Meet Lorenzo Aguayo Jr | Core Committee Volunteer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lorenzo Aguayo Jr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lorenzo, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Being attentive to the community that surrounds us. It’s crucial for the DAAC to be open and transparent while understanding what the community needs from us. The DAAC exists because of the community and we are nothing without the people that make this venue so special.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My first experience with the DAAC was at an event that I played called “Pack the Pub” held at Creston Brewing. I wanted to be part of growing the music scene in hopes of it becoming even more inclusive and open for artists to express themselves. This is the core of what the DAAC is so I started volunteering shortly after the event.

The DAAC gave my band an amazing opportunity to express ourselves and show our talents. I felt validated, I felt like I had a community, and I felt supported during that event. I wanted to help others feel like I did in the local GR music and art scene. The DAAC frequently helps musicians and artists put together their first music show or art exhibit. We consider ourselves an arts incubator.

Shortly after volunteering for some time I moved into a core committee position. There isn’t an official title other than “Core Committee volunteer” but I’ve worked on grants, developed processes, opened up for music shows, helped onboard new volunteers, worked through finances and taxes, and worked on other planning activities.

The DAAC has hosted hundreds of local music shows and artists events. We’ve had a lot of great moments but have been struggling with our volunteer base since the pandemic. We are purely volunteer based and we can’t run any events without volunteers. That of course makes it difficult to keep up with rent and utilities bills. A low volunteer base puts a lot pressure on the already existing volunteers to show up more often than they are able to. This is a passion project for everyone so we put in as much time as we can outside of our regular jobs and life responsibilities.

The DAAC recently held a community meeting to ask for additional help because we are struggling to stay afloat. The community answered the call and we have had some new people join! The DAAC is still restructuring and will monitor if this is still sustainable in the coming months. The DAAC exists because of the community and to serve the community. We don’t have any investors, we don’t have one person making decisions, and we are all volunteering because we love the local music and art community!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The DAAC is located in the Creston neighborhood so naturally a great day trip starts here! For lunch we would head over to Gaia House Cafe for some of their “Ricks way” ginger, garlic, and vegan tomato aioli potatoes. Next, we would head over to Kingmas market for a few sweet treats before heading over to Riverside park for a long walk and a few rounds of disc golf. After, we would hit up Creston brewing for a few drinks and dinner. We would of course end the night at a DAAC music show! The Creston neighborhood has a more laid back atmosphere with plenty of great places to eat and amazing natural scenery and parks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shoutout Charity Klein. Charity is one of the core committee members at the DAAC and she has been an incredible mentor. I owe every single bit of my success here at the DAAC to her. When things got tough she was the source of knowledge and remained positive. That level of positivity and perseverance carried over to how I operate both at the DAAC as a volunteer and in my personal life. I became a better person because of her guidance and I cannot thank her enough for her leadership.

Website: https://thedaac.org/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/daacgr

Facebook: Facebook.com/the.daac

Other: Sign up to volunteer here: https://thedaac.org/volunteer