Thanks for your patience while the Meristem Monitor underwent an upgrade over the summer and a slow relaunch process. For those new to the Monitor, this is a volunteer effort to promote news sharing within the Meristem community. It began as a parent/student project with lots of support from staff and was published for 18 months. Relaunching after a hiatus, we may need a few weeks to iron out some kinks before being published on a regular basis. Today’s issue introduces several new offerings at Meristem and the autumn/winter calendar. Any comments or questions can be directed at news@meristem.pro.

The day program has launched with nearly 60 students exploring crafts, land work, movement, music, and numerous other offerings. Upcoming events include:

• A field trip last week to Apple Hill, a village of apple farms in Placerville about 40 minutes away in the Sierra foothills. Students will be going in two shifts, one half on Tuesday October 28, and half on Wednesday October 29;
• A Halloween celebration day on Friday October 31. All students, whether they’ve enrolled in the lunch program or not, are invited to a special menu, and the day will be filled with lots of fun activities. Students are encouraged to dress up as staff will do so as well.
• A Halloween evening party beginning at 5 p.m. Friday for ILS/Dorm students is open to day program students, work skills students, and alumni. An outside group has planned lots of activities.

Shea Smith, Day Program Director, reminds students and parents that autumn and winter in Sacramento can be very wet and cold. As Meristem is a land-based program students are spending a lot of time out of doors and should have clothing and gear suitable for that including boots or rain-worthy shoes, a poncho, a hat, perhaps an umbrella (though mark your name on it. Lots of black umbrellas end up in lost and found).

Work skills has a new focus this year. A small group of Meristem students have moved from the main program to the work skills program where they spend three days a week working one-on-one with support building skills for a successful transition to work or school. Some students have jobs now and the program continues to support the student and employer. Other students are looking for work. Several are also taking classes at community college.

To compensate, our team has grown as well. Eduardo Enriquez, Alyssa Costa, Michaela Cigelske, and Ilai Sirak all joined the work skills department over this summer Michaela spends much of her free time perfecting her culinary skills. Alyssa’s green thumb has her house filled with all manner of flora. Eduardo has experience teaching swimming in San Francisco. Ilai is currently attending college courses for a computer science degree. These four join existing work skills members: Director Eric Steward, Coordinator Marissa Way, Demetrio, Harry, Richard, Holden. For any additional questions about the work skills department and its new focus, contact Eric Steward (eric@meristem.pro) or Marissa Way (mw@meristem.pro).

Voices of Community: Neurodiversity in Life and at Work had its latest episode drop on October 23. This podcast was developed by former student Harry Lane, who now works for Meristem’s work skills department. Tune in to hear hosts Erin and Harry speak with TAP graduate Sarah Howard about her later-in-life autism diagnosis, common barriers students and employees may face, and more. Link to this and earlier episodes are available at Meristem’s Home Page. You can also watch full episodes on YouTube.

Executive Director Erin Schirm holds monthly Zoom meetings with parents and family members on the third Wednesday of each month. At the most recent meeting, he introduced Debbie Murad of Beach Cities Gateway, an operation that offers mental health counseling and life coaching to neurodiverse young adults. She is based in Southern California but may be offering coaches to clients in other parts of the state. Her company is described at https://www.beachcitiesgateway.com. The next parent Zoom meeting is Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. Links are provided, and tape recordings available after the meeting. Contact: Salina, Salinas@meristem.pro

Feast of Wreaths. Development staff Zoe and Gavin are hard at work with final sponsorship sales for the annual Feast of Wreaths fundraising dinner. This year’s special event is being held Friday, December 5, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on campus. This is a gala dinner featuring a notable chef, auctions, cocktails and other events. This will be the fourth year and it has sold out every year. Feast of Wreaths is an important fundraiser for the program and sponsorships are available. Any help that you can give, volunteering, donating items for auction, or purchasing sponsorships and bringing potential donors to the event is appreciated. For more information on sponsorships, contact Zoe Fishman, Development Director, zoef@meristem.pro; for contributions to the auction contact Gavin Sellers, Development Coordinator, gavins@meristem.pro; for volunteering contact Twyla Teitzel, twylat@meristem.pro. More information is available here.

The Cafe launched a new menu last week and has extended its public hours to Wednesday through Friday 11:30 AM to 12PM, all while still providing meals for Meristem students. Some of the new menu seasonal items include:

• Chef Randy’s Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup (add Italian sausage)
• Caroline’s Beet Salad with dried apricots, blueberries, seeds, and greens (optional add grilled chicken)
• Meristem Burger made from beef chuck, brisket and short rib, with all the fixings (add bacon)
• The Meristem Club, a delicious layered sandwich on gluten free bread with pesto aioli (add avocado smash)
• Gnocchi (gluten-free) with heirloom tomatoes sugo and basil puree (add Italian sausage or grilled chicken)
• Street Tacos prepared with shredded beef barbacoa consommé and house pickled red onion

And, the cafe also features plenty of baked goods, including Ethan’s Flourless Chocolate Cake.

New public hours are 11:30-2, Wednesday thru Friday. Make reservations at reservations@meristem.pro.

Download a menu here.

The annual Winter Faire craft event and open house will be held this year Saturday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s event will also include an evening Wreath Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. This is such a wonderful event, open to the public and free to all, that celebrates the creativity that is part of Meristem and community. Staff and student artists sell their hand-made wares as well as those from the community. Many sold out last year. The event also includes luncheon options and baked goods prepared by Meristem’s culinary program, live entertainment, and activities. Purchases all benefit Meristem’s students.

RVSP to attend here https://secure.qgiv.com/for/meristem/event/winterfaire/. Or consider becoming a sponsor: Main Stage $3,000; Artisan Market $1,500; Craft Activity $750. Sponsorships are also available for the wreath walk: Corporate Wreath Sponsor $500 and Community Wreath Sponsor $250.

Pre-Order Your Fall Herbal Arts Gift Box!

The next Meristem Herbal Arts Gift Box is almost here — filled with small-batch, handcrafted teas, bath and body products, and herbal blends created by students in our Herbal Arts program.

Each box captures the spirit of the season — nurturing, natural, and made with purpose. Every purchase directly supports Meristem students as they develop vocational skills and creativity through hands-on learning.

Perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself
Pre-orders open now through November (while supplies last!)

Reserve yours before this limited batch sells out.
Order your box today