Page 65 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2018

A Big Dose of Hope
By Su McMurtry
David Hogg and his sister Lauren lived
through the horrible shooting at their high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They take turns in their book, #Never Again, describing what they experienced
and how they’ve become activists in the aftermath, especially David. But the book describes their personal developmental process before and because of this horrible tragedy.
It was Valentines Day. They were enjoying the giving and receiving of gifts and cards from their friends. They had already had a fire drill that morning. So, when the alarms went off, they all thought it was a Valentine’s
day prank and it wasn’t until Lauren saw the faces of the kids running, that they realized this was not a drill.
Their dad was an FBI agent who told them to always know where the exits are and to breath and try and calm yourself during any crisis. They knew about and had profound respect for guns. Their dad taught them.
This little book is full of honesty and self-introspection. But also, a book
of HOPE as they talk about how to go forward. “We were all born after Columbine, we all grew up with Sandy Hook and terrorism and code-red active-shooter drills. We all have grown up conditioned to be afraid. And we’re all sick and tired of being afraid.”
I read this book in about 1-1/2 hours. Cried, yes, but I was also so inspired by this example of our bright, brave and capable youth. Please order a copy to support these kids but read it to be inspired.
David has just graduated from high school and has been accepted to many colleges and universities but plans to take this next year off from school to continue with his activism and involve himself in the 2018 elections. Lauren goes back to high school as a sophomore in the fall. (By the way, David was the very capable spokesperson interviewed by many of the news outlets after the MSD High School shooting. He is thinking of becoming a journalist. He’s on the right path and his voice could help turn the tide.
SONOMA COUNTY BOOKMOBILE
freebookmobile.org NEWS on Facebook 707.520.4536 Donations welcome, Glen Weaver, Director
Aug 2 ~ Santa Rosa - WIC Farmers Market, Range Ave., 9:30-12:30p
Aug 4 ~ Santa Rosa - Active 20-30 Club Back to School Spree, Coddingtown Mall,
8:30-11a
Aug 4 ~ Larkfield - SR Farmers Market, Luther Burbank Center, 11:30-1p
Aug 4 ~ Cotati - Oliver’s Market, 2-3:30p
Aug 11 ~ Sonoma - Back to School Health Fair, Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, 11a-2p
Aug 11 ~ Boyes Hot Springs - Fiesta Center, 2:30-4p
Aug 11 ~ Kenwood - Kenwood Market, 4:30-5:30p
Aug 16 ~ Windsor - National Health Center Awareness Week, Alliance Medical Center, 10-12p
Aug 18 ~ Glen Ellen - Post Office, 9:30-10:30p
Aug 18 ~ Santa Rosa - SR Marketplace, Kawana Springs Rd., 2-3:30p
Aug 18 ~ Roseland - Dollar Tree, Sebastopol Rd 4 - 5:30p
Aug 23 ~ Sebastopol - Chocolate and Cinema, Rialto Cinemas, 7p
Aug 25 ~ Rohnert Park - Pacific Islander Festival, RP City Center, 11-4p
Aug 26 ~ Freestone, 9-10p
Aug 26 ~ Valley Ford, 10:30-11:30a
Aug 26 ~ Bodega Bay - Farmer’s Market, Community Center (Hwy 1), 12-2p
POST your events to our ONLINE Calendar all month @SonomaCountyGazette.com CLICK on Submit Article/Event
Aug 1,15 ~ Maker Studio - Sewing with Circuits - Grades 4-6, 1p-2:30p, Sebastopol Library
Aug 6 ~ Introduction to Ukulele for Families, ages 8+. 6:30-7:30p, Central Library
Aug 8 ~ Together at the Table - Income Inequality - A community conversation with experts working on income inequality, 6:30p-8p, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
Aug 10 ~ Healthy Living at Your Library - Yoga for Adult & Teens, 1-2p, Guerneville Library Aug 11 ~ Protecting Sonoma County’s Forests - What You Can Do, 2-3p, Northwest Library Aug 13,20,27 ~ Spanish Conversation Club - 7:30-9p - Sebastopol Library
Aug 15 ~ Family Game Day - 11-12p, Windsor Library
Aug 18 ~ Latin Guitar Trio Featuring David Correa - 2-3p, Cloverdale Library
Aug 20 ~ Introduction to Virtual Reality - ages 14 and up, 1-3p, Healdsburg Library Aug 25 ~ Kids Yoga - ages 6-12 - Sebastopol Library
Aug 28 ~ Healthy Living at Your Library - Mindfulness, 1-2:30p, Rincon Valley Library Aug 29 ~ Read to a Dog - 3:30-4:30p, Rohnert Park-Cotati
Aug 31 ~ Healthy Living At Your Library - Boot Camp, 10-11a, Roseland
Aug 26 ~ Jenner, 2:30-3:45p
Aug 26 ~ Monte Rio - Beach Parking Lot,
4:15-5:30p
Aug 28 ~ Geyserville, 5-6:30p
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