The RPA Membership Committee hosted a festive gathering at The Bridge on Dec 4. Party planners included co-chairs Chris Broglio and me, Susan Hybloom, Kathleen Wimer, and Martha Gruelle.

We had some hesitation moving forward with the event, worried that our folks might think it was too soon to meet in person. We ultimately decided that, with enough precautions and a sufficient number of members willing to come, we’d go for it. We had a good number of RSVPs, so we gave the gala the green light.

Joe Puleo and Tarnel Abbot made an RPA frame of pictures including our new logo so people could take selfies; Kabir Kapur brought holiday music; Joe and Kathleen donned the room with their seasonal poinsettias; and Shelly Clements brought kitchen utensils to safely serve our food. We verified every guest’s Covid vaccination records and wore masks when not eating. There was lots of food—enough perishable goods to share with our unhoused neighbors after the event, and other items were packed up and saved in our on-site storage space.

As people gathered, many commented that the last time we met as a community was at this very locale, when we celebrated the life of Margaret Jordan. Fittingly, we opened the festivities with, “Margaret ¡Presente!” Mike, Johanna, and Matt were present with us as well.

To our surprise and delight, most of the RSVPs showed up, and we had even more non-RSVPs who joined us. Our purpose was mostly social, but we also had a short program by the Listening Project that received a good round of applause.

Our next Membership meeting was held Saturday, January 22, 2022, 2-4 pm via Zoom. Topics included a community-wide vote and news about some 2022 campaigns.