“The business of business is relationships; the business of life is human connection” – Robin Sharma.
At The Orinda Association, we encourage community connections in all of our programs and have been doing so while servicing the Orinda community since 1946. An organization that’s been around that long starts to hit some lofty milestones.
This year we celebrate our 40th July 4th Parade and 20th Classic Car Show – two of Orinda’s largest community events. These free public events present the perfect opportunity to venture to the center of town and celebrate with your neighbors, fostering connections between community members, our primary purpose.
As July 4th approaches, we encourage you to gather your friends, neighbors and teammates to march in the parade. Or you can simply come down on the morning of the 4th to enjoy our new breakfast burritos and stay for the parade! Hats off this year to Steve Harwood, parade announcer for 32 years, and Andy Radlow, parade logistics coordinator for 11 years.
We also believe in including youth to shape our community connections. That’s why we continue the tradition of student T-shirt design contests for the July 4th Parade and the Classic Car Show. It was a pleasure to meet the two talented winning artists, Kellen Ha, a fourth grader from Wagner Ranch, and Sam Cao, a sophomore from Miramonte. Their art, along with all the submissions, can be viewed on our website showcasing the creativity and talent of our young community members. Visit orindaassociation.org.
One of the hallmarks of the community connections fostered by The OA is our free senior ride program, Seniors Around Town (SAT), now in its 19th year. The human connections made during these short car trips are cherished by both the volunteers and the riders.
The longevity of our volunteer drivers, with an average of 5.5 years, is a testament to the rewarding nature of this program. In our ongoing efforts to enhance our services, we’ve introduced a new software program for SAT. This software will streamline operations, improve communication, and most importantly, continue to connect volunteer drivers and our seniors, further strengthening our community bonds.
Please join us in celebration and service to the Orinda community this coming year!