Far too often the word community gets thrown around when linked with disparate groups of people, as in “the gay community,” or “the Black community,” or “the religious community,” and so on. All of which renders the key word meaningless. Even we at The Sun often refer to our paper as, “The Community’s Independent Voice”.
So, what is this community of which we speak?
Is it our educators, our business people, our professional class, or simply all of our residents? What does that word, community, actually mean? Is it the linking of like-minded people in a group of any non-specific number? That seems to be the rather loose definition that encompasses any such group or gang of folks, to wit, like-minded.
It works for me, but only partially. The word community has to relate to serving people’s needs and wants in order to improve living conditions in general for all those participating and those being served, in order to achieve a more satisfactory outcome by general agreement of the whole.
But Sonoma has the feel of community, in that it has a central location, the Plaza, at the heart of the city or town, whichever term you like the best, and wherein lives the town’s City Hall, and its primary gathering place, an amphitheater, and the frontage area, referred to as the horseshoe, for political and socio/cultural events. There is the, there.
Sonoma answers the whole spectrum of community through its focus on serving its people, by providing food for anyone and everyone in need of it, free of charge, no questions asked and no imposed requirements other than need. Sonoma provides for all its people, residents or visitors, with a community center building open for public use, and two separate institutions – the Vintage House and the Veterans Building – equipped with classes for practically every kind of activity one might be interested in.
And the Vintage House and the Vets Building were both the ideas of, and were created by, civic-minded volunteers, who believed in the principles of community and giving back to it, simply because it makes life a more worthwhile pursuit.
The programs that provide food and shelter for those in need, through the effort of others totally unrelated to them, and for no other reason than lending a helping hand, is how community is built throughout time, and what opens the heart in the quest for purpose. It’s too bad this has been forgotten, or never learned, by so many in public service, and especially those at the top of political leadership in this country.
More’s the pity, but at least Sonoma doesn’t suffer from lack of mindfulness in these regards, and I trust it never will. After all, the highly valued food program was initially called Friends in Sonoma Helping, aka FISH, which is approximately what it is. And importantly, these still thriving and functioning organizations, primarily operated by volunteers, were ideas sprung from the inspirations of Sonoma women – Geri Casson and Adele Harrison. Yes, they gathered many in the community to join them in these endeavors, but if it wasn’t for the spirit of their driving force and determination, it all probably would not have happened.
The Sonoma Valley is a unique place to live, not only because of its natural grandeur, from redwoods and firs to majestic oaks, fresh water streams, abundant wildlife and a temperate climate to provide a wide array of produce in the bargain. And not the least because, at its heart lies the spirit of community, and it’s that spirit that brings us here and holds us here generation after generation.
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