Lupine Reppert, CalSAC Executive Director
In January, a long-time mentor and friend gave me a picture of a pig flying, thinking this might feel relevant to me. It definitely does. The flying pig has always been a favorite of mine – as someone #1 in the restorative strength (Strengths Finder), it is not uncommon for me to see the world this way – with the challenges and seeming impossibilities at the forefront. How could we not feel like making change is like getting a pig to fly, whether it’s in our organization, in our homes, or in the education system?
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve also been blessed to feel true hope – and in my experience, this hope is often found in community with others. I was recently at CalSAC’s BOD/Staff retreat. As part of introductions, we each shared about our journey to CalSAC, and almost always, there was another person that we believed
in or believed in us (or both) that brought us into the community. We often stayed connected because of those people and the way they and the CalSAC community made us feel: connected, valued, trusted, transformed. I reflected in the moment that some of the people who brought us in aren’t in a formal role at CalSAC anymore, but their impact and contribution is ongoing. I also recognized that WE (me, you, us) are those leaders now, who will create experiences for others to feel belonging, to feel possibility, to feel hope. We are responsible for continuing the legacy.
Board/Staff Retreat, January 2023
And, it is in those voices, in the passion of the people doing this work that I draw an incredible feeling of hope – for CalSAC’s future, and for the field as a whole, because it is people who drive change. It is humbling and inspiring all at once, to recognize our collective power, and our responsibility during this pivotal moment in the field and in the world.
I’ve seen the equivalent of pigs flying in OST many times over, and while the charge ahead may feel like an exceptionally chubby swine, I believe in us, especially when we lean into the “us” of us.
Wishing you a year of community and hope,
Lupine Reppert
Executive Director
(510) 444-4622 x109
lreppert@calsac.org