Last Saturday, Robyn Winks (LMFT) and Chris Perrault lead a meeting at Town Hall to launch their new project, Idyllwild Love. Fifteen other community members gathered in a circle to help the sponsors brainstorm. Present were members of Idyllwild Community Center, Idyllwild Fire Protection District, the Idyllwild Help Center, Friends of the Idyllwild Library, Friends of the Idyllwild Nature Center, Rotary, Spirit Mountain Retreat and others. Winks and Perrault are planning a first public event, a Town Hall Social, or a series of three, starting Saturday, July 15.

The intention of the project is to enable community and foster interpersonal relationships. Winks lead a series of community mental health workshops last summer as part of Idyllwild Forest Health Project’s continued engagement with Idyllwild’s environmental and social well-being.

Many people come to Idyllwild for the sense of community, meeting neighbors instead of strangers everywhere they go. The pandemic strained many connections, and many local organizations are experiencing “aging out,” as older members pass away or become less active and a new generation is needed to take up the torch. The events, and Idyllwild Love, aim to help anyone wishing for more involvement with their fellows to find out what the town has to offer.

Winks directs attention to the Harvard Adult Development Study, a longitudinal study started in the 1930s, showing that the quality of our relationships with other people is the key to a long and healthy life. The study’s current directors have published their findings in a book, “The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.”

The aim of Idyllwild Love is to introduce more Idyllwilders to two types of organizations: recreational common interest groups and volunteer-driven community service groups. The group considered various sectors of its “target” audience, including elders, youth, newcomers, families with children and new businesses. The project is still in the idea phase, and Winks heard many suggestions, including an Idyllwild Welcome Wagon, separate sections or days for different groups, free food, moving the event to IdyPark, a series of “TED-type” talks, “IDY talks.” Those with long experience organizing local events shared practical concerns about organization and communication.

Afterward, Winks wrote, “The intended focus is to recognize that the coming together is the gold we want to mine. It’s camaraderie and relationships that Idyllwild offers in great abundance … (T)his is the key that opens the door to a lifetime of well-being. And you have to join in to benefit from it. The next step is to talk with more recent transplants to find out what would be most helpful to them in a community meeting.”