With the might of David

When Christina walks in the room, I cannot help but notice the confidence that she carries. She isn’t much taller than me, but she stands with a statue that commands attention. She captures the room before she speaks a single word. I know that she is a mother and a grandmother, but I swear she does not look a day over 29 years old. The wisdom in what this powerhouse of a woman has experienced does not show until you listen to her speak and you look into her eyes. Christina has persevered. Christina has overcome. Chistina has loved. Christina has given of herself beyond what might have broken another.

As she shares her story as a young mother in school, working to make ends meet and doing what everyone said was the “right thing to do”, she tells me that she refuses to cry and I can see why. Christina has conquered. When life brought her to battlefield, she responded with the might of David - the underdog - no giant was going to keep Christina down.

And as she takes me back to those dark days with hungry mouths and not enough in the pantry, the tears almost creep into this sacred space between us. I can see the apartment and feel her desperation. And then she makes me laugh and the resolve of her story fills that expanse of years between then and now.

Christina is inspiring. Not only for what she has overcome but for the soft spoken resolve that she brings into her life and those around her. I don’t know, yet, how this story will unfold as she goes back into the dark crevices of her past to tell how food and family brought her to today, but I am excited to watch what her story will become.

Listen with me. Because Christina definitely has something to say.

Buy a ticket. Mark your calendars.

Christina Tellis

Partnership

Deciding to curate a large LORE Mainstage event was a little scary and so I decided to just make the leap. I booked the venue. I set the date. I decided that with a deadline, I would be forced to figure out the details.

And then, the very next day, I received a phone call from Sean at the Foodbank. He told me about the Fight Hunger Spark Change program through Walmart and how sharing stories about hunger in our community would benefit both the Foodbank and the Dayton community and would LORE like to curate a storytelling event as part of the campaign?

And so, of course, I said yes. The date was set. The topic was decided. A partnership was created. And the LORE Mainstage event was born.

And although it is still a little scary, it is also exciting and important. So, support the Foodbank. Support live storytelling in Dayton. Buy a ticket.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Foodbank.

“The Foodbank relieves hunger in the community through a network of partner agencies by acquiring and distributing food. The Foodbank provides the infrastructure for more than 100 member food pantries, community kitchens, and shelters that serve as the charitable hunger relief network in Montgomery, Greene, and Preble Counties.” - https://thefoodbankdayton.org/

Dayton Area Foodbank

On Fire

I am honestly not sure how it happened. We were supposed to meet for a brief 30 minutes to talk about her story and the Gem City Market and somehow Kenya and I spend most of that morning and afternoon together. I swear she tricked me into revealing the secrets of my life to her! Kidding aside, Kenya is one of those people that you just want to be around. Her energy is contagious and uplifting. When she tells you to take a ride with her to some event she is about to attend, you do, because you truly want to.

Kenya has stories. They pile up between the laughter. Sometimes she leans in and whispers something that sounds like a miracle and sometimes she talks about the streets that raised her. Sometimes I am laughing so hard I close my eyes and sometimes I am quiet, eyes wide open.

When we turn to the topic of hunger, Kenya paints a picture of her days as a teacher where the children she deeply cares about did not have enough to eat. And then she turns into a preacher, reminding me of the duty we each have to our community, and how each one of us can do something to make another in our world more comfortable. “It isn’t hard,” she reminds me. “I really isn’t that hard.”

Kenya is busy. She is pursuing a doctoral degree, leading community outreach for the Gem City Market, and is involved in her community. And she has agreed to take time to craft a story for the stage. I am excited to watch this story unfold because I have no idea how it is going to turn out. And after just one day with Kenya, I can already see that within her is a spark, and that no matter what final form it takes, her story is going to be on fire.

Buy a ticket to the event. Join Gem City Market. Support Kenya.