Love Letters to Eliot
Imani’s Love Letter to Dena Families Headed Back to School
On August 2, 2026, Thrivance Group’s Senior Project Manager, Imani Mitchell-Wyatt sat under the shade at the iconic Rose Bowl for the Dena Community Backpack Giveaway. Our team left this event with full hearts! We were deeply honored when our friends at Project Passion invited us to stand alongside them, the Rose Bowl Institute, Neighborhood Servants, and the Pasadena Educational Foundation to distribute resources and connect with folks.
Looking out at the bright smiles of students and families getting ready for the upcoming school year reminded us of the undeniable magic, strength, and unity that defines Pasadena and Altadena.
Imani’s Love Letter to Dena Families Headed Back to School:
To every child who picked up a backpack, every parent holding their family close, and every organizer who showed up in love, you are the heartbeat of this community. Our prayer is that as our students step into this new school year, they carry with them the knowledge that they are cherished, supported, and surrounded by a village that fiercely advocates for their future. May every resource passed hand-to-hand be a reminder that you are never walking alone, and may our collective care continue to pave a beautiful, healing path forward for the entire Eliot Arts community.
Nico’s Love Letter to Octavia’s Bookshelf
Dear Octavia’s Bookshelf,
Throughout this project, your beautiful space has become a true home away from home for our Thrivance team. Whether we are setting up our laptops, preparing for community sessions, or taking a quiet moment to reflect, working from your shop keeps us grounded in what this project is really about.
Every time we step inside, we are reminded of how deeply your staff loves this community. The warmth, intentionality, and care you pour into Altadena and Pasadena are visible in everything you do from the books on your shelves to the conversations held at your front door.
Thank you for being a daily ray of sunshine in our work and in this neighborhood. Standing outside your doors and reading "Without community, there is no liberation" reminds us of the sacred responsibility we have to honor local wisdom and story. My prayer for the Eliot Arts community is that its future reflects the sanctuary, joy, and unconditional love that you offer everyone who walks through your doors every single day. We are so blessed to share community with you.
Destiny’s Love Letter to ‘Mary’ the Tree
Dear Mary,
I see you. Your presence in the community came to my attention by word of mouth. Your reputation precedes you. You have spent decades anchoring this soil, watching the seasons turn, and bearing silent, sacred witness to the fires and losses that have swept through this community. Through it all, you stretch your branches wide to offer cover, cooling the pavement, providing shelter, and nourishing every living thing that pauses under your canopy. I imagine you do all this while many never stop to ask how you endure it all.
In your quiet majesty, I see a reflection that touches me deeply.
I see you through the eyes of a Black woman. I know what it means to be the foundational pillar of a space, to hold up entire worlds on your shoulders, and to carry the historical weight of a place while remaining, somehow, invisible. I know the feeling of being celebrated for your strength while your exhaustion goes unnoticed.
I see you through the heart of a mother. I know the instinct to spread your arms into a wide canopy, offering relentless shade, protection, and comfort to those you love, pouring out nourishment daily until you have nothing left in your reservoir.
I see you as a community organizer. I know what it means to hold space for everyone else's grief, anger, hope, and vision for the future. In a neighborhood where so many urgent needs exist and so much healing is required, it is so easy to forget that the ones providing shelter need tending to, too. In the middle of everyone else's drought, it feels almost impossible to raise my hand and ask to be heard, to ask to be held, or to ask to be watered.
Looking at you…decorated with love tokens and holding your ground with undeniable grace, you reminded me of a truth I often forget: the ones who give shelter deserve sanctuary, too. You deserve the rain just as much as the soil you protect. You deserve to be seen not just as a landmark of strength, but as a living, breathing soul that requires care.
My prayer for you, Mary (and my wish for myself and every woman holding up this community) is that we are no longer left to survive on strength alone. May soft, healing rains fall upon your roots. May gentle winds lighten the weight of your branches. And may you always be surrounded by hands that cherish you, honor you, and remember to keep you watered.
More love letters to come…
