What belonging looks like in action!
Last month was filled with opportunities of community, learning, and deeper connections. We were honored to welcome back our Duke Divinity Intern, Tatum Tricarico, who spent a couple of days with us in community, including leading two Stations of the Cross: Disability Justice gatherings. Tatum shared about her experience visiting L’Arche and the community we’ve continued to build since she graduated a few years ago. Continue reading below to learn more:
—
I had a wonderful time visiting L’Arche NC for the Stations of the Cross a few weeks ago! While I was in town, I noticed something I didn’t expect that made me love L’Arche even more! One evening, I was riding in the L’Arche van with Laura and a core member. Before we went to our destination, we dropped off the core member at a fun event they were attending. While we chatted, Laura communicated who would be driving to a few other events too, like L’Arche NC events, coffee meet-ups, doctors’ appointments, and more.
As someone who is functionally Blind, I am unable to drive. I often say that not being able to drive is the hardest part of my Disability. Some weeks, I spend hours (literally, I’ve counted), trying to figure out how I will get somewhere, who will drive me, who will pick me up, what time they’re able to go, and more. I’ve missed events, been stuck for hours before or after, been put in uncomfortable situations with drivers I don’t know well, and so much more, when everyone who can drive doesn’t have to think twice about these things.
Watching Laura and the team plan rides for the core members and get them everywhere they needed and wanted to go was incredible to me. The core members knew they could get where they needed to go, when they needed to, safely and without hesitation. Honestly, I was a little jealous, and very impressed. I have often said that “L’Arche NC means freedom,” and this experience showed me just how true that is on levels that most folks probably don’t even notice.
—
Tatum’s words capture something essential about what community looks like in practice. It is not just shared space; it is shared responsibility, where people show up for one another in ways that create real freedom and belonging.
We’re so grateful to Tatum for helping us reflect on our work in a new way, and for reminding us that read more
You’re Never The Same
At my first prayer service at L'Arche, a long-term assistant welcomed me and said, "Be careful. L'Arche gets in your blood, and you're never the same." 26 years later, I still affirm that she was right. L'Arche is so much a part of me that it's like it's "in my blood."
Welcome Tatum Tricarico, our new Disability & Theology Intern
This month, we welcomed a Duke Divinity School Intern to L'Arche North Carolina. We are excited to introduce Tatum Tricarico.
Passion & Gifts
by Tammy Breeding, Board Chair L'Arche Fort Collins Recently I attended an event entitled “Y'all Belong Here.” It is an inclusive sacred space event collaboration by L’Arche Atlanta and L’Arche North Carolina. I love to attend, to make time in the midst of a busy day for a “soul break”, to focus on gratitude. The theme was Passion & Gifts. We were invited to ask ourselves questions, such as “What do you Love?”, “What are you good at?”, and “How can you use your gifts to benefit the world around you?”. For me, I love children, nature, music, and faith. I am good at collaboration, singing, organization, and communication. I can use my gifts to benefit the world around me through my involvement in L’Arche. I find that the more I receive from L’Arche, the more I want to give back to L’Arche. I have a son with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and one of the things I love about him is his childlike approach to life. When I look at the world through his eyes, I get in touch with my own inner child, and experience joy read more
A Welcome Like No Other
Last month, I had the opportunity to visit L'Arche Atlanta for a couple of days. Before I tell you about this amazing community, I'd love to share briefly-ish how I came to work for L'Arche North Carolina.
What a Ball!
Our L'Arche Community is growing! We had some new friends and familiar faces gather at the Durham Bulls game on Friday, August 12. We had a total of 29 people join us as we cheered on the Durham Bulls! Our enthusiastic cheers helped the Bulls win against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Winning was fun, but the best part of the evening was getting to know new friends. The night ended with fireworks -- which was fitting because we all had a BLAST! This community gathering was made possible by grant funds from the NCCDD Summer Program Grant. We are grateful for the ways these funds have helped provide opportunities to be and learn together.
Sharing about L’Arche
We love visitng local congregations and organizations! Yesterday L'Arche was at Raleigh Mennonite Church. We visited with Liddy Grantland, who graduated from Duke University and now serves the L'Arche GWDC (Greater Washington D.C) community. She delivered a sermon during the service with L'Arche stories, reflections, and wisdom. You can listen to her sermon here. Through Liddy's stories, you can learn more about L'Arche. As she shares about her community, we invite you to consider supporting L'Arche GWDC, but in prayer and gifts. Likewise, as you listen, dream with us about the L'Arche Community we are building here in the Triangle Area. During the service, we also had the opportunity to share some of the gifts of L'Arche North Carolina. Kyla, a regular volunteer and participant of L'Arche NC, shared a poem and Laura provided image description of the slides. It's always a blessing to be in community with local congregations. We'd love to visit you and your religious, nonfaith, or civic group. Please email Laurasl@larchenc.org to plan a L'Arche NC visit to your club or organization.
What a SAILABRATION: a recap of our 2022 breakfast fundraiser
On Saturday, July 23 we held a L'Arche NC SAILABRATION Breakfast at Duke Memorial UMC in Durham. We had pancakes, music, and a mini boat regatta! This gathering celebrated our growing community. It provided an opportunity for friends (new and old) to come together for fun. Thank you to everyone who joined us. It was so much to create and watch the regatta race. Congrats to Kevin for winning the Fastest Boat Award and Dash for winning Best of Show. During our morning together, our Executive Director, Laura Steed Lorino, asked audience members, "What are you celebrating this month? There is always something to celebrate!" Some attendees shared of new jobs, others shared about their anniversary, while others focused on recent accomplishments. At L'Arche, we CELEBRATE! And, we continue to celebrate the community that is growing in the Triangle Area of North Carolina. THANK YOU for being a part of it. Our breakfast also meant that we could share more about the mission and vision of L'Arche NC. We are excited for our future! L'Arche staff, read more
Disability & Pride: Panel Discussion
On Thursday, June 30th, L'Arche NC hosted a panel conversation with L'Arche Tahoma Hope and L'Arche Portland. We were grateful to hear from keynote speaker, ChrisTiana ObeySumner, and panelists Azrael Burton, Deanna Parvin Yadollahi, Rebel Black, and Nicholas Herd. If you missed it, you can watch the recording below! http://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc%20https://youtu.be/L9mkmqvE9mc
