Generation Alpha and Giving for the Future
Video Message by Avery Sanchez, age 11,
Essay by Vonda K. Givens, Executive Director (age undisclosed)
When I read Ted Lytwyn’s e-blast message Time Flies When You’re Having Fun (click here to read Ted’s message), I realized I had my own “time flies” moment recently when I saw a current picture of Avery Sanchez (at left, above) the daughter of Parker Sanchez, the museum’s Manager of Membership & Visitor Services.
I exclaimed to Parker, sounding like an auntie, when I saw the picture, “she’s grown so much!” I worked with Avery on a video project four years ago, when she was 7 years old (at right, above. In the photo, she was in the North Cottage, back in 2020, when we were working on the project). For the video, I had written a story for children about Craftsman Farms, and I asked Avery to provide the audio.
I exclaimed to Parker, sounding like an auntie, when I saw the picture, “she’s grown so much!” I worked with Avery on a video project four years ago, when she was 7 years old (at right, above. In the photo, she was in the North Cottage, back in 2020, when we were working on the project). For the video, I had written a story for children about Craftsman Farms, and I asked Avery to provide the audio.
The first time I heard Avery’s audio for the story, I cried. There was something about her 7-year-old voice bringing the words to life. It was special to me. (If you haven’t watched it, I hope you’ll click here to play it and hear for yourself.)
In talking with Parker, I just realized that Avery has been coming to the Stickley Museum for seven years. That felt impossible, but it was true. What felt like a blip of time to me has been most of Avery’s life! Parker offered to share Avery’s seven-year story here in pictures! (you’ll see Parker, Avery’s father, Pablo, and her younger brother, Duncan, who was two years old when Parker joined our staff) at Craftsman Farms over the years.
Parker reports that Avery is eager for any opportunity to visit Craftsman Farms. That makes me feel great. For this year’s Reverse Auction, and to “bookend” Ted Lytwyn’s message, we asked her to provide another audio. This time, we asked her to tell us what she likes about Craftsman Farms (you can click on the video below).
It is not unusual for people to express to me their worries about the generations ahead of us. Will Craftsman Farms mean as much to them as it has to us? Through my years on the job (sixteen in total), I have shared Craftsman Farms with hundreds of children like Avery, and I can confidently say, yes, the future is in good hands.
As we celebrate the museum’s 35th anniversary, it’s important to look back at all the years of growth and the people responsible for that growth. It’s also important to look forward. What are we doing now to ensure the museum’s future for the next 35 years? How can we continue to share the abundance of Craftsman Farms and Gustav Stickley’s legacy so that Avery, and other members of her generation—Generation Alpha—will experience the same abundance we have enjoyed?
Sharing the abundance of Craftsman Farms is what giving to this year’s 35th Anniversary Reverse Auction is all about. I invite you to be a part of the museum’s future.
Click Below to Watch Avery’s Video!
