The story of what happens at Puente on a Thursday is the story of the South Coast itself: its children, parents, farm owners and farm workers, teachers, volunteers, patients and medical staff. On a Thursday, these participant populations overlap in real time over a dizzying six-hour period – crossing paths on the way to English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, Zumba, Story Time, La Sala, Homework Club, adult education, the medical clinic, the farmers’ market and several other events hosted and sponsored by Puente. It’s a magical and purposeful time and it’s all hands on deck for Puente staff, many of whom work into the evening to run programs and provide support. “Thursday is the day when every single thing Puente does is on display. I enjoy seeing all our programs interrelating. It’s like poetry. It’s exhausting, but I love it,” says Puente Executive Director Kerry Lobel. Here’s some of what happened on Thursday, September 3. 10:30 a.m. Puente’s offices are hushed on a fresh, sunny morning, as if in anticipation of the day ahead. Deputy Executive Director Rita Mancera is on the phone and so is Alejandra Ortega, Puente’s Youth Program Associate. Lobel greets them both and heads off to a meeting. In the first portable, Clinical Director Joann Watkins and Mental Health Intern Celia Gagnon work at their computers. Program participants … Continue reading A day in the life at Puente