A Regenerative Light in Every Cell
“A world that works for all is a world of love made visible.” ~ From the journal of Thriving Communities Advisor Anne Stadler
Above: Faraji Bhakti of Yoga Behind Bars and Ross Monagle, our creative Steward of Films, in front of the community mural at Evergreen State College, Tacoma campus, during the filming of A Light in Every Cell. Photo by Eden Trenor, our Thriving Communities adventurous Co-Leader. About the mural: Evergreen State College Tacoma students and local community members created it. Designed with geometric and symbolic patterns inspired by the Ndebele people of South Africa, incorporating symbols representing the diverse ethnic communities of Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood. Created as a public art teaching tool to engage the Hilltop neighborhood and foster shared ownership and creativity as the campus moved into its Hilltop facility.
A Light in Every Cell premieres in Seattle on November 13th!
There are cells that lock, and there are cells that make up a body. Both can hold light. Since 2008, Yoga Behind Bars has carried trauma-informed yoga and meditation into prisons, jails, and detention centers across Washington, and A Light in Every Cell follows that work alongside Faraji Bhakti, who found the practice while he was inside and has spent the years since building community in Seattle and Tacoma with pre-liberated and liberated individuals.
This work matters because healing is not a privilege reserved for those on the outside. A yoga class becomes a space of liberation, connection, and transformation, and a practice built from within is something no one can take away. It outlasts the sentence, which is the part nobody plans for and the part that changes everything. When people are met with dignity and given tools to heal, entire families and communities grow stronger.
Thriving Communities is deeply proud to have partnered with Yoga Behind Bars to help tell this story and the movement behind his vision and mission. It is an honor to amplify the voices of people who chose to grow where growth was never expected, and we invite you to witness it with us.
Film Premiere
A Light in Every Cell
“With deep gratitude, we recognize Thriving Communities for producing A Light in Every Cell and for so thoughtfully capturing the healing, transformation, and humanity at the heart of Yoga Behind Bars. We are incredibly thankful for their care, creativity, and commitment to helping us bring this powerful story to the screen.” ~ Faraji Bhakti and Yoga Behind Bars
Join Yoga Behind Bars on November 13th at Benaroya Hall for the premiere! Bring someone who needs to see this, and carry some of that light back out with you.
→ Reserve your tickets to the world premiere.
Note from Thriving Communities Founder Jerry Millhon
I am humbled as I reflect on 15 years of involvement with Thriving Communities. People from Whidbey Island to Charlottesville, Virginia, have trusted us to tell their story. The relationships that were founded in these filming sessions will be with me forever. Those relationships fostered stories built on trust, genuine curiosity, and deep respect for their work that improved the lives in their community. We were able to share and connect them with other communities both in person and virtually.
I am in the process of stepping away from Thriving Communities to allow the next phase of growth, and I have found something quite powerful as I do. Those same elements of trust, genuine curiosity, and deep respect are embedded in my joy in handing off new leadership to a team that will create even more dramatic outcomes for communities in new areas.
Thriving Communities began as a concept that asked the question: what are the elements that create positive change in any community? That concept inspired the thinking of co-conspirators Aimie Vallat, Lynn Willeford, and Anne Stadler. We had no big dream; we kept it simple, and it grew (slowly) because you provided the financial support that kept us alive. Thriving Communities has grown beyond my fondest dreams!
Now, as my transition out of leadership becomes a reality, I ask you to join me in providing ample support for this transition to take root and grow with the financial nourishment that is necessary. Please join me in celebrating this transition with your investment in the future of Thriving Communities.
Partner Spotlights
1 - Lopez Community Land Trust is Hiring!
Our partners and friends at Lopez Community Land Trust (LCLT) are seeking a mission-driven, community-oriented Executive Director to lead the organization in collaboration with two existing staff and a volunteer board. This is a great opportunity to serve as the public face of a trusted hyper-local, land-based organization. Learn more.
2 - Whidbey at Home: Heard it Through the Grapevine
We all know how fast and reliable South Whidbey's networking grapevine can be. Well, after the ThrivingFest screening of the powerful films in the Celebrating our Home session, the grapevine was buzzing! Amy Wheeler, Executive Director of Home on Whidbey, has been contacted by several people who heard from others who are interested in donating their homes and/or properties. But in the excitement of the event, the happy "pollinators" aren't able to recall names or contact information for the generous folks interested in donating.
If you are one of them - or if you know of someone who is - or if this idea is intriguing to you, Amy is all ears! You can reach her at awheeler@homeonwhidbey.org or 206-499-3578 (text or call) to learn more about Home on Whidbey and the Community Land Trust model.
3 - TC Advisor featured in a new book
You’ll find Thriving Communities Advisor Danita Rountree Green and her work on storytelling for healing in a new book by 7-time New York Times Bestselling Author Bruce Feiler: A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World--and How It Can Save Us.
May our thriving communities continue to inspire you, us, and we to keep seeding regeneration in every way we can.
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” ~ Margaret J. Wheatley
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