Beyond Main Street
3/20/2015
Most of us have been on road trips and can visual many small town “Main Streets” that we have traveled in search of a café or a gas station. But Main Streets can be misleading, as I have learned from sixteen years of driving to the far-flung communities in our county. Clearly it is not the architecture, but the people, who define our towns. To talk about this, I turned to Francine Selim and Gayle Greene, two Community Foundation board members who have spent time in several local communities in their roles as members of our Grants Program Advisory Committee.
Blood Bank Legacy Alive at the High School
3/5/2015
Blood Bank Legacy Alive at the High School
Anyone who has needed blood knows that a gift of blood is “giving back” in a very profound way. Encouraging such gifts is one of the purposes of the Blood Bank of the Redwoods Legacy Fund, established at the Community Foundation in 2011 to preserve the community legacy of the Blood Bank of the Redwoods.
Finding effective ways to make grants from the fund is the job of Megan Barber Allende, Philanthropic Services Manager at the Community Foundation. She uses the written goals of the Blood Bank of the Redwoods Legacy Fund, which include education and encouraging blood donations from non-traditional donors, and matches those goals with community programs. She explains, “I knew we wanted to reach young people and more Hispanic donors, so I thought why not start at the high school?”
Building Better Boards
2/20/2015
If you ask the executive directors of nonprofit organizations to list their current challenges, chances are board recruitment will be near the top of their lists. Mendocino County residents appreciate nonprofits for the services they provide, the jobs they create, and the community activities they produce. So why is there trouble with board recruitment?
For answers I turned to Sue Haun and Catherine Marshall, two organizational consultants who are facilitating the “Building Better Boards” series of workshops sponsored by the Community Foundation.
Albertson Loans Assist Local Students
2/6/2015
Lisa Doster, a Loan Officer at the Savings Bank, knows the value of education. “After I had children, I went back to school at Empire Business College. It was an important step for my career, but I struggled to find student loans to help me get through. So I understand what students go through when paying for college and then paying back their loans.”
Lisa is now the administrator for the Elmer Albertson Loan program, established through the Elmer Albertson Trust which is a component fund of the Community Foundation. Mr. Albertson’s legacy helped to create a revolving loan fund for local students, which is administered by the Savings Bank. Students may apply for up to $2,500/year for 4 years.
The Price of Freedom
1/16/2015
Visiting the San Francisco VA Hospital at Fort Miley, as I have done, can be a profound experience. When looking at the faces of the men and women who have served, I often wonder what stories each of them could tell. The floor mat at the entrance says it all: “The Price of Freedom is Visible Here.”
With that in mind, I was interested in talking to Clare Friedlander, a licensed clinical social worker at the Ukiah VA Clinic, about a report she sent to our office that describes how a Community Foundation mini-grant allowed a non-profit arts program to provide art therapy for veterans in Ukiah who are suffering from PTSD and other conditions.
The Broadband Crusader Retires
1/5/2015
I have worked closely over the past several years with Jim Moorehead, Community Foundation board member and Chair of the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County. During that time I have been amazed by Jim's focus, determination and passion for bringing broadband to our region. He takes "giving back" to new levels - think of Captain Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick to get a sense of the singleness of his purpose.
Jim is now retiring as Chair of the Alliance, honoring a pledge he made to his wife that he would quit when he turned 70. "It's time," he told me. "We have good people and a good structure to take it from here. The Board of Supervisors has been unanimous in its support of everything we've done and now they are really stepping up to the plate and taking leadership on this issue."
There's a Lot to Celebrate in Community Foundations
11/19/2014
There’s convergence here – we are just concluding Community Foundations Week (officially declared twenty-five years ago by President George H. W. Bush for the week of November 12-18), we’re mailing out our annual reports, and I returned a few weeks ago from a community foundation conference that celebrated 100 years of community foundations in the United States.
OK. There are enough “community foundations” in that first paragraph to make many people stop reading. Why? Over the years I’ve learned that “community foundations” are an “inside baseball” (to draw from my last column) kind of a thing. If you know what they are, you understand their importance. If you don’t know, you have no idea why they matter. The problem is “community foundation” is not easy to explain in a 60 second sound bite or even a 500 word column.
What the Giants Teach Us About Community
11/6/2014
I am sure I am not alone in thinking October was rather . . . orange. Fall leaves and pumpkins aside, like so many others, I have been following baseball and the Giants improbable progress to victory in the final game of the World Series.
So what does this have to do with "giving back" and our community? After listening to announcers and countless sports pundits throughout this month, I heard (over and over again) themes that resonate more broadly. So for a bit of fun, I thought I'd see if a little baseball wisdom translates into how to build stronger communities.
The Economic Power of the Nonprofit Sector
10/17/2014
Sometimes I’m asked “How many nonprofits are there in Mendocino County?” The answer is hard to quantify—and it’s no wonder. The term “nonprofit” covers everything from our kids’ Little League, to our local Garden Club or Moms’ Group, and then possibly to our medical clinic or hospital. It is our church, the Hospice caregivers, the school boosters’ club, the animal shelter, and the Chamber of Commerce. It often applies to the theater and music performances we attend, and to the local festivals and events that we all enjoy. You get the picture. We come in contact with nonprofits every day without thinking about it.
Pursuing the Dream
10/6/2014
Dan Kozloff knows what it takes to pursue a career in the arts. Most of his life has been spent studying, performing and teaching music and theatre. "I started studying piano when I was six," he told me, "and I've been involved with the arts ever since."
Dan was living in the Bay Area and studying acting at the Jean Shelton School in San Francisco when, in 1984, he received a call from his friend Sue Winn who wanted his help coaching actors for a production at the Mendocino Theatre Company. He came to the Coast and, as sometimes happens, he never really left. He became a teacher at Mendocino High School and taught French, drama, music appreciation and English until his retirement. In addition to his "day job," he has generously donated his time to community theatre and music groups including Mendocino Theatre Company, the Mendocino Music Festival, and the Mendocino Coast Parks and Recreation "Jump Start" program.
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