My Town: Phillip Moller

Community Cultivator Red Bluff

my town: champion for change

Red Bluff has a lot of people who make our tiny town feel big. They are the agents of change, volunteering many hours to unlock the potential that Red Bluff always had. I have been volunteering in my community for the past seven years. Our community has been everything and more, guiding me to aspire and inspire.

I found community through service in the Active 20-30 Club of Red Bluff. This group of young adults ages 20-39 is dedicated to enhancing the lives of youth. I have met a lot of special people during my years of service, and the impact we make is so close to my heart. We do a lot of fundraising for our youth and it all goes back into the community. This club of young adults has shaped me to be who I am today.

I discovered new skills through being a creative leader and co-running Tehama Creatives. We are dedicated to enhancing the community through public art which creates cultural, social and economic value for our community. We have installed more than 20 large murals downtown, including my most recent piece that spells out RED BLUFF. Inside each letter is a scene of our culture and history. In addition to the ongoing murals, we have life-size painted fiberglass horses, with the first five being installed downtown. Another 10+ are planned for 2022-2023. We believe art is a huge part of change in our community. It inspires youth and community members to take new pride and ownership of our special town.

I am also a part of a group of trail blazers who have been able to foster the LGBTQ+ community in Tehama County. We co-founded Tehama OUTreach with a small group of people who helped bring the first-ever Pride Festival to Red Bluff. Our parent organization, NorCal OUTreach, has been fundamental to our operations. We strive to be inclusive of all genders and sexualities, celebrate the diversity within our community, practice cultural humility, and foster health and wellbeing to the people we serve. We seek to improve the lives of everyone by increasing understanding, acknowledgment, visibility and appreciation of the LGBTQ+ community, thereby making rural Northern California a safer and more accepting place for all. This movement is fostering a culture in Red Bluff that is very much needed and already here.

Some people want to leave Red Bluff. It’s not for the faint of heart. As a fifth-generation resident of Tehama County, here’s my advice: Get involved and start making a change by cultivating the kind of community you want. The grass is not greener on the other side; you need water and care for the side in which you live. A force for positive change in my community…my town.