Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1207269
Elsa Rivera runs many local fundraising events, including the Big Sur Fashion Show and Big Sur Food and Wine, and volunteers at other nonprofits. 76 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0 W hen Elsa Rivera finished orchestrating last year's Big Sur Food and Wine, she felt like she'd been hit by a truck. The punchline here is that the cleanup crew unwit- tingly backed into the diminutive director. Shakespeare may have had Rivera in mind when he wrote: "Though she be but little, she is fierce." Rivera avoided hospitalization, but spent weeks recuperating in her "girl cave" with her cat. Never one to dawdle, the serial volunteer used the time to organize a Christmas toy drive. "She's one of the most genuinely giving peo- ple I know, with deep compassion for others," says friend Gracie Rubio. "She sees a need and works her magic to connect people to the cause. Then, boom, it becomes a success." Tireless and resourceful, Rivera is the engine behind the charitable Big Sur Fashion Show and donates time to countless nonprofits. Projects closest to her heart include G.I. Josie (female veteran transition), Groundswell (women's global surf therapy) and Sambal Legal (Brazilian-inspired drumming and dancing troupe). The Colombia-born Rivera calls it "chica power," seeing unlimited possibilities when women embrace leadership. Her motto? "Yes Makes It Happen." "I don't like 'maybe,' because then you're stalled," she says. "If you say 'no,' you're done, if you say 'yes,' the answers come." Elsa Rivera Embraces the Power of Yes B Y L A R R Y H A R L A N D SHORTCUTS NEIGHBORS Photo: Kelli Uldall