This year-end UpDate is a personal note from me to all of you. Since I was a little girl, I have wanted a tractor. Kay Weirup-Fraker was kind enough to allow this trusty old one to remain with the We Are Up property. We think it needs a name...please send us your ideas and we will let you know who has the winning suggestion.

We Are Up has so many in our community to thank for our progress to date. New UpLifter, Laura Cutler has captured the magic of our space in her photos. Pacific Gas and Electric Company has made a generous $10,000 donation for operational support. Thank you does not begin to capture our gratitude!

I became the guardian for my granddaughter when she was eleven. At that time, she was afraid of the microwave and oven. She had little knowledge of money. Fast forward a few years, when she asked for an Apple Watch and I suggested she earn the money herself. She made chocolate chip cookies and sat at the end of our driveway each week until she had earned enough to buy that coveted watch. She was able to research different models, choose the best for her needs, and how to program it. She now considers herself a business owner and thanks to Stacey Douglas Jones has her own logo for Jayden’s Journeys.

A simple chocolate chip cookie has come to represent a brighter future for our neighbors and family members with disabilities. To date, our cookie auction has raised over $35,000 to help bring We Are Up to life. This holiday season we invite you to “purchase” a symbolic cookie for $200 or more. Whenever we have two dozen sold, we will make a fresh batch and deliver them to a senior center nearby.

Can you imagine waking up each morning to look out across your yard and into this picturesque pasture? That is just what we are planning for the residents who will be part of the We Are Up Community. Residents of all ages will find joys and benefits of farm to table food and a welcoming, accepting community.

This little Pine Siskin, an early resident, doesn’t even need a table to enjoy the bounty of We Are Up. More than 80% of the property will remain as open space for neighbors and residents to enjoy.

Happy Holidays,

Mary Keehn