An Average Tuesday

Brandon here... It's been awhile since I wrote a good long proper update on all that is happening here at DAT. Sure, there's been social media and newsletters and the like, but this morning I feel compelled to be more thorough. Of all the things that led me to this urge this morning, it was the extremely mundane. I'm sitting at our door table here at Lincoln Lane Coffee, in the same spot that I sit most days, working on my computer and helping the barista. Our neighbor Thai is doing laundry as she does every Tuesday morning, and there are a few neighbors sitting about doing various types of work as they do every day. Our Loft members have mostly all come through and gotten their free coffee to start their co-working days and our good friend and neighborhood liaison from our neighborhood charter school, SENSE, is planning to stop by and chat soon as she does most Tuesday mornings. All this may seem like extremely unimportant details, but in a way it is the heartbeat of our community. Doing life day in and day out together and being present and available in all of it is what makes Dathouse truly special.

This season has been extremely special, busy, and rewarding for Dathouse. In 2021, our coffee shop exploded with growth, as more and neighbors poured in to patronize our business. Catapulted by the waning pandemic as well as the skillful efforts of our Lincoln Center Director, Jalen, we broke monthly records 9 out of 12 months, and were overjoyed by all the great time we got to spend with neighbors as they came, bought coffee, and hung out with us. Because of this growth, we've hired a new barista from the neighborhood, Ivan, who has been a fantastic addition to our team! The Loft Coworking space also opened last year, and, after a slow start, it has really started to hit its stride with more and more members. This space has also become the central hub for all our neighborhood committee meetings, which fuel the ongoing good work that we get to partner with the Bates Hendricks Neighborhood Association to accomplish.

We brought on 2 new staff last year. Maria, the intern, and Melissa, our Associate Programs Director. The winter months were a hard season for all of us for a myriad of reasons. But, being committed to the good work of Dathouse and the camaraderie of one another brought us not only through it, but closer to each other and to our community. Maria has been a fantastic addition to our team and, in fact, will be transitioning from an Intern in the coming months to a permanent position more focused on working with the youth in our community. Melissa has not only masterfully run the After School Program this school year, but also just launched a new program, born from her own experiences and the relationships formed with the parents of our after school kids, to meet with women who survived childhood trauma to support each other and heal together.

Last but certainly not least, is one of our most exciting and expansive programs. Birthed out of the pandemic, DatKids Academy is an alternative elementary school option for children who aren't wired to thrive in a traditional classroom. We are part of the global network of pocket forest schools that aims to spend at least 50% of our day outdoors, and greatly value student-led learning. This school is currently run out of our Programs Director, Bethany Friesen's house, but in the past few months the neighboring house came available for sale and it is the PERFECT building to turn into a permanent location for the school in the future! With the incredible support of our partners, we were able to purchase this house and are currently remodeling it into the Academy's headquarters for the 2022-2023 school year! Along with that, one of the families that attend the academy will also be living in that house, and the mom, Lavanya, will be joining Bethany in running the school next year. This dream was all thanks to the extraordinary vision of Bethany Friesen and we are so incredibly grateful for her work and this awesome program that provides another avenue for Dathouse to love our littlest neighbors.

I couldn't be more proud of or excited about the work our team is doing. We are so lucky to get to do the work we are doing in our community. The longevity of our work has helped us be more attuned to our community's needs, as well as become more integrated into the broader work going on in our city. We are so grateful and excited to continue doing this work. Whether big things like building schools, or small things like chatting with neighbors while they're doing laundry... it is all important work, and We. Are. Here. For . It!!!