SSTCi Stars; Gloria Bonilla. July 2013

SSTCi Stars

Gloria Bonilla has served on SSTCi's Board of Directors since December 2011. She has been a strong advocate of SSTCi's mission supporting the community through its diversity of arts and entertainment programming. Gloria says, "SSTCi offers all community members  the opportunity to have a place to meet, learn about each other through casual gatherings as well other events to increase awareness on local, regional and national issues, world cultures and affairs."

  

Gloria says she got involved with SSTCi two years ago through her professional involvement in the community. "I learned and became involved with SSTCi because of the community engagement role I have at Montgomery College," she says.

  

Gloria has dedicated most of her adult life to work on community and program development, human rights and immigration issues, access to education, resources and services to underserved communities.

Gloria is currently assigned to the Office of Advancement and Community Engagement at Montgomery College where she is applying her experience and skills developing a program to make information and education accessible to Spanish-speaking communities. Gloria has been responsible for directing, producing and hosting Mi Escuela es su Escuela Radio/TV program since its inception December 2008.

 

For the 2012 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, NBC4  recognized Gloria and other Hispanic leaders for their contribution to the community.

Laughter is the Best Medicine: a Message from our Director. July 2012

Laughter is the Best Medicine

A Message from Our Director

  

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. 

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

    Dear SSTCi Friends,

 

SSTCi Executive Director Lisa Martin
with Senator Jamie Raskin at
The Silver Spring Blues Festival

What a whirlwind this summer has been so far! Our 5th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival was a huge success measuring by the smiles on folks' faces day and night at both our main stage and at the market stage.  Thousands of attendees gathered on a beautiful summer day to "sing the Blues" with us and 18 performance groups, or approximately 100 of the top blues men and women (and kids) in our area, including Bobby Parker, School of Rock as well as lots of women singin' the blues as well including Skyla Burrell, Ursula Ricks, Gina DeLuca, Stacy Brooks, Gina DeSimone and the Moaners, and the list goes on.  Check out a few of the photos highlighting this very popular annual event in Downtown Silver Spring. We greatly appreciate the participation and support of all our sponsors and partners, the awesome musicians who performed throughout Blues Week, and especially all the hard work and dedication of our Festival Founder and Producer Alan Bowser and his team, including Jazs with the DC Blues Society. We look forward to another amazing event  next year!

 

Even the dogs are
dancing at the
Blues Festival

Aside from the fact that we like singin' the blues in Silver Spring, there is also plenty of laughter going on.  From the tiny tots pounding away at our drum circles to the seniors doing Laughing Yoga with us, we are doing our part to help bring a bit more fun and laughter to Silver Spring.

 

But as the song goes, "We just can't smile without you," so be sure to join us for some of our upcoming events, including our two weekly plaza performance series Twilight Tuesdays and Wednesday Night STARZ featuring an amazing array of talent representing a diversity of music from around the globe all in our own backyard.

 

We look forward to having you join us for much more laughter this summer!

  

 

Warm Regards,

  

                                        LISA MARTIN
                                        ygExecutive Director