The Scoop: Power of One

If you’ve ever watched Oprah, you would know that she preaches how it only takes one person to make a difference.  And if you have ever read Traude Gomez-Rhine’s photo-essay book Power of One; Pasadenans Shaping Our Community you would have been introduced to those people who are actually making that difference in our very own communities of Pasadena and Altadena.  On June 6 at 7 pm, thanks to the Friends of the Altadena Library, you can meet those people, the author and the photographer of this very inspiring book at the Altadena Main Library on Mariposa Street.

Power of One was written by Traude Gomez-Rhine with photographs by Brian Biery and features 31 Pasadena community contributors, beginning with the premise, “…we can shape our world in our own backyards, where the beginnings of real change must take place”.  Through personal stories, it illustrates the concepts of community building and how one person has the power to change his/her community and touch the lives of others.  Gomez-Rhine has an extensive freelance writing history including Huntington Library and Pasadena Educational Foundation and involves herself in community activities throughout Los Angeles. 

 Brian Biery is a documentary photographer who uses his camera lens to tell the stories of his natural and human subjects from the beaches of Santa Barbara to the city of Mumbai, India.  In addition to Power of One, his photos have been published in various magazines and have been shown in a number of exhibits.  His work has been influenced by his Peace Corps experience in Guatemala and working in Pasadena community organizing projects. 

 Biery will discuss how he captured his intriguing images for the book, many of which are on display June 2 through June 20 in the Library Community Room. 

 Among some of the locals profiled in Power of One who will be sharing how they were inspired and offer suggestions for others who would like to make a difference in the world are Marty Coleman of Sustainable World Ministry; Tom Coston of the Light Bringer Project; Sue Kujawa, Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center Director; Ellen Snortland, “Fearless Feminist” and journalist; and Dr. Don Thomas of the Young and Healthy Program in Pasadena. 

Sustainable World Ministry, a branch of All Saints Church in Pasadena, “promotes and supports a socially responsible local and world economy that values life, earth’s resources, and spiritual community through personal choices, education, and public action”.  Marty Coleman, co-founder of Sustainable World and Conscientious Projector, advocates sustainable living and has utilized her urban garden to educate elementary students on the importance of caring for the earth. 

 The Light Bringer Project is a Pasadena-based arts organization with a special emphasis on youth and education.  Among some of the local arts projects sponsored by Light Bringer are Room 13, a self-sustaining art studio program currently established at Eliot Middle School in Altadena and opening at John Muir High School; and Zorthian Ranch Oral History Project, preserving Altadena’s Zorthian Ranch history through documentation of oral histories.  Tom Coston, founder and president of Light Bringer, has a long history of involvement in the nonprofit community, including Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center, Leadership Pasadena, and Villa Esperanza Servies. 

 Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center is currently celebrating 50 years of serving our community’s families by providing impoverished parents with “practical skills, education, self-confidence, companionship, and most significantly, hope for a better future for themselves and for their families.  At the same time, their young children are provided with a safe, nurturing learning environment…”.  Sue Kujawa has been Mothers’ Club Director for 25 years and explains, “At Mothers’ Club, I saw the challenges facing our families and their great and earnest desire to make good lives for themselves and their children, and I had no choice but to do the very best I could to create and sustain this place that they depended on” (The Durfee Foundation on Vimeo).  I have personally volunteered for this organization and the sheer wealth of programs and activities they offer is humbling.  

 Ellen Snortland has a multifaceted history and background that has been influenced by her interest in “women’s issues”, including “the movement to achieve gender balance in institutions, women in history, reducing violence against women, as well as childhood and adult sexual harassment problems”.  She has been a columnist for Pasadena Weekly for 20 years, and while grateful, she explains, “I have hit an ink ceiling for years and it's no wonder why:  primarily male editors don't hire women to the degree that they hire men.  That's just the truth.  Anyway, I am proud of my years as a columnist and am proud to be called a ‘feminist’, almost a taboo label since the mainstream media basically blacklisted those of us who stood for gender equality”.  Snortland will be performing her one-woman play Now That She’s Gone at the Coffee Gallery in July, keep your eye open here for more information about the show in the future. 

 Dr. Don Thomas founded the Young and Healthy program in Pasadena more than 20 years ago.  Young and Healthy provides free high-quality medical, dental, and psychological services to uninsured and underprivileged children in the greater Pasadena community.   

 Make time on Monday evening to be inspired and learn how these contributors define and cherish their community and how we create a supportive community by making a difference…one person at a time.