"First Fridays of Summer" Potlucks!

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Walnut Avenue is inviting the individuals and families who participate in any of its services to join us on the first Fridays of June, July, and August for potluck-style socializing and crafting opportunities. All ages and genders are invited to our house!

After hanging out with us for the afternoon and getting some light dinner, participants can then head downtown to explore the amazing exhibitions and displays being put on for our local First Fridays.

Location: 303 Walnut Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA
Dates: June 2, July 7, August 4
Time: 4-6pm PST
Schedule:

  • 4pm: folks start arriving; dishes get set out

  • 5:30pm: wrap-up begins

  • 6pm: event ends and staff complete the clean-up; participants can check out the First Friday events happening a few blocks away downtown!

Potluck: we encourage participants who have the resources to do so to bring a dish that can accommodate 6-8 people. It doesn’t have to be homemade. However, no one will be turned away for lack of a dish.

Walnut Avenue will provide refreshments. This event is a sober one. Index cards and pens will also be provided so that any dishes which don’t already have an ingredients label can be given one to avoid crossing anyone’s food allergies or dietary restrictions.

Outdoor space: tables and chairs will be set up in our backyard, which has a tall wooden fence around it to help keep kids and soccer balls out of the street. We’ll have some outdoor activities like sidewalk chalk for the kids, but participants are welcome to bring their own toys if they’d like to.

Indoor space: the large room upstairs, used for some of our support groups, will be set aside as a space for folks to do arts and crafts. We’ll supply some basics, but people can absolutely bring their own projects to work on, too.

  • If you’re a survivor over age 18 who does creative work, this would be a great opportunity to work on your part of our upcoming art exhibition, happening in October! Learn more here.

Questions or concerns?

Your staff contact for these events is Marjorie Coffey (they/them) at mcoffey@wafwc.org.

Logistics & Facilities

Transportation

  • Two-hour, street-side residential parking is available for private vehicles

  • A bike rack is available at our front door

  • A bus stop located on neighboring block; Santa Cruz metro station is about four blocks away

Facilities

Walnut Avenue is located inside of a late Victorian former home. This means that while modern updates have been made, such as the elevator, the interior layout does involve some narrow hallways and blind corners.

  • Bathrooms

    • three single-person, gender-neutral bathrooms

    • one bathroom accommodates a standard-sized wheelchair and contains a baby-changing station

  • Elevator - accommodates a standard-sized wheelchair; provides access between first and second floors

  • Ramps - both the front and back doors have concrete ramps with low angle; there’s a half-inch bottom door jamb that can be a challenge for some mobility aids

  • Animals - both registered service animals and emotional support animals are welcome in the backyard. If you have a service animal and would like to use the indoor space, please give the front desk a heads up before entering the building so that staff with animal allergies can take precautions.