Zach Hovland, Ananda
by Josie Ruiz, Ananda House Leader
Zach Hovland was born in Seattle and has lived in Tacoma his whole life. He is a big part of the local community since he participates in multiple sports like softball and basketball for Special Olympics Washington. He has been a part of the L’Arche Community and has been working with L’Arche Farm and Gardens for the last 15 years.
He really enjoys helping with the chickens and working with plants. When he isn’t working hard at work on the Farm, he is watching sports, hanging with friends, or enjoying leisure activities like playing with his model trains. Anyone who has ever met Zach has definitely also met his orange puppet named Red. They are always being kind to friends and helping out others. Zach moved into our L’Arche homes this week and we can’t wait for him to grow with us even more and share his gifts with community!
Charice Bright, Care Coordinator
by Anthony Ruiz, Farmhouse Assistant
Charice arrived at L’Arche Tahoma Hope in 2020, right in the middle of COVID. I’m sure starting in a pandemic wasn’t exactly the easiest or best experience for her, but she stuck around and I’m really glad she did.
Over the years, I’ve gotten to see the kind of person Charice is and all the gifts she brings with her. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Charice is her creativity. She’s made so many things around the house and put her own little touches into it. Once she even made a KISS band cake for Les’ birthday. Those things might seem small to some people, but they really do make a difference and help make the house feel more like a home.
I’m really happy to see her moving into the new role of Care Coordinator, and I know the leadership team sees and appreciates everything she’s done here over the years. She’s given a lot of herself to this place, and I think that deserves to be recognized.
I’m so glad Charice stuck around! I’m proud of her and excited to see what she does in her new role.
