2020 Year in Review
The world faced many unanticipated challenges in 2020. When plans were cancelled and we all moved indoors, when we worried for the safety of our community and our livelihoods, it was our task as a Guild to step up. From facilitating accessible conversations about the impact of COVID-19, to creating engaging online content that maybe helped us retain a bit of normalcy, the CRG is still roasting in these times of uncertainty.
Our 2020 Year in Review is a look back on all we got up to - and went through - together as a Guild in one of the most memorable years of our lifetimes.
Read the CRG’s 2020 Year in Review here
A message from JEN APODACA
I do not think I am alone in saying that 2020 really shook me to my core As 2019 drew to a close, I reflected on the progress we made and what obstacles remained in our way. The CRG was now a global council, but how would that manifest in the lives of our membership. As regional guilds, physical events took center stage and required several hours of volunteer time and effort. I knew that the challenge for the CRG would be to learn how to truly serve a global community.
Then the pandemic hit, the world shutdown, and we all became physically and emotionally isolated. The feeling of helplessness was everywhere. At this defining moment, I am very proud of my colleagues for pulling together and creating a sense of community and focusing on what we can do instead of what we can’t do. We reorganized and focused on our Mission & Goals realizing that is the relationships we create that give us the most strength. The absence of physical events meant we had to be creative and that put new energy and life into our work. It also erased a bar of exclusivity and created inclusive platforms where all are invited to participate. Sensory Summit was previously an exclusive event that was physically limited to 100 participants because of the space as well as being difficult to attend because of travel restrictions and the price of registration. This year we held a sold out event that allowed 300 participants to taste samples and learn from Canada, the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico for a fraction of the price.
2020 is casting quite a large shadow and many of us are still ruled by financial uncertainty. That being said, I do believe that the future is bright. I hope to see more collaborations, for our community to grow larger and the bonds that keep us together to become stronger.
Jen Apodaca, 2020 CRG Chair
