Bernadette Sproul Operations Director Bernadette joined us after having lived the last fifteen years in Los Angeles, working as an office administrator and manager in retail and entertainment-related businesses. Her favorite company was an animation gallery and museum located in West Hollywood called Name that Toon. She assisted in the charity fund raisers Name That Toon sponsored in conjunction with the The Starbright Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to making a world of difference for seriously ill children and their families. In addition, local school children were invited to see and learn the history and future of animation via displays ranging from original Gumby sets to amazing displays of cutting edge technology set up by Pixar Animation Studio. “The kids were great; really curious and interested as they toured the displays. Watching them interact though, brought back vivid memories of being a student and how vulnerable a young person feels expressing their opinion, feelings or hopes. The kids often appeared very loyal and supportive of one another, but it only took a moment for feelings to be hurt, or a joke to possibly go too far—adults would step in, trying to smooth things over without really knowing what had just occurred. The difficulty of being a student interacting with so many other students and adults really came back to me.” Bernadette and her husband moved to Northern California in 2005 to be closer to their daughter Brook, who is attending Reed College in Portland, OR. Bernadette discovered Community Matters and responded strongly to our core mission—to kindle hope, to equip individuals and organizations with the knowledge, tools, and experiences for improving their communities, to invigorate and celebrate community. “I truly feel it is a blessing to work with people who are intently and passionately lighting a path of good will and showing our youth HOW to be strong, unafraid to step-up, be kind, and be there for one another.”