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Our Story: Felt St Labyrinth Beautification Team
During the year of 2020 in the middle of a global pandemic, when the BLM movement rumbled and Santa Cruz was hit with wildfires, our Live Oak community had a desperate need of an open space. We needed a space where we could express our fears, our sadness and our big emotions; a space to inspire each other with kindness and hope to help our community to feel good. With the help and support of County Parks Friends, we were able to adopt Felt St Park for a beautification plan that included a Labyrinth. More than anything, our desire was to create an open space where our community will feel safe and experience a sense of belonging. The Labyrinth project included guided rock painting lessons for the kids while the mamas worked in the park. All the community participants had the opportunity to express on a rock painted with art: their emotions, feelings and thoughts. We chose a Labyrinth because it is our way to acknowledge that we live on native land and Native Americans believe that each human being is traveling through life as if through a maze, taking many turns while growing stronger and wiser. That is my desire for my community. Yes, underserved communities face a lot of issues but that does not define us because in unity we are strong and resilient. Leading with the heart, this labyrinth became a possibility, then a reality, community-made for you to enjoy. Yadira Flores, Project Leader 
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Our Story: The Shady Ladies Team
One evening in the fall 2019, our Neighborhood Book Club gathered to discuss the book The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis. This is a story about the power of a motivated group who joined together to improve a community project and has inspired us to do the same. We’ve chosen to work together to enhance a place we all love and that is used daily by our community – Felt Street Park. There is a broad spectrum of users enjoying the park at any given time: toddlers and school age kids playing in the playground, teens in the skate park, families and friends celebrating birthdays, soccer practices, people of all ages enjoying a stroll or bike ride around the field, gathering for bocce ball games, or simply enjoying a picnic on the lawn. But unfortunately, Felt Street Park lacks shade, and on warm days there’s no place for people to retreat from the sun. Two of the trees have died and were removed, and there is no shade structure for people to take cover. This is an opportunity for our community to come together, replace these 2 trees, build a shade structure, and ensure everyone of all generations can gather year-round in safety, relaxation, and fun. Our Neighborhood Book Club has joined with County Park Friends who have worked hard to improve several parks in the Santa Cruz County area. We invite you to join our team to achieve this much needed goal of creating shade for Felt Street Park. Help us “THROW THE SHADE” – Lets do this! In gratitude, The Shady Ladies 
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