The Teaching Well empowers school systems to more effectively support, retain and leverage the brilliance of their educators. In partnership, we heal adult culture by providing tools for healthy dialogue, emotional regulation and stress resilience.
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The Teaching Well is a non-profit that was started by teachers for teachers. We believe that the health and well being of educators makes a critical difference in school culture, teacher retention, and the lives of students. We are committed to cultivating healthy, resilient educators by providing a variety of experiential, somatic-based workshops and in person offerings for educators, school sites and districts.
Operating as usual
"Self awareness doesn't stop you from making mistakes it allows you to learn from them." -Unknown During
this difficult time, we are all making mistakes. What are you learning about yourself in the process?
#learning #selfawareness #wecandohardthings #mistakesareforlearning #leadbyexample
"Listen. Put on morning.
Waken into falling light."
-W.S. Graham
What is Mindfulness?
A state of awareness and a practice
It involves attending to the present moment and
cultivating an attitude of curiosity, openness and
acceptance of one’s experience.
It involves presence, and intentionality
It is a secular (non-religious) practice and is backed by
compelling scientific evidence.
#teacherwellbeing #healthyworkplace #mindfulmentoring #tapthewellwithin #educatorwellbeing #mindfulnesspractice #teacherinspiration #fillyourwell #radicalacceptance #somaticexperiencing #regulate4resilience
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Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
Why do we practice Mindfulness as Educators?
It decreases stress levels, symptoms of anxiety and depression. It increases emotional well-being and self compassion; lowers propensity for self harm
It also promotes healthier responses to difficult
situations including reduction of Implicit bias and increases our compassionate responses to others.
#teacherssupportingteachers #teacherwellbeing #healthyworkplace #mentalhealthawareness #mindfulmentoring #tapthewellwithin #educationforliberation #healigourselvestohealtheworld #educatorwellbeing #selfcareforsocialchange #selfcarefortherealworld #mindfulnesspractice #teacherinspiration #putonyourownoxygenmaskfirst #educatorsustainability #youareworthit #educateliberatelaboroflove #teacherstransformingtheworld #teachersfollowteachers #healthyschools #healyourself #findyourmedicineanduseit #humanizingeducation #radicalselfcare #radicalmindfulness #elementaryteacher #highschoolteacher #middleschoolteacher #fillyourwell #regulate4resilience
Here's a simple practice to help with anxiety: Stair Step Breathing
Begin inhalation with a series of short pauses: inhale-pause, inhale-pause, inhale-pause. Continue this until the lungs are full. The diaphragm and abdomen should remain firm after each pause.
Imagine you are breathing up a set of stairs.
On the completion of the interrupted inhalation, exhale smoothly and slowly until the lungs are empty. Do not strain. Practice 11 rounds, the relax and breath normally.
#breathingpractice #teacherssupportingteachers #anxietyrelief #educatorwellbeing
My acupuncturist once recommended I eat more fermented foods and gave me a recipe to make "curtido," a Salvadoran cabbage slaw made with finely shredded cabbage, red onion, carrot, oregano, and vinegar. Little did she know that is one of my ancestral foods. It never ceases to amaze me how our ancestors knew exactly what foods to use to nourish their bodies and keep themselves healthy. Here is the colorful outcome at my first try at making it at home! I also pickled some carrots and beets.
INGREDIENTS IN CURTIDO:
cabbage
red onion
carrot
jalapeno
oregano
salt
vinegar
What ancestral foods make you feel nourished and happy?
photo by Margarita Acosta
#sustainableresourcing #homemade #salvadorena #wholefoods #fermentedfoods #healthyteachers
On This Day
this is a day without chairs
a day where all the rooms melt together
and there are only corners/corners and humming
wishes and slight breeze
brushing you like palms
this is a day of prayers
a day of painful breaking/a day of peace beneath
a day of arms
of hands
eyes and quiet windows
i wish you love from your mother backwards
i wish you deep tunnels without fear
i wish you children’s laughter
i wish you cactus flowers
i wish you moonlight
i wish you real eyes
i wish you a hand across your back/soft like when you were a child
i wish you tears
i wish you clean
i wish you angels in conference around your bed holding you
so there is no space for me even to touch you/just watch
i wish your mother watching
i wish you abalone dreams
i wish you peace
i wish you doves in your kitchen
moonlight in your bathroom
candles when your eyes close and dawn when they open
i wish you so many arms across your shoulders
so many lips kissing your ears that you smile from the inconvenience
i wish you all your babies’ love attacking the center of your heart
just so you know they are there
i wish you banisters, railings, and arms around your waist
i wish you training wheels, i wish you strong shoes
i wish you water o i wish you water
through your feet flowing like a stream
and i wish you hammocks
and melon on your eyes
strawberries in your mouth
and fingers in your hand
fingers in your hand all day
through this house
on this day with no rooms
only corners
and an uncommon breeze
By: Ruth Forman
#iwishyou #poetry #inspiration #everydaylife #abalonedreams #seeingwithneweyes #mindfulmentoring #teacherssupportingteachers
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Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash
"Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think." - Buddha
#teachersarerolemodels #growthmindset #mindfulness #mindfulmentoring #innerknowing #innerlistening #knowledgeseekers #educationoftheheart #educationofthemind
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Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash
How to Listen Mindfully
Reflect back what is being said. Use their words not
yours.
Begin where they are, not where you want them to
be.
Be curious and open to what they are trying to say.
Notice what they are saying and what they are
not.
Emotionally relate to how they are feeling. Nurture
the interaction.
#teacherssupportingteachers #getcurious #listen #deepen #adultsel #relationshipsmatter #teacherselfcare
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Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash
"Exhaustion will not create liberation." [email protected]
Did you know that stress is actually a neutral term? It just means the desire to act or perform.
Our bodies thrive on a balanced amount of rest and stress.
From a physiological point of view, stress can be thought of in terms of eustress (good stress) and distress (negative stress).
When we start to move into distress, it can take as little as 5-10 minutes to settle the nervous system and move back into the creative calm.
How do you like to care for yourself when you start to feel the effects of distress on your body?
#humanfunctioncurve #mapofthehumanheart #stressresilience
EVERY Child deserves a Black educator. Black History Month is technically over, but we must learn how to better support our Black Colleagues all year long. How has your school site been successful in working towards recruiting, hiring and retaining Black educators?
Black teachers are more likely to leave the profession than their White peers, but there are steps White allies can take to encourage them to stay.
“The plant people have taught me to be generous and not be shy about blossoming, that it is our nature. I think when others see us, it can inspire them to open up and blossom too and we can be a field ablaze with dignity and beauty together.” -Brenda Salgado
#blossom #springiscoming #teacherssupportingteachers
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Photo by dorota dylka on Unsplash
We believe every human has the right to a regulated nervous system. Our youth have the right to adults with regulated nervous systems to co-regulate to. Therefore, taking the time to rest is good for everyone.
Nourish your nervous system with this simple sensory deprivation practice!
Sensory deprivation is when you “deprive” your senses of all stimulus, such as light, sound, touch, etc. Sensory deprivation is a great way for your body to fully relax, your brain to refresh and for you to take a moment, disconnect and be with yourself. This technique is commonly used in meditation, as it allows easier access to deeper meditative states.
You don't need to pay to go to a fancy float tank to fully relax into nothingness. If you have a bathtub and some epsom salts, this is a lovely place to practice, OR you could also do it right on your bedroom floor. Put on your softest, comfiest clothing, pop in some ear plugs and cover your eyes with an eye mask or wash cloth and enjoy the silence.
#nourishyournervoussystem #sensorydeprivation #you'reworthit #fillyourwell #educatorwellness #stressreduction #restasresistanceh
Made these tasty tofu tacos last night! My favorite part is flipping the tortillas on the open flame on the stove top.
Ingredients:
corn tortillas
tofu marinated in soy sauce
black beans
pickled cabbage
pickled carrots
avocado
salt
pepper
Salsa Valentina
What are in YOUR favorite tacos?
#wholefoods #californialivin' #healthyteacher #sustainableresourcing
"Smile, breathe, go slowly..." Thich Nhat Hanh
Blue text on a white background.
#mindfulnesspractice #breathe #humancentered #healthypeoplehealsystems
“I feel like the goal posts keep moving. Normally, I’m like a volcano. Big feelings come up and out, then five minutes later it is gone. But recently I am an underground festering magma chamber, unable to find that release. “- School Administrator
Our work aims to create space where before there was stuckness
to unveil the layers of protection we have built around ourselves
To become fully at peace with the uncertainty
To reconnect us to what is alive in our bodies even as we are navigating constant change, fear, and conflict
#bigfeelings #emotionalintelligence #reconnectingtoself #beingpresentwithwhatarises
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Photo by Buzz Andersen on Unsplash
We're Hiring! The Deputy Director will work in close coordination with the Executive Director to set vision aligned with our values; execute the vision with diligence to the human, operational, and financial vitality of our organization; and lead training and coaching sessions with school and district leaders throughout the country.
For more details visit: http://www.theteachingwell.org/join-our-team
#joinourteam #valuesdrivenworkplace #theteachingwell #teacherssupportingteachers #healthyworkplace
As we navigate the collective trauma of our times, building an awareness of our own nervous systems can support us in creating a culture of resilience.
"This [Professional Development on Moving Trauma to Transformation] allowed me to take a moment to step back and observe what my trigger points are and things I can do to step back and re-center myself. I also feel like I have a more robust understanding of what trauma means and why it's something I don't experience alone." -Oakland Educator
#yourenotalone #stressresilience #traumahealing #teacherssupportingteachers
Wishing all the teachers a weekend full of love equal in measure to the love you shower upon your students!
#loveabounds #teachersdeservelovetoo
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Photo by Fadi Xd on Unsplash
Wild Goose Counseling
Stop your scrolling! Check in with yourself- are your basic needs being met ?
Do you need a snack?
To process a big emotion?
To connect with another human?
Do you need a break?
Many of us have used this handy dandy acronym to check in with our students, but when was the last time you used it on yourself?
#putyourownoxygenmaskonfirst #selfcare #teacherssupportingteachers #teacherselfcare #mindfulnesspractice
Got computer fatigue? Try this simple practice!
Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
It can be that simple to give your eyes the break they need.
How else do you like to build in breaks into your day?
#mindfulnesspractice #computerfatigue #takeabreak #stressmanagement #teacherssupportingteachers
What have you been learning about yourself through these times of so much uncertainty?
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"I can move deep into uncertainty because I have cultivated the capacity, one, to hold the space of uncertainty and secondly I am so connected to the meaning, the value, the wisdom of uncertainty. So then uncertainty becomes a teacher and a guide.” @Lama Rod Owens
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#mindfulnesspractice #movingthroughuncertainty #Lamarodowens #somaticalignment #healingisaverb
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Photo by Dalton Touchberry on Unsplash
Learning about our history is an integral part of our wellness.
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"Ethnic studies is a way of being in the world that centers wellness by focusing on the most wounded first. There is nothing that is about the exclusion of others. It's a choice to prioritize those who have been deprioritized." -Jeff Duncan-Andrade
#healthysystemshealpeople #bringbackethnicstudies #teacherssupportingteachers #learnourhistory #healingroots
"The Teaching Well adapts to joy, growth and collective liberation."
We're proud of the ways in which we have shifted to supporting our educator community virtually, meeting this moment with our full presence and creativity.
#joy #growth #collectiveliberation #teacherssupportingteachers #bandingtogether
"Whatever we give thanks for, we water. Where we give gratitude, we grow." -B**g Lau
What are you grateful for in this moment?
I'm grateful for snow outside and a warm place to be inside. Also the sound of my partner's voice working in the other room.
#gratitudepractice #teacherssupportingteachers #newcoworkers #winterreflections
"Stand still.
The trees ahead and the bushes beside you
Are not lost.
Wherever you are is called
Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes.
Listen.
It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying
Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or bush does is lost to you,
You are surely lost.
Stand still.
The forest knows Where you are.
You must let it find you."
~David Wagoner
#beherenow #davidwagoner #poetryofnow #reconnect
On Work
"You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the soul of the earth.
For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the seasons, and to step out of life's procession, that marches in majesty and proud submission towards the infinite.
When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music.
Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?
Always you have been told that work is a curse and a labor, a misfortune.
But I say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of earth's furthest dream, assigned to you when that dream was born,
And in keeping yourself with labor you are in truth loving life,
And to love life through labor is to be intimate with life's inmost secret.
But if you in your pain call birth an affliction and the support of the flesh a curse written upon your brow, then I answer that naught but the sweat of your brow shall wash away that which is written.
You have been told also life is darkness, and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.
And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God.
And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth."
poem from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
#work #lifeforce #whatbringsyoualive #whattheworldneeds #laboroflove #create
“If it isn’t healing, it isn’t justice.” - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
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#healing #justice #connection #educationforliberation
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Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
“As we seek this healing, let us do so with the knowledge that oneness is not sameness. It is the transcendence of our differences and the weaving of our diverse expressions into a tapestry that is harmonized and aligned with common purpose.” ― Sherri Mitchell, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change
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#teachingwithpurpose #findyournorthstar #healing #transformativeeducation #teacherssupportingteachers
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Photo by bradford zak on Unsplash
"There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it."-excerpt from @amandagorman 's inaugural poem "The Hill We Climb"
Educators, how are you holding space for your students to process and understand this historic moment?
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#rolemodels #youth #poetry #inauguration2021
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APTOPIX Biden Inauguration
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Oakland, CA
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Our programming model consists of a three-year suite of professional development, alongside regular 1:1 mentoring for administrators and teachers focused on well-being and sustainability. In addition, we offer data-driven feedback on teacher retention and strategic consulting on systemic transformation.
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Send a message to The Teaching Well:
Somatics, embodiment and sustainability.
Teachers, this is for you. Thank you. Whether smaller class sizes, better wages or more resources for kids brings you to the picket line, thank you for lifting your voice and taking collective action to transform the system. We know the budgets many of you are on to take this stand, we know the rush to F&P test before missing school to focus on student achievement, we know how many of your have the desire to be on the front lines AND with your kids at the same time. Thank you for all the choices you had to make. And now it is time for the community to support you. Watch for some movement, mindfulness and connection!
Offering support to teachers on the front line with my toughest teacher, my daughter! Stay well so you can stay in the fights that matter, and release the ones that don't! #redfored, #selfcare& #socialjustice #teachersmatter #theteachingwell
Kelly and Candice live discussing the current teacher movement and how all educators can effectively self care while fighting for what they and their students need to sustain in the long term
Happy New Year! Its been wonderful to reconnect with my clients this week. My teachers are renewed and excited to be back with students, which makes me so happy! A theme we've been exploring is the idea of "intention." An intention is different than a goal and both have their purpose. Goals provide timelines, structure and accountability. I think of intentions as the deeper why, the values that guide our overall action or ways of being. You might think of an intention as a value in action. Goals are finite and specific; intentions are spacious and can be expressed moment to moment or over a longer period of time. They are that which guides us, grounds us and anchors us as we pursue our passions and goals. And for teachers who struggle with anxiety and/or overwhelm (which is many of us who hold high expectations for ourselves), focusing on our intentions can be an accessible way to move forward in a moment of difficulty, and/or a way to chart a new path ahead that feels compassionate, with room for error and reinvention. Intentions work well when they are simple, meaningful and easily remembered. I am carrying forward my intentions from 2018 into 2019, and I am capturing them with a phrase "cultivating joy and ease." As I work hard as a mother, teacher advocate and mindful mentor, I cultivate joy in my practice and ease in the midst of effort and change. Do you use intention setting in your teaching or wellness practice? How do you set intentions with your teams, students, families and colleagues? What hopes and intentions guide you in this new year? #intentionbegetsimpact #teachwell #bewell #theteachingwell
Winter Break Wellness! Exploring Ways for teachers to reset, release and restore over the winter break!
Fuel + Grow The Teaching Well this #GivingTuesday! In two years, we've saved our public schools over $1 million in turnover related costs by helping educators shift from a burnout to a sustainabilty mindset. Help us help teachers #tapthewellwithin! https://igg.me/at/theteachingwell2018
Live Mindful Mentoring with Candice on the Topic of Gratitude as part of mindfulness and sustainability!
Mindful mentoring live today from 6-6:30pm! Join us in a discussion on teacher wellness and sustainability in October. I will answer comments/questions in the last 10 minutes, and add a few resources in the comments! Candice Rose
Had a wonderful time today at the Teachers 4 Social Justice conference. Connecting with new and old friends, mentees, former students, professors and colleagues filled me with appreciation for our community of justice oriented educators here in the bay, and hope for what the future holds. I believe that wellness is ultimately both the root and the goal of justice - that all people are free, supported, sustained and seen in their full humanity. We fight for justice because all people, all communities deserve to be well. We believe that the work of sustaining educators begins now, we cannot wait for the perfect conditions to be attained...we need our visionary educators, here in body and spirit, for the work that lies ahead. We create the future in our own image - so we must see ourselves as whole, healthy, connected, resourced and empowered TODAY. #mindfulmentoring #teachers4socialjustice #community #wellness #teachwell #bewell #theteachingwell
Mindful Mentoring Live!
Juliana Santos is one of the powerful school leaders at @caminonuevocharteracademy Burlington Campus. Here she shares how our four-day leadership retreat this summer shifted her perspective around personal well-being in her work. We love you, Burlington! And to the rest of you out there— our on your oxygen mask FIRST! 🌀
Teachers! Check out this amazing self-soothing practice from @yoga_steward. A simple, effective, and beautiful way to get back in touch with YOU✨🌀You can even try it with your students! #selfcare #yogapractice #mindfulnessinschools #mindfulnessmonday #selfsoothing #yogaforteachers #teachersofinstagram #teachforchange #selflove #breathe #teachersdoyoga #meditation🙏 #justbreath
Our executive director Kelly Knoche doing a happy dance at our Futures and CUES school sites. Happy Friday, teachers— the first Friday of the year. We LOVE YOU! Do a happy dance with us. Well-being is more than nutrition and stress resilience- it can be dancing too! #teachforchange #wellbeingwarrior #wellbeing #resilience #danceitout #selflove #happydance #happyfriday #weloveyou #dancedancedance @kelly_knoche
Feeling the papers pile up? Three tips for Mindful organization during the October hustle! #theteachingwell #mindfulteaching
ED Kelly Knoche and board member Candice Walker looking for new amazing board members at Board Match in San Francisco!
#Repost @ariannahuff with @repostapp ・・・ @sherylsandberg: "When I became a mother, I realized how important sleep was to my children as they were growing up. If they missed a nap, if they didn’t get a good night’s sleep, everything was harder. And if they had a good night’s sleep, everything was easy. And I realized that even though I was an adult, I’m the same way! When I get a good night’s sleep, whatever the challenges are, I can keep it in check and handle it. When I don’t get a good night’s sleep, those same challenges feel really hard and I don’t do as well. I make mistakes, I get more upset, I don’t handle things as well as I do when I get a good night of sleep." #sleepmatters #sleep #healthyteachers #opportunity #edreform #wellbeingwednesday #thrive #teachersgotosleep!
We are incredibly grateful to @Uproxx for their video feature on the work we are doing to reverse teacher turnover in the American Education system. Check it out! And join us for a workshop this fall- October 15/16 in LA and November 5/6 in Oakland. ・・・ Nearly 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years. @theteachingwell is turning that around... #UproxxReports • • • #teachers #selfcare #wellness #teacherturnover #sustainability #humanizingeducation #healthcare #health #education #revolution #socialchange
Our amazing nutritionist Erica (@mytruewellness) giving a Back to School Nutrition for Teachers PD-- #teachers what you eat on any given day makes a HUGE difference in your well-being and ability to teach with presence and compassion. Take care of yourself!! Whole foods are best. #healthyteachershappystudents #nomoreteacherburnout #tapthewellwithin #nutrition
Our Back-to-School Fundraising Campaign is now LIVE at theteachingwell.mydagsite.com! Can you give the gift of wellness to ONE teacher this year? Our goal: $15,000 before school starts! Join the movement and #tapthewellwithin!
Today we are finalizing the video voiceover for our upcoming Crowdfunding Campaign! The Teaching Well needs YOUR help to serve 500 educators in Oakland and Los Angeles this year. Check back August 1 to invest in teacher sustainability and well-being! Many thanks to Steve Shuster at steveshuster.com for his unending support in creating our campaign. . . . #teachersofinstagram #teacherwellness #teachersustainability #putonyourownoxygenmaskfirst #iteachtoo #teachersfollowteachers #nonprofit #mindfulschools #healthyteachersarehappyteachers #tapthewellwithin
The Teaching Well works in partnership with schools to more effectively support, retain, and leverage the brilliance of their educators. Together, we heal adult culture and create thriving school ecosystems by providing tools for healthy dialogue, emotional regulation, and mindful stress resilience.
We believe that transformation of our public school system relies on the millions of adults who lead within it, and that when these adults are healthy, emotionally regulated, and empowered, all children will thrive.
Our programming model consists of a three-year suite of professional development, alongside regular 1:1 mentoring for administrators and teachers focused on well-being and sustainability. In addition, we offer data-driven feedback on teacher retention and strategic consulting on systemic transformation.
Quetzal Lingua Interpreting and Publishing
94601-1313Creature Comfort Holistic Veterinary Center
2501 MacArthur BlvdOYE: Oakland Youth Engaged at The Unity Counc
1900 Fruitvale AveTehama County Elder Services Coordinating Cou
Meet at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Red BluffAnewAmerica Community Corporation
1470 Fruitvale AvenueSpanish Speaking Citizens' Foundation (SSCF)
1470 Fruitvale AveTag & Title Vehicle Registrations DMV
1206 Fruitvale AveCésar E. Chávez Branch Library
3301 E 12th St, Ste 271
NCNC Youth and Outdoor Ministries
401 Roland Way #260
Temescal Telegraph Business District - Oaklan
490 43rd Street