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Blog archive

August 2025

Art From The Ashes: Second Reception
08/26/2025

Building Community Through Connections: Some Advice for New Members
08/26/2025

Critical Issues: A Call to Action
08/26/2025

Organizer Training Empowers Villagers to Lead the Way
08/26/2025

President's Message
08/26/2025

Super Agers
08/26/2025

The Altadena Dining Club
08/26/2025

Use It or Lose It: How to Offset Muscle Loss at Any Age
08/26/2025

Dunbar Number: Understanding the Limits of Human Relationships
08/25/2025

A Turning Point Towards Growth and Purpose
08/23/2025

Unbreak My Heart
08/23/2025

Lora's Return to Writing
08/18/2025

Nice Clean Colored Girls
08/18/2025

Sanctity Denied: A Pasadena Story of Race and Silence
08/18/2025

Some Thoughts at 3:00 AM by Beverly Lafontaine
08/16/2025

Old Again by Sally Asmundson
08/15/2025

Old by Sally Asmundson
08/15/2025

Art From the Ashes
08/07/2025

Claire Gorfinkel Retires from Board of Directors
08/05/2025

2025 Annual Meeting: A Year of Resilience
08/04/2025

A Walk Through 2024-25
08/04/2025

President's Message
08/01/2025

July 2025

June 2025

May 2025

A Day to Celebrate, Connect, and Empower: Older Americans Month at Victory Park
05/30/2025

End of Life: You Do Have Choices!
05/30/2025

Get Moving, Pasadena Village: Walking Toward a Healthier, Happier You
05/30/2025

Music: A Universal Language
05/30/2025

President's Message
05/30/2025

The New Grammar Guardian of Pasadena Village
05/30/2025

Undue Influence: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer
05/30/2025

Village Within a Village
05/30/2025

What do we do now?
05/30/2025

A Tribute to Dad
05/05/2025

A Tribute to Mom
05/05/2025

A Board Director Perspective
05/02/2025

A Death Valley Adventure
05/02/2025

Ask an Architect
05/02/2025

Message from the President
05/02/2025

My 15-Minute City
05/02/2025

Neighboring Anew
05/02/2025

Scam Red Flags
05/02/2025

Sir Beckett, A Woman's Best Friend
05/02/2025

Volunteer Appreciation: Giving a New Level of Love and Caring
05/02/2025

April 2025

March 2025

About Senior Solutions
03/28/2025

Building a Bridge With Journey House, A Home Base for Former Foster Youth
03/28/2025

Come for the Knitting, Stay for the Conversation... and the Cookies
03/28/2025

Creating Safe and Smart Spaces with Home Technology
03/28/2025

Finding Joy in My Role on The Pasadena Village Board
03/28/2025

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
03/28/2025

Managing Anxiety
03/28/2025

Message from Our President: Keeping Pasadena Village Strong Together
03/28/2025

My Favorite Easter Gift
03/28/2025

The Hidden History of Black Women in WWII
03/28/2025

Urinary Tract Infection – Watch Out!
03/28/2025

Volunteer Coordinator and Blade-Runner
03/28/2025

Continuing Commitment to Combating Racism
03/26/2025

Goodbye and Keep Cold by Robert Frost
03/13/2025

What The Living Do by Marie Howe
03/13/2025

Racism is Not Genetic
03/11/2025

Bill Gould, The First
03/07/2025

THIS IS A CHAPTER, NOT MY WHOLE STORY
03/07/2025

Dramatic Flair: Villagers Share their Digital Art
03/03/2025

Empowering Senior LGBTQ+ Caregivers
03/03/2025

A Life Never Anticipated
03/02/2025

Eaton Fire Changes Life
03/02/2025

February 2025

Commemorating Black History Month 2025
02/28/2025

Transportation at the Pasadena Village
02/28/2025

A Look at Proposition 19
02/27/2025

Behind the Scenes: Understanding the Pasadena Village Board and Its Role
02/27/2025

Beyond and Within the Village: The Power of One
02/27/2025

Celebrating Black Voices
02/27/2025

Creatively Supporting Our Village Community
02/27/2025

Decluttering: More Than The Name Implies
02/27/2025

Hidden Gems of Forest Lawn Museum
02/27/2025

LA River Walk
02/27/2025

Message from the President
02/27/2025

Phoenix Rising
02/27/2025

1619 Conversations with West African Art
02/25/2025

The Party Line
02/24/2025

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski
02/17/2025

Dreams by Langston Hughes
02/17/2025

Haiku - Four by Fritzie
02/17/2025

Haikus - Nine by Virginia
02/17/2025

Wind and Fire
02/17/2025

Partnerships Amplify Relief Efforts
02/07/2025

Another Community Giving Back
02/05/2025

Diary of Disaster Response
02/05/2025

Eaton Fire: A Community United in Loss and Recovery
02/05/2025

Healing Powers of Creative Energy
02/05/2025

Living the Mission
02/05/2025

Message from the President: Honoring Black History Month
02/05/2025

Surviving and Thriving: Elder Health Considerations After the Fires
02/05/2025

Treasure Hunting in The Ashes
02/05/2025

Villager's Stories
02/05/2025

A Beginning of Healing
02/03/2025

Hectic Evacuation From Eaton Canyon Fire
02/02/2025

Hurricanes and Fires are Different Monsters
02/02/2025

January 2025

Critical Issues: A Call to Action

By Karen Bagnard
Posted: 08/26/2025
Tags: small group gatherings, karen bagnard, newsletter september 2025

Over nine years ago, an idea was percolating in the minds of Esther Gillies and Mike Babcock, both founding members of the Pasadena Village. The idea was about bringing people together to explore and discuss critical issues in our community, our state, our country and the world at large.


When Esther and Mike were ready to announce their first gathering, the response was overwhelming. It required three groups to accommodate everyone’s input. Over time, these three groups blended into one. Meeting every Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 PM to discuss the topic at hand, Mike and Esther skillfully facilitated the group, guiding the conversation in a way that included everyone, every viewpoint and every perspective. 


The robust and insightful gatherings kept Villagers coming back for more. Topics came from the various readings that Mike and Esther did, as well as the members themselves. The subjects were diverse, complicated and important. After Mike’s passing, Esther kept the group thriving. With never a shortage of critical issues to explore, Villagers who have ideas share them along with articles written and sources of the research done.  Topics can easily outnumber the time to discuss. As Esther told me, “Critical Issues is interesting; it is another option to get to know village members; it pushes us to think about critical issues surrounding us in this modern world.”


It is not unusual for these discussions to act as a “call to action” for Villagers who care about making change. Most often attitudes and insight evolve. Members who participate - be it regularly or rarely - agree that the discussions are enriching and educational.


When I asked Esther what has kept her so committed to this program, she answered, “The issues addressed are fascinating and meaningful. They provoke discussion that has meaningful content challenging people to think about issues that are important for all of us living in the current time and helping expand our thinking regarding significant issues in today's world.”


Now a new “call to action” has emerged. Esther has to step down from leading Critical Issues, and some person(s) need to come forward to keep this important tradition going. She is hopeful that there will be one or two Villagers who would be able and willing to do the reading, researching and focusing to keep the discussions informative, as well as open.


Pasadena Village members are a vibrant group of well-informed, curious and engaged individuals. Surely there will be a few interested and willing to invest the time and energy required to keep this important gathering going!

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