Growth Rings: Marshall Fire

GROWTH RINGS

As Louisville residents, Allison and I are completely devastated by the tragedy of the Marshall Fire. Although we did not lose our home, we are still in a state of shock and disbelief - still trying to process various emotions as they arise. Our hearts and prayers are with all of you who lost so much. It is unfathomable…unbelievable…unreal. We stand in solidarity with the entirety of our community as we weather this storm together.

The subsequent outpouring of support has been nothing short of inspiring. The generosity, acts of kindness, servitude, and donations are a true testament to the character of our community. We were proud to be a part of it before this happened; the word ”proud” feels like a real understatement now. The stories we hear of neighbors helping neighbors, and strangers helping strangers…it has profoundly moved us.

Unfortunately, this tragedy is very real. The rebuilding and healing process is going to take a long time. This includes not only the rebuilding of material possessions, but also the rebuilding of mental and emotional well-being. The emotional rebuilding for all individuals affected by the Marshall Fire is an element of the healing process that should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, it is arguably one of the facets that is most difficult to provide meaningful long-term support on. Similar to the rebuilding of the physical structures themselves, this will take time, hard work, perseverance, and patience.

Even before this tragedy struck our immediate community, the worldly state-of-affairs over the last couple of years has led most of us to become quite good escape artists, forcing us to find numbing distractions to transport our minds away from the endless list of catastrophes as we scroll through our sad news feeds. However, intentional distractions, that provide mindful and creative outlets through the linkage of the hands, head, and heart, are far more likely to lead us closer to true happiness - and healing - as opposed to other less productive forms of distraction. “Hands-on-mindfulness”, as we like to call it, can create such a deep and intense sense of flow that we truly become oblivious to the rest of the worries in our lives. The same is true for our children.

Sloyd Experience is an organization that is dedicated to the development of children’s character and resilience through woodworking. We believe all children can derive many lifelong benefits from this unique method of learning. We are committed to fostering the development of the “whole child” through the educational completeness of the mind and body; we are deeply passionate about this mission. Now, more than ever, we are ready to serve the children of our community in this time of need. For this reason, we are offering free programming for the next six months to children who were permanently displaced by Marshall Fire. Please share this email, our website, or contact information with families in your networks that could benefit from this programming.

This offer translates to a value of roughly $750 per affected child. If you are interested in helping make this vision a reality, please consider becoming a patron of Sloyd Experience through a financial contribution. If you have provided a donation before, we humbly ask you to consider making a dedicated donation to support this special cause. Additionally, if you are interested in volunteering with Sloyd Experience, please contact us here.

"And here in this wide ring was a good year in which the tree grew apace, and here was a wild, cold, hard year when life was a battle for survival and growth was slow, a year which toughened the limbs and sent roots digging down deeply into the soil to keep the tree in heart." - Charles Hayward

Though this may go down as a “slow growth” year for our community, may we all be stronger for it. Let us all dig our roots deeper into the things that matter most in our lives, that our foundations be made unshakeable, and our limbs strengthened to reach out and help those in need.

Thank you so much for your interest, consideration, and participation. Without your support, none of this would be possible. We are excited to serve our community in this unique way.