By Ashley Lodato
Gratitude endures beyond Thanksgiving with the story of Travis Grialou’s “Hero’s Lunch” at Little Star Montessori, which has become a tradition for the Little Star alum who takes on raising money for the school’s scholarship fund. Following in founder Taylor Woodruff’s shoes, Travis raised $2,750 for Little Star by collecting pledges for his summer running and biking, which involved 253.5 road and trail miles, some of which was completed during a family trip to Germany and Italy this past summer.
The kindergarten class hosted Travis for lunch last week. They were so excited to have him, reports school director Dani Reynaud, because “he is a real-life hero to them.” They made a huge “Travis” banner and wrote him a song to the tune of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from Frozen (moms: skip to the next paragraph if you have only recently purged this tune from your subconscious): “Do you want to be like Travis? Ride a bike for Little Star? Raising money for a kid who will go far. Yes I want to be like Travis …”
During the all-school circle at the end of the luncheon, little Enzo Patterson asked Travis if he had a cape. And then they all ran around the playground together, and despite his superhero status, Travis’s feet stayed firmly planted on the ground like the rest of the kids’.
Part-time valley resident Sara Jinks has a film in Seattle’s upcoming Next Dance Cinema film festival on Dec 8. The film, which is a humorous adaptation of Lonesome Polecat from the 1950s musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, features some Seattle dancers and our very own Danbert Nobacon and part-timer Laurel Canan, as well as a few local sheep and chickens. If you find yourself in Seattle next week, stop by for a viewing.
The silks on display in Lee and Theresa Miller’s trunk show at The Wine Shed in Winthrop will be available through the next set of holidays. Collected from several Asian countries, the silks were dyed and woven by mothers who were struggling to feed and shelter their families after decades of ruin wracked in Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge.
On a trip to Cambodia in the late 1990s, the Millers worked with others to develop a women and children’s literacy effort that allowed mothers to work in textiles reclaiming the lost art of silk weaving while giving their children a safe place to be. Theresa says, “These silks were done through sheer courage and determination. Many of these women were amputees.” In the years following the Millers’ involvement, donations of medicine and funds from the textiles sold have helped these women from remote Khmer villages make better lives for themselves and their children.
