I guess I will do it publicly. :) I am incredibly thankful for the oportunity you provided for me. This work has been incredibly fulfulling, and if it wasn't for YOUR vision and direction, I would never have had the chance, nor would have any of the thousands of people we've touched through the program. I wish you could have been there last night to hear people talk passionately about how much this program has done in the community. There were even tears shed for the way it has touched our children and helped to transform them in incredible ways. Ultimately, this is the power of the arts. I'm just lucky to get a chance to watch these little miracles take place. Thanks, John, for everything!!! :)
Kelsa, I wish you the best in your future endeavors. You have done a wonderful job with CBC and Cityfolk. I really enjoyed working with you on the Simon Shaheen Concert and the other events that helped me learn about the East End Community Center which I am now helping as a board member. A Great Organization!
Thank You and Good Luck!
We will all miss you.
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