Visionaries
EDITOR: I moved here about 10 years ago. I found the community I’ve been looking for all my life. Sebastopol is unique and it’s special. Beyond the breathtaking beauty of our surroundings and the sheer delight of the Russian River Appellation, three other factors bubble up, giving us a handful of reasons why Sebastopol is the nicest place you could choose to live.
First, the Peacetown concept is a very important statement. Beyond the non-nuclear stance, this tenet gives our community a sense of tolerance in a world of diverse values and beliefs. Second, we have our own resident, junk artist, Patrick Amiot, and how cool is that.
Finally, we have Learn To Swim, which is unique not just to our county, but to our country. For the last 34 years, the Rotary Club of Sebastopol has taught every second grader how to swim for free. This year we have 415 children. Last year we passed 11,000 safe kids in the water and counting.
God bless Mrs. Ives. She was a visionary, who made this wonderful program possible by donating the land for the Ives Pool. Thank you to the City of Sebastopol for maintaining this jewel.
Last year, we had over 100 volunteer instructors. This year, with the biggest group ever, we need additional caring folks to help us give the gift water safety to two or three of our youth. We owe that to our young people. Then, they can safely assume the role of Sebastopol visionaries going forward.
Rick Wilson,
Sebastopol
Gratitude
EDITOR: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the cowards in Congress that they might get some courage, stand up to the gun lobby, and pass significant gun legislation.
Our gratitude goes out to the courageous students who are leading the way towards sanity.
Richard Nichols (age 76),
Sebastopol
