THE LOOP A COLLECTION OF STORIES FROM AROUND NEVADA
JANUARY 2024
ISSUE 34
VOLUME 3
Happy New Year from WestCare Nevada, There is so much I need to catch you up on when it comes to what we are doing in WestCare Nevada. Over the last few months, we’ve continued our efforts towards supporting our community, including other providers. We have maintained and improved some of our traditions, which in turn have continued to provide us structure, meaning, and a sense of continuity when bringing in the new year. You can blame it on the new year if you would like, but I feel compelled to write about the importance of how certain resolutions (and traditions) can help us grow and set goals for the future. For example, some of us had the privilege of attending A Night Beneath the Neon, which in relation to a resolution, allowed us the opportunity to share a sense of collective purpose and unity as opposed to attempting to do this work separately and within silos. From a traditional standpoint, it helped us to continue to build the connections needed to make positive changes in this community. When it comes to our overall emotional well-being, traditions such as our holiday celebrations and the giving of gifts contributed to our sense of accomplishment and became a powerful motivator towards continued giving. As you will read, with the help of others, WestCare Nevada was able to provide gifts to all of our clients, their children, and some other local non-profits over the holidays.
Over the New Year holiday, our Tamale Fest fostered and contributed to the preservation of cultural identity while also establishing a new family unit of clients who were able to participate in enjoying the traditional Latino custom of making and eating tamales. This year, we even added a third type of tamale, chicken, to the menu. (Now I am hungry!) We also couldn’t leave out the fact that Harris Springs Ranch (the Mountain) received quite a bit of snow, and hopefully, the photo in this newsletter can be used by us all in a few months when we are experiencing triple-digit temperatures as a way of reflecting back on cooler times. As we continue into the new year, let’s remember that resolutions and traditions can contribute to our personal and collective well-being by providing opportunities for reflection and helping us create shared experiences that foster a more comforting rhythm to a world that can sometimes feel the complete opposite.
Leo Magrdichian, LCSW, LCADC, Vice President
w e s tcarenevada . c o m