Dear Friends,

As we approach the end of 2024, I find myself reflecting on a year that has been both challenging and transformative.

This festive season, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you—our cherished friends and supporters. This has been a heavy year for many, and the idea of celebration may feel antithetical to the world around us.

It is hard for me to reconcile the delight I’m experiencing in preparing for a family Christmas while the world is ablaze, enveloping millions in trauma. In these times of profound difficulty, the importance of community has never been more evident.

As we gather with friends and family this festive season, let us take a moment to reflect on the value and gift of these connections. May this time provide space to consider what we hold dear in our local community and resolve to welcome a new year with a replenished wellspring that can feed our strength as we do our best to hold space for those pushed to the margins, amplify the voices not heard, and embrace new friends who surprise and challenge us.

Our 2025 Festival is a beacon of hope, showcasing the resilience and creativity of artists who dared to make sense of the chaos around us. This festive season, I will strive to bear witness to the truth of what’s happening worldwide and face those painful realities with a daring abundance of hope and love.

Please be kind and forgiving to yourself and those around you this summer; we need each other.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a hopeful 2025.

Your friend,

Vernon Guest
CEO, Ten Days on the Island