March 17, 2021
CSUSM: Discovering New Ways to eM:POWR Connection
by Sheryl Wilde
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on where there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it …
The lines above, excerpted from the Rudyard Kipling poem “If” implore us to endure – to hold on – even when life’s circumstances may seem to make it impossible.
The global pandemic has challenged all of us, our Mountain Shadows family included. But our Will has remained strong – and we continue to ‘Hold on!’
Since Mountain Shadows went on lockdown last March, our shared Will has led to new and innovative ways to best serve our residents and participants during these difficult times. One shining example of this is the Mountain Shadows Outreach M:POWR program.
In 2013, Mountain Shadows partnered with Shannon Nolan-Aranez and Joanne Tawfilis to create The Mountain Shadows Painting Our World Radiantly program (M:POWR). Shannon is the Coordinator of Leadership Programs, Student Leadership & Involvement Center at California State University San Marcos. She leads the Tukwut Leadership Circle (TLC), a program designed to foster leadership development in students through real life experiences and civic engagement. Joanne is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Art Miles Mural Project and Owner of the Muramid Mural Museum and Art Center.
TLC students have been generously donating their time to Mountain Shadows M: POWR since the program’s inception.
“When the pandemic started, we got together with Shannon and Joanne to see how we could continue the M:POWR program during lockdown,” says Flor Angel, Program Director, Mountain Shadows Outreach Services. “We asked, ‘Can we do this via Zoom?’ The answer was ‘Yes!’
“Joanne immediately developed and started doing painting and drumming circles on Zoom. Then, several students from the TLC program really stepped up. They are superstars! Several students became pen pals with our participants, others record YouTube videos the residents can watch. The participants love it!”
“We really miss our Mountain Shadows friends – being there in person with them,” says Shannon. “That’s been a tough loss due to the pandemic. But it’s cool that the students have been so creative in connecting deeply with the Outreach participants through pen pal relationships, videos, art and drumming. In a way, there’s been an added depth to their relationships. They’re able to participate on a more personal level. There’s a real blessing in that.
“I can feel the hunger from the TLC students and the Mountain Shadows Outreach participants for more involvement. I want more people to understand how beautiful the Mountain Shadows community is. I want to shout it from the rooftops. The Mountain Shadows participants deserve to be seen and loved by the community.
“We can teach leadership until the cows come home, but our work at Mountain Shadows is leadership in action. Some of our students may come into the program with a preconceived idea that they are coming to the rescue. That they are going to save the day. But they quickly step back and realize the participants don’t need that. The Mountain Shadows participants are leaders too!
“Our students leave the program with any preconceptions about working with the disabled totally dismantled – and they have new friends.”
Alejandra is one of the students from the CSUSM TLC program. “This program allows TLC students and Mountain Shadows individuals to learn from each other. It’s a great program. I participated in painting projects and drum circles via Zoom. I also created videos for participants to watch on YouTube. My purpose in making the videos is to make them smile. I know they are in lockdown. This is an escape for them. Life can be hard. If I can make them smile it makes my day too.”
Adds Flor, “Alejandra is bilingual so she records videos in both English and Spanish. It’s wonderful. She’s so fun. She’s done videos showing how to make brownies from scratch, and about her dogs.”
Zsuzsanna is another member of the TLC program. She is a pen pal with several Outreach participants and she also records YouTube videos. “Everyone likes to get letters. I think it’s an art that has been lost over the years. We write to each other about family, TV shows, poetry. We share recipes. We ask and tell. We have normal conversations.
“I’ve also recorded a book, The Secret of NIHM, on YouTube. It’s one of my favorite books. It has good meaning.
“I think this work is very rewarding on both sides. I’m gratified that there is joy from this for both sides.”
Shannon concludes, “Empathy. Discovering our common humanity. Learning about our responsibility to another human being. Realizing we don’t have to know everything. Just being there for someone else. These are things we can’t teach. These things have to be experienced.
“The real heart of all of this is connection. It’s so profound. It’s spiritual for me. We all want love. We all want to create. Our relationship with Mountain Shadows has added such depth to our TLC program. And, whether in person, online, or by mail, we feel so blessed to be working with the Mountain Shadows community.”