A note from Executive Director John Crowley
Everybody Sing!
In the film 'Join or Die', Robert Putnam recounts his research in Italy, where he was studying social capital and trying to understand why some communities and regional governments functioned better than others.
His team used surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and measures of civic and government performance. One of the patterns that emerged was that communities with stronger civic participation — more clubs, associations, and, IN PARTICULAR, more choirs — also tended to have stronger social capital and better-functioning institutions.
People sang together.
There’s something powerful about that.
A choir is almost a perfect social-capital machine. You show up. You stand beside people you may not know. You listen to one another. You contribute your part. And somehow a bunch of individual voices become one thing.
So I think my next club or organization to join might just be a choir.
Which raises the question: What are all the choirs in Petaluma? Join a choir. Sing with people. Build social capital.
Let’s build a complete Petaluma Choir list. Email us at info@aquscommunity.org if you know of any local singing groups. WE will add them to the Just Join Something campaign page. |
What the People Say
A few weeks ago we started collecting some quotes about Aqus Community and the work John Crowley has been doing for over 20 years. Here’s a small sampling:
“I love that you exist and all that is already being done. And I reckon there is space and need for even more.”
“As an RN, I prescribed visits to Aqus Café instead of anti-depressants.”
“Keep it going. Digital age proves we need face-to-face more than ever.” |
Aqus Community 2.0
We’re thrilled to announce our new website – AqusCommunity.org . It’s been a six-month labor of love by a small group of committed volunteers. We can’t wait for you to dive in!
The Big Social: if you haven’t bought tickets yet, you’d better jump on it… they’re going fast! The event is being held in the fabulous Life on Art space, Saturday August 22, 6:00-8:30. Make a paper mâché heart, sample delicious small bites, play the Social Capital Buys a Drink game, enjoy the Casa Grande Jazz Ensemble, chat with several hundred of your fellow Petalumans. And yes, learn all about Aqus Community 2.0 and how you can join us in making Petauma even more vibrant and connected. Tickets are $25/advance HERE or $30/door. |
Programming… all over town
As always, we have an interesting and engaging lineup of activities and events. Take a look at the calendar listings on the new website.
At Aqus Cafe there is live music every Friday night and upcoming community dinners include Lafferty Ranch, National Park Service Employees, German Speakers Dinner, and the ever-popular Irish Night. The Petaluma Postcard Pod has increased their Tuesday gatherings to weekly through the end of October, and Teachers Helping Teachers is back for the new school year on the 2nd and 4th Mondays at 4:00. Elim Stitch and Chat is a new drop-in group, meeting every first Thursday at 10:00am. |
At other venues around town
Petaluma Conversations returns the first Tuesday evening of October at the Public Library for a fall series of four evening gatherings centered on topics that can sometimes be divisive. Aqus Community’s first Eastside gathering will be held at Eggspresso early September on a Thursday at 8:30am, launching a vibrant new addition to the city-wide programming of Aqus Community 2.0. Keep an eye on the calendar. |
Bridging Generations… and More
A story from a recent community dinner:
“At the dinner for Former Peace Corps Volunteers I found myself sitting beside two people who had just met. One was in her twenties. The other was in her eighties. They had both served as Peace Corps volunteers in the same country—but nearly sixty years apart. As they talked, the decades seemed to disappear. The older volunteer excitedly asked about the streets she once walked, the church she remembered, the neighborhood where she had lived, and how the country had changed. The younger volunteer answered with excitement, filling in six decades of history while discovering the footsteps she had unknowingly followed. Watching them, I realized I wasn’t witnessing a conversation so much as a bridge across generations. Two strangers, connected by a shared place and a shared purpose, were reliving the same experience through different eras. It was a reminder that the strongest connections are often built on the experiences we have in common. Sometimes all they need is the opportunity to be shared.” |
Warmly,
The Aqus Community Steering Committee |
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Mailing Address:
Aqus Community
40 Fourth Street Ste 231
Petaluma, CA 94952
OFFICE ADDRESS:
133 COPELAND STREET
PETALUMA, CA 94952
EIN#: 47-2940838
info@aquscommunity.org
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